What we’re about
Permaculture aims to regenerate healthy, productive landscapes and communities by consciously applying ecological principles to the design of human habitats. It is a theory, a mindset, and a lens for looking at the world in order to create a sustainable and just planet for all. Permaculture’s three ethics - Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share - and its twelve principles are used to design systems that create and foster healthy relationships. Through this discipline, each of us can take greater responsibility for ourselves and our world by developing life skills for sustainable living to become active participants and producers.
“Permaculture gives us a toolkit for moving from a culture of fear and scarcity to one of love and abundance.” -Toby Hemenway (permaculturist & author)
What we do: We build community, share ideas and learn how to move forward mindfully and in tune with the ethics of Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share. Through the Seacoast NH Permaculture Meetup and other partner organizations we bring people together by offering workshops, speakers, movies, discussions, swaps, potluck meals and other events.
"We don't know what details of a truly sustainable future are going to be like, but we need options, we need people experimenting in all kinds of ways and permaculturists are one of the critical gangs that are doing that." -Dr. David Suzuki (geneticist, broadcaster, environmentalist)
Our mission: Seacoast NH Permaculture Group empowers individuals and communities to work together to create resiliency through the use of Permaculture in the NH seacoast area and beyond. We inspire and teach each other by sharing skills, knowledge, and regenerative practices, nurturing our connections and celebrating our work.
“You cannot save the land apart from the people or the people apart from the land.” -Wendell Berry (farmer, environmentalist, author)
Land Acknowledgment: Indigenous cultures, past and present, have been an inspiration to our learning and the development of permaculture. To honor them and to deepen our connection to and understanding of the land we are living on, we share that the Seacoast of NH is the traditional ancestral homeland of the Abenaki, Pennacook and Wabanaki Peoples. We are grateful to them for stewarding this area so beautifully for thousands of years and continuing that work now. They invite us to join their efforts – see indigenousnh.com to learn more.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- ONLINE Permaculture Topics: Transformative AdaptationLink visible for attendees
How do we adapt and transform to bring about major systemic changes? Manda Scott, Rupert Read and Morgan Philips discuss their book “Transformative Adaptation” which offers ideas of what to do at local and national levels, examples of the kinds of deliberate democracies needed; templates of how the world can be if we bring all our creativity to bear. We can help shift our communities from reacting to adapting and find creative, flourishing, inspiring ways to meet the chaos of these times.
To clarify - for these discussions, we watch/listen to/read material ahead of time and then discuss it. The authors or speakers are not joining us - we are talking about their work ourselves.
Before we meet listen to/watch or read the transcript of the hour long interview/conversation.
In our Permaculture Topics Discussions & Book Studies, we aim to expand our knowledge of topics related to permaculture and to have an ongoing series where members can connect to build our community. This series has a particular focus on "social/societal permaculture." Since Spring 2020, we've been especially engaging with topics such as: people care, story, right relationships, new economics, community resilience, honoring indigenous knowledge, strength in diversity, and forests & gardens as teachers.
COST: Suggested donation of $5-15 at https://www.seacoastnhpermaculture.org/https://www.seacoastnhpermaculture.org/ . If you do not want to use paypal, we always take checks to Seacoast Permaculture, 219 France Rd, Barrington NH 03825. *We are not requiring you pay before signing up but there are limited spaces so please take your RSVP seriously.*
JOINING ONLINE: Our online programs are offered via Zoom. When you rsvp "yes" the Zoom link will become visible to you on this event page. Whenever you are logged in to your meetup account and come to this page you will be able to see it, click on it, or cut and paste it to get to the meeting. We will send you a message with the link through meetup, but your settings for your email or in meetup may mean it does not reach you, so *please remember to come to this page for access!*
The series is facilitated by Seacoast Permaculture members involved in organic growing and homesteading, education and social justice movements. The facilitators help the conversation move along, making sure everyone gets a chance to share. These are not formal classes but conversations shaped by the participants.
- Fermentation Exploration 3: Fermentation Project 2Link visible for attendees$5.00
Join us for our final summer fermentation exploration online meeting!
Summer is a great time for a learn-and-try exploration of simple fermentation projects. All are welcome—both beginners and those with experiences to share! The idea is to read/research/discuss and then try what you are most interested in. We will meet three times, and we will all share what we learned and describe how our fermentation projects turned out. We will also have an optional email group to stay connected about our projects in between sessions.
Warm-enough temperatures are key to successful fermentation, so the summer months are great to experiment. We will meet on Zoom on three Thursdays from 7-8 p.m. Sign up individually - we hope you can come to all of them but you can attend just one or two. Here are the dates and areas of emphasis:
July 3: Introduction to Fermentation
July 31: Fermentation Project 1
August 21: Fermentation Project 2
We’ll meet on Zoom to share our experiences, questions, and insights with individual efforts for Project 2.Important FYI about resources for the series:
Please be sure to get a copy of Wild Fermentation (or another high quality book/reference about fermentation, though we will specifically reference Wild Fermentation). Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz is a great beginner’s guide and will anchor our learning and efforts. We also encourage the sharing of favorite fermentation blogs, books, and so on. This is a great series for the fermentation-curious beginner, and we also welcome experienced fermenters who would like to try new things and share their knowledge. This is not a class but rather a small group for learning, trying, and sharing results and knowledge.COST: The fee for each session is $5. Further donations to Seacoast Permaculture are welcome as they are what keep this group alive.
About Wild Fermentation author Sandor Ellix Katz
Sandor Ellix Katz is a fermentation revivalist. A self-taught experimentalist who lives in rural Tennessee, his explorations in fermentation developed out of his overlapping interests in cooking, nutrition, and gardening. He is the author of four previous books: Wild Fermentation, The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved, The Art of Fermentation—which won a James Beard Foundation Award in 2013—and Fermentation as Metaphor. The hundreds of fermentation workshops he has taught around the world have helped catalyze a broad revival of the fermentation arts. The New York Times calls Sandor “one of the unlikely rock stars of the American food scene.” For more information, check out his website: www.wildfermentation.com.About Your Hosts:
Jennifer Montgomery is a member of the Seacoast Permaculture group, and she enjoys exploring various permaculture practices and engaging in stewardship of natural resources in New Hampshire. She has been experimenting with hügelkultur garden beds, the protecting and planting of native perennials, and the planting of pollinator gardens. Her interests in at-home fermentation—especially fermented beverages, dairy, and vegetables—have motivated her to explore Wild Fermentation and other resources. Her favorite projects so far include sauerkraut, kefir, berry kvas, kombucha, and yogurt.Deb Ganster earned her permaculture design certification in 2010, and has since been gradually integrating the ethics, principles and practices of permaculture design at her off grid farm in South Berwick ME.
- Tour: The Colbroth HomesteadThe Colbroth Homestead, Lee, NH
The Colbroth homestead is a 2 acre parcel with a 1980s renovated house where Lisa moved in 2003. A programmer by trade, she became a gardener to fulfill her tendency to hoard - what better to hoard than food producing plants! She has converted 1/3 to 1/2 of her 2 acres into gardens and orchards. She appreciates having food she knows is safe and chemical-free, and sharing it with family and friends.
Lisa applied permaculture principles from video series such as Growing Back to Eden, Canadian Permaculture Legacy, Stefan Sobkowiak, Plant Abundance, The Weedy Garden, Edible Acres and others. She builds soil with horse manure and wood chips from her neighbors, similar in style to the Growing Back to Eden model.
For Lisa's first orcharding experiments she grabbed what she found at the big box stores, threw them in the ground and hoped for the best! Since then, she has researched for low-watering, disease resistant options. She discovered so many varieties not available in the grocery store. You will see pretty much any plant that will grow in our region, but adds "If you know of one I do not have, I would love to learn more and add it to my collection!"
Some of the plants you will see:
Trees: Cherry, apple, peach, Asian and European pear, plum, persimmon, hazelnut, medlar, mulberry, fig, nectarine, apricot, paw paw, almond, quince, jujube.
Bushes: honeyberry, raspberry (black, red, yellow, pink), blackberry, blueberry, black and white currant, gooseberry, ligonberry, cranberry, jostaberry, aronia, Nanking cherry, serviceberry, strawberry.
Vines: grape, kiwi
Perennial vegetables: asparagus, rhubarb, winecap mushrooms, Turkish rocket, hablitzia, honesty, pool caraway, bloody dock, good King Henry, mouse garlic, shisandra, sweet cicely, metichi garlic, Egyptian walking onions.
Nitrogen fixers: Siberian peashrub, goji berry.
Soil helpers: comfrey, mullein.
Pollinator plants: Milkweed, black eyed Susan, coneflower, Queen Anne's lace, etc...COST: sliding scale of $10-30, payable at the event. No one turned away if unable to pay. Ideally bring cash or check!
About Seacoast Permaculture's Summer Garden & Homestead Tours: This event is part of the Seacoast Permaculture's Summer Garden & Homestead Tour series. Seeing what others are doing is a great way to get new ideas, learn new techniques and be inspired. The sites chosen are all in varied settings and different stages of development.
NOTE from SP organizers: Want to stay in the loop beyond our Meetups? Sign up for the monthly Seacoast NH Permaculture email newsletter to get notified about additional local and online events, hands-on projects, and resources. Sign up here. Unsubscribe at any time.
- ONLINE Permaculture Topics: Patterns of Meaning with Jeremy Lent & Morag GambleLink visible for attendees
An interview with award-winning permaculture teacher and designer, Morag Gamble, and best-selling author, Jeremy Lent, discussing the urgent need to realign our patterns of meaning with the life-sustaining patterns of our planet to create thriving, regenerative cultures. ReGeneration Rising explores how regenerative approaches can help us collectively re-design our communities, cities, and economies, and create a thriving home for all on our planet.
To clarify - for these discussions, we watch/listen to/read material ahead of time and then discuss it. The authors or speakers are not joining us - we are talking about their work ourselves.
Before we meet please listen to this 1 hour podcast: https://rsa-podcasts.simplecast.com/episodes/patterns-of-meaning-with-jeremy-lent-morag-gamble
In our Permaculture Topics Discussions & Book Studies, we aim to expand our knowledge of topics related to permaculture and to have an ongoing series where members can connect to build our community. This series has a particular focus on "social/societal permaculture." Since Spring 2020, we've been especially engaging with topics such as: people care, story, right relationships, new economics, community resilience, honoring indigenous knowledge, strength in diversity, and forests & gardens as teachers.
COST: Suggested donation of $5-15 at https://www.seacoastnhpermaculture.org/ . If you do not want to use paypal, we always take checks to Seacoast Permaculture, 219 France Rd, Barrington NH 03825. *We are not requiring payment before signing up but there are limited spaces so please take your RSVP seriously.*
JOINING ONLINE: Our online programs are offered via Zoom. When you rsvp "yes" the Zoom link will become visible to you on this event page. Whenever you are logged in to your meetup account and come to this page you will be able to see it, click on it, or cut and paste it to get to the meeting. We will send you a message with the link through meetup, but your settings for your email or in meetup may mean it does not reach you, so *please remember to come to this page for access!*
The series is facilitated by Seacoast Permaculture members involved in organic growing and homesteading, education and social justice movements. The facilitators help the conversation move along, making sure everyone gets a chance to share. These are not formal classes but conversations shaped by the participants.
NOTE from SP Organizers: Want to stay in the loop beyond our Meetups? Sign up for the monthly Seacoast NH Permaculture email newsletter to get notified about additional local and online events, hands-on projects, and resources. Sign up here. Unsubscribe at any time.