We are so excited to launch the fourth full season of permablitzes in the greater Portland area and we’re looking for hosts!
Are you interested in moving your home towards greater resilience? Have you been interested in implementing a permaculture design but didn’t know where to start? Are you interested in exploring ways that your space or property can support the wider community? Click here to apply to host a residential or community permablitz!
What are Permablitzes?
Permablitzes are day-long work parties in service of a permaculture design. Typically a group of people gathers on a property fueled by teaching and learning important skills, good food, good conversation, and the common goal of implementing a phase of a permaculture design. Click here to learn more about permablitzing in Portland.
Imagine 20-40 permaculture folks working side-by-side for six hours resulting in more than 180 labor hours completed in one day – not to mention equivalent hours of experiential learning, great fun and connection.
Community Blitzes!
In addition to our slate of residential blitzes, we’re excited to both organize (and support the self-organization of) additional community/public/multiple stakeholder blitzes into the mix! Examples would include neighborhood blocks, parks, school yards, co-housing units, areas around businesses or religious spaces, abandoned lots, etc. If you are connected to a space that you think might be a good match, we encourage you to apply for that space!
Important: Please read through the following criteria for this year’s permablitzing sites (we hope to expand this for future seasons as resources allow!). If you feel like a good match, please submit your information by April 29th by clicking on the link at the bottom and we’ll get back to you to see if it will work for this year! And if you don’t feel you meet the criteria this year, consider getting your own local permablitzing network going or hang in there for a future season!
Portland Permablitz Host
Priority for this season’s blitzes will go to renters, as well as to people who are able to be active in reciprocity to the wider community (either through attending blitzes previously or committing to those on other people’s property this season, in actively providing food/medicine, etc. to the wider community, sharing growing space, etc.)
In addition, hosts must:
Willing to put in 10-15 hours in the month or two prior to the permablitz towards seeking out and providing materials as specified in the design (this might mean purchasing and/or gathering and recycling with the help of the permablitz organizer).
Capacity to maintain the permaculture systems post-permablitz for the duration of the time that they’re designed for.
Located in Portland, South Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Westbrook, Scarborough, Falmouth (we’re maintaining our focus in the immediate vicinity of Portland. If you’re from another area please email us, as we’re psyched to help catalyze permablitzing
Space for 10 to 20 people to work, park vehicles, sit down inside or outside for lunch
Able to provide a soup or other main dish for lunch, with attendees bringing other lunch items potluck-style to compliment.
Criteria for selection:
Host selections will a) give preference to those who have participated in permablitzes previously, and b) people who don’t own their own homes, c) seek to attain a diversity of space options (urban and rural, design constraints, etc.) and project possibilities (including expanding into weatherization and energy projects), and d) seek hosts who are interested in building systems of mutual aid: creative ways that they might give back to the wider community after receiving the blitz. e) seek to support bridge-builders in our community and to bring networks or groups of people together to do shared work.
More about our goals for this year…
- Permablitzing at least ten sites: both urban and suburban residential, owner-occupied as well as rental; and at least three of those as public, community, or multiple stakeholder sites.
- Generating new and creative grassroots ways of leveraging space in support of the wider community.
- Working with mutual aid and shared work to connect different networks and communities of people.
- Demonstrating and documenting options for urban permaculture that work within the constraints of rental situations.
- Supporting renter capacity for self-sufficiency and mutual aid in the face of the rising rent prices.
- Building reciprocity and a network of mutual aid.
- Building collaboration across public, private, and non-profit sectors, as well as empowering the grassroots.
- Working with neighborhoods and city blocks to build organizing capacity for permablitzes.
- Expanding beyond food and water resilience, building in energy and weatherization projects.
- Supporting the self-organizing capacity of the amazing folks in the permablitz network to accomplish new and unforeseen projects!
If you’ve read all this and you’re still interested in hosting a permablitz on your property, get your name on the list by filling out this host application now!If you have any questions, please email our Permablitz Coordinator Heather Foran (hforan@gmail.com) or LisaFernandes (lisa@
Best,
Everyone at The Resilience Hub
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