The permablitz concept can be used by anyone. Here in Melbourne, Permablitz is a network, more so than a well defined organisation.
Some of us are involved in a small collective—the Permablitz Melbourne Collective. The collective does not run permablitzes (not as a group anyway). Instead, the collective exists for two reasons:
1) to help link people together with the right knowledge to make blitzes happen
2) to facilitate and encourage the spread of the permablitz concept
Things the collective do include: writing and editing our info guides, maintaining this website, linking potential hosts with potential designers, helping document permablitzes and organising documentors, promoting blitzes, writing newsletters, organising gatherings for the designers, maintaining a list of international and interstate groups and sharing resources, and so on.
The collective is made up of volunteers and the group is unfunded with no bank account since there are very few costs involved.
Profiles
Read about the current members of the Permablitz Melbourne Collective:
Adrian
I joined the Collective in 2014, but first discovered Permablitz through a Costa DVD from my local library and totally fell in love with the concept. My first blitz was amazing, everyone was so friendly and willing to share stories, tips and advice. When I saw the shout-out for the Outie role, I jumped at it – the chance to contribute to something so positive was just too good to miss. And it’s been every bit as awesome as I thought. The team is amazing and I feel honoured to be listed among them.
Russell
I joined the Collective in 2016. My interest in permaculture comes from and was enhanced by wwoofing around Australia for a lot of 2014. I traveled with my partner Christine and we only chose interesting and permaculture venues. This journey led me to understand how the social side of permaculture design was implicit in so much project management. Wonderful people and wonderful experiences.
My drive to be involved in Permaculture is that it is one of the solutions to so many issues we face as a species. There’s a million places where things could be better and this working with and defence of Nature is one of the battles I choose.
Holly
Although it wasn’t permaculture, I first became aware of groups “blitzing” gardens to grow food when I lived in Edinburgh in the late 2000s. Having held on to this idea over the years as something to aim for, I later tried to complete a PDC in Ballarat not once, but twice (life and a PhD in Ethnobotany kind of got in the way). It’s still on my mind… so, joining the Permablitz Melbourne Collective in the meantime seems like a great way to contribute to the cause, meet more like-minded people and stay connected to all things permaculture-related.
As a freshly minted collective member, I can only heap praise on the collective for the amazing job it’s already doing facilitating all the blitzes and other permie activities – I look forward to being able to provide support in as many ways as I can!
Ronella
My first permablitz was at the Warr Park Food Forest in Brunswick. I loved that my seven-year-old son and I could both learn what to do and contribute. I have also started helping with social media posts in an Outie role to share ideas and stories widely. I’m shortly starting a permaculture design course with Very Edible Gardens and look forward to a lot more permablitzing in the months and years ahead!
Alex
Electrical engineer by day, permaculture enthusiast by night. I joined the collective in 2019. Living in an apartment limits what I am able to grow and practise, so doing a bit of hard work in someone else’s garden is my idea of an great day! I am currently finishing an online PDC and am looking forward to experiencing gardens with this new perspective.
Natalie Vella
Natalie is a freelance writer with gardening in her DNA. She joined the Permablitz collective in 2019 to learn about food growing and permaculture and to help promote Permablitz’s mission of turning spaces into food forests.
And here’s some group photos old and not so old…
Structure
Beyond the collective, there is also a mailing list for potential permablitz designers called the Designers Guild, as well as our large newsletter mailing list and the thousands of volunteers that have been to permablitzes.
Within the collective we take on various roles to ensure things get done (fancy diagram below):
If you’d like more info about the collective or would like to join, we’d love to hear from you so please get in contact.
