Energy Bulletin founder talks up Permablitz

May 28, 2009

NOTE: Images in this archived article have been removed.

Permablitzing is the subject of an article in The Age: “Blitzing the ‘burbs”. The article defines permablitz as:

1. An event in which volunteers use permaculture principles to transform a suburban garden into a place that produces its own food. A combination of the words permaculture � a design system for sustainable living and land use � and Backyard Blitz a television program in which backyards receive a makeover. 

In another article, Adam wrote:

When you’re blitzing you’re learning by doing, while getting ideas for your own garden, participating in free workshops, while meeting good people, while helping to reduce food miles and water use, reducing deforestation and salinity, beautifying underused spaces, sharing resources, eating great food, and preparing the way for ever more healthier, tastier food, while building community networks and urban resilience. And what does all this cost you? Nothing. And if you come to three or so we can help organise one at your house. Try doing the maths on that. It broke my calculator. 

-BA


Here’s a three minute online talk by Adam from February this year about permablitz:

Slides below.

Adam Grubb, Co-ordinator of the Permablitz network, introduces to the Permablitz model. Based on a reciprocity model, Permablitz aims to address issues dealing with food crisis through the utilization of of individuals in creating their own source of food in the backyard. His talk is titled “Eating the Suburbs.”

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Thanks to Ferne Edwards and Sustainable Melbourne for making the talk available online and the other fantastic presenters that night. A novel device which you can hear to keep presenters on time was a vibraphone player who played louder and louder as we went over time, thus the no mention of VEG at the end!

Adam Grubb

Adam Grubb left a career in IT to pursue becoming backwardly mobile after learning about energy depletion. He founded the energy news clearinghouse Energy Bulletin in 2003 which became the most popular website about peak oil on the net. He got into permaculture in 2004 and a couple of years later co-founded (with Dan Palmer) the now global permablitz movement. These days he and Dan are co-directors of the urban permaculture consultancy Very Edible Gardens (VEG) in Melbourne, and are in demand as designers, garden creators and educators.  He co-hosts Greening the Apocalypse on 3RRR. He has been a wild food enthusiast for over a decade and running edible weed walks since 2006.

Tags: Building Community, Buildings, Food, Urban Design