Will the Fourth
Alberta Permaculture Convergence
Inspire, Inform, and Empower You and Your Community?
Of Course!....And That’s Just the Beginning of the Impact This
Event Will Have!
When you get a group of passionate
permaculture people together for an ad-hoc convergence -- and each of them
suddenly realizes I’m not swimming alone against the mainstream current - endless
possibilities open up! Ideas start flying, friendships form, needs meet skills,
investors meet start-ups...
That was what
happened at the first, second and third Alberta Permaculture Convergence...and
we knew this was just the beginning.........
So you will not
want to miss our fourth annual Convergence (whether you’re an Albertan or
not!). It’s scheduled August 23th-25th, 2013 at Rancho Relaxo: five
acres of paradise just minutes outside of Rocky Mountain House, displaying some
of the best mountain views and most pristine vistas that Alberta has to offer.
Why Attend the Fourth Alberta Convergence?
For starters, it
takes all the best features of our previous Convergences to a new level….
·
You’ll meet likeminded folks who share your
values, your priorities, and your passionate love of the Earth...
·
You’ll learn nitty-gritty skills that will serve you
whether you’re camping in the wilderness or rebuilding after a major
disaster...
·
You’ll swap tips, resources and practical know-how to create a living
knowledge base for your community...
·
You’ll be inspired by stories from fellow permies
across the social spectrum...
·
You’ll see your children creating supportive
friendships in a safe, kid-friendly environment...
·
You’ll feast on healthy, delicious local food.
And best of all….
·
You’ll spend three full days of fun and
permaculture....(and nothing but fun and permaculture!) as you get back to
the land and create community in a vibrant tent city set in a breathtaking
landscape!
That’s right – you can swing, have a barefoot nature walk, listen to
live music, and interact with nature in the pristine foothills of the Canadian
Rockies…
Every permaculture gathering should be a full-immersion experience of
the glories of nature – and Rancho Relaxo is the perfect place to do just that!
Boasting three thousand square feet of raised garden beds, as well as the
initial stages of two perennial food forests with fifty fruit trees, displaying
the twenty‐five species of fruit we can grow in
this climate, Rancho Relaxo will be sure to fulfill every craving you have to
experience the beauty of a permaculture enriched nature experience.
You’d think a stunning location like this would have a lodging price to
match....but no!
You see, both the
Convergence planners and the stewards of Rancho Relaxo have a long-range
vision...and your budget benefits, too!
Full week-end camping
is just $215 per person ($145 for children 12 and under), and includes:
· Camping site on the Ranch with composting toilets available
· Participation in all
workshops on all days.
· Friday night will be a potluck so please bring a dish to share with your
new friends.
Menu – Locally sourced, of
course.
- The talented Creative Cuisine Catering will be
catering Saturdays lunch with:
Bannock - local First Nations traditional bread
Fresh Bread served
with local butter and jam
Traditional Lasagna –
made with homemade pasta, sauce and local beef
Vegetarian Lasagna
made with Spinach Pasta
Polenta cakes served
with Vegan friendly sauce
Caesar salad, Garden
Salad
Dessert
And Saturday's Supper with:
Fresh Dinner Rolls
Tomato, Beet and
Basil Salad (Vegan) over greens
Roasted Vegetable
Curry (Vegan) over quinoa
Quinoa and Ricotta
Stuffed Zucchini
Pit Roasted Pig!!!
Served with an Apple Chutney and Hot Pepper Jelly
Baked Potato with all
the fixings
Dessert
Creative Cuisine Catering will be returning Sunday
to serve us Lunch:
Watermelon and
Ricotta Salad
Apple Cole Slaw
Cabbage, Leek and
Pepper Pie (Vegan)
Veggie Stuffed
Cabbage Rolls
Yam Fries with
roasted garlic aioli
Pulled pork Sandwich
Dessert
Oh wow!! Our mouths are watering in anticipation! This
amazing, local, food will give us all the energy we need to have an amazing
weekend!
A non-camping pass is
only $165 per person on Saturday (children $140) and $140 on Sunday (children
$130), and includes:
·
Access to the site on Saturday or Sunday and
participation in all workshops on that day.
·
Catered lunches on Saturday or Sunday and supper on
Saturday night.
*Children 2 and under
may attend free of charge, but please let us know if you’re bringing children
so we can include them in our meal plans.
Be
warned - space is very limited!
Register NOW to lock in your spot before it’s too
late!
What Sort of Workshops Will Be Offered? We’re Glad You Asked!
We will be going for the UNworkshop learning experience this year. How
fun! We will be setting up discussion stations around our ranch to explore
different topics and you will be able to experience each workshop for as little
or as much time as you need in a self-led learning experience!!
That`s right! You will be practicing all the skills we have to offer in
the learning style most commonly appreciated by people young and old: hands-on
and self-led!
Some of the topics we will be exploring are:
·
Humanure Compost: Is human feedback into the soil essential to
the evolution of healthy food?
·
Solar Electricity: Is it sustainable, and can we rely on it?
·
Food Forest vs
Annual Gardens: A new type
of early retirement?
·
Off-Grid Log Cabins: Fresh ideas for cozy, efficient, sustainable
homes.
·
Solar Air Heating: The most efficient, simplest, form of solar
panel.
·
Hugelkulture Crop
Circles: Turning swamp land into garden
paradise
But wait!! There’s MORE!!
Have you heard? Western Australian
permaculture troubadour, Charlie Mgee is coming to deliver a combined electro-swing
dance floor set and permaculture workshop, The Permaculture Ukulele Show is a
unique new experiment in ‘ecological edutainment’ with the aim of pounding the
principles of permaculture deep into your consciousness in the form of a
serious dose of electro-swing-ukulele-awesomesauce!!!
WOW!! That IS going to be awesome!
And the Impact of This Convergence Won’t End on August 25th...
Of course you expect
that any Convergence would have a long-term impact as participants bring
new information and ideas back to their communities. But the planners for the
Alberta Convergences have a bigger vision...
·
to establish a cohesive community of permaculture
practitioners...
·
to wake up the Severely Normal Albertan to permaculture
options...
·
to thrill our mainstream society with sustainable,
practical, low-tech permaculture solutions...
·
and, over time, to leave a lasting legacy of
functional permaculture sites from one end of the province to the other!
The Bottom Line - the Real Reason to Come to This Year’s Convergence...
We’ve all felt it -
the sense that we’re alone, struggling to live sustainably in a culture that’s
determined to destroy the environment we all depend on for our lives. It isn’t
easy!
It’s events like this, however, that can give you hope - meeting others who
share your values, exchanging ideas and perceptions and inspirations and
resources and tips....
…and building a community...a legacy of knowledge, creative
connection, and real-life examples...a small and growing groundswell of change
where you live and across the province.
We don’t know about you, but that’s
what keeps us going despite all the odds and obstacles! And that’s why we’ll be
taking in the mountain air at Rancho Relaxo this year….and hoping to see you!
Don’t wait. Spaces are limited, and are filling up already!
Whether you come out on your own, or bring your whole family out, we can
promise that the 2013 Convergence will deepen your understanding, broaden your
connections, and replenish your energy for the planet-saving permaculture work
you do!
Looking forward to seeing you there – bring your guitar!
The Gillies Family & the Crew
In our family, the arts play an important role in our lives. We have a family band (The Garden Variety Rockstars) where each person plays an instrument or sings, and we perform at various events around the community. In fact, we like live outdoor music so much that for the past nine years we have hosted large outdoor concerts every year, and this year we hosted our first live music wedding!
A local First Nations Elder Theresa Strawberry has agreed to speak at the Opening Ceremony on Friday, blessing the event and sharing some wisdom from a people who understand living off the land. The First Nations like to plan for seven generations in the future, which is a sharp contrast to Western Culture where we plan for seven minutes into the future. Adopting thinking patterns for the longer term is a key element in sustainability. Many native elders use story-telling to convey a message that relates to our connection with the land, as well as a connection with each other. Forming these connections are of the utmost importance in working towards a healthy community and society.
