Permaculture at the Pub
Social Permaculture
Held once a month in local pubs, it is a casual get together for anyone wanting to talk gardening, sustainability, self-sufficiency, compost, local community, and more. There is no agenda, no tickets, no bookings - you drop in and stay for as long or as little as you like. Since 2022, Permaculture at the Pub has been connecting beginners, experienced growers, industry professionals, homesteaders, and more!
Wish there was an event closer to you? Get in touch!
We’re always happy to help another group get started.
About Permaculture at the Pub
Our first Permaculture at the Pub get together was held in December, 2022. We are lucky enough to have two great little pubs in our village, and it is always a good time when we cross paths with other locals that we know are gardeners, practising permaculture principles, or have similar interests.
“We should do this more often,” would be the parting words. Around the same time, we were connecting a few clients who lived near to one another but had no idea that they had other permaculture gardeners right around the corner. It just made sense to get them together.
We messaged our local pubs, deciding to share the event each month between them. The more involved, the merrier! Social media allowed us to put out a bit of a survey based on the days that suited the pubs, and we arrived at a consensus.
There is no membership, no formalities, it is not a meeting. We wanted it to be as inclusive and low-barrier for entry as possible. There is no agenda, no produce swap, no tours, workshops - just conversation at the pub with like-minded people. People don’t feel like they need to bring anything, know anything, or even know anyone!
We say it’s a bit like this…you know you can pop down and talk footy on a Friday night, this is the same but gardening on a Thursday.
Our usual turn-out ranges from a handful, to a dozen - to sometimes even thirty people or more each month! Most of us come from around the Dungog Shire, Maitland, and Port Stephens areas, and some folks even from Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.
We have since learned that there are a many other communities doing similar things - some have amazing groups that have been meeting for years! Imagine the community connections that builds!
I want to start Permaculture at the Pub near me!
We say go for it! Keep it simple and inclusive. It’s all about fostering community. We are thankful to have connected with so many amazing people this way, and love hearing from people wanting to start their own!
It’s just deciding with some other locals that a certain night a month is your best chance to cross paths with other gardeners, permies, and sustainable-living minded folk.
It’s for everyone - no experience required, and you don’t have to bring anything.
It’s low pressure, with no formalities.
It’s a simple as the thinking behind “Thursday is the raffles”, or “who’s coming down Friday for the footy?” - building an understanding amongst locals that a certain night is permaculture night.
If you are genuinely there for connection and willing to put in the effort to turn up regularly to get it off the ground - go for it!
Just start!
Get on a platform that helps you spread the word and gauge some interest. See if you can get an insight into a time and place that suits your local community. You could share it to a community group page, put it in a local gardening group newsletter, community notice board, or ask a local business to share it. Get talking and get some feedback.
Put it out there.
Don’t just put it to permaculture groups - invite gardeners, farmers, small business owners and everyone else, you never know who might be permi-curious.
Find experience.
Ask your local permaculture elders to come along. It’s great to have a broad range of knowledge levels. Those that are new or curious about permaculture can learn from those who have loads of experience, and those that are more experienced can learn about what it’s like coming into the movement at this time and learn about why people are currently turning towards permaculture (plus many other skill and knowledge exchanges). It can also be great for their business if they teach or design or run farm tours so that people can ask them questions face to face before signing up for their services.
Contact venues.
Get in touch with your local venues and see if they’re ok with hosting. Think about being as inclusive as possible, playgrounds/family friendly environments and places that are easily accessible are important. It can be helpful to find out if they have other events regularly that could be disruptive to people talking (live music nights, trivia, etc)
Communication!
It can be helpful to check each moth and encourage people to give you an idea of how many plan on attending so you can give the venue a heads-up. We find around half of the attendees order food and most have something to drink (non-alcoholic or alcoholic) so sending the pub a message can help with staffing and ensuring that the group has enough space to mingle.
Identify yourself.
We’ve found that most people don’t want to wear a name tag at the pub so we’ve come up with some ideas like wearing a colour, or using prior connection online. We’d love to hear your ideas.
Why we don’t have a guest speaker at the events…
Our focus is making connections, this helps our local community become more resilient and helps facilitate both small and large scale initiatives. A guest speaker makes the communication a one-way street, which is a great way to share information, but not our aim.
Why we don’t do field trips…
We want the event to feel as low-pressure as possible. Public spaces are great for welcoming people in an environment that feels more casual and allows people to come and go during the event as they need/want to. Some attendees have asked about it, and we are happy to point them in the direction of amazing groups that already exist in our area like Hunter Organic Grower’s Society and Permaculture Hunter.
Why we don’t encourage people to bring along produce/items to share…
We want the event to feel as low-pressure as possible. There are people who might be intimidated at the thought of having to bring along produce, or are just starting to grow their own.
Just bring yourself and that’s it! We also have events near to us that do this. If you don’t have groups and events that do this in your area, then maybe Permaculture at the Pub can help you to make connections that can see this happen.
Why we don’t use the event to collect money/donations for a good cause…
Again, reducing pressure on people to contribute anything other than themselves. Hopefully the event can get people talking about organising these great initiatives and making connections that support these other ideas to happen.
We would love to hear about your ideas and experiences!