The UMass Permaculture Initiative is a unique and cutting edge sustainability program that converts unproductive grass lawns on campus into ecological, socially responsible, and financially sustainable permaculture landscapes that are easy to replicate. We have been featured in numerous publications including The Boston Globe and Huffington Post. In March 2012 we won first-place in the White House Campus Champions of Change Challenge from over 1400 applications.
Over the past year, an outpouring of students, staff and local community members led to the creation of three educational permaculture landscapes at the University of Massachusetts Amherst involving over 1,000 campus volunteers and over 300 local youth. Together, UMass Dining staff and volunteers prepared the soil by layering over 500,000 pounds of UMass compost, recycled carboard, and campus wood chips without using any fossil fuels on-site.
To date, we have planted over 1,500 fruit trees, berry bushes, herbs, flowers, and vegetables and are committed to transforming more grass lawns into edible landscapes on campus each year.
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June 2012 Permaculture Your Campus Conference – Early Reg. May 16
- 5/9/2012
Dear friends and colleagues;
We are pleased to share with you the following conference. Please forward to others who may be interested.
Permaculture Your Campus is a working-conference that focuses on permaculture as a multi-functional strategy for campus sustainability. It takes place June 20-22, 2012 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Early registration deadline ends May 16. Some scholarships are available.
Permaculture is truly a win-win-win concept that is adaptable to any campus setting and provides countless benefits. Register today and learn more about this rapidly growing movement. We look forward to seeing you in June!
College and university campuses are incredibly important places to demonstrate sustainability practices that our planet and society truly need. Directors of the award-winning UMass Permaculture Initiative are hosting the first international Permaculture Your Campus Conference on June 20-22, 2012 which describes how permaculture gardens can play a key role in creating positive environmental change, community engagement, and new economic opportunities for campuses worldwide.
Our keynote speaker is Frances Moore Lappe, author of Diet for a Small Planet.
President Obama recently recognized permaculture as a rapidly growing sustainability movement that needs to spread to campuses across the world.
At the Permaculture Your Campus Conference, presenters of the award-winning UMass
Permaculture Initiative will give an introduction to permaculture in a campus
setting and share the value that it has created for the University of Massachusetts
system and local community. Participants will learn how to develop a successful
permaculture initiative for their campus and will leave with their own
individualized action plan.
Permaculture is a whole systems approach to sustainability that allows us to meet the needs of people today while improving the quality of the environment for future generations.
A permaculture garden achieves whole-systems sustainability in that it is diverse, environmentally regenerative, aesthetically-pleasing, and produces a variety of edible plants, including berries, nuts, fruits, roots, herbs, medicinals, flowers, and vegetables.
It is truly good for the earth and a win-win-win project.
Permaculture is a growing movement on college campuses, and it’s easy to see why.
Permaculture gardens are something that any campus (higher ed. institution, boarding school, hospital, prison) can create to increase their environmental sustainability and social responsibility with minimal cost.
The gardens are highly visible and have a high potential ROI due to their marketability.
Transforming unproductive landscapes into edible and ecologically regenerative gardens is something that you can feel good about doing each day as it helps to create the healthier world that is needed for future generations.
Institutions practicing permaculture are seen as forward-thinking and on the cutting-edge of sustainability.
The UMass Permaculture Initiative is a unique and cutting edge sustainability program that converts unproductive grass lawns on campus into ecological, socially responsible, and financially sustainable permaculture landscapes that are easy to replicate.
To date, we’ve planted over 1,500 fruit trees, berry bushes, herbs, flowers, and vegetables on campus and committed to transforming more grass lawns into edible landscapes each year.
In March 2012, the UMass Permaculture team was invited to the White House to receive an award from President Obama for winning the Campus Champions of Change Challenge from over 1,400 entries.
Winning this Campus Champions of Change led to various media appearances for UMass Permaculture, including:
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