Ballarat Permaculture Guild

Permablitz is about people helping people, learning skills and seeing permaculture designs in action. We are getting ready for next season on blitzs and scheduling all hosts/places into the BPG events calendar. Hooray!So how do I get on the Blitz list? Wait, what is a blitz? Read on!Unclear what a permablitz is?

Let Hannah from Good Life Permaculture explain on this Gardening Australia segment

WHO CAN HOST A BLITZ?

In general we say come to a couple of permablitzes so you gain an understanding of how the day runs (ideally 3 and also you are a financial BPG member). Then, we'll help organise and promote a blitz for you. You don't need a lot of skills, just a commitment to have a go. We ask that you come to some blitzes so you:a) get an idea of what to expect on the dayb) learn some relevant skillsc) demonstrate enough drive to show that you'll maintain your gardend) contribute to the Ballarat Permaculture Guild first (thanks for that!)

YOUR ROLE IN THE BLITZ

As a blitz host you are about to receive a big input of labour, design and good energy. Permablitzes are great fun but do require some work beforehand, so you’re prepared. You will need to have a clear idea of your garden design, feed the troops, do some prep work, and organise materials. You probably won't be doing much work in the garden yourself on the day of the blitz; you’ll need to keep yourself free to answer the many questions that will come up as designs are implemented.However, you can expect help from Ballarat Permaculture Guild with your design, working out quantities of materials needed, promoting the day, registering volunteers, facilitating the day, and some follow up help if needed.About permaculture designWe insist that permablitz must have some permaculture design informing it. Someone who's completed a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) should work with you to draft up a design for your garden. Luckily we have members with PDCs - hooray!Why? We want systems which are appropriate to your budget, skill levels, time and to the constraints and creative possibilities of your space i.e.. we want it to work for you -- to produce as much as it can within the constraints of inputs of resources and time. We believe that applying permaculture design principles will give you a more efficient property, and that translates into less hard yakka for greater food output!You might already have a permaculture design for your place (perhaps you did one yourself, or you’ve had one prepared in the past). That’s fine – we can work with that!We don't discriminate against wealthier people, but we often feel better about performing volunteer designs for people who couldn't have otherwise afforded it. If you can afford it, you might consider a professional design. We have access to a list of professional designers. A professional permaculture design can be less than $400 or upwards of $3000, depending on the level of detail. For most blitzes something towards the lower end would suffice.Book a Walk and TalkThe blitz team will facilitate the day, with at least 2 blitz team members on hand to guide you through the day. Generally, you won't be expected to facilitate the blitz yourself (although some hosts occasionally do).One important step is to book a Walk and Talk with the blitz team members. This entails a walk through your property, discussing your project plans for the day. We also look at logistics, somewhere for lunch, and ensuring OHS is taking into consideration. It’s a social day but safety also plays an important role.Set a dateWork with the Blitz Team to set a date for the permablitz so we can add it to the BPG online calendar and post it on our FB page. Generally you'll want to give yourself at least a couple of weeks to prepare and so there's time to promote the event.

STILL KEEN?

Fill in this form Permablitz pre-host form. Let us know how you'd like to be involved. We are super keen to have heaps of member involvement