2021 – A new beginning for European Permaculture

In 2021, individuals from a group of permaculture organisations, supported by the European Permaculture Network (EUPN), decided that it was time to host the first online European-wide convergence.  The Permaculture Association (Britain) (PAB), having had experience of running a large online convergence itself, stepped forward to support this effort, alongside the other main partner, Permaculture Austria.

The first Online EUPC was a huge opportunity to reach people and places that could not be reached by the hosting of in-person convergences, as had been the pattern for nearly 30 years previously. With the COVID era – as well as the challenges offered by the climate emergency – changing ideas about global travel and face-to-face gathering, there was a sense that a shift was needed that better responded to the new era. Through some seed funding provided by the EUPN and the financial backing of PAB, as well as time and energy committed elsewhere, a team was formed around sociocratic principles to take the event forward.

The event was held online between October 8-17 2021 – a full 10 days of content! – and attracted 1000 participants from over 30 countries, with contributions from speakers from all corners of the continent – Ireland to Ukraine, Norway to Greece – and even beyond.

The 2021 event led on to a discussion about how to move forward which itself led to the concept of the European Permaculture Community – a new initiative to better connect people and projects across the continent working within the spheres of permaculture. From this has been born the European Permaculture Community Forum, the follow-up to the 2021 Convergence. To find out more about who is involved, visit our Team page, as well as our Partner page.

If you want to catch up with what happened in 2021, you can still access the over 30hrs of recorded content, by registering for the event online on Crowdcast for as little as €10. If you have already registered previously, then simply sign into Crowdcast at the link below.

The full list of events is: 

1992 Germany EUPC 1

1994 England EUPC 2

1996 Germany, Prinzhöfte EUPC 3

1998 Slovenia EUPC 4

2000 Czech Republic EUPC 5

2002 Slovakia EUPC 6

2004 Czech Republic EUPC 7

2006 Czech Republic, Brno EUPC 8

2008 Czech Republic , Hostetin EUPC 9

2010 Belgium, Nethen EUPC 10

2012 Germany, Escherode EUPC 11

2014 Bulgaria, Lake Batak EUPC 12

2016 Italy, Bolsena EUPC 13

2018 Ireland, Wicklow EUPC 14

Most events have involved gathering in a single location, with camping, dormitories or other accommodation included. The event in Bolsena in 2016 involved the whole town. Events have often featured tours and excursions, a Permaculture Design Certificate course (PDC), practical workshops, discussions as well as many permaculture design sessions. Meeting as a whole gathering is usually considered important as are times for eating and celebrating together!

This is the first time it has gone fully online and is an ideal opportunity for more great content and connections than ever before. The nature of our world has shifted in the last two years and international travel is less simple than it has been for many years, as well as less desirable for many (both due to COVID and Climate Change). It seems therefore appropriate to be exploring new ways of meeting as a pan-European community.

The Europe-wide team will be building on the Permaculture Association’s experience of their online convergence in 2020.

For some reports on previous European Convergences, please visit https://permaculture-network.eu/convergence.