Welcome to the Sonoran Permaculture Guild

The Sonoran Permaculture Guild is a group of highly committed individuals who share a common vision of making our Southwest Drylands region more sustainable through Permaculture design and implementation. We are an IRS 501(c)(3) non profit under our parent organization NEST, Inc.

Our Teaching Team Members put on seasonal events, workshops, and courses in Permaculture and related disciplines, as well as offering individual consultation services. Click on the ‘courses and workshops’ link to the left to see our current and future list of classes.

Below: Students presenting final design projects at our Permaculture Design Certification course held each Spring

 What is Permaculture?

Permaculture is a contraction of the words permanent and agriculture, and the word has also come to represent a blending of the words permanent and culture.  Permaculture is a way to live sustainably in a region for many generations, taking care of people and taking care of the environment at the same time. Permaculture is the use of ecology as the basis for designing integrated systems of food production, housing, appropriate technology, and community development. Permaculture is built upon an ethic of caring for the earth and interacting with the environment in mutually beneficial ways.

First developed in Australia in the late 1970’s by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, it is now a worldwide movement for sustainability with many thousands of projects completed in over 120 countries. 

Permaculture designers study the patterns found in nature and the lessons found in natural ecosystems. By mimicking natural ecosystems we can design homes, farms, and neighborhoods that take care of people, take care of the earth, and allow us to limit our impact on the natural environment while investing in a healthy future for all.