Permaculture Research Institute Cold Climate

"It's easy to feel isolated, overwhelmed, and hopeless but permaculture gives me a way to be positive and proactive."

PRI tackles the complex challenges faced by our society today by practical, hands-on, permaculture solutions in our cold climate region.

PRI successfully completed a groundbreaking model for creating a local, just, sustainable, and economically viable food system in our cold climate region by certifying 14 urban farmers in the region's very first urban farming certification program.

The House of Hope Community Garden on Summit Avenue in St. Paul is permaculture at work. It is a high production sustainable urban garden designed and installed by PRI and managed by the House of Hope Presbyterian Church volunteer gardeners. The fresh, organic produce is donated to Neighborhood House, the largest food shelf in Ramsey County.

OUR STORY

As a global community we are living in a time of immense challenge, confronting issues such as climate change, population growth, loss of biodiversity and peak oil. PRI Cold Climate provides leadership by tackling these problems and designing ways for living sustainably in colder climates. We are a community of learners, designers, and problem-solvers focused on small-scale, low-tech solutions that work in accordance with natural principles and reconnect people with nature in their daily lives. Our organization is guided by permaculture ethics - Care for the Earth, Care for People, and Share the Surplus. We believe that people, by working together and applying permaculture design principles in their lives, can create a culture that restores health to our ecosystems and our communities. For more information, visit our website at www.pricoldclimate.org.

OUR PROGRAMS

The PERMACULTURE COLLABORATIVE engages people in building a sustainable life by hosting community-building and capacity-building events such as skill shares, film festivals, design charettes, and community celebrations.

The EDUCATION program develops cold climate permaculture curriculum, provides learning opportunities for all ages and learning styles, and mentors new teachers. This year we are launching an Urban Farmer Certification Program to meet the increasing demand for high production organic urban agriculture.

The RESEARCH AND DEMONSTRATION program provides support for desiging small-scale sustainable solutions through developing design tools, organizing design competitions and site tours, and conducting citizen science projects.

YOU CAN HELP

We need your support now to provide scholarships for low-income farmers working to become certified in our new Urban Farmer Certification program. The program qualifies them to sell their products to Community Table Cooperative and other markets interested in providing organic local food to communiites in need. For more information, visit our website - www.pricoldclimate.org.