Speaker on permaculture featured at Eco-Communities workshop tonight

The Eco-Communities Workshop Series hosted by Studio San Martian, 302 West Hopkins Street, will feature a special guest speaker this week. Austin Permaculture Guild Co-Director and Global Ecovillage Network Coordinator Chloe Buzzotta will speak during the six-part series on communal living, permaculture and intentional communities.

Buzzotta has a degree in permaculture and ecovillage sustainability and received accreditation through permaculture training and ecovillage design courses from around the world. She is a facilitator of intentional community living, marketing strategist for eco-communities and an advisor on starting up ecovillages. Buzzotta’s interest in ecovillages and permaculture began with her involvement in the Valhalla Movement, a Montreal-based organization that supports the permaculture lifestyle. She has visited ecovillages throughout Europe and North America. 

The workshop series, which began Aug. 28, continues every Tuesday from 6:30-9:15 p.m. through Oct. 2 and is led by international permaculture designer and teacher David Dornbrack. 

He has studied permaculture design in his native South Africa and ecovillage life in Scotland at the Findhorn Foundation. 

Dornbrack said that San Marcos seems like a good place to talk about intentional communities and permaculture for several reasons. First, he said, the town has a relatively young population, and he has found that younger people are “more interested in environmental issues, and less concerned about being labeled ‘communist’ if they should hold any societal or economic beliefs that differ from the mainstream — even if those beliefs should have nothing at all in common with communism.”

Dornbrack also cited the strong environmental movement that already exists in San Marcos and the presence of the university, which draws open-minded people.

Plus, he said, “San Martians in general seem sociable, friendly and warm.” 

Discussions will center on subjects including how economics work in intentional communities, land use, examples of ecovillages and permaculture practices. 

Workshops are $10 each, and attendees are asked to bring a coffee mug, spoon, notepad, pen and water bottle. For more information on the series, visit the Facebook event page.