Brigid Marshall | November 2008 issue
For most suburbanites, backyards are places to sit and relax. But for Permablitz co-founder Adam Grubb, these plots are perfect spots for permaculture, a system for making the most sustainable use of the land. Since 2006, the Australia-based non-profit has been transforming ordinary lawns into vegetable and fruit gardens—through flash “permablitzes.” One of the first volunteers was Vilma, a 70-year-old El Salvadorian woman living in the Dandenong area of Melbourne. “We just transformed this woman’s backyard into this lovely little fruit-producing garden,” says Grubb. “It ended in beer and barbeque and, of course, the Permasalsa, a dance we invented that first day.” Since then, more than 50 blitzes have been performed.
Only a handful of regulars came to the first blitzes, but now more than 70 people show up and the group turns away volunteers. “There are two types of people who want to get involved,” says Grubb, 34. “People who love to garden, and those [who are] freaked out about the state of the world. I’m in the latter group.”
The Melbourne native formed the group with permaculture fanatic Dan Palmer, then founded an online newsletter, energybulletin.net, to educate readers on the world’s energy supply. Through permablitzing, Grubb says, “We want to save our own asses in the global meltdown, while also saving the environment.”
The “give-a-little, get-a-little” mindset has worked well. Volunteers must participate in three blitzes before getting their own permablitz garden. Permablitzing has caught on so much in Melbourne that neighboring cities have formed their own permaculture systems. Grubb says, “It’s just been a little nugget of an idea that has captured people’s attention.”
