We use any excuse to get together on the Gold Coast,we combine "business"with pleasure.The key ingredients are always the same,a simple idea a good attitude,and a plate of food.

We count ourselves as extremely fortunate on the Gold Coast,we enjoy a very beautiful climate,beautiful beaches and an enviable standard of living.

What would make us all get together to make paper pots?

We are doing it for Warren!

Besides being a nifty use of old news papers and a better alternate to plastic,we turned these little pots of paper into "pots of gold".

In the words of the poet Rumi,"earth turns to gold in the hands of the wise"how do you turn a paper pot full of soil into gold,what is this alchemy.

We first get a group together start scrounging newspaper and ask for donations of potting soil,we are all gardeners so we all have a little of this to spare.Why not bring some seeds along and cuttings as well.

Now comes the turning paper to gold bit,in Australia our small denomination currency is a gold coin either 1 dollar or two dollars.

We put on a workshop,and sell our little plants or just give them away they are cheaper than retail,organic,and from local seed.All we ask is for a Gold coin donation.

At our workshops you can recieve a free education and a free plant,if you would like something a little more exotic or a few more plants then they are usually for sale at a very reduced price.

We like to encourage conversation and exchange on the topic being discussed,prefering not to input information from "expert" to learner but to rely on the groups collective intelligence and letting the dialouge of the session open up  avenues of discussion and new opportunities for information exchange.

Some of the methods we use are encouraging the participants to interupt the facilitator with questions,to encourage this any one who is brave enough recieves a plant as a reward.

We ask our group what most intrest them on the topic and reply to their queries.

If you can stump the facilitator you get a free plant,if you can add some information to the conversation you get a free plant,the sessions a lively good fun and very informative.

These workshops are possible because people are willing to give up a little personal time,share their skill base and by doing this we return the surplus on a Zone 0 level,our presenters will tell you that,it's not really returning the surplus because they always gain from the experience.

This type of day is really function stacking,we are engaging with our local community,strengthening our own Permaculture group by supporting each other and achieving goals,creating awareness in a very soft way about issues regarding sustainability,passing on vital knowledge.

The thing that really binds the day together is the food,when a group shares food they bond.When somebody brings a plate of food that is made with love and care and they can share it with others,it's good for self esteem,it's a way of breaking the ice and also the social isolation that so many of can fall victim too.

We would like to encourage everyone to get behind Warren Brush before the March deadline,we truly believe that if we all do a little and do it together we can achieve alot.

Below are some images of the day,you will see that our group is from all walks of life.

Our group also think that the "excuse that I can only do a little to do nothing at all,is the worst excuse you can have".

Gold Coast permaculture would also like to take the opportunity to thank everyone that attended the day and made it so much fun,also for their time their effort and their friendship.