This is the first event in Edmonton Permaculture Guild’s 2026 Speaker Series, which runs monthly from January through June. Each session features expert practitioners sharing knowledge on regenerative design and productive landscapes.
This first event in the series, Thursday January 8th, introduces permaculture as a design system that mirrors natural ecosystems to grow abundant food while rebuilding soil health.
Kenton Zerbin brings 15 years of international teaching experience and credentials as a certified International Permaculture Teacher trained under Geoff Lawton at the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia. His work spans from designing food forests in the Caribbean to consulting for government ministries on sustainable agriculture.
Permaculture is more than gardening.
It is a strategic approach to designing properties based on clear principles that reduce waste, increase yields, and create resilient landscapes. Whether you garden on a balcony or manage acreage, permaculture offers practical frameworks for working with natural systems instead of against them.
This presentation covers core permaculture principles, design strategies for any property size, and pathways for deeper learning. Kenton’s teaching style combines formal education credentials with hands-on field experience installing systems across multiple continents. His enthusiasm plants seeds and sparks action.
Capacity for this event is limited to 150 people.
Ritchie Community League fills quickly for popular speakers. Secure your free ticket now to reserve your seat.
What You’ll Learn at This Permaculture Presentation
- Core permaculture principles for regenerative food production
Understand the design ethics and strategies that guide successful permaculture systems across different climates and property types. - How natural ecosystems inform productive garden design
Learn how observing forest patterns, water movement, and nutrient cycles translates into practical growing strategies for your space. - Design approaches for properties of any size
Discover methods applicable whether you work with balcony containers, urban yards, or rural acreage. - Practical strategies for building soil ecology
Explore techniques that restore soil health and fertility using natural processes rather than external inputs. - Pathways to deeper permaculture learning
Get clear direction on next steps, including the Guild’s upcoming 10-Day Permaculture Design Certification Course in July.
About the Speaker
Kenton Zerbin is an international permaculture educator, regenerative design consultant, and founder of Attainable Sustainable Academy. He holds Bachelor of Education credentials from the University of Alberta and earned certification as an International Permaculture Teacher through the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia, where he trained under Geoff Lawton.
His career includes founding team membership at the Caribbean Permaculture Research Institute in Barbados, where he secured $75,000 in United Nations funding and served as consultant to the Barbadian Ministry of Agriculture, training government staff and young farmers in sustainable food production.
His Canadian work includes designing and installing the St. Albert Food Forest, consulting on school permaculture projects, and facilitating Permaculture Design Courses across Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan.
Geoff Lawton, world-renowned permaculture educator, describes Kenton as “a strong teacher with commitment, admirable energy, and well-rounded expertise.“
Kenton is based in Kelowna, British Columbia, where he operates a permaculture school. In July 2025, he returns to Edmonton to lead the Guild’s 10-Day Permaculture Design Certification Course, an intensive on-site program held just one hour west of the city.
Why Permaculture Matters for Edmonton Gardeners
Permaculture offers practical solutions for the challenges Edmonton gardeners face: short growing seasons, temperature extremes, water management, and building soil in clay-heavy yards.
The design principles Kenton presents work for Zone 3 conditions.
They focus on observation and adaptation rather than forcing systems that require constant intervention. What makes permaculture different from conventional gardening? The approach builds self-maintaining systems by understanding how elements in a landscape interact.
A well-designed permaculture system requires less watering, less fertilizing, and less pest management because the design itself creates beneficial relationships between plants, soil, water, and wildlife.
When your landscape produces food with minimal external inputs, you gain independence from supply chains.
When your soil improves year after year instead of depleting, your yields increase without chemical fertilizers. Edmonton has unique advantages for permaculture: thousands of fruit trees on public and private property, strong community gardens, and growing interest in local food production.
Extending the growing season matters in Zone 3
We ourselves explore this through our Passive Solar Greenhouse Workshop on February 12, which applies permaculture principles to year-round food production without fossil fuels or high heating bills. T
his January introduction provides foundation knowledge for anyone considering the Guild’s July Permaculture Design Course or simply wanting to apply regenerative principles to their own property.