Utilizing our demonstration site, including a rolling high tunnel, pond, food forest/orchard, and diverse polyculture plantings, we research, develop, and teach Permaculture methods for growing food naturally in our cold climate's short growing window. Eastern Livingston is a USDA "food desert," but access to nutrient-dense food is limited regionally and beyond. Our workshops and tours address food insecurity by empowering families and individuals of all ages with the knowledge to create nutritious, sustainable home gardens while conserving energy and minimizing waste with a non-toxic footprint. We also supply healthful produce for local stores and restaurants and have partnered with organizations such as Education, Farm to School, Montessori Island School, and the Links program.

PPI presents classes, hands-on workshops, and events such as our annual Seed Saver event. A full schedule of events is available on our website at paradisepermaculture.org. We welcome groups of children from local schools, home schoolers, and programs onsite at PPI to learn firsthand from nature about food-growing methods and explore soil, seeds, plants, water, pollinators, and the environment. Our Rolling High Tunnel greenhouse allows us to experiment, learn about, and produce perennial vegetables, medicinal herbs, and edible plants and trees, including species not commonly available from local nurseries, that can be successfully grown in our specific cold-climate bio-region.

We hired our first employee, a very part-time seasonal farmhand last year for 7 hours a week, which should triple our produce available to the community and allow more time for course offerings. We desire to increase that position to 20 hours per week to meet our goals. Presently, we are finishing our first green building onsite, a cordwood composting dry toilet, for our visitors, volunteers, and tour groups.