29 inspiring people using permaculture in business (beyond the garden gate)

Gardening is just one way of doing permaculture — you know that, right?

You can actually use the permaculture design system as a framework for sustainable living across all areas of your life, including your business or career.

In fact, more and more permaculture businesses and companies are emerging, using ecological design principles to build resilient, values-led enterprises guided by the ethics of Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share.

Pondering this recently, I realised my work as an ethical digital marketing consultant has connected me with a bunch of good folk weaving permaculture in business of all kinds, including many careers beyond the traditional gardening and farming space.

They’re nurses, business mentors, digital marketers, finance coaches, filmmakers, artists and more.

I find this hugely inspiring, and I thought you might too. So I put together a big list of real-life examples.

29 inspiring examples of permaculture in business

These 29 inspiring people are applying permaculture ethics and principles in all sorts of businesses, companies and work lives, from marketing to healthcare to music.

All are guided by sustainable, ecological design principles that prioritise environmental health, social equity and economic viability — creating resilient and regenerative business models that reflect the kind of world so many of us want to live in.

The list below links you to each person’s website, or their Instagram account if they don’t have a website. From there, you can explore their work and offerings.

Permaculture in business, marketing and mentoring

• Bonnie Tuttle — small business coach and consultant who often uses Holistic Decision Making frameworks.
• Bronwyn Chompff-Gliddon, Ever True Solutions — business coaching for permaculture practitioners and positive-impact businesses.
• Koren Helbig (yep, that’s me!) — permaculture marketing consultant for small business owners doing good in the world, sustainable city living educator and journalist.
• Laura Oldanie, Rich Resilient Living — teaches “reluctant capitalists” how to cultivate wealth and financial resilience on a climate-challenged planet.
• Lucy Richards — business-for-good mentor, coach and consultant.
• Morag Gamble, Permaculture Education Institute — teaches folks how to create permaculture businesses of all types via her brilliant Permaculture Educators Program.

Permaculture artists, musicians and writers

• Amelie Vanderstock — science communicator, artist and educator, using permaculture as a framework for all things native bees
• Brenna Quinlan — illustrator and educator specialising in climate justice, sustainability and permaculture.
• Catie Payne, Reskilliance — writer, illustrator, podcast host and self-described “permaculture megaphone”.
• Charlie McGee, Formidable Veg — permaculture musician making music to communicate complex information in entertaining ways.
• Jade Miles, Futuresteading — permaculture-informed writer, author and podcaster.
• Jordan Osmond, Happen Films — documentary filmmaker focusing on creating new stories for humanity to live by so all of Earth’s creatures can thrive.
• Maddy Harland, Permaculture Magazine and Permanent Publications — founder of the major UK permaculture magazine and permaculture book publisher.
• Oliver Holmgren and team, Melliodora Publishing and Permaculture Principles — a small publisher producing books by permaculture co-originator David Holmgren and other authors, and an associated book retailer.
• Robyn Rosenfeldt, Pip Magazine — founder of Pip, the Australian permaculture magazine.
• Vincent Giles, Faulty Cat Productions — permaculture-informed composer, sound designer and producer.

Permaculture in parenting, childcare and healthcare

• Cas Tognarini, The Permaculture Nurse — mental health nurse educator, researcher and permaculture designer.
• Eleanor Young — permaculture midwife and advocate for rewilding childbirth.
• Katie Irwin, Flourish Lactation — permaculture-informed lactation consultant, midwife and registered nurse.
• Lisa, The Homegrown Doula — permaculture-informed doula supporting families in pregnancy, birth and postpartum.
• Oberon and Lauren Carter, The Spiral Garden — authors and educators on permaculture parenting and waste-free living.
• Sam Hickling, Acacia Play — offering permaculture-infused holistic nature play sessions and farm immersions, inspiring children to love and care for the earth.

Permaculture elsewhere: in architecture, cooking, yoga and fashion

• Adam Hickman, Evergreen Homes Australia — permaculture-infused tiny homes and timber-frame houses.
• Cecilia Macaulay — permaculture to declutter your home and workplace, and ‘ADHD daily-life untangling’.
• Jane Milburn, Textile Beat — textile artist, designer and author applying permaculture principles to the wardrobe and slow fashion.
• Kym Ormond — musician and permaculture workshop facilitator teaching cooking, fermentation craft, music and hands-on learning.
• Mara Ripani, Village Dreaming Farm and Orto Cooking School — sharing skills for traditional cooking and sustainable living via workshops and her Orto Farm Stay straw eco cottage.
• Nat Mendham, The Mend Rebellion — permaculture-informed visible mending “for the planet and for warmer feet”.
• The Carter Family, Suffragette Records — permaculture and women-centred record store in lutruwita / Tasmania.
• Zaire — yoga teacher using permaculture principles.

Why permaculture belongs in businesses

If we’re serious about living sustainably on this planet, we need change at every level — business included.

I love that these business owners aren’t leaving their values at the door when they go to work.

They’re rethinking what it means to earn a living in a way that regenerates rather than extracts. And they care about the triple bottom line: people, planet and profit.

Financial stability matters, of course — we all need to make a living to survive and do good in the world. But so do social and environmental impacts. And these legends are proving that when you design with permaculture principles, all three can thrive together.

Join the permaculture company movement

Who have I missed off this list? Given I live in Australia, this is, admittedly, a rather Aussie-focused list.

So, are you (or someone you know) infusing your work life or business with permaculture? Drop their name and details in the comments, so we can all connect, learn from one another and keep growing this inspiring network.

(And thanks to everyone who commented on my original Instagram post about this, adding such excellent suggestions and helping me grow the list from 10 people to 29.)

More resources: applying permaculture in business

If you’re curious about how to bring permaculture thinking into your own business, here are some helpful reads and tools:

• What is Permaculture Marketing — a free one-hour workshop I created, teaching you how to layer permaculture thinking over four digital marketing strategies to help your biz grow sustainably.
• Applying the permaculture design principles in business — helpful thoughts from Rob Hopkins, co-originator of the Transition Network.
• Permaculture Design & Enterprises / 10 Tips for Successful Ethical Businesses — a 20-minute video with Maddy Harland, co-founder of both Permaculture Magazine and the book publisher, Permanent Publications.
• 12 permaculture design principles for small businesses — includes specific examples of how you can use the design principles to guide choices in your biz.
• 6 ways permaculture can help create truly sustainable business — more practical examples of the design principles in action in a business setting.

And if you need help marketing your brilliant permaculture business?

I recommend working with a marketing consultant who understands your ethics and values. (Um hi, that’s me!)

I’d love to help you reach more people and expand your impact, with a marketing approach that prioritises permaculture principles. Take a gander at my digital marketing services for small businesses.