Permaculture Activist Magazine Needs Your Support!

After nearly 25 years at the helm of the magazine, I will be turning over management to Senior Editor John Wages on April 1st. Trends in the publishing world have shown that it is time to update the magazine’s outreach and some aspects of its presentation. It is our view that this will best be done with fresh thinking and new management; my personal life is moving in other directions and I am happy that John is willing and prepared to step into the path I have been walking.

We want to launch soon a digital version of the magazine, under the new name Permaculture Design Magazine, for e-subscription to supplement the print edition, which will continue, also under the new title but with our familiar format. With digital subscription we would expect to reach a wider readership with greater flexibility, and would be able to publish some stories and items for which there is presently no room in the quarterly. We have indexed 90 of the 95 issues and will soon complete that project with the 2014 issues added. This gives us good purchase on making the back issue content available digitally to subscribers and others over the Web. And our website, so capably administered by Keith Johnson these past 16 years, needs a major overhaul, better navigation, a clearer user interface, and more capacity. We have a professional designer at work right now and could expand that work if additional funding can be found.

To do these things we need money, more than the magazine generates under its present business model. We are asking for your help to raise $15,000 (or more) via a Kickstarter campaign launching today. It is especially important to the success of the campaign that a good surge of donations comes in the first few days to build momentum and show broad support. Numbers of gifts are as important as dollars. Our potential audience is large and you could help us expand it by spreading this message throughout your networks.

A letter with somewhat more detail is attached if you care to read more about our thinking on this transition. The Kickstarter site carries a video of myself and John addressing the need, and of course, we are happy to answer questions by email.

You may access the campaign page directly using this link:

Please share this request widely, give as much and as often as you can, and help us keep community journalism vital for another 25 years.

Peter Bane

Publisher