Permaculture-related career ideas?

Hello! I am currently brainstorming permaculture-related career paths, as I know I'd like to go down one, and was looking for input - not just the primary permaculture paths of farming or teaching, but career paths more loosely related to permaculture, such as landscape design or ecological restoration... (I'm actually interested in pursuing both farming and teaching eventually, but I'm curious what else you all might suggest as an alternative to those two)...

Any other ideas?

Hi Tara!
The Permaculture Voices podcast has been super helpful and inspiring for me and my partner. It's focused on talking to different people who have started permaculture-related businesses. You should definitely check it out if you haven't heard of it already!

I often ponder this, and don't come up with many ideas. People say you can do almost anything permaculturally, but I would want a little more information about how to do that. I've tried asking, but got little solid info. Permaculturalizing some careers can potentially make them more difficult, if for instance one is manufacturing, having to source environmentally friendly products can be difficult or impossible, depending on what one makes. In my own case for the stuff my old home business makes, I have decided not doing it would be the permacultural choice.

There are several outreach jobs with the county/USDA -- check out NRCS agent. or things related to master gardner, master food preserver, etc..

I think we have to think of this as an ecosystem. Ok so if one does not want to teach o garden, what can be related to all that permaculture designs?
I think of transformation of products form farms based on permaculture design, Casitas Valley in California is one, they grow food, have livestock and have a creamery, I think they butcher the meat (not sure) and every enterprise is standing by itself followed by different staff I think.
Maybe we could think of systems that function all in a system that creates an alternative economy locally based.
One could have a nursery but not want to sell vegetables. Or have a restaurant and buy from a permaculture farm and think of a menu that is directly designed on permaculture principles.
Or build and sell tools and alternative energy stuff
really so much is related but it has to sort of stay in a vision that is related to community building, local economy.
Then there are all the related to online stuff things that I just can't really follow never been to much of a tech guy.

Maybe if people tell about how they are permaculturizing their present career, it would help give an idea of how careers can be permacultural.

I'm permaculturizing my present career (making things) by dropping my old business and joining my husband in a new, smaller scale and much less wasteful making things business. My other "career" is growing food for us to eat, since our income is much smaller with the new little business.

Thanks, all for your responses!

How about this one: herbal facial massage business closing a circle of community finding who produces herbs in a farm based on permaculture design, or produces the actual product from the herbs, or doing one of the listed jobs in the chain

I think about this topic quite often, as my husband is a trucker, diligently and faithfully supporting us in a far-from-Permie manner, in my unhappy opinion. I frequently wonder what he could do that was Permaculture-related in some way, and was really pleased when I read the points in the above post:

Lorenzo Costa wrote:I think we have to think of this as an ecosystem. Ok so if one does not want to teach o garden, what can be related to all that permaculture designs?
I think of transformation of products form farms based on permaculture design, Casitas Valley in California is one, they grow food, have livestock and have a creamery, I think they butcher the meat (not sure) and every enterprise is standing by itself followed by different staff I think.

Food production would be at the top of my list of best livelihoods, and food production includes more than just the growing/raising aspect. There are many possibilities, depending on the demand in the local area and the talents of the person creating the income streams.

Lorenzo Costa wrote:Maybe we could think of systems that function all in a system that creates an alternative economy locally based.
One could have a nursery but not want to sell vegetables. Or have a restaurant and buy from a permaculture farm and think of a menu that is directly designed on permaculture principles.
Or build and sell tools and alternative energy stuff

Yes, I agree. If you are not a farmer, maybe find a great way to help the farmers as an income stream (starting a co-op store, for example). Or, maybe you can help those helpers of the farmers (starting a natural-products-only cleaning business to clean the co-op)...

Lorenzo Costa wrote:really so much is related but it has to sort of stay in a vision that is related to community building, local economy.

I guess that sums it up--if the wage-earning is helping to build the local economy--without taking a toll on the citizens or the ecosystem!--I think that it is truly Permaculture-related.  

Having read and reread my Hemenway (Permaculture City), I also now think that it is "Permie" to expect that we would meet our income needs through various streams--a.k.a. enterprises--rather than through just one job/career which we expect to provide everything we need and want forever. Of course, this is not how I am used to thinking about income and careers, but it certainly makes sense. Every little bit helps, and if one project fails, like one crop in the garden, there would be other streams to harvest monetary resources from.

Great ideas and conversation Rachel!
Discovering ways to enlarge the meaning of permaculture-related career is essential.  This news story, A self-serve grocery store helps feed a small Minnesota town, offers an example that supports your inquiry. The article relates the journey of a young couple who started out in a rural environment, made their way to the city where they gained skills, earned decent wages, learned how to run a business, then returned home. They found a way to improve life in the MN town of Evansville where they used their knowledge, skills and ingenuity to create a small business that improves quality of life for local farmers, townspeople, and/or those who live a permaculture lifestyle. This example helped me think bigger about career ideas that relate to making a permaculture lifestyle possible.

Composting is an intriguing business idea to me!

There are a couple of composting businesses that operate in my town, taking food waste that would have been landfill and turning it into compost that they sell on. There is not a good way for individuals or households to handle food waste here in this dense environment, and not a lot of room to use compost once it's made, so having a couple of companies that either work with the city and have bins around town where residents can drop off or having a paid service that picks up from your door step weekly is a huge benefit. They also provide similar services to local businesses.

We have all seen chicken composting operations like Vermont Compost Company or Edible Acres in upstate NY who divert food waste into a salable product so it seems to be a flexible and viable business. (Edible Acres is of course also a native plant nursery which is another possibility)

Vermicomposting and soldier fly "farming" are other facets of the same concept that I've seen run as successful businesses as well.