Low Tech Tour

of Wheaton Labs

For a preview into Tour of Wheaton Labs: The Movie, play the turbo version below.

Follow Paul Wheaton as he gives you an in-depth low tech tour of Wheaton Labs.

What is Wheaton Labs?

Wheaton Labs is the permaculture equivalent to Bill Nye's Nye Labs. Wheaton Labs is all about experimentation and innovation. There are 2 properties, Basecamp and The Labs.

Basecampx 

Base Camp is where a lot of the action at events happen. It's where the shop, library, and auditorium are located. Base camp is on-grid, ROCKY, has Wi-Fi, and is where Paul lives in the "Fisher Price House."

The Lab

The Lab is named thusly because it's where most of the permaculture experiments are done! The lab is down a paved, then gravel, then dirt (sometimes mud adventure!) road, is off-grid (with our solar trailers), has no Wi-Fi / spotty cell reception, and is home to all the WOFATIs.

Missoula, MT

Missoula is in Western Montana, about 45 miles from the Idaho border. The city sits about 3200 ft. above sea level and is relatively flat, but surrounded by large hills. Not so far from Missoula is the Bitteroot Range where you can find white-tailed deer, elk, moose and grizzlies as part of the wildlife. The Missoula area is located in the northern part of the Rocky Mountains and is a humid continental climate with moderately cold and snowy winters, dry hot summers and a short spring and fall. Although winters are generally milder due to being on the western slopes of the Rockies, Missoula does get more precipitation.

Missoula is considered the cultural capital of Montana and has a lot of recreational potential. The city is considered to be one of the most fitness-friendly cities in the country. Most of the residents bike and walk around town and there is skiing, hiking, and plenty other activities available, no matter the time of year.

The Mission of Wheaton Labs

To prove the value and economy of the wofati as a home. To prove the wofati freezer concept. To prove the wofati root cellar concepts.

To prove that 20 people can live under one roof without stabbing each other.

To set a record for most food produced per acre in montana. To set a record for most income derived per acre in montana.

To prove that we can grow a lemon tree, outdoors, in montana. To prove tefa.

To have people with illness come to the land and mysteriously become healthy.

To prove some ideas about better poop management.

To prove better food production and better food flavor using permaculture techniques without irrigation, fertilizer or pest control

To prove that we can change the world in our backyards. Cutting energy use while still living luxuriously reduces war, pollution (thus, illness) and other environmental degradation. Reducing toxins in the home while still living luxuriously reduces illness. Growing food without irrigation, fertilizer and pesticides, reduces pollution (thus, illness), feeds the world and helps to move farming from a poverty lifestyle to a profession. All of these together gives hope to young folks that they can live a rich life without having to enter into the wage slave world.

13

Successful Kickstarters

200

People Visited

25k

Current Experiments/Projects

What Happens at Wheaton Labs?

Do you want to learn the skills to homestead in a sustainable, regenerative way?

Permaculture Bootcamp

  • The permacultue bootcamp is an experiential learning environment in which you develop permaculture skills through a little hardwork
  • You'll grow gardens and food forests to feed yourself and fellow boots; you'll learn natural building skills that will house your bootcamp community for years to come.
  • Come try it out with no long-term commitments! Earn tickets to our PDC, PTJ, and SKIP events. If you love it, staty for awhile and earn lifetime rent for an acre of your own!

Permaculture Design Course

  • This PDC is designed for scientists, engineers, educators or people with a lot of current knowledge of permaculture.
  • This is the course to take to give you a firm, in-depth understanding of the science of permaculture.  
  • this PDC will move you past simply thinking in terms of isolated systems and into designing integrated, whole landscapes.
designed for scientists, engineers, and educators 

PDC STARTS IN:

51
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collaboration, experimentation and innovation 

This year's PTJ starts in:

65
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Permaculture Technology Jamboree

  • The Permaculture Technology Jamboree (PTJ) is an event full of collaboration, experimentation and innovation to move permaculture technology forward
  • An event where people can have new permaculture experiences and learn new homesteading skills
  • There are several projects happening simultaneously, and you can switch between tracks at any time.

SKIP-Skills to Inherit Property

  • SKIP is a hands-on curriculum of experiences you can complete to prove you can do permaculture.  
  • While a PDC teaches you how to do permaculture design and analysis, SKIP is about learning the practical skills.
  • This program will connect qualified candidates with those landowners so you can skip the rat race and skip the debt.
SKIP is about learning the practical skills.

This year's SKIP event starts in:

79
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Learn organic, veganic, no-till, and permaculture gardening.

The next Garden Master Course starts in:

282
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The Certified Garden Master Course 

  • A "beyond-organic master gardener program taught each Winter by Helen Atthowe
  • This course will focus on soil and habitat-building for beneficial organisms and systems thinking for gardeners and farmers: how to manage relationships rather than just crops.
  • You will learn how to identify and manage all the relationships that make up a healthy farm-garden-ecosystem--one that does not require pesticides or large off-farm fertilizer inputs.

Rocket Mass Heater Jamboree

  • Rocket stoves and rocket mass heaters (RMHs) are a low-emission, efficient way to harness the power of sustainable wood for fuel.
  • Whether you are an experienced builder, or new to wood-powered rocket technology, there is something for you at the Rocket Mass Heater Innovators Event!
  • At the RMH Jamboree, the basics of rocket technology will be taught, while multiple innovations will be made, such as a tiny house rocket mass heaters, a rock kiln, rocket forge, solar food dehydrator with rocket booster, rocket oven, rocket sauna, and a whole lot more!
designed for scientists, engineers, and educators 

The next RMH Jamboree starts in:

527
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collaboration, experimentation and innovation 

Live Tours

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Videographer

Josiah Kobernick

Josiah Kobernick was a boot at Wheaton Labs in 2019. During that time he shot video for Paul's projects.  .... need a bio....

Your Host

Paul Wheaton

Paul Wheaton is a powerful advocate of permaculture. He was dubbed the "Duke of Permaculture" by Geoff Lawton and Sepp Holzer, and the "Bad Boy of Permaculture" by Occupy Monsanto. Paul is the owner of permies.com, coderanch.com, richsoil.com, and Wheaton Labs. He has produced over 600 podcasts, 200 youtube videos and a dozen feature-length films. He has presented at over 100 events around the US, and has written dozens of articles and 2 books on topics ranging from luxuriant environmentalism to homesteading skills. The events he hosts at his property, Wheaton Labs, have resulted in the development of rocket stove and rocket mass heater technology, massive earthworks featuring extensive hugelkultur, solar dehydrators, lots and lots of round wood timberframe structures like a truly passive earth-bermed solar greenhouse and a mega-cheap and luxurious home design called the Wofati, as well as many, many other permaculture innovations.

Hear from others about Wheaton Labs

duke of permaculture

Sepp holzer

The bad boy of permaculture

who dubbed him this?

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Norman a.


Sarah b.

Tour of Wheaton Labs the Movie

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