The Permaculture Calgary Guild is governed using a model called sociocracy, a collaborative, consent-based framework where leadership is distributed across small, purpose-driven teams called circles. Rather than one or two people carrying everything, each circle holds a specific area of the organization’s work, makes decisions together, and reports back to the broader board.

Sociocracy operates on a principle we love: “good enough for now, safe enough to try.” Decisions do not need to be perfect to move forward, they just need to be something everyone can work with. It is a model built for real people doing real work together.

Our Board of Directors provides overall governance and strategic direction. Circle Leads sit on the board, attend monthly meetings, and bring updates and decisions from their circle to the larger group. Circle members are the heart of our operational work and are not required to attend board meetings.