Looking Back Over 2013 and Forward Into 2014

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This is the year end look back for 2013 and look forward to what's in-store for 2014. Also, if you're new to the show, this is a good place to start. First, I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to donate some of their capital, be that social, financial, or otherwise, to help make this show a success. Without your ongoing support this wouldn't be possible. If you'd like to lend a hand to make 2014 an even more impressive year than 2013, consider how you can help. Find out more at thepermaculturepodcast.com/support. Now then, let's look back over 2013 and see what was there, in case you missed anything, and then look at what 2014 has in store for us. If my count is correct, and I won't say that it is, there were 65 episodes released this past year. Along the way the various guests covered a broad range of topics, and looking through my notes the year covered several broad areas. They were: Food and Farming. Financial and Professional Permaculture. Permaculture: Past, Present, and Future, and the general category of Building a Permaculture World, for those that don't fit cleanly under these headings. You'll find all those episodes as part of a year-end index, in the show notes at thepermaculturepodcast.com/2013/review. For 2013 the majority of the shows were the conversations with guests. Using my unscientific method of comments, questions, and the feedback received regarding the different interviews, the top 5 episodes of this year were, in no particular order: Top 5 Episodes of 2013: The Gift by Matt Winters Wilson Alvarez and Ben Weiss Ethan Hughes Larry Santoyo Dave Jacke If this is one of your first times tuning in, those are the best place to start. I should also mention that of all the interviews recorded so far, Ethan Hughes first time on the show, from 2012, is the one episode that receives the most responses. Give it a listen and see why that is. Behind the scenes quite a lot happened as well. Many of you have been privy to that from being long-time listeners, or from following along with the discussions on Facebook. If this is one of your first times listening to the show, those are the best place to start. Also, of all the interviews recorded so far, Ethan Hughes first time on the show, from 2012, is the one episode that receives the most responses. Give it a listen and see why that is. Behind the scenes quite a lot happened as well. Many of you have been privy to that from being long-time listeners, or from following along with the discussions on Facebook. Some of the 2013 milestones include:

• Creating the current release schedule with one interview every Tuesday, and some infrequent additional shows coming out on a Friday or Sunday.
• The first on-line PDC+ launched on July 1st, 2013. I've got some great participants in the class doing great work. They graduate on July 1st, 2014, so keep an eye out for them in the next few years.
• Recording live, in-person interviews.
• Moving the podcast website to a new server, which vastly improved download and response times on the site.
• And, most surprisingly for me, all this happened while wearing the hats of my many roles including parent, husband, friend, student, colleague, and all the others in-between. Some days I don't know how it all happens, but it does. Which brings us to what 2014 has in store for this podcast. First, I've started opening up the interviews to allow more time for the guests and I to speak, if they are able. This means that some guests, such as I mentioned in the talk with Adam Campbell, wind up speaking with me for several hours. Long enough to release several episodes from that one conversation, and allow us to dig more deeply into the topic at hand. Second, some of those conversations have caused me to consider my position with the podcast and sharing this information with the world, especially the interviews with people who offered critiques of permaculture. Identifying the need to build the so-called “invisible structures” so they become part of our visible work has taken a prominence in my own thinking. Long before I ever considered working with technology and computers, I was a sociology/anthropology dual major with the desire to learn more about people. The ideas of the non-physical arrangements that can build a better world really tap into that side of myself. Anyway, don't worry, that doesn't mean I'm going to quit producing the show, or that I'll stop speaking with anyone and everyone in the world of Permaculture. Sharing their stories continues to be important to me, and essential to the overall mission of this show to make permaculture accessible to anyone with an Internet connection. Rather, what I'm doing is working on arranging interviews with multiple guests around a particular topic, related to the subjects we now think of as invisible. One such topic is about faith and caring for the earth, because of the large number of people in the world who connect with the community created by their shared religion. You'll get to hear perspectives from numerous different faiths in the process. Another is about non-violent communication, and with that restorative justice, so that we can find ways to connect with other people. Those larger pieces create the interview arc you can expect in 2014. I've already begun recording interviews on these subjects, with more big topics to be added as the year progresses. To add more voices to the conversation, and so you can hear a wider variety of differing perspectives, I'm working with some of my local colleagues to develop a series of recorded round-table discussions. I'll present a question or idea to the assembled group and they discuss it in front of an audience. Using those additional recordings, my plan is for 75 episodes of the regular show, based around a 50 week production schedule. That figure does not include the additional material for support members. Since I mentioned it, here's what's planned for the membership program. Rather than focus on product oriented benefits or discounts, though there are a few of those already worked out, I'm looking at bringing you more of what you've asked me for: permaculture. In addition to members only audio, you can also look forward to written articles from myself and my permaculture colleagues, as well as videos. Those videos include instructional pieces and interviews. Because I want to do this right for you, this will not be launching on January 1st, 2014 as originally planned. With the server change, and my developer in the middle of moving, the members program is scheduled to begin April 1st, 2014. Also on April 1st, 2014, the next year-long on-line PDC+ course begins, with an additional similar PDC+ scheduled to start July 1, 2014, and a 13-week intensive for August to October. The PDC+ classes are limited to 15 students, and the intensive to 10. Contact me if you'd like more information on any of these, or would like to pre-register. And that covers the retrospective for 2013 and gets everything set for 2014. If you have a question you'd like answered in an upcoming episode, a topic to be discussed at one of the future round tables, or if there is any way I can help you on your road with permaculture, feel free to contact me. E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast . You can also join in on the conversations by liking the show on Facebook or follow me on Twitter where I am @permaculturecst. May your New Year be a peaceful and joyous one. Until the next time, take care of the earth, your self, and each other. 2013 Episode Index Food and Farming: Permaculture Farms with Rafter Sass Ferguson Urban Agriculture with Adam Brock of The GrowHaus Starting a Small Scale Farm with Erin Harvey The Vegetable Gardener’s Guide to Permaculture with Christopher Shein Community Food Systems and Abundance with Lisa Fernandes Waste Farming with John-Paul Maxfield Incredible Edible with Pam Warhurst Joshua Farm: Urban Agriculture with Kirsten Reinford Starting a Sustainable Family Farm with Wayne Herring Wild Foods and Foraging with Arthur Haines Modern Agriculture Systems with Dr. Laura Jackson Foraging with Sam Thayer Financial and Professional Permaculture: The Permaculture Credit Union with Bill Sommers Green Hacker Spaces with Dr. Wayne Dorband Community Development Finance with Bill Sommers Ecolonomics with Dr. Wayne Dorband Professional Permaculture with Erik Ohlsen Josh Trought and D Acres Trees and Professional Permaculture with Damien McAnany Permaculture: Past, Present, and Future: David Holmgren on Permaculture: An Interview. Masanobu Fukuoka and Natural Farming with Larry Korn Permaculture Activism with Keith Johnson Restoring Eden: Zone 4 Permaculture with Wilson Alvarez and Ben Weiss The Interface Between Permaculture and The Wild with Michael Pilarski Edible Forest Gardens and Permaculture With Dave Jacke Landscaping Naturally with Robert Kourik Exploring Permaculture with Larry Santoyo The Gift by Matt Winters Participatory Culture and Community Building with Mark Lakeman Jack Spirko of The Survival Podcast Exploring Urban Permaculture With Mark Lakeman Peace and Permaculture Education with Adam Campbell (Part I) Building a Better World: Teaching The Permaculture Design Course with Andrew Millison Permaculture and Disasters My Permaculture Journey with Scott Mann Invisible Structures with Adam Brock San Diego Sustainable Living Institute with Josh Robinson Agroforestry with Steve Gabriel Writing the Carbon Farming Toolkit with Eric Toensmeier All Roads Lead to Permaculture by Andy Russell The Citizen Scientist with Stephen Harrod Buhner Biochar, Gasification, and Woodlot Management Whole Systems Design and the Resilient Farm with Ben Falk World Stove with Nathaniel Mulcahy Natural Building and Design with Bob Theis The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener with Niki Jabbour Pennsylvania Women’s Agriculture Network with Ann Stone Environmental Outreach with Paul Garrett Economic and Financial Collapse with Nicole Foss Building Resilience with Dan Allen More Natural Building with Bob Theis Honeybees with Dr. Dennis vanEngelsdorp An Introduction to Radical Mycology

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