The Permaculture Podcast

Permabyte: Notes from the Finger Lakes Permaculture Tour

Visit Our Sponsor: Foraged.Market
Donate Directly: via PayPal -or- Venmo @permaculturepodcast
 
Want to listen to more conversations about Permaculture? Browse the extensive archives of the show. 






On September 6th Photographer John and I traveled to Ithaca, NY and the surrounding areas to participate in the first even Finger Lakes Permaculture Site Tour, organized by the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute and sponsored by Ithaca Beer Co., Alternatives Federal Credit Union, GreenStar, Sustainable Tompkins, and a Neighborhood mini grant. This experience allowed us to visit functioning examples permaculture sites. There were twelve sites total, but we weren’t able to visit all of them. Rather, we made it to four:
Wellspring Forest Farm
Cayuta Sun Farm
MacDaniels Nut Grove
Edible Acres
Wellspring Forest Farm This is Steve Gabriel’s homesite. A past, and returning, guest on the show, it was nice to see his home where he puts the practices we’ve talked about in the past, including farming mushrooms in the woods. Steve walked the open area of the farm with us and discussed the grazing practices he uses with the sheep as a way to control weeds, but how initially he had to knock down and remove a bunch of the woody material to get them to softer grasses the sheep could eat. Since they they’ve been effective at ground control. With ten sheep on pasture, we discussed how many he might add. He also showed a discharge swale connected to a hand-dug pond that would flood with overflow and move water through the landscape. As other visitors arrived John and I parted with Steve and went on a self-guided tour of the wooded area to see the mushroom production area. Unlike in my speaking with others in Pennsylvania, farming mushrooms in the woods of New York is a serious undertaking. All four sites we visited produced mushrooms in some capacity, all in much greater quantities than I or others I do. On the edge of the woods, not far from Steve’s home in the yurt, were a large series of wire mesh compost bins holding both garden and yard waste, as well as compost from the outdoor toilet. Emerging from the woods returned us to the large vegetable gardens situated along the main drive. Here a variety of plants grew, and provided a space for us to speak with Steve about cover crops. John and I both learned that if we want to use daikon radish to break up soil and add organic material, but also possibly harvest it for food, that we might stack functions, then it is important to pick radishes that are selected for food quality, not just tillage. Around this time more guests began to arrive so John and I headed on to Cayuta Sun Farm. Cayuta Sun Farm Cayuta Sun is the home of Michael G. Burns and forms a teaching campus for the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute. Along with meeting Burns and his wife, we also spoke with a number of the interns on-site and walked around to see the buildings, including the Octagon, a reciprocated beam round-wood structure that is the primary classroom. Looking up through the top the overlapping beams are visible, which the staff and students nicknamed, The Eye of Mollison. After the initial introductions Michael began an ongoing walking tour where people could drop in and out as needed. Along the way he showed us his brush-on-contour experiment that he is using to measure and judge runs for an agroforestry installation with his chickens. I really liked this idea, especially here in very wet Central Pennsylvania, because of how I could adapt this using brash I already have on my home site to layout and begin developing contoured fence rows to filter floodwaters and capture debris. Michael also showed us his Jerusalem Artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus), which he uses as a ground cover and for biomass. We also saw his pigs, though I never did ask what breed they were. The piggies, however, were quite friendly and wandered alongside while we continued the tour back around to the front of the property to look at and discuss the energy budget of the home. On just a small wind turbine and a few solar panels the Burns’s meet all their energy needs, though with some concessions, such as a limit on small kitchen appliances. Here John and I split our party. I went to talk with the other folks onsite and he went to tour the Chicken Salad Bar garden and the Burns’ energy efficient home. John reported back that he was amazed by how efficiently the living space was utilized and how the way choices were made in order to maximize both the beauty, illustrated handsomely by the rich stain on plywood countertops. Inexpensive, pleasing to the eye, replaceable, but will take hot or cold foods or the slip of a knife. As I have a bent towards the social side of things, I was amazed by the number of people onsite as part of the tour, as well as the collaboration of the interns and long term residents. As a teacher, I liked to see the way the interns worked on their teaching ability as they ran continuous workshops on mushroom cultivation and introductions to permaculture. When John and I reconnected we had a nice chicken barbeque lunch and then headed over to the MacDaniels Nut Grove.
MacDaniels Nut Grove Located on the Cornell campus, the MacDaniels Nut Grove started as a clear cut space that Mr. MacDaniels used as a research area to graft nut trees in the early 20th century. As Jamie, the onsite guide explained to us, Mr. MacDaniels saw nuts as an alternative to grain based agriculture. To develop the grove he would visit various farm shows and other agricultural events where nut competitions were held. There he sought out the winners of the events and asked to take cuttings of the award winning trees. His focus was on nut quality and overall productivity. Throughout the grove were a number of fine specimen trees. Fast forward to the 2000s and Dr. Ken Mudge and Steve Gabriel began restoring the site from just standing trees. Now, in addition to the original Nut Grove, other woodlands products are being investigated, including PawPaw and mushrooms. There was a simple majesty to standing in that human-managed space that reminded me that we can work with nature to create beautiful landscapes that serve not only human needs, but other life as well. After visiting with Jamie and taking pictures there was one last site to visit, so we headed to Edible Acres. Edible Acres At Edible Acres we met Sean Dembrosky, who was unknown to me before attending this event. He has a very well developed small farmstead implementing permaculture, and his site is a reminder that money doesn’t need to be a barrier to this practice. He split black locust and combined it with some hardware cloth and some wire to keep out small animals as well as deer. Total cost? Under $100. Many of his plants he propagated himself over the past several years. Multiple times Sean referenced how he used design in order to minimize his cost outlays, then combined them with free or durable products in order to maximize the usefulness of his work. This hand-dug well Sean uses to collect rainwater runoff from surrounding fields. Using an inexpensive, $20, bilge pump he purchased off of eBay that is then connected to a solar panel and truck battery, he pumps that water up into a storage tank. Then, as needed, he opens the valve on the tank to flood irrigate his raised beds. He hand-leveled the beds by scraping the surface level with a hoe after flooding them, to show high and low spaces. This allows him evenly distribute water to all the beds. Now by flooding the garden water percolates into the edges of the raised beds and the surrounding ground. Because of the soil building he’s done, and by watching the landscape when he waters, little goes to waste. There were other examples of this throughout Sean’s property but we were short on time after the full day so headed back to the Ithaca Beer Company to process our pictures and post some to the Facebook page for the show, facebook.com/thepermaculturepodcast. The Reception After the data download, thanks to the Ithaca Beer Company’s WiFi, we had a few pints, a bite to eat, and hung around with folks in the Finger Lakes region of New York who were interested in permaculture. In addition to Steve Gabriel and Michael Burns, we also met Karryn Olsen-Ramanujan and Rebecca Cutter, and spent time speaking with Matt Stillerman, and Chris, whose last name I didn’t catch. This was an enjoyable time because we learned more about the people and places that are doing this regenerative design work, including at the sites we didn’t get to visit. So where do we got from here? What’s Next? I want to go back up to the Finger Lakes and spend a few days in the area getting in-person interviews including first time conversations with Michael Burns and Rebecca Cutter, and follow-ups with Karryn Olsen-Ramanujan and Steve Gabriel. I also want to visit with Matthew and Petra of Fruition Seeds and speak with them about their unique plant breeding work to develop localized seeds using traditional methods. In the area is Melissa Madden, at Good Life Farm, who is someone practicing broadscale perennial agriculture. While there I also want to visit the other sites I didn’t visit on this trip, such as Sapsquach Maple Syrup or Hawk Meadow Farm. That trip organized for early 2015. If you like this kind of report and hearing about the various regional approaches to permaculture and the practitioners in the area, help support these field reports so we can learn more about the incredible permaculture projects active around the United States and elsewhere in the world. Go to www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/support to make a one time or ongoing contribution to this work. If you’d like you can include a note saying “travel” and I’ll earmark what you give for future trips of this kind. I do have two more journeys on the calendar. The next will be to Bridgeton, New Jersey, on October 11th for Chabacon, to see Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute deliver a keynote address and to engage with others on how a community can move towards more sustainable, and regenerative, practices. After that, from October 20th through the 22nd or 23rd, I’ll be in Roanoke, Virginia. As part of that trip I have a farm tours and interviews scheduled with Lee and Dave of Radical Roots Farm, in Keezletown, VA, Rick Frederick of Lick Run Farm, and Holly Brown of Island Creek Farm. While there, on Tuesday, October 21st, at 630pm I’ll be at the Roanoke Natural Food Coop, at Grandin Village, to share a short piece on permaculture. That’s it so far, but with much more to come. Thank you for your support to share permaculture as far and as wide as possible. Get In Touch E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann The Permaculture Podcast Facebook: Facebook.com/ThePermaculturePodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst

Learn More

Mark Shepard - Restoration Agriculture (Part 2)

Visit Our Sponsor: Foraged.Market
Donate Directly: via PayPal -or- Venmo @permaculturepodcast
 
Want to listen to more conversations about Permaculture? Browse the extensive archives of the show. 






My guest for this episode is Mark Shepard, owner of New Forest Farm and author of Restoration Agriculture. This is the second of three pieces that Mark and I recorded together to talk about Restoration Agricultural practices and to answer listener questions. In this episode we discuss four topics based around listener questions.
Mark’s nursery techniques.
Grafting vs. Seeding.
What tools and infrastructure are needed to start a nursery project?
How Mr. Shepard markets his tree crops locally or otherwise.
We also discuss the importance for each of us, that means you and me, to be growing, selecting, and breeding our own plants from seed. To make this easier Mark shares his STUN method of seeing what plants are best. What does STUN stand for? Sheer Total Utter Neglect. After listening to this episode, even if you don’t have a green thumb, there’s no reason to not be playing with plants on a variety of scales. Here is another discussion about how to bring profit and entrepreneurship into permaculture. It is something I continue to work on and struggle with at times, but it is something we can do. As Mark said, we do this and then ask other systems to try and keep up with us as we create a better world now and for the future. This is not a game or something we play at, but real work to make a difference. We can do it. To support that, I have some interviews that will come out over the coming months with people like Ethan Roland to discuss the Eight Forms of Capital and Regenerative Enterprise and how we can apply permaculture to business. Then Carol Sanford joins me to discuss how we can apply business to permaculture, find the essence of our entrepreneurial work, and grow what it is we are doing to bring functional permaculture models into the mainstream.
Support the Podcast If you value this show and the work of the podcast in spreading the word of permaculture to the world, lend your assistance in supporting these projects.
Retweet messages sent from @permaculturecst. Leave reviews on iTunes or your favorite podcast sites.
The show can also use your financial support, either as a one-time or ongoing monthly contribution. Find out how to do that at: www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/support.
Going on the Road:
The show is going on the road so that I can go report on events of interest to the growing movements to build a better world, and to continue to spread the word of this wonderful system of design we call Permaculture.
Next up I’ll be going to CHABA-Con, in Bridgeton, New Jersey, on October 11th, 2014 where Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute will be the keynote speaker for a day of lectures, discussions, and tours on how to transform the world we live in.
The last of the currently planned trips is to Roanoke, Virginia, from October 20th-22nd, interviewing farmers and local permaculture practitioners. I am also delivering a presentation, “Permaculture: Creating a Better World by Design” on 630PM on October 21st, 2014, at the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-Op at Grandin Village. If you’re in the area I’d love to see you there or at any of these other events.
Contact: The Permaculture Podcast

Learn More

Tradd Cotter - Mushroom Cultivation and Mycoremediation

Visit Our Sponsor: Foraged.Market
Donate Directly: via PayPal -or- Venmo @permaculturepodcast
 
Want to listen to more conversations about Permaculture? Browse the extensive archives of the show. 






My guest for this episode is Tradd Cotter, a microbiologist and mycologist who, along with his wife Olga, owns and operates Mushroom Mountain near Greenville, South Carolina. He is also the author of the book Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation from Chelsea Green Publishing. In this interview we sit down and talk about his book, the science of microbiology and mycology, entrepreneurship, and also touch on the power of mushrooms for remediation. This is a rather candid conversation that includes thoughts about why ideas that can change the world should be open-source and owned by the people. Why treating employees well and paying a good wage for labor matters. Why making a difference can be more important than making money. Find out more about Tradd and his work at MushroomMountain.com and at his author page at Chelsea Green. You can also order a copy of his book directly from the publisher. If you enjoy this conversation and want to meet Tradd he will be at the Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs, Pennsylvania on September 12th – 14th, 2014. While there his talks include, “Shrooming Off the Grid,” “Mycoremediation of Home and Farm Waste,” and “Medicinal Mushroom Gardens: Cultivation, garden design, and preparing extracts and tinctures.” I’ll be at this event with Photographer John and look forward to connecting with Tradd while we are there.
On The Road:
s part of the ongoing journey for me and the podcast, the show is going on the road. In addition to the Mother Earth News Fair, Photographer John and I are going on the Finger Lakes Permaculture Tour on September 6th, 2014. If you are in the area you can still register to go on this self-directed tour of multiple functional and operating permaculture sites. Hosted by the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute, we’ll be there taking plenty of pictures to share with you and report back on the first of the planned annual tours.
I’ll be going to CHABA-Con, in Bridgeton, New Jersey, on October 11th, 2014 where Lester Brown, of the Earth Policy Institute will be the keynote speaker for a day of lectures, discussions, and tours on how to transform the world we live in.
The last of the currently planned trips is to Roanoke, Virginia, from October 20th-22nd, interviewing farmers and local permaculture practitioners. I am also delivering a presentation, “Permaculture: Creating a Better World by Design” on 630PM on October 21st, 2014, at the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-Op at Grandin Village. If you’re in the area I’d love to see you there or at any of these other events.
Review: Organic Mushroom Cultivation and Mycoremediation
As you can hear in the interview, and like I’ve mentioned appreciating in other reviews, he does this work. He’s not a sage on the stage, but a guide on the side living this and encouraging others to do the same. Of all the books I’ve encountered on mushrooms, and I’ve looked at quite a few by names you know, Tradd’s it the most functional useful book on mushroom cultivation, education, and the science of it all that I’ve encountered. Just as I recommend The One-Straw Revolution as the first book to read when starting down a Permaculture Path, Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation is the first book I point people who want to get started with learning about mushrooms. The book is divided into four sections. Part I: The Fundamentals of Mushroom Cultivation contains what you need to know about mushrooms and how to grow them.
Part 2: Mushrooms for Life: Innovative Applications and Projects Using Fungi covers composting with mushrooms, urban growing, off the grid growing, mushroom products, mushroom infused adult beverages, mushroom marketing, and fungi in the classroom.
Part 3: Advanced Techniques and Research gives you what you need to know to get started building your own lab, start cultures and spawn generation, store your cultures, advanced cultivation and research strategies, a research update on morel cultivation, and an introduction to mycoremediation.
Part 4: Meet the Cultivated Mushrooms. A listing of Twenty-Four mushrooms Genus with notes on the difficulty of raising them, general description and ecology, fruit body development, common strains and ideal fruiting conditions, wild spawn expansion techniques, lab isolation and spawn cultures, preferred fruiting substrates, outdoor cultivation notes, indoor cultivation notes, and also information on harvesting, storing, marketing, the nutritional value and medicinal uses, and uses in mycoremediation. Did I say that this book was packed with information? It is, yet all of that, as much as it sounds like, is easy to read, well indexed, and includes just about everything I could ask for in a guide for a home grower, a teacher in the classroom, or someone wanting to get involved in commercial production. It’s that good and worth adding to your library if you have an interest in mushrooms. I’m including the final print version of this book that I received from Chelsea Green in the Traveling Permaculture Library project. If you would like to be included in the mailing list for future books as part of that go to https://www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/library for more information.
I Need Your Support
f you value this show and the work of the podcast in spreading the word of permaculture to the world, lend your assistance in supporting these projects. Share links posted to the Facebook page, facebook.com/thepermaculturepodcast, with your friends or followers. Retweet messages sent from @permaculturecst.
Leave reviews on iTunes or your favorite podcast sites. The show can also use your financial support, either as a one-time or ongoing monthly contribution. Find out how to do that at: www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/support.
Class Announcements:
Upcoming Edge Alliance’s from Jen Mendez, at PermieKids.com. Sunday, September 7th 1:00-2:00 p.m. (EST) David, from Rites of Passage Experience (ROPE) and The Center for the Advancement of Youth, Family, and Community Services for inspiring us to think about the following:
When you were growing up, how did you know you were an adult?
Did you have a "tornado" experience in your life and after you went through it - it altered the way you saw the world and people saw you?
What do you see as milestones in your children's lives? • What do you think a rite of passage is? Can you describe or share an experience in your own life that might fit within this?
Sunday, September 7th 6:00-7:00 p.m. (EST) Collaborate with other educators and parents from Alternative Education Resource Organization (AERO) on the following questions:
What does it mean to be a mathematical person?
What have we, the educators, experienced throughout our lives that have helped us develop a playful attitude and curious nature towards mathematics?
How can we explore and approach math with children in a way that meets them not only where they are, but also where they are going
Sunday, September 21st 1:00-2:00 p.m. (EST) Kelly Hogan, an educator from Mother Earth School, and Marissa, a PERMIE KIDs parent, educator, and founder of PermaCognition who recently attended the Advanced Permaculture for Youth and Child Educators program, join us for a lively discussion on the following questions:
What sort of knowledge, concepts, or skills are needed to have a solid foundation as a permaculture youth and child educator?
What sort of things are integrated into the environment of a permaculture-minded educator?
How does our own and our shared story influence us as educators and our children? How can we use storytelling as an educational tool?
Sunday, September 28th 1:00-2:00 p.m. (EST) Lisa Harris and Jerry Mintz from Alternative Education Resource Organization (AERO) for join us to talk about the following questions:
What role might discrimination and tolerance play in children's relationships with themselves and others?
How can differences, disabilities, and grouping impact children?
How do we start talking about such issues with young children?
What are some techniques and tools to help children (and us, the parents and educators) re-design our relationships to address important issues like these head on?
Contact: The Permaculture Podcast

Learn More

Melanie G. Snyder - Restorative Justice

Visit Our Sponsor: Foraged.Market
Donate Directly: via PayPal -or- Venmo @permaculturepodcast
 
Want to listen to more conversations about Permaculture? Browse the extensive archives of the show. 






...we are all more than the worst thing we've ever done.
Bryan Stevenson. Executive Director, Equal Justice Initiative My guest for this episode is Melanie G. Snyder, author of Grace Goes to Prison who works on issues of restorative justice and prisoner re-entry. You can find out more information about her and her work at www.melaniegsnyder.com. One of the core ideas of her work is “prison as a last resort” and that forms the theme for this interview, and how restorative justice, and rehabilitation and treatment programs impact in a positive way the people and communities who use these options. I see this conversation as an important way for permaculture practitioners to apply what we know, especially among those with sociology, psychology, law, or criminal justice backgrounds, to engage the system that exists and create a better world that values all the people who are a part of it. This very candid conversation touches on a number of stories of people from my life impacted by the criminal justice system. Melanie’s work and this conversation matter to me, and from speaking with many other people it matters to them, too, because of their loved ones who could have been saved if other options existed. Listen if you know anyone who has ever had a negative interaction with the law and consider how implementing restorative justice and re-entry programs in your community help create a better world. Work like Melanie’s is important for breaking us out of the mold of current thinking and shows that other systems are possible. We don’t live in an unchangeable machine, we’re not cogs or sprockets. We are part of a dynamic living system and we can change it to be more kind, more peaceful, and more beneficial to all. The Four Questions of Restorative Justive
Who has been harmed by a crime?
What are their needs?
Who should be accountable for addressing the needs and harms that were caused by the crime?
What can be done to address the harm?
Resources Melanie G. Snyder The Center for Community Peacemaking Lancaster County RMO Restorative Justice Online National Association of Community and Restorative Justice The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander Melanie's TedX Talk: Breaking Out of Prison Thinking
Recommended Listening
Practical Possibilities with Ethan Hughes The interview that introduced me to the idea of restorative justice and circles.
Nonviolent Communication with Karl Steyaert A way for us to communicate more effectively in our interpersonal relationships, and in conflict resolution and mediation. A useful tool when seeking ways to work through problems and avoid the criminal justice sytem.
Class Announcements Permie Kids Edge Alliances Sunday, August 31st 8:30-9:30 p.m. (EST) Thanks, Brian, from Walking Elephant Theatre Company for joining us to contemplate the following questions:
What challenges do we face today and how can theatre start to help us address these issues with children?
How can we use theatre to enrich active, self-empowered learning?
What are some ways that we can use theatre to help us and our children connect with community?
Sunday, September 7th 1:00-2:00 p.m. (EST) Thanks, David, from Rites of Passage Experience (ROPE) and The Center for the Advancement of Youth, Family, and Community Services for inspiring us to think about the following:
What is a healthy, normal transition for children into community?
What are rites of passage and how have been/are rites of passage experienced in different cultures throughout the world and time?
What does this mean for what our children need from us as parents/educators the the greater community and what does this mean for what the greater community needs from the children?
Sunday, September 7th 6:00-7:00 p.m. (EST) Collaborate with other educators and parents from Alternative Education Resource Organization (AERO) on the following questions:
What does it mean to be a mathematical person?
What have we, the educators, experienced throughout our lives that have helped us develop a playful attitude and curious nature towards mathematics?
How can we explore and approach math with children in a way that meets them not only where they are, but also where they are going?
Sunday, September 21st 1:00-2:00 p.m. (EST) Meet Kelly and educator from Mother Earth School and Marissa, a PERMIE KIDs parent, educator, and founder of PermaCognition who recently attended the Advanced Permaculture for Youth and Child Educators program, and join us for a lively discussion on the following questions:
What sort of knowledge, concepts, or skills are needed to have a solid foundation as a permaculture youth and child educator?
What sort of things are integrated into the environment of a permaculture-minded educator?
How does our own and our shared story influence us as educators and our children? How can we use storytelling as an educational tool?
How can I help you create a better world? Get in touch. E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann The Permaculture Podcast Facebook: Facebook.com/ThePermaculturePodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst (Episode: melanie)

Learn More

Jean-Martin Fortier - The Market Gardener

Visit Our Sponsor: Foraged.Market
Donate Directly: via PayPal -or- Venmo @permaculturepodcast
 
Want to listen to more conversations about Permaculture? Browse the extensive archives of the show. 






My guest for this episode is Jean-Martin Fortier, the author of The Market Gardener and Canadian Small Scale Farmer. During our conversation today we discuss how he came to farming, his on-farm practices, how small is profitable, and the importance of standardization and simple practices. Together he, his wife, and two farm workers raised and sold over $140,000 in produce during the last growing season, with a net profit of $70,000 for him and his family, all on an acre and a half of intensively managed garden beds.

Learn More

Jono Neiger - Professional Permaculture, Education, and Community Building

Visit Our Sponsor: Foraged.Market
Donate Directly: via PayPal -or- Venmo @permaculturepodcast
 
Want to listen to more conversations about Permaculture? Browse the extensive archives of the show. 






My guest for this episode is Jono Neiger, one of the organizers of the Permaculture Institute of the North East, and a partner at Regenerative Design Group, LLC. In our conversation we touch on his practices as a professional designer and some of the business of that, permaculture education, collaborating with colleges, and the need to develop one’s own niche. If you enjoy this episode, support the podcast by making an ongoing monthly contribution to the show. Find out how at www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/support. There is a gotcha question in the middle of this episode that put Jono on the spot. I ask him what percentage of his work with the Regnerative Design Group, LLC, would he consider permaculture. I didn’t mean to put him in that space like that, but I appreciate his ability to respond to the question in the way he did by addressing the question, "What is Permaculture?" I find his perspective points out how varied permaculture can be. This is a system of design, not a dogma. There is no rote description for what it looks like. We all practice it in our own way, and need experience to design well in whatever niche it is that we fill. This conversation also reinforces what I continue to learn by speaking to more individuals who have practiced permaculture for years: there is plenty of room underneath this umbrella of design than just design and teaching, but we need to find our own way forward. Our own fit. We apply permaculture to what it is we do that we want to do, not ourselves into the models of permaculture that we already see. The more that I walk down this road the less my work is about landscape design and about communicating permaculture to the world through this podcast and other media. Ever more I am a permaculture journalist and producer. What roles do you see filling when you combine your life with permaculture? Class Announcements Jen Mendez at Permiekids.com is continuing her EDGE Alliance series via Google Hangouts. Thursday, August 14th 7:00-7:45 p.m. (EST) Jeanne from Move & Groove, helps us explore how and why to integrate music into our lives as a way to build community. In this Edge Alliance, we will explore the following questions: • How do children experience music? • What is a normal musical development process for children? • What are some ways we can integrate music into our lives? • How can music help our children connect with themselves and their communities? Sunday, August 17th 12:15-1:00 p.m. (EST) Amy from Supporting the Unschooling Life and Amy Child's Happiness Consultant, inspires us to explore the idea of and the social-emotional components of alternative forms of education. In this Edge Alliance, we will explore the following questions: • What is happiness? • How can we develop an education based in freedom, trust, and fun? • What are some emotional challenges to educating and learning this way? There are also spaces still available in the Open Enrollment Online PDC. Contact me if you would like more information or to register. Taking the Show on The Road As I mentioned a few weeks ago I am taking the show on the road, and now it begins. Coming up on September 6th, 2014, Photographer John and I attend the First Annual Finger Lakes Permaculture Tour. We’ll be touring a number of sites between 10am and 4pm before attending a reception at 6pm. As I record this there are currently twelvee sites available to tour. If you are able come out please do. You can find out more at Fingerlakespermaculture.org. Full Event Page: Finger Lakes Permaculture Tour September 12-14, 2014, Photographer John and I attend the Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs, PA at the Seven Springs Mountain Resort. He and I, along with his assistant, are arriving late Thursday the 11th, and staying through until the close of the event on Sunday, so be sure to look for us or send me a note if you are going to be in attendance and we can see about saying hello somewhere. Or maybe we can do a flash mob reception somewhere on-site (are those still a thing?). This is my first time attending and by every indication it’s a massively good time. Guests this year include Joel Salatin, Stephanie Tourles, Ed Begley Jr., Barbara Pleasant, Dan Chiras, Barbara Damrosch, and many many more. Find out more information about this at: motherearthnews.com/fair/Pennsylvania Last of my currently scheduled late summer and early fall tour is CHABA-Con on October 11, 2014 in Bridgeton, NJ. Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute will be a keynote speaker and festivities start at 7AM with a run in the Park with Mr. Brown, followed by lectures and round table discussions in the morning and early afternoon, with street theater in the afternoon, drumming in the part from 5:30 until dusk, and wrapping up with “An evening of Cabaret with Jane Seaman” from 8 until 10pm. Come and see how a town in New Jersey is facing a changing world by raising awareness and taking action. More on this event at: CHABACON-2014 If you have an event, project, or site you would like me visit and cover, I am availabile in late October through December, 2014 for field reporting so contact me and we can work out the details. Get in touch with the show: E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast Facebook: Facebook.com/ThePermaculturePodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann The Permaculture Podcast (Episode: Jono)

Learn More

Adam Brock - Permaculture Conferences, Convergences, and Community Improvement

Visit Our Sponsor: Foraged.Market
Donate Directly: via PayPal -or- Venmo @permaculturepodcast
 
Want to listen to more conversations about Permaculture? Browse the extensive archives of the show. 






My guest for this episode is Adam Brock, a permaculture teacher and practitioner from The Growhaus in Colorado, who is also developing an invisible structures pattern language. You can find out more about that latter project by going to peoplepattern.org. Adam sat down with me to talk about the IPC in Cuba and the Permaculture Voice conference, but we begin this interview with his pattern language before moving onto those other topics. The conversation represents his experiences at both of those events and also provides feedback on how we can use that to continue to improve our work as professionals to make our community more inclusive and productive for the people who want and need it. We also touch on how permaculture is continuing to expand at a rapid pace and how some of the movements to codify the PDC process and vet various professionals in the field. Not too long ago a few phone calls could help us get a personal understanding of a particular teacher or project, but that is getting harder as the sheer number of practitioners and people offering classes or workshops grows. After speaking with Adam I’m excited for where permaculture is and where it is going. Though I was initially hesitant about some of the organizing occurring, at the moment there is still room under this incredible umbrella of design that we can shake things up, experiment, try new things, and see what happens. Together we can see what the future holds. Adam's Past Interviews Urban Agriculture Invisible Structures People and Resources Global Exchange Movement Generation Andy Goldring Darren Doherty People & Pattern: A Pattern Language for Invisible Structures Permaculture Institute of North America (PINA) Permaculture Institute, U.S.A. The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil Robin Clayfield Robyn Francis Class Announcement Jen Mendez at Permie Kids has another Edge Alliance coming up on Sunday, August 3rd, 2014. Helen from One Hen presents on how to help children develop personal responsibility and connect with community by examining three questions:
How can personal responsibility relate to social entrepreneurship?
What can it look like for kids?
What soft and hard skills that must be present for kids to self-empower and community-empower in this way?
Find out more at: www.permiekids.com/community-collaboration/ What are your thoughts on the state of permaculture? If you’d like to get in touch, here are the usual ways. E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast Facebook: Facebook.com/ThePermaculturePodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann The Permaculture Podcast (Episode: AdamBrock3)

Learn More

Rafter Sass Ferguson - Permaculture Research

Visit Our Sponsor: Foraged.Market
Donate Directly: via PayPal -or- Venmo @permaculturepodcast
 
Want to listen to more conversations about Permaculture? Browse the extensive archives of the show. 






My guest for this episode is Rafter Sass Ferguson, a permaculture practitioner and PhD student who is researching self-identified permaculture farms. Our conversation today looks at the state of his work and of permaculture research in general, as well as some of the challenges we face in broadening the impact, accountability, and acceptance of permaculture. Find out more about Rafter and his research at: liberationecology.org What stands out to me from this interview is, again, our importance of doing research as practitioners. To be involved. To experiment. To try new things. To figure out what does and doesn’t work where we are and share that information with others. We have the tools in our hands and in the permaculture literature to create an abundant world that can tackle some really big problems, but much of that gets cast aside because of the barriers and hurdles we have to overcome to get there. It’s why I take a long view on spreading the word and getting permaculture out there. I’d rather offer a life changing impact on a few people, like the person who wrote in saying that they were no longer a bigot and more accepting of others because of the interviews with Rhamis Kent, than have this podcast be a fluff piece for ten times as many people who just listen and move on. I wake up every day wanting to make the world a better place for everyone. For me, my children, my friends, my family, and for you, and people I haven’t met yet, and people who aren’t born yet. We have the most amazing set of tools. Now all we have to do is use them. I’ll step down from my soap box now and leave you to your time. If you’d like to get in touch, here are the usual ways. E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast Facebook: Facebook.com/ThePermaculturePodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann The Permaculture Podcast (Episode: rafter2)

Learn More

Episode 1456: Restoration Agriculture with Mark Shepard

Donate to The Permaculture PodcastOnline:via PayPalVenmo:@permaculturepodcast

Mark Krawczyk - Keyline Design and Coppice Agroforestry

Visit Our Sponsor: Foraged.Market
Donate Directly: via PayPal -or- Venmo @permaculturepodcast
 
Want to listen to more conversations about Permaculture? Browse the extensive archives of the show. 






My guest for this episode is Mark Krawczyk, a permaculture designer and teacher from Vermont. He is also the co-author, along with Dave Jacke, of forthcoming book Coppice Agroforestry – Perennial Silviculture for the 21st Century. Mark and I sat down and talked about keyline design and coppice work. Along the way we touch on three species he recommends experimenting with for a beginner to coppice, as well as his tool kit for this woods work. We also spoke about what species coppice well, including both deciduous hardwoods and some evergreens. This is an episode that contains a number of resources, which you’ll find links to below. If you find value in what you hear in this episode, or any of those in the archives, please make a contribution to the show. You can find out how at www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/support. There’s quite a lot in this episode for anyone looking to implement keyline design or work the woods. If you’re interested in getting started below you'll find links to the specialty stores Mark mentioned for Yeoman plow shanks, as well as places in the U.S. and abroad where you can find the various coppice species, as well as some of the specialty tools, including the Woodsman’s Pal. Also, one of my preferred vendors for hand tools, Lee Valley, happens to carry a billhook and froe. I have both on order and will review them when they arrive. You can reach Mark via email: coppiceagroforestry@gmail.com and learn more about his work at: Keyline Vermont Coppice Agroforestry Three Species for a Beginning Coppicer
Basswood / Linden (Tilia americana)
Willow (Salix L.)
Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)
Mark's Recommended Tools for Coppice Work
Chainsaw
Bowsaw
Billhook
Sledgehammer and Wedges
Froe
Evergreens that Coppice
Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)
Monkey Puzzle (Araucaria araucana)
Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida)
Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)
Pinyon Pine (Spp. unknown)
Juniper (Spp. unknown)
Resources: Keyline Design Plow Shanks A.H. Tuttle Market Farm Coppice Species Sources Willow
Dunbar Gardens (USA)
Bluestem Nursery (Canada)
Willow Works (UK)
Basswood / Linden
Cold Stream Farm (USA)
Barcham (UK)
Black Locust
Cold Stream Farm (USA)
Buckingham Nurseries
Specialty Tools for Coppice Morris Tools (ToolNut.co.uk) Woodsman's Pal Lee Valley Bill hook Lee Valley Froe Are you practicing keyline design? Working the woods? Have questions after this episode? Let me know: E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast Facebook: Facebook.com/ThePermaculturePodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann The Permaculture Podcast (Episode: MarkKrawczyk)

Learn More