The Permaculture Podcast

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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)

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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)

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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)

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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)

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[caption width="200" align="alignleft"] Ben Law, Woodsman[/caption]My guest for this episode is Ben Law, woodsman, permaculture practitioner, and author of many books on developing, tending, and using the products that come from the woods. Some of those titles include The Woodland Way, and Roundwood Timber Framing. Mr. Law is a wealth of practical knowledge, and we touch on some of that in this conversation. As I seek out for this show, he is someone who practices what he teaches, continuously. Even as I spoke to him, he was out in the woods, running off of solar power. We begin the interview via landline and then switch to his mobile phone. I recommend listening to this episode in a relaxed and quieter environment because of those connection issues. This marks the first episode of July, 2014, and the start of my summer fundraising campaign. If you enjoy this podcast, help me keep it on the air by making a one time or on-going contribution. I can’t do this without your assistance. Visit the support page to find out how to donate. What I enjoyed about this episode is the encouragement to seek out the tools and knowledge to do what we feel called to do. To build a create a better world, we have to seek out what it is that matters to each of us, and be our own solution. Another take away is that we must take a long view. As Ben spoke about the shifting view of time, so do I see that if we’re going to think about tomorrow, and well beyond, then it requires a shift in our mindset to look further into the future and imagine what could be. For a good reminder of that long view listen to The Gift by Matt Winters. You can find out more about Mr. Law at: www.ben-law.co.uk How has your perspective of time, and place, changed since you started practicing permaculture? Let me know: E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast Facebook: Facebook.com/ThePermaculturePodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann The Permaculture Podcast (Episode: Ben Law)

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My guest for this episode is Rob Scott, a permaculture practitioner who started and directed the Urbana Permaculture Project. He now teaches Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership at the University of Illinois. We spend our time in this interview discussing his 2010 article, “A Critical Review of Permaculture in the United States,” and offer a critique of permaculture, and permaculture education in the U.S., as they exist now, as well as what we can do to improve our permaculture practices in the landscape and education. If you enjoy this interview with Rob, please support the Permaculture Podcast so that I can keep things going. Become a one time or ongoing contributor by going to: thepermaculturepodcast.com/support to find out how. I consider this conversation as a start on what we can do to make permaculture more accessible and acceptable. What I would like is to begin a new project where we start documenting our permaculture successes and failures. I’d like you to write down what you’ve done, what’s worked, what hasn’t, and share it with me. Once some of these come in, with your permission, I’ll setup a section of the website where we can share and discuss the results and work on building our understanding of permaculture in the current era. Another piece of this is that I recently interviewed Elizabeth Farnsworth who works at the New England Wild Flower Society, who I mentioned in my coverage of the Native Plants Conference I attended a few weeks ago. She and I talked about the role of citizen scientists. In that discussion she reminded me that by being curious and asking “Why?” we are, each and everyone of us, scientists. So let’s collect data, and sometime in the not too distant future I’ll release that interview with Elizabeth to serve as further inspiration on that project. Finally, on the idea of education, it can occur whether we are formally trained in teaching, or not. Just as I set out “The Plan” a few months ago detailing my ideas for teaching young adults and adult in a holistic way, Jen Mendez at Permie Kids is actively working on developing ideas for childhood education and permaculture through a series of topical webinars she’s calling the “Edge Alliance.” I’d like you to take a look and get involved if you are a parent of school age children, or an educator of the same. Resources Rob Scott A Critical Review of Permaculture in the United States A Review of Suitable Companion Crops for Black Walnut (PDF) Edge Alliance Do you Have a Critique of Permaculture? Let me know: E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast Facebook: Facebook.com/ThePermaculturePodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann The Permaculture Podcast (Episode: RobScott)

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This is the third, and last, episode in the series with Rhamis Kent covering Islam and Earth Care.

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This episode is a review of Jean-Martin Fortier’s book The Market Gardener.

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