The Permaculture Podcast

As We Move Ever Onward, I Give Thanks to a New Direction

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Your feedback regarding the crossroads I found myself at with the podcast was incredibly positive. It resounded clearly that should the show stop it would be a loss to the community. Though I'm still figuring out how to move forward in a sustaining way, and will continue to need listener support, there is a new direction. I've step beyond the crossroads at which I found myself, and begin wandering down a familiar, if somewhat shadowy, road. One of those ways is to produce episodes that are unscripted, less tightly controlled, and much shorter than what would normally come out once a week. Ideally 15 minutes or less, these small bites of permaculture are something you can listen to while walking the dog, sketching out a new site design, or planting a single tree. Nothing you need to settle into for an hour or more. Small solution, more permaculture. But! These segments need a name, and I'm holding a listener contest to make it happen. Go to Facebook.com/ThePermaculturePodcast, like the show if you haven't already, and then look for the post "The Short Shows Need a Name" from March 3rd, 2014, and we'll work together to pick a winner. The submission window for names closes on March 17th, 2014. Voting for the name will begin shortly thereafter.

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The Show Stands at a Crossroads

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This is a monologue about the future of the show. It details some of the things that have happened recently and the support needed for the podcast to continue beyond the current production schedule.

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Kelly Ware - Permaculture and The Kingdom

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This episode is a continuation of the Faith and Earth Care series. This time, I speak with Kelly Ware, a permaculturist from Montana with one of the oldest known permaculture sites in the state. We talk about her thoughts on the idea of Permaculture and the Kingdom: bringing together the practices, and practitioners, of the Christian Faith with Permaculture. Whereas the first in this series, my conversation with Rhamis Kent, was a secular look at the elements of Earth Care in Islam, the conversation with Kelly is interwoven with her personal story of moving from a place of non-belief to one of faith and then to how we can do more to connect with others and build community. I enjoyed myself quite a bit in this conversation with Kelly and had a fun time talking about this topic from such a different perspective. We went to many different places in our conversation and I’m thankful that for all the sideline questions I asked things came together nicely in the end. You’ll find links with more information on how to connect with Kelly in the show notes. If you enjoy this interview, or any other episodes in the growing archive, help me reach the goal of releasing at least 75 episodes in 2014 by making a donation to the show. Your support is the only financial means of making that happen, and also support show related projects such as the Traveling Permaculture Library. Find out how to help at: www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/support. Also, if you haven’t heard them yet, I suggest you go back and listen to the interviews with Larry Santoyo and Dave Jacke. They both spoke about the engagement we as permaculture practitioners need in order to grow the so called “invisible structures” and make permaculture happen. With her personal experience with the community composed of the body of the I think that Kelly’s approach is incredibly useful to that end. Though I haven’t, and won’t, discuss my own faith tradition, or a lack there-of, I have applied many of the ideas that Kelly presented to engage like-minded organizations locally. Meeting people where they are at makes a huge difference. Find the common ground and talk in that space. The rest will follow. If you’d like to talk to me about our common ground, or even where we disagree, feel free to send me an email: The Permaculture Podcast or give me a call: . As this is part of the faith and earth care series, the next episode on this subject will be the second part of the conversation with Rhamis Kent about "Islam and Earth Care" on March 18th, 2014. Then my friend Paul Tomkiel, a Lutheran Vicar, will speak about the "Christian Theology of Earth Care" on April 8th, 2014. But, those are many weeks away. In the meantime I’ll be releasing a review of the book Regenerative Enterprise, and then the next interview will be with Dr. John Kitsteiner to discuss Permaculture and Our Health. I’ll be attending the A Gathering of Farmer’s conference on March 8th, 2014 at Wilson College in Chambersburg, PA. and presenting a workshop on Permaculture 101. For that event the Keynote speaker is Brian Snyder the executive director of the Pennsylvania Sustainable Agriculture Association. Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir are there as entertainment. Should be a good time, and I’m quite looking forward to it. Come by if you can. I look forward to seeing you there. Resources: Contact Kelly: permakel@gmail.com Permaculture and The Kingdom Thread (Permies Forum) Permaculture Montana Facebook Page Surviving Off Off-Grid by Michael Bunker The Love Revolution by Joyce Meyer

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Wilson Alvarez and Ben Weiss - Rewilding

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My guests for this episode are Wilson Alvarez and Ben Weiss. They are permaculture teachers and practitioners from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who focus on rewilding, observation, and tending the wild. I also consider them my friends and colleagues in the community, having learned and shared a great deal with both of them. We've also sat down and broke bread by sharing meals with one another. This is their third time on the show. Their past episodes are: Restoring Eden: Zone 4 Permaculture with Wilson Alvarez and Ben Weiss Listener Q&A: Zone 4 Permaculture with Wilson Alvarez and Ben Weiss In this conversation we spend much of our time talking about their advanced PDC, which revolves around three core concepts: 1. Reconnection 2. Regeneration 3. Rebellion It is quite a conversation and I look forward to having more with them around this expertise of re-wilding and observation. I am reminded of David Holmgren’s suggestion that we all find our niches, as I continue to develop my own. I'll also be visiting Wilson, Ben, and Natasha on February 27th, so if you have any follow-up questions for any of them, please let me know. Contact Wilson and Ben: Wilson Alvarez: rebelgardentools@gmail.com Ben Weiss: susq.permaculture@yahoo.com Resources: Susquehanna Permaculture Facebook Page Aboriginal Men of High Degree by A.P. Elkin Native Science by Gregory Cajete Rewilding (Conservation Biology) (Wiki) Rewilding (anarchism) (Wiki) Practical Rewilding by Sky (Article from The Anarchist Library) The Forest People (Archive.org. Free Download.) by Colin Turnbull (Wiki) The Rewilding Institute and Dave Foreman. A Note From Scott: I’ll be attending A Gathering of Farmers on March 8th, 2014 being held by Certified Naturally Grown. This event is on the grounds of Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.  If you are in the area and would like to attend perhaps we can take a few moments to meet and catch up. Contact the Show: E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast Facebook: Facebook.com/ThePermaculturePodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst (Episode 2014-011)

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Adam Campbell - Right Living and Authentic Education

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My guest for this episode is Adam Campbell, a permaculture teacher who lives at the Stillwater Sanctuary and teaches at the Peace and Permaculture Center. This is the second of several episodes that come from one long conversation I had with Adam.  As this picks up right where things left off, it’s best if you start with that first show and then join us again afterwards.  In this case we begin with him sharing a story about his friend Megan who started her a Personal Honesty Project, and what making a radical change in one’s life is like. We also talk about having confidence and trusting yourself to do transformative work, and move to more about thoughts on education and learning, inside and outside the traditional school system and hall of academia. I think this episode fits well with the past interviews from Natasha Alvarez, Stephen Harrod Buhner, and of course Ethan Hughes (Part 1) (Part 2). I have another 2 hours of raw audio from the day he and I spoke, so expect to release another 2 episodes with Adam in the future. Something I want to speak to is near the beginning of this conversation when Adam and I were talking about making new models that work for our selves and others, and about giving up things to find what we do and don’t need. One of my fellow martial arts students and I were working through some fencing material and he kept saying, “Make it smaller.  Make it smaller. Keep making it smaller until it doesn’t work, then make it a bit bigger.” That’s how I've come to think about these changes we make in our lives. Start with little changes and keep removing pieces and removing pieces, until you get to a place that doesn’t work, where something isn’t right, and then add a bit more back to it. Then you’ll know what your tolerances are for something and can find what really works for you. What you really need. What you are capable of. And have a place to take action from. But, you need to act. Resources: Peace and Permaculture Education with Adam Campbell (Part 1 of this series) Blessed Unrest by Paul Hawken Non-Violent Communication by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg The Heroes Journey (Monomyth) as considered by Joseph Campbell (Wiki Links) The Four Agreements and Don Miguel Ruiz Think Little (Links to a PDF) by Wendell Berry A Note From Scott: I’ll be attending A Gathering of Farmers on March 8th, 2014 being held by Certified Naturally Grown. This event is on the grounds of Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.  If you are in the area and would like to attend perhaps we can take a few moments to meet and catch up. Contact the show: E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast Facebook: Facebook.com/ThePermaculturePodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst (Episode 2014-010)

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Natasha Alvarez - Permaculture as Revolution

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My guest for this episode is Natasha Alvarez, a permaculture teacher, naturalist, and herbalist from Lancaster Pennsylvania. In this episode we talk about her idea of Permaculture as Revolution as expressed in her project, The Year of Black Clothing. By finding our love for the world, we can move towards action, by focusing on our passion. But, of course, we cover so much more along the way. Though I wrapped up this show a few weeks after interviewing Natasha, I still agree with my closing sentiment. I have nothing more to add to this conversation than what is here, except to say this: if you need help, ask for it, and we will do what we can to aid you. Contact Natasha: Website: The Year of Black Clothing E-mail: mourningsolidarityrebellion@gmail.com Facebook: Facebook.com/Mourning.Solidarity.Rebellion Contact the show: E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast">The Permaculture Podcast Facebook: Facebook.com/ThePermaculturePodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst Resources: The Wilderness Awareness School (Episode 2014-009)

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Episode 1408: The Traveling Permaculture Library Project

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This episode is not a normal show, but an announcement of a project I’m launching called the Traveling Permaculture Library. As some of you have heard from past shows, on occasion I get books from authors and publishers to read and review. Previously I gave the books away to someone after I read them. I want to get a greater number of books into the hands of a larger group of people. To do that, I want to review and then mail books to listeners, but with an added twist. Here’s what I have in mind. When I get a book from a publisher or author I’ll read it, perhaps adding my notes to it because I do write in the margins and underline or highlight passages, and when I’m done I’ll mail it to a listener. You have as long as you’d like to read it, and you can even write in it if you like. The expectation is that once you finish reading the book you’ll mail it to someone else. To get the address of where to send it let me know you’re done reading the book and I’ll give you the next person on the list. You then mail the book and continue the cycle. The books can keep moving in this way until they are either no longer in good enough condition to pass or, or they disappear into the ether. Because I don’t know what book I’ll receive, so don’t know what you’ll get as part of this project. And trying to manage separate lists for each book is a logistical nightmare for me. Plus part of the fun of this is that you never know what you could get. Instead a mysterious book, that you might not even know exists, arrives in the mail for your enjoyment. I don’t want to send packages unsolicited, and do want everyone who joins in to be interested in this program and be willing to mail on each book when there done. To do that, I’m asking you to explicitly contact me to be added to the library recipient list. Send an email to: The Permaculture Podcast with the phrase “Lending Library” in the subject. In the body of the message include your preferred mailing address. I’ll make a list that serves as a queue, so it’s first-in/first-out. Once a book is mailed to you I’ll move your name to the bottom of the list, and the process continues. Given all the factors involved in this process, including when you hear this episode, it could take months or years before everyone receives a book. If you’d like to make this program more interesting, you can be a source of books for the program by mailing books from your own library to others. I just ask that you understand you will probably never see them again once they are dropped in the post, so please be completely willing to part with whatever you agree to include. If you are interested in helping send a note to the show e-mail address that you are interested in passing books on, as well as a list of suggested books. Then as things get rolling I can give you a name and address from the list, as well as a book suggestion. If you are an author or publisher who would like to get involved, contact me and I can give you my mailing address to send books to. I’ll read and review your material, and then pass them on as part of this project. The plan, as you’ll see if you go to ThePermaculturePodcast.com/library, is to keep an updated page that details the books currently in the program, the number of people who has received each title, and information on how to buy the books directly from the author or publisher. That way you can easily find a book if you’d like to add it to your personal library, and in turn we can act as a community to support the people writing and releasing the books that help us to build a better world. If you buy a book after reading it as part of the Permaculture Podcast Traveling Library it let me know. I’d like to track the results of this program and share the results with the listing for each book. To take this one step further, I’m going to have a separate Members Library for people who support the show as part of the members program. But rather than being books I receive, the books for members will come from my personal library, and include titles I’ve found to be influential in my early, and ongoing, permaculture work. To get things started, the first two books in this program are: Arthur Haines Ancestral Plants, Volume 1Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist I look forward to your receiving email and having you as a part of the Traveling Permaculture Library project. Until the next time, take care of the earth, yourself, and each other. (Episode 2014-008)

Wayne Herring - Small Scale Farming Q&A

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This episode is a question and answer session with Wayne Herring, of Herring's Green Grass Farm. He addresses several listener questions about small scale farming, including running pigs and goats in a woodlot, the damage that can be caused by predators and how to protect poultry flocks, and multi-use mobile shelters. Definitely worth a listen if you’re considering adding livestock to a homestead. In addition to sharing his thoughts on these questions, Wayne also recommended the following books for listeners who are interested in pursuing small scale livestock. All are by Joel Salatin. Folks This Ain't Normal Holy Cows and Hog Heaven"* Pastured Poultry Profit$* Family Friendly Farming* The Sheer Ecstasy of Being a Lunatic Farmer* Resources: Herring's Green Grass Farm (Website) Herring's Green Grass Farm (Facebook Page) Feel free to contact me if you have questions you'd like to hear in a future question and answer episode, or if there is any way I can assist you on your permaculture journey. E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepermaculturepodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst *(These are affiliate links to the book publisher, Chelsea Green. Purchasing via these links benefit the publisher directly and a portion of the proceeds go to support this podcast.) (Episode 2014-007)

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Eric Puro - Natural Building and ThePoosh.org

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My guest for this episode is Eric Puro of ThePoosh.org. He is a natural builder from the United States currently living in Portugal developing several sustainable building projects. In this episode we talk about the work of his organization, what it’s like to learn how to do this kind of building, as well as the decision making that’s involved with bringing a group of builders and volunteers together. [caption width="4000" align="alignright"] A Poosh Building Crew[/caption] I think you’ll find as you listen to this a certain resonance with past guests including Bob Theis (Part 1 and Part 2), Stephen Harrod Buhner, Michael Pilarski, Jack Spirko, and Ethan Hughes. You connect with Eric by visiting ThePoosh.org network. [caption width="960" align="alignnone"] The Mothership[/caption] One of the things that really stood out for me with from this conversation was Eric’s “Do it!” attitude. We can do these tasks. We can get out there and make things happen. There’s no reason to be constrained by our own fears, but rather let’s go and work and get things moving. As Jack Spirko said, and why I mentioned him in the beginning, permaculture is a “do-ocracy.” We’re tasked to take action. Go out and plant. Go out and build. Make a difference in the world. Along the way there are people like Eric to show you how to keep moving forward. If you’re interested in natural building, or have your own project you are working with, connect with thepoosh.org and find people you can help, and can help you in turn. I’d like to hear from you if there is any way I can help you. Call me, as it’s the quickest and easiest way to get in touch: . Email: The Permaculture Podcast. Join in the discussions on Facebook: facebook.com/thepermaculturepodcast. Or follow me on twitter where I am: @permaculturecst. Resources: The Poosh Americorps The Biomimicry Design Portal Consensus Decision-Making (Wikipedia) Earthship Biotecture Gargage Warrior The Thatcher's Craft (PDF Downloads from Herefordshire & Ludlow College, UK) The Vernacular Architecture Forum Other Images from The Poosh: (Episode 2014-006)

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Wilson Alvarez and Ben Weiss - Listener Questions on Zone 4 Permaculture

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This episode is a Question and Answer session with Wilson Alvarez and Ben Weiss as a follow up to our last conversation together. In this episode they address three listener questions.
How to connect with them and learn more about their work now that the Kickstarter campaign is over?
How can one manage property if there is a large amount of Zone 4?
3. What is the Hoop System and could it apply to the Eastern Woodlands?
After you hear their thoughts you can connect with them directly via email: Wilson Alvarez: rebelgardentools@gmail.com Ben Weiss: susq.permaculture@gmail.com Feel free to reach out to me if you have questions you'd like to hear in a follow up conversation with them, or if you have problems getting touch with Wil or Ben. E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepermaculturepodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst Resources: Susquehanna Permaculture Facebook Page Kyle Chamberlain (Permaculture Global Profile) Positive Impact Forestry by Thom McEvoy (Episode 2014-005)

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