Podcasts about new society publishers

Solar panels and other modern energy technologies can be really useful, but the belief that we can technologize our way to a bigger and better society powered by clean energy is tragically flawed. Asher, Rob, and Jason dig into the up-and-down story of the Ivanpah concentrated solar power plant, review the Harry Potteresque thinking behind complex, centralized power plants, and expose the truth of the energy transition. After they finish making fun of concentrated solar/golf course/outlet mall complexes in the desert, they discuss how to make real progress on energy and sustainability. Originally recorded on 6/5/25.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Michael R. Blood, “11 years after a celebrated opening, massive solar plant faces a bleak future in the Mojave Desert,” AP News, January 30, 2025.Laura Paddison, "This alien-like field of mirrors in the desert was once the future of solar energy. It's closing after just 11 years," CNN, February 13, 2025.Jean-Baptiste Fressoz, More and More and More: An All-Consuming History of Energy, January 1, 2024.Rachel Donald, “The ‘Energy Transition' is a Pipe Dream | Jean-Baptiste Fressoz,” Planet: Critical podcast, March 19, 2025.Drax Power StationU.S. Department of Energy, Facts about IvanpahEnergy Monitor report on the opening of IvanpahLouis Sahagun, "This Mojave Desert solar plant kills 6,000 birds a year. Here's why that won't change any time soon," Los Angeles Times, September 2, 2016.Annual carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions worldwide from 1940 to 2024Resources for conservation and local solar power:Solar United Neighbors2,000-Watt SocietyPeter Kalmus, Being the Change, New Society Publishers, July 10, 2017.Kris De Decker, "How to Build a Low-Tech Solar Panel," Resilience, October 21, 2021.Coop PowerSeeds for the SolThe Institute for Local Self-Resilience has a community solar program.Related episode(s) of Crazy Town:Episode 45 on feedback loopsEpisode 60 on air conditioningSupport the show

As I continue to advance the tree and perennial food nursery here at my farm, I'm always on the lookout for new resources on anything about growing and breeding perennial food sources, the history of their cultivation, and the cultures that were and are connected to these woodland and orchard based staple foods.  For that reason I was super excited to see the new title “Feed us with Trees” from my friends at New Society Publishers, by author Elspeth Hay.  Elspeth is a writer, public radio host, and creator of the Local Food Report, a weekly feature that has aired on CAI, the Cape & Islands NPR Station, since 2008. Deeply immersed in her own local food system, she writes and reports for print, radio, and online media with a focus on food and the environment. Elspeth's work has been featured in the Boston Globe, NPR's Kitchen Window, Heated with Mark Bittman, The Provincetown Independent, and numerous other publications. Through her conversations with growers, harvesters, processors, cooks, policy makers, Indigenous knowledge-keepers, scientists, researchers, and visionaries, she aims to rebuild our cultural store of culinary knowledge—and to reconnect us with the people, places, and ideas that feed us.  In this session, Elspeth shares her journey of developing a passion for perennial food systems, particularly focusing on nuts and tree-based staple crops.  Her early exposure to nature evolved into an obsession with acorns and other tree nuts. Her research went on to reveal the extensive use of tree nuts as staple foods across the northern hemisphere and the historical as well as the cultural shifts that led to their decline in favor of annual grain crops. Elspeth delves into the nutritional and ecological benefits of these perennial foods, the complexities of modern industrial agriculture, and the resurgence of interest in tree crops, especially in the American Midwest. She also explores innovative recipes and culinary uses of nuts, especially acorns and chestnuts, while emphasizing the importance of integrating perennial crop systems into modern diets and agricultural practices. This conversation covers a lot of ground from land management, economic models, and the promising future of perennial food systems. As with all the books that I focus on from my friends at new society publishers, we're running a book giveaway for “Feed us with Trees.” By now you know the drill. Send me a message on our Discord community. If you're not already a member you can sign up through the links on our homepage or the bio on Instagram. I'll choose a winner one week after this episode goes live, and If you live anywhere in North America we'll send a physical copy. Everywhere else you'll receive a digital version. 

Benton and Abi agree to disagree about how to disagree. In our "polarized" political climate, what value is there in a rhetoric that doesn't aim to change minds? Is it possible to embody empathetic listening while protecting ourselves from harmful views? They discuss their not-especially-successful attempts to converse with undecided voters as the election nears, and how presidential debates aren't the right format for solving problems. Abi gives a quick rundown of alternatives to persuasion throughout the rhetorical tradition, culminating in the 2022 book Rhetorical Listening in Action by Ratcliffe & Jensen. Stay to the end for Abi's most embarrassing high school debate experience. Sources and further reading Braver Angels. (n.d.). Our Mission. Braver Angels. Retrieved October 21, 2024, from https://braverangels.org/our-mission/ Burke, K. (1969). A Grammar of Motives. University of California Press. Compassionate Listening Project. (n.d.). History. CompassionateListening. Retrieved October 21, 2024, from https://www.compassionatelistening.org/history Foss, S. K., & Griffin, C. L. (1995). Beyond persuasion: A proposal for an invitational rhetoric. Communications Monographs, 62(1), 2–18. Gearhart, S. M. (1979). The womanization of rhetoric. Women's Studies International Quarterly, 2(2), 195–201. Heller, C. (2015, March 9). Life Inside Jabba the Hutt: Toby Philpott Explains How Puppeteers Operated Jabba the Hutt. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/387298/life-inside-jabba-the-hutt/ Inman, M. (n.d.) "Piggers are going all the way this year." The Oatmeal. https://theoatmeal.com/pl/minor_differences2/locker_room Jarratt, S. C. (1991). Feminism and composition: The case for conflict. Contending with Words: Composition and Rhetoric in a Postmodern Age, 105–123. Organizing and protest security culture. (2022, March). [Audio recording]. The Poor Proles Skillshare. https://open.spotify.com/show/2Xb99VLft9T9ObBLFJkj3n Perelman, C., & Olbrechts-Tyteca, L. (1973). The New Rhetoric: A Treatise on Argumentation. University of Notre Dame Pess. Quintilian. (1987). Quintilian on the teaching of speaking and writing: Translations from books one, two, and ten of the Institutio Oratoria (J. J. Murphy, Trans.). SIU Press. Ratcliffe, K., & Jensen, K. (2022). Rhetorical Listening in Action: A Concept-Tactic Approach. Parlor Press LLC. Talking radical politics with Dr. Ayesha Khan. (2022, March). [Podcast episode]. The Poor Proles Skillshare. https://open.spotify.com/show/2Xb99VLft9T9ObBLFJkj3n Talking Sense: Navigating relationships across political divides. (2024, September 5). MPR News. https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2024/09/04/talking-sense-navigating-relationships-across-political-divides Weil, Z., & Goodall, J. (2024). The Solutionary Way: Transform Your Life, Your Community, and the World for the Better. New Society Publishers. WeRateDogs (Director). (2024, September 30). Tim Walz and His Rescue Dog Scout | WeWalkDogs [Video recording]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Spiwlde4kys Music credits:  Opening theme:  S: Disco Funk Loop by SergeQuadrado | License: Attribution NonCommercial 3.0 Julius Fučík (1897) "Entrance of the Gladiators" op. 68 Visit https://faculty.mnsu.edu/tctalk/ for transcript.

In this podcast episode returning guest Peter Gray, retired professor of psychology at Boston College, makes an argument for why we should consider other ways of understanding and structuring learning in and outside of school. We talk about college and access to working life, possible alternative ways of learning an occupation, David Geary's evolutionary theory of biologically primary and secondary abilities, what we need to learn and when we need to learn it, what we can observe in kids who aren't taught in the conventional ways, kids who learn to read on their own or who learn the whole math curriculum in a couple of months in their late teens, how our expectations influence learning, consequences for not reading when society expects you to, how and when children learn to walk and what we do when they don't, whining in different cultures, the summer slide, and what to say when people complain that they wish that someone had forced them to learn something earlier in life, how children's independence and autonomy relates to their mental health, how we try to fix problems by taking away children's liberty and responsibility, why we should teach them about dangers instead of trying to get rid of them, and many other topics.  Even if you don't find yourself agreeing with all of Peter's arguments, we would love to hear more about what points he's making that you think are valid and worth considering. How can we let alternative views on education actually widen our current understanding of learning and schooling, instead of just assuming the worst about each other? Send un an email to larsogpaal@gmail.com, we'll be thankful to every kind of criticism, feedback and suggestions of further explorations and interviews that we should do on these topics.  See more of Peter's writings on his Substack https://petergray.substack.com/ Here's his 2017 article about the summer slide, mentioned in the episode: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/freedom-learn/201707/facts-and-fiction-about-the-so-called-summer-slide   Mentions and recommendations from the episode:  Jim Rietmulder, 2019. When Kids Rule the School: The Power and Promise of Democratic Education. New Society Publishers.  Kerry McDonald, 2019. Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well-Educated Children Outside the Conventional Classroom. Chicago Review Press.  David Graeber og David Wengrow. 2021. The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity. Allen Lane. Harriet Pattison. 2016. Rethinking Learning to Read. Educational Heretics Press.  Elizabeth Marshall Thomas. 2007. The Old Ways: A Story of the First People. Picador.  danah boyd. 2014. It's Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. Yale University Press.  Peter Gray. 2013. Free to Learn: : Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. Basic Books Peter Gray, David Lancy, David F. Bjorklund. 2023. «Decline in Independent Activity as a Cause of Decline in Children's Mental Wellbeing: Summary of the Evidence» February 2023, The Journal of Pediatrics 260(2)   Peter was previously a guest on the podcast in episode 53:  https://larsogpaal.libsyn.com/episode-53-peter-gray-on-self-directed-education-and-schooling ---------------------------- Our logo is by Sveinung Sudbø, see his works on originalkopi.com The music is by Arne Kjelsrud Mathisen, see the facebook page Nygrenda Vev og Dur for more info.  ---------------------------- Thank you for listening. Please send feedback and questions to larsogpaal@gmail.com There is no better way for the podcast to gain new interested listener than by you sharing it with friends, so if you find what we do interesting and useful, please consider doing just that. The podcast is still most in Norwegian, but we have a lot of episodes coming out in English.  Our blogs: https://paljabekk.com/ https://larssandaker.blogspot.com/ Alt godt, hilsen Lars og Pål

Are you interested in intergenerational equity? What do you think about the younger generation fighting for a better future? How can we use our own voices to inflict change on the urban environment? Interview with Amelia Gaskell, an environmental science student. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, sustainability, intergenerational equity, climate anxiety, her origin story, and many more. Amelia Gaskell is an avid environmentalist and student at Deakin University, who has recently undertaken an undergraduate Bachelor of Environmental Science following a transfer from a degree in Law. This change was inspired by a desire to pursue a greater interest in sustainability and ecological conservation amidst a greater demand for youth action in addressing the critical point Australia now faces in addressing the growing climate crisis. Amelia has volunteered with the AYCC and Blue Carbon Lab - experiences which have shaped her drive towards a better and more sustainable future for the City of Melbourne. Amelia is also a lover of all things outdoors, and regularly partakes in athletics and hiking with local groups across Victoria. This passion for community and connection is one which has been fostered by her family who only recently immigrated from Malaysia, and who share with her an understanding of the intricate relationships between people, the natural world, and the built environment. Find out more about Amelia through these links: Amelia Gaskell on LinkedIn; as Amelia Gaskell on Twitter; Lowe, N, Gleeson, B, Green, R & Radovic, D. (2005) ‘What does sustainability mean for cities? Sustainable Homes, Sustainable Suburbs, UNSW Press, Sydney, Chapter 1 pp. 13-18 M, Beyers B (2019) AREA AS CURRENCY How Much Biocapacity Does a Person Need? Ecological Footprint : Managing Our Biocapacity Budget Account, New Society Publishers (pp.20-38) Hamilton, C (2010) Requiem for a Species: why we resist the truth about climate change. Chapter 3: The consumer self Diamond, J. (2004) Collapse Podcast interview with Vivian Tam, Western Sydney University (WSU) Marris E (2020) The Case for Renewal, National Geographic, Washington, 237(4) pp. 18-20,22,24-26,28. Kolbert E (2020) The Case for Catastrophe, National Geographic, Washington, 237(4) pp. 14-21 Connecting episodes you might be interested in: No.101R - What we owe the future; No.159 - Interview with Michael Browne about Aboriginal values for planning; No.175R - Whose choice?; No.176R - Major transitions; What wast the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠@WTF4Cities⁠⁠⁠⁠ or on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠wtf4cities.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ website where the ⁠⁠⁠⁠shownotes⁠⁠⁠⁠ are also available. I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in. Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Lesfm ⁠⁠⁠⁠from ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠

In this episode I'm talking shop with my friend and colleague Sharon Kallis. Sharon facilitates a community organization similar to Rewild Portland in Vancouver BC called Earthand Gleaners Society. She is an award winning artist who focuses on fiber arts through a locavore lens, by growing, foraging, and gleaning raw materials and processing them into fiber and weaving them into finished products. She is known for her community art installations wherein she connects people to their place through creative collective works of art, often with garden waste, invasive species, or other locally available materials. Her book, Common Threads: weaving community through collaborative eco-art, was published by New Society Publishers in 2014 and is used in many post secondary programs as a model for creative engagement in shared green spaces. I met Sharon through our shared passion for using invasive species for arts projects. As fellow community organizers within an urban rewilding context, Sharon and I often converse to share ideas, commiserate over similar challenges that we face, and celebrate our successes. In the following conversation you'll get a bit of all three of those as we discuss the ins and outs, and triumphs and failures, of running community rewilding organizations in the city. Notes: Sharon Kallis Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sharonkallis/ Earthand Gleaners Society https://earthand.com/ Common Threads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer https://bookshop.org/a/24844/97815713...Support the show

My guest today is Tim Krahn, a Canadian engineer, builder, and author of Essential Rammed Earth Construction from New Society Publishers. Tim joins me to share his thoughts and experiences with rammed earth as a natural building method. This includes the distinction between raw and stabilized rammed earth and how rammed earth can reduce the amount of cement required for a long-lasting wall. Tim also gives an estimate of the price difference between stick-built walls and professionally installed rammed earth, while acknowledging that natural building is a growing but still niche field. We close with a discussion of the importance of valuing our time when considering the cost of erecting a building or other project to come to the real price for any of our work. You can find his book, Essential Rammed Earth Construction at NewSociety.com.

Book industry leaders EJ Hurst from New Society and Jen Knoch from ECW Press talk about their work and progress in making their operations greener. Brian O'Leary from the Book Industry Study Group shares insight into the mission of the Green Book Alliance, the resources they have made available, and what they're hoping to accomplish in the near future. Link to the transcript: www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2023/4/25/podcast-industry-leaders-on-making-publishing-greener Further reading and listening: - element6 Dynamics and Ingram Content Group Announce Strategic Supplier Relationship for Industrial Hemp-Based Paper: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/element6-dynamics-ingram-content-group-183000632.html - About B Corp certification: https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/certification/ - Banking on Climate Chaos: https://www.ran.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/BOCC_2022_vSPREAD-1.pdf - Green Book Alliance website: https://www.greenbookalliance.org/ - Publisher-Printer Sustainability Checklist: https://www.greenbookalliance.org/checklist - Making Sense of Scope 1, 2, and 3 GHG Emissions webinar: https://www.greenbookalliance.org/post/gba-sustainability-series-an-introduction-to-your-carbon-footprint - Canopy: https://canopyplanet.org/solutions/next-generation-solutions/ - This is what the world looks like if we pass the crucial 1.5-degree climate threshold: https://www.npr.org/2021/11/08/1052198840/1-5-degrees-warming-climate-change - Bloomsbury wins inaugural sustainability prize at LBF International Excellence Awards: https://www.thebookseller.com/news/bloomsbury-wins-inaugural-sustainability-prize-at-lbf-international-excellence-awards - 5 questions with ECW Press: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2022/01/10/5-questions-with-ecw-press - 5 questions with New Society Publishers: https://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2022/01/17/5-questions-with-new-society-publishers - Green Games Guide: https://www.greengamesguide.com/ - IPCC Reports: https://www.ipcc.ch/reports/

Rob Avis, of Verge Permaculture, joins me to talk about rainwater harvesting. This conversation is based on his book from New Society Publishers, Essential Rainwater Harvesting. Rob wrote this book along with his wife and Verge Permaculture Partner, Michelle. Though they began their professional careers as engineers designing solutions in the oil fields, they now live on a productive permaculture homestead in Alberta, Canada, and use that experience to create and share all the formulas, calculations, and components needed to create a productive system for capturing clean, healthy water. You can find more about Rob's work at VergePermaculture.ca, and his book, Essential Rainwater Harvesting at NewSociety.com. Resources Rainwater Harvesting Toolkit Peter Coombes - Urban Water Cycle Solutions Dr. Anthony Spinks PhD Thesis on Biofilms and Sludges American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) North American Rainwater Harvesting Code

Do you grow medicinal herbs? Which ones, and what do you create with them? On this week's podcast, we're proud to host Crystal Stevens: author, herbalist, educator, and co-owner of Flourish Farmstead and Flourish Folk School, from Godfrey, Illinois.  Crystal was born in Colorado, partly raised in California, and then transplanted to St. Louis, Missouri, where she spent her formative years as an activist and gardener in her community. She is the author of three successful books: Grow, Create, Inspire: Crafting a Joyful Life; Worms at Work: Harnessing the Awesome Power of Worms; and Your Edible Yard: Landscaping with Fruits and Vegetables. ​ Crystal has been teaching a Resilient Living workshop series for over a decade. She organized the Confluence Herbal Summit, the first small herbal conference of its kind in western Illinois. Crystal and her husband, Eric, have an intrinsic passion for growing food and medicinal herbs, growing native plants, cooking healthy meals, planting trees, foraging for wild food and medicine, creating art, spending time with their children in the fields and forests, and offering workshops through the Flourish Folk School.Tune in to hear about everything Crystal and her family are doing at their thriving farmstead! You'll hear: How Crystal got into the regenerative herbal field 1:42 What the farm property and farming operation currently looks like 4:49 How Crystal does her marketing for all of her different ventures 7:45 Crystal's inspiration to write Worms at Work 14:15 How Crystal and her husband decide who does what tasks 16:02 Crystal's advice for someone looking to get into herbalism 26:51 Crystal's favorite herb 32:44 The oil Crystal uses for extraction 33:27 About the Guest: Crystal Stevens co-owns Flourish Farmstead and Flourish Folk School with her husband and two children in Godfrey, IL. She is an author, folk herbalist, educator, artist, and a regenerative farmer. Crystal has written three books published by New Society Publishers. She speaks at conferences and Mother Earth News Fairs across the U.S. She has been teaching a Resilient Living workshop series as well as herbal education for nearly 15 years. Crystal co-founded Tend & Flourish School of Botanicals. The Thriving Farmer Podcast Team would like to thank our amazing sponsor! Steward is transforming agriculture by equipping regenerative farms and food systems with the capital they need to grow. As a mission-driven financial partner, Steward works closely with agricultural businesses to scale their operations, improve the health of their lands and waters, and bolster local-to-regional food systems. To date, Steward has provided over $15M in business loans to fund 75 unique projects, backed by more than 1,500 participating lenders. Steward is proud to be a Certified B Corp. Seek financing or support a loan campaign at gosteward.com

Mary-Wynn Ashford has been an activist since 1984. She is the former President of International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War and continues now as a Board member. The Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. She has been a leader in the international peace and disarmament movement for over twenty years. Mary Wynn-Ashford is Author of 14 Publications, co-author With futurist and sustainability consultant, Guy Dauncey "Enough Blood Shed: 101 Solutions to Violence, Terror, and War. 1996. New Society Publishers. Translated into Japanese, 1997; Korean 2010. Kathy Kelly Kathy is an American peace activist, pacifist and author, and co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence. As part of peace team work in several countries, she has traveled to Iraq twenty-six times, notably remaining in combat zones during the early days of both US–Iraq wars.

It's been a wild couple of weeks for me and as a result I'm struggling a bit to catch up. After the 5 day regenerative Design course at the Green Rebel farm in Miravet, Spain, then the three day Climate Farming conference at Schloss Kirchberg in Germany, and I'm now on a short break visiting the small farm of a good friend of mine in Dessau between events before a week long team retreat with the Climate Farmers team in Brandenburg. When I get back I've got tree planting events lined up in the Pyrenees and then I'll be facilitating a course in Tuscany on restoring hydrological function to the landscape with Zach Weiss and Lorenzo Costa. Maybe by the end of November things will calm down in time for my partner and I to move into our new property which we were finally able to sign the papers on after a year of paper and admin work! Fewf!All of that is to say though I've got plenty of great interviews lined up for you, I might be a little irregular in releasing the episodes over the next month.But enough about me. This week I'm thrilled to present the first in a two part series exploring the topic of building true resilience in agriculture. Resilience is often thought of as the ability to bounce back from a disturbance or a challenge, but in these two episodes we're going to dig deeper and not only broaden the theory of true resilience, but also to look into case studies of growers and land stewards who are building lasting resilience on their farms. To help me to understand all of this better and to give practical advice that all of us, even those of us that don't work directly with the land can use in our lives, I had a wonderful conversation with Laura Lengnick.Laura is an award-winning soil scientist with 30 years of experience working as a researcher, policymaker, educator, activist and farmer to put regenerative values into action in U.S. food and farming. Her research in soil health and regenerative farming systems was nationally recognized with a USDA Secretary's Honor Award in 2002 and she was a lead author on the 2013 USDA report, Climate Change and Agriculture in the United States: Effects and Adaptation. Since 2015, Laura has led research and planning projects exploring agricultural climate solutions, developed carbon management plans for organizations, and designed and delivered climate risk management workshops for farmers. Laura is also the author of The 2nd edition of her award-winning book, Resilient Agriculture: Cultivating Food Systems for a Changing Climate in which she explores climate change, resilience and the future of food through the adaptation stories of 45 sustainable, organic, climate-smart and regenerative farmers and ranchers across the U.S. In 2021, Laura joined the Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming as the Director of Agriculture. You can learn more about Laura and her work at www.cultivatingresilience.com In the first part of this series, we'll explore how changes in climatic patterns and rise in temperatures are affecting farmers around the world and how they can understand the risks they'll likely encounter in the coming decades. We also talk about the unique sensitivities that each landscape and farm has, and how you can use this understanding to build your own resilient capacity. Thanks to my partnership with New Society Publishers who published Laura's book, as well as many other invaluable volumes centering on topics of regenerative living, listeners of this show who are also signed up on our Discord community, can now win either a physical or digital copy of Resilient Agriculture over the next two weeks. It's super simple to be eligible to win. All you have to do is sign up for free to the Discord server either on the homepage on our website at regenerativeskills.com or through the link on our bio on instagram. Once you're in, just send me a direct message letting me know that you'd like to win a copy of the book and I'll enter you in the drawing which I'll do a w...

Today I'm back with part 2 of my interview with Blake Cothron, the author of the new book “The Berry Grower: small scale organic fruit production in the 21st century.” Just in case you missed the first part of this episode, Blake Cothron is an organic farmer, educator, professional horticulturist and small business owner in Stanford, Kentucky, USA. He has been a grower for over 25 years and has been operating an organic plant nursery business for almost 10 years. His specialties are small fruit production, orchard care, nursery production, and temperate fruit growing. There's a lot more to his backstory, but he explained everything in part 1 of this interview so be sure to go back and listen to it if you haven't already. Building on the topics we covered in the beginning, Blake starts by explaining all you need to know about sourcing plants and propagation material and navigating the complicated world of plant nurseries and online plant vendors. It turns out there's a whole lot more to it than most people are aware of. We also break down the practical assessments for planning a profitable berry business and how to design and plan your cultivated space to ensure you don't have difficulties and inconveniences that cause you to lose money. As a bonus to this series on small fruit and berry growing, I'm also giving away two copies of Blake's new book, thanks to the generous people at New Society Publishers, to members of our Regenerative Skills Discord server. If you're not already a member you can join for free on the homepage of the website at regenerativeskills.com or through the link in our linktree on the Instagram Bio. Once you're in, just send me a DM and let me know you'd like to be entered to win a copy of the book. I'll be announcing the winners one week after the second part of this series comes out Join the discord discussion channel to answer the weekly questions and learn new skills with the whole community Links: The Berry Grower https://peacefulheritage.com/

I'm super excited to share with you all what is about to be a deep dive into one of the most promising and often overlooked small farm enterprises, small fruit and berry growing.  In order to get the scoop on berry growing, I went straight to the source to speak with Blake Cothron, the author of the new book “The Berry Grower: small scale organic fruit production in the 21st century.” Blake Cothron is an organic farmer, educator, professional horticulturist and small business owner in Stanford, Kentucky, USA. He has been a grower for over 25 years and has been operating an organic plant nursery business for almost 10 years. His specialties are small fruit production, orchard care, nursery production, and temperate fruit growing. There's a lot more to his backstory, but he lays it all out in the first few minutes of the episode so I'll leave it for him to tell you. We went really deep into this topic in our interview and covered more than 2 hours of material. For this reason I've broken the discussion into two parts to make it more manageable to get through.  In this two part series, we covered almost the full range of the main topics in his book. In this first session we started by exploring why small fruit and berries are such an attractive enterprise and what sorts of farms they might be best suited for. We also look into the challenges and difficulties of growing bush and vine fruit that many people are yet unaware of.  From there we dissect some essential learning and evaluation you should do of your land and climate in order to choose the cultivars that are best suited for your site and business as well as how to source your planting material considering all of the pitfalls of ordering seeds and plants from nurseries and online. We even start talking about maintenance considerations of different cultivars and care and fertility methods that Blake has found success with in his ample experience.All of this is going to set you up really well for the second part of the series when we break down the practical assessments for planning a profitable berry business and how to design and plan your cultivated space to ensure you don't have difficulties and inconveniences that cause you to lose money. As a bonus to this series on small fruit and berry growing, I'm also giving away two copies of Blake's new book, thanks to the generous people at New Society Publishers, to members of our Regenerative Skills Discord server. If you're not already a member you can join for free on the homepage of the website at regenerativeskills.com or through the link in our linktree on the Instagram Bio. Once you're in, just send me a DM and let me know you'd like to be entered to win a copy of the book. I'll be announcing the winners one week after the second part of this series comes out Join the discord discussion channel to answer the weekly questions and learn new skills with the whole community Links: https://newsociety.com/books/b/the-berry-grower https://peacefulheritage.com/

Chip Haynes is an artist, writer, juggler and cyclist living in Clearwater, Florida; but most importantly, he is the devoted husband of the lovely JoAnn. Born in 1951 in Portsmouth, Ohio (a great place to be from), Chip grew up in a suitcase. (His father was in the Army.) The family settled in Clearwater in 1969, and Chip has been increasingly reluctant to leave the county, let alone the state. He likes it here. Knowing that it takes ten years of hard work to be an overnight sensation, Chip wrote over 1200 articles on bicycling and global resources for Mason St. Clair's Wire Donkey bicycling newsletter out of Nashville, Tennessee before his first two books, "The Practical Cyclist" and "Wearing Smaller Shoes", were released in 2009 by New Society Publishers of British Columbia, Canada. In that same period, two works on global oil, "Ghawar is Dying" (2001) and "60 Days Next Year" (2004) were published on line by The New Colonist (www.newcolonist.com), a web site devoted to urban issues and resources. "60 Days Next Year" also became a radio program for the State of Maine Public Radio in the summer of 2004.After studying the global oil situation for over a dozen years, Chip and JoAnn live in a modest home in suburbia, using far less resources than the average home, and recycling much of what they do use. Chip rides his bicycle a lot, and they both walk to the store. While no one can be truly ready for the oil crisis many predict we will face, Chip would like to delude himself into thinking he's got a handle on it. Only time will tell. Well, that and maybe a sequel to "Peak of the Devil". Stay tuned."Peak of the Devil" is the culmination of many years of reading far too much on the subject of global oil and the impending energy crisis that few see coming. The lack of media and public attention on the subject of peak oil has long been something of an inside joke among those that do study the issue, and Chip hopes to garner a bit of attention to the subject with his book. Stranger things have happened. In the meantime, Chip and JoAnn will continue to live in paradise on Florida's west coast, and Chip's long-standing parting words take on all new urgency as oil (and the lack thereof) makes the news: Keep your bike tires pumped. - www.peakofthedevil.com******************************************************************To listen to all our XZBN shows, with our compliments go to: https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv*** AND NOW ***The ‘X' Zone TV Channel on SimulTV - www.simultv.comThe ‘X' Chronicles Newspaper - www.xchroniclesnewspaper.com ******************************************************************

In this episode, Michael and Hita speak with David Bollier. David is an author, activist, blogger and consultant who spends a lot of time exploring the commons as a new paradigm of economics, politics and culture. In 2010, David co-founded the Commons Strategies Group, a consulting project that works to promote the commons internationally. More recently, he became the Director of the Reinventing the Commons Program at the Schumacher Center for a New Economics, based in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. David has authored and co-authored many books, and we focus in particular on his book Free, Fair, and Alive: the Insurgent Power of the Commons, which he co-autherd with the late Silka Helfrich. Much of this book and our conversation focus on the idea of commoning. This is a different take on the commons, think about it less as a physical description of the environment and more about the relationships that we have with each other and the environment. It is also seen as a response to historic enclosures of the commons and a western emphasis on governance and property as inherently exclusionary practices. This approach is an important alternative to the dominant way in which the commons are thought about.   David's website: http://www.bollier.org/   References: Bollier, D., and S. Helfrich. 2019. Free, Fair, and Alive: The Insurgent Power of the Commons. New Society Publishers.

If you have a restoration or reforestation project anywhere in Europe, click the link to fill out a short information form and see if you're eligible to receive free trees and support in planting them. This can be a project of almost any size so don't hesitate and check today to receive all the support you need to get your planting project off the ground and into the ground!If you're early in the process of starting an ecological restoraton project and you want to learn how to make your own your own ecosystem restoration design, consider the Gia Education online course which includes incredible teachers such as Alan Featherstone Watson, Neal Spackman, Precious Phiri, and a slew of accomplished and knowledgeable restoration professionals including myself to guide you through every step of the process and help ensure the success of your project. From grasslands to oceans, urban landscaped to old growth forests, nonprofits and business plans, this course has what you need regardless of where in the world you are. Click the link to sign up for the next round of classes.  Climate Farmers is working to build the infrastructure to scale regenerative agriculture in Europe. We offer the highest value carbon credits on the market to help in the financial transition and our developing academy, community of professional regenerative agriculture consultants and support for you in the transition process will help you restore the health and future of your farm landscape. Learn more at ClimateFarmers.org Learn more about the unique and pioneering work of New Society Publishers and check out their extensive catalog of books to build a better world. From natural building to, gardening, homesteading, and holistic parenting advice, you'll find the best quality information on what you're looking for at NewSociety.comLink to Documentary If you're inspired to follow me and my partner on our journey to develop our property in the mountains of Catalunya and build a resilient community around us in the process you can follow us on our Youtube channel by searching Regenerative Skills, our Instagram account by the same name which has all the pictures from the descriptions of the new site, and for the more personal parts that I keep off the public forums as well as the opportunity to share your own journey and interact with the whole Regenerative Skills community, you can sign up for free to our Discord channel Want to take the next step in your own learning journey from this podcast? You can gain access to all of the unedited interviews and Skill exchange calls as well as resource packets from the episodes starting at just $5 a month on our Patreon. If direct guidance is what you're looking for I have a couple spots open for personalized coaching calls in the new year as well, so sign up before they fill up.  Would you like to join me, Koen from the Investing in Regenerative Agriculture podcast, and Dimitri from The Regenerative Agroforestry Podcast for a community call to start 2022 off as the Year of Regeneration! You can join the three of us on an open Q&A where we'll be talking about our own projects and what we're most excited for and inspired by in the year to come. You can register for free here to join us together on January 10th at 7pm CET. sign up before spots fill up! Sign up through this link. Don't hesitate, places are limited to 100. And as always, if there's anything else you want to reach out to me about, you can get in touch directly at info@regenerativeskills.comThat's it for this fifth season of the podcast. Thanks sincerely to all of you who've made it an unforgettable one. Thanks to you and your loyal listenership, this show is now in the top two percent of podcasts worldwide based on weekly downloads, which is just so much more than I ever could've hoped for, so thank you dearly for your support and encouragement to get this far. The launch of season 6 will be back like clockwork every Friday starting February four...

This week on Sustainability Now!, your host, Justin Mog learns to embrace imperfection and our inner climate hypocrite with North Carolina-based environmental journalist Sami Grover. Sami's brand new book, just out this week from New Society Publishers is We're All Climate Hypocrites Now: How Embracing Our Limitations Can Unlock the Power of a Movement. In it, he talks candidly about climate change with practical pathways to making a difference. We're All Climate Hypocrites Now is available from your favorite local bookseller or at https://newsociety.com/books/w/we-re-all-climate-hypocrites-now. Sami Grover has written more than 2,000 articles covering everything from electric bike ownership to peeing on your compost pile. He has has worked on environmentally and socially conscious branding projects for clients including Burt's Bees, Dogwood Alliance and Jada Pinkett Smith. While he has only been marginally successful in reducing his own environmental impact, he believes that in order to make a difference, each of us have to identify our greatest point of leverage and focus our efforts there. The recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warning that global warming is dangerously close to being out of control should have people looking for ways to engage meaningfully with solutions to the climate crisis. Yet, it can be hard to live an ideal eco-lifestyle in a society that pushes the opposite. In his book, Sami reimagines what it means to be a “good environmentalist.” Moving past carbon footprints, the self-confessed eco-hypocrite takes a tongue-in-cheek approach, skewering those pointing fingers, celebrating those trying, and offering practical pathways to actually making a difference. Sami Grover has spent most of his life trying to figure out how to live a greener lifestyle. We're All Climate Hypocrites Now points out that while changing individual behavior matters, transforming the system matters more. Culture tells us that personal responsibility is central to tackling the climate emergency, yet the choices we make are often governed by the systems in which we live. Grover states that by understanding where our greatest leverage lies, we can prioritize our actions, maximize our impact, and join forces with the millions of other imperfect individuals who are ready to do their part and change the system. Grover's suggestions for anyone looking to make a difference is to take an honest look at where we have the greatest opportunity to create wider-scale change. Questions such as: • What does your social network look like, and how can you have an influence over those you love? • What issues, organizations, or activist groups are you drawn to, and how could you get more involved? • What opportunities do you have at work, at school, or in your community? • What power, privilege, or advantages do you enjoy that you could leverage in service of the movement? • What strengths, skills, or knowledge do you bring to the climate fight? • What do you love doing? What sustains and motivates you over the long term? • And, crucially, what forces stand in your way, and what needs to happen for those forces to go away? As always, our feature is followed by your community action calendar for the week, so get your calendars out and get ready to take action for sustainability NOW! Sustainability Now! airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Monday at 6pm and repeats Tuesdays at 12am and 10am. Find us at http://forwardradio.org The music in this podcast is courtesy of the local band Appalatin and is used by permission. Explore their delightful music at http://appalatin.com

In this 93rd in a series of live discussions with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying (both PhDs in Biology), we discuss the state of the world through an evolutionary lens.In this episode, we discuss school. Beginning with a discussion of our individual experiences in school, we then share an excerpt from chapter 10 (School) of our forthcoming book, A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century. What is school for, and what does it help make us become? Is genius common, or rare? What is the purpose of the scientific method? How is fear used to corral students (and others)? How does a relationship with risk help young people become more adept adults? Are our bodies necessary to our education, or can we be educated as if we were just brains in jars?Get your Goliath shirts right here: store.darkhorsepodcast.orgHeather's newsletter, Natural Selections (subscribe to get free weekly essays in your inbox): https://naturalselections.substack.comSupport the sponsors of this show:MUDWTR: is a coffee alternative with mushrooms and herbs (and cacao!) and is delicious, with 1/7 the caffeine as coffee. Visit mudwtr.com/darkhorse and use DARKHORSE at check out for $5 off.  Public Goods: Get $15 off your first order at Public Goods, your new everything store, at https://www.publicgoods.com/darkhorse or with code DARKHORSE at checkout.Our book, A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century, is now available for pre-sale at amazon. Publication date: 9-14-21: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0593086880/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_5BDTABYFKRJKZBT5GSQAhttp://huntergatherersguide.com/DarkHorse merchandise now available at: store.darkhorsepodcast.orgFind more from us on Bret's website (https://bretweinstein.net) or Heather's website (http://heatherheying.com).Become a member of the DarkHorse LiveStreams, and get access to an additional Q&A livestream every month. Join at Heather's Patreon.Like this content? Subscribe to the channel, like this video, follow us on twitter (@BretWeinstein, @HeatherEHeying), and consider helping us out by contributing to either of our Patreons or Bret's Paypal.Looking for clips from #DarkHorseLivestreams? Here are some, updated frequently: @DarkHorse Podcast ClipsTheme Music: Thank you to Martin Molin of Wintergatan for providing us the rights to use their excellent music.Q&A Link: https://youtu.be/KhWapUeBMz0Mentioned in this episode:A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century: https://huntergatherersguide.comGatto, John Taylor. 1992 (2017 2nd ed). Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling. New Society Publishers.Pirsig, R.M., 1974. Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance: An inquiry into values. Random House. Held, R. and A. Hein. 1963. Movement-Produced Stimulation in the Development of Visually Guided Behavior. J. Comparative and Physiological Psychology 56(5): 872–876. Spiekermann, S., 2018. Carousel kittens: The case for a value-based IoT. IEEE Pervasive Computing, 17(2): 62-65.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bretweinstein)

Welcome to the Connected To The Land podcast, sponsored by Peavey Mart On this episode, Ian has a chat with Willoughby Arevalo, who is passionate about the ecology of fungi, the ways they shape our world and the ways we shape theirs. His lifelong friendship with fleshy fungi has led him down a mycelial pathway – from a start in field identification and mushroom hunting, branching into cuisine, DIY cultivation, farming, education, writing and eco-arts. In his over thirty year relationship with fungi, he has spent the last decade sharing mycology with people in communities across North America. This has manifested in numerous presentations, art projects, teaching tours, collaborations, gatherings, and his book, DIY Mushroom Cultivation, published by New Society Publishers. Originally from Arcata, California (Traditional Wiyot and Yurok Territory), he lives as a grateful guest on Unceded Coast Salish Territory in Vancouver, BC. mycelialconnections.net artandfungi.org Peavey Mart stores are rooted in the communities we serve and we are ‘connected to the land' in the same way our customers are. Whether you are an urban farmer, backyard chicken aficionado, traditional rancher or anything in between, we offer just the right mix of homesteading, outdoor adventure, DIY, yard and garden, outdoor and work wear, husbandry, livestock and pet supplies. Whether you're a ‘dabbler' or ‘all-in', we are here to help and strive to offer a range of products that will meet the unique needs of our customers. Peavey Mart will always be there with the tools, equipment, indoor or outdoor wares, seed or feed - for everyday work, fun… or ‘connecting to the land' on a whole new level. For more information go to Peavey Mart

Chip Haynes is an artist, writer, juggler and cyclist living in Clearwater, Florida; but most importantly, he is the devoted husband of the lovely JoAnn. Born in 1951 in Portsmouth, Ohio (a great place to be from), Chip grew up in a suitcase. (His father was in the Army.) The family settled in Clearwater in 1969, and Chip has been increasingly reluctant to leave the county, let alone the state. He likes it here. Knowing that it takes ten years of hard work to be an overnight sensation, Chip wrote over 1200 articles on bicycling and global resources for Mason St. Clair's Wire Donkey bicycling newsletter out of Nashville, Tennessee before his first two books, "The Practical Cyclist" and "Wearing Smaller Shoes", were released in 2009 by New Society Publishers of British Columbia, Canada. In that same period, two works on global oil, "Ghawar is Dying" (2001) and "60 Days Next Year" (2004) were published on line by The New Colonist (www.newcolonist.com), a web site devoted to urban issues and resources. "60 Days Next Year" also became a radio program for the State of Maine Public Radio in the summer of 2004.After studying the global oil situation for over a dozen years, Chip and JoAnn live in a modest home in suburbia, using far less resources than the average home, and recycling much of what they do use. Chip rides his bicycle a lot, and they both walk to the store. While no one can be truly ready for the oil crisis many predict we will face, Chip would like to delude himself into thinking he's got a handle on it. Only time will tell. Well, that and maybe a sequel to "Peak of the Devil". Stay tuned."Peak of the Devil" is the culmination of many years of reading far too much on the subject of global oil and the impending energy crisis that few see coming. The lack of media and public attention on the subject of peak oil has long been something of an inside joke among those that do study the issue, and Chip hopes to garner a bit of attention to the subject with his book. Stranger things have happened. In the meantime, Chip and JoAnn will continue to live in paradise on Florida's west coast, and Chip's long-standing parting words take on all new urgency as oil (and the lack thereof) makes the news: Keep your bike tires pumped. - www.peakofthedevil.com******************************************************************To listen to all our XZBN shows, with our compliments go to: https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv*** AND NOW ***The ‘X' Zone TV Channel on SimulTV - www.simultv.comThe ‘X' Chronicles Newspaper - www.xchroniclesnewspaper.com ******************************************************************

Chip Haynes is an artist, writer, juggler and cyclist living in Clearwater, Florida; but most importantly, he is the devoted husband of the lovely JoAnn. Born in 1951 in Portsmouth, Ohio (a great place to be from), Chip grew up in a suitcase. (His father was in the Army.) The family settled in Clearwater in 1969, and Chip has been increasingly reluctant to leave the county, let alone the state. He likes it here. Knowing that it takes ten years of hard work to be an overnight sensation, Chip wrote over 1200 articles on bicycling and global resources for Mason St. Clair's Wire Donkey bicycling newsletter out of Nashville, Tennessee before his first two books, "The Practical Cyclist" and "Wearing Smaller Shoes", were released in 2009 by New Society Publishers of British Columbia, Canada. In that same period, two works on global oil, "Ghawar is Dying" (2001) and "60 Days Next Year" (2004) were published on line by The New Colonist (www.newcolonist.com), a web site devoted to urban issues and resources. "60 Days Next Year" also became a radio program for the State of Maine Public Radio in the summer of 2004.After studying the global oil situation for over a dozen years, Chip and JoAnn live in a modest home in suburbia, using far less resources than the average home, and recycling much of what they do use. Chip rides his bicycle a lot, and they both walk to the store. While no one can be truly ready for the oil crisis many predict we will face, Chip would like to delude himself into thinking he's got a handle on it. Only time will tell. Well, that and maybe a sequel to "Peak of the Devil". Stay tuned."Peak of the Devil" is the culmination of many years of reading far too much on the subject of global oil and the impending energy crisis that few see coming. The lack of media and public attention on the subject of peak oil has long been something of an inside joke among those that do study the issue, and Chip hopes to garner a bit of attention to the subject with his book. Stranger things have happened. In the meantime, Chip and JoAnn will continue to live in paradise on Florida's west coast, and Chip's long-standing parting words take on all new urgency as oil (and the lack thereof) makes the news: Keep your bike tires pumped. - www.peakofthedevil.com ****************************************************************** To listen to all our XZBN shows, with our compliments go to: https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv *** AND NOW *** The ‘X' Zone TV Channel on SimulTV - www.simultv.com The ‘X' Chronicles Newspaper - www.xchroniclesnewspaper.com ******************************************************************

Chip Haynes is an artist, writer, juggler and cyclist living in Clearwater, Florida; but most importantly, he is the devoted husband of the lovely JoAnn. Born in 1951 in Portsmouth, Ohio (a great place to be from), Chip grew up in a suitcase. (His father was in the Army.) The family settled in Clearwater in 1969, and Chip has been increasingly reluctant to leave the county, let alone the state. He likes it here. Knowing that it takes ten years of hard work to be an overnight sensation, Chip wrote over 1200 articles on bicycling and global resources for Mason St. Clair's Wire Donkey bicycling newsletter out of Nashville, Tennessee before his first two books, "The Practical Cyclist" and "Wearing Smaller Shoes", were released in 2009 by New Society Publishers of British Columbia, Canada. In that same period, two works on global oil, "Ghawar is Dying" (2001) and "60 Days Next Year" (2004) were published on line by The New Colonist (www.newcolonist.com), a web site devoted to urban issues and resources. "60 Days Next Year" also became a radio program for the State of Maine Public Radio in the summer of 2004.After studying the global oil situation for over a dozen years, Chip and JoAnn live in a modest home in suburbia, using far less resources than the average home, and recycling much of what they do use. Chip rides his bicycle a lot, and they both walk to the store. While no one can be truly ready for the oil crisis many predict we will face, Chip would like to delude himself into thinking he's got a handle on it. Only time will tell. Well, that and maybe a sequel to "Peak of the Devil". Stay tuned."Peak of the Devil" is the culmination of many years of reading far too much on the subject of global oil and the impending energy crisis that few see coming. The lack of media and public attention on the subject of peak oil has long been something of an inside joke among those that do study the issue, and Chip hopes to garner a bit of attention to the subject with his book. Stranger things have happened. In the meantime, Chip and JoAnn will continue to live in paradise on Florida's west coast, and Chip's long-standing parting words take on all new urgency as oil (and the lack thereof) makes the news: Keep your bike tires pumped. - www.peakofthedevil.com ****************************************************************** To listen to all our XZBN shows, with our compliments go to: https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv *** AND NOW *** The ‘X' Zone TV Channel on SimulTV - www.simultv.com The ‘X' Chronicles Newspaper - www.xchroniclesnewspaper.com ******************************************************************

In this episode of Sense-Making in a Changing World, it is my delight to welcome Dr Pavel Cenkl, Head of Schumacher College and Director of Learning at Dartington.  We talk about the kind of higher education we need in the world today, and explore the innovative and immersive programs offered at the College - from Holistic Science, Regenerative Food and Farming, Ecological Design Thinking, and more.Pavel has worked for more than two decades in higher education where there is learning with practice and thinking with embodiment. He  has been at the college now for a few years and developing new courses too at the intersection of movement practice, ecological thinking, and environmental philosophy. Pavel is also a passionate endurance and adventure runner. Over the past five years through a project called Climate Run. Pavel has covered hundreds of miles in the Arctic and subarctic on foot to bring attention to the connections between our bodies and the more-than-human world in the face of a rapidly changing climate.Pavel holds a Ph.D. in English and is the author of many articles, chapters, and two books. Most recently he has co-edited a book celebrating the 30th anniversary of Schumacher College with Satish Kumar, Transformative Learning: Reflections on 30 Years of Head, Heart, and Hands at Schumacher College. New Society Publishers, 2021.You can watch the youtube version here.PERMACULTURE AS TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATIONIn my twenties, I studied at Schumacher College and the integrated way of learning in community was absolutely inspiring and transformative.  I have since taught at the College a number of times. The head heart and hands learning experience that I experienced at the College as a young woman is what I weave into the fabric of the face-to-face courses I create and the Permaculture Educators Program online.Permaculture is education for one planet living and through the course you become immersed in all kinds of skills and cultivate connections that support the transition to regenerative ways of being. The world needs more permaculture teachers everywhere sharing local ways, and working toward a climate-safe future through design, resilience and connection.  I invite you to join the Permaculture Educators Program with others from 6 continents to explore what that might look like and how you can make the change. This is a comprehensive online course that includes the Permaculture Design Certificate and online Permaculture Teacher Certificate, plus additional modules for creating a permaculture livelihood.FREE PERMACULTURE RESOURCESJoin me to learn more about permaculture. Come and explore the many free permaculture resources my Our Permaculture Life Youtube  and blog .YOUNG LEADERS IN PERMACULTUREWe also invite young people (11-17) interested in permaculture to join the Global Permayouth  - they have monthly online festivals, workshops, local hubs and a weekly newsletter. Scholarships available for the above course too.With loveMorag Gamble I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which I live and work - the Gubbi Gubbi people and pay my respects to their elders past and present.Audio: Rhiannon GambleMusic: Kim Kirkman 

This month Matty is joined by Deborah Southwell and Peter Nixon to tackle the tricky but important subject of gender in historical games. They discuss some of their own experiences from playing in games where this has been handled well, or handled badly. They also speak about potential ways to approach the design of historical games to try to tackle some of these issues and make things better for all.Some of the resources mentioned during the episode;Peter's appearance on The Great Game podcastThe Handbook for As Thou CommandsDeborah's Seminar at MegaconPlaytest of As Thou Commands at MegaconMegacon siteSome suggested further reading;Suarez, C. (2018). The power manual: How to master complex power dynamics. New Society Publishers.Shaw, A. (2014). Gaming at the edge: sexuality and gender at the margins of gamer culture. University of Minnesota Press.Thompson, J. (2010). Wargames: Inside the world of 20th century war reenactors. Smithsonian Books.

Show Notes:Lloyd Alter is Design Editor of TreeHugger.com, the world’s largest website focused on sustainability and green living. He has been a contributor to contributor to the Guardian, Corporate Knights Magazine and Azure Magazine. He is a graduate of the University of Toronto Faculty of Architecture and a retired member of the Ontario Association of Architects. He is a Past President of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario. Lloyd teaches sustainable design at Ryerson University School of Interior Design, and won a Leadership Award from the US Green Building Council for his promotion of green, sustainable design. He is the author of "Living the 1.5 degree lifestyle" coming from New Society Publishers in fall, 2021.And if you’re curious about that bidet toilet seat - here’s what he wrote about that!Why I Spent $1200 on a Toilet Seat and Why You Should Too

After last week's session with Matt Powers, I want to add a second perspective on soil and the new science behind how we can restore it to health in our own gardens. For that perspective I got back in touch with Robert Pavlis who was first on this show a few seasons ago to talk about building natural ponds. Robert has been an avid gardener for over four decades. He is the owner and developer of Aspen Grove Gardens, a 6-acre botanical garden that features over 3,000 varieties of plants. As a specialist in soil science, he has been an instructor for Landscape Ontario and is a garden blogger, writer, and chemist. He teaches gardening fundamentals at the University of Guelph and garden design for the City of Guelph, Ontario, where he lives. One of the things I most appreciate about Robert's work is that he's not afraid to challenge any entrenched gardening belief or myth. He is always looking to get to the bottom of what helps plants to grow and what's just marketing scams.  In this episode we really dive in deep on the fundamentals of soil composition and understanding the nutrients that plants need to thrive. We talk about looking at soil as an ecosystem unto itself rather than a living material, and why striving for ideal soil is not as important as making sure that you have the components necessary for the life inside it.  Robert also helps me to understand what happens in the ground after tillage, mulching, and other amendments. We go over simple tests you can do to diagnose your soil without special equipment or needing to pay for laboratory testing, and by the end, how to use the results of those tests to develop your own personalized soil plan.  This episode alone is like a short but thorough course on soil health, so you might want to keep a notebook handy.  For those of you who want to really expand your knowledge on soil science, I've teamed up with New Society Publishers to give away a free copy of this book. If you want to win a copy of Soil Science for Gardeners, just message me through our dedicated facebook group called Abundant Edge weekly regenerative skills and write a post about why you want to amend the soil on your site. I'll select a winner one week after this episode comes out and send a hard copy of the book to you if you live in the US or Canada or a digital copy if you live anywhere else in the world. It's that simple, plus you'll be joining an incredible group of listeners like you who are sharing their regenerative living journey and learning experiences with the community.  Resources: http://regenerativeskills.com/abundantedge-robert-pavlis/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJfYCNSWCIuOB2sltDh5ZjQ https://www.robertpavlis.com/books/ https://www.gardenmyths.com/ https://www.gardenmyths.com/garden-myths-book-1/ https://newsociety.com/books/s/soil-science-for-gardeners https://www.atitlanorganics.com/online-permaculture-design-certification Join the Climate Farmer's launch party and panel discussion!

Episode #47 of the Ground Shots Podcast features a conversation with artist and creative land-tender Sharon Kallis, who lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada.   Sharon is a community engaged environmental artist. I met Sharon last year at the Saskatoon Circle ancestral skills gathering in eastern Washington. Before the gathering, one of my good friends had been telling me about Sharon and her partner David and how I should meet them. While at this gathering, they happened to set up their camp right next to the camp I made with my friends. I have to tell you, Sharon and David are A LOT OF FUN. They make cool things, have a good time, and are incredible people to carry on deep and candid conversations with. After talking for a bit and learning more about their work, I asked Sharon if she'd be interested in sharing some of what she does on the podcast. Sharon and I talked about doing some kind of in-person interview last summer, with the potential of me attempting to cross the border into Canada to visit her gardens and projects in-person, but it never happened. At least, not for now. Also, the idea of dealing with carrying my mobile home across the border with tinctures, bark and animal pelts, had me hesitant. Sharon gave me a copy of her book ‘Common Threads' last summer to read through, and I loved it. I read about her projects with ‘invasive' plants for fiber, rope and basket-making, her restoration projects in the city using those said plants, and other community oriented projects. These projects that literally weave art, ecology, place-making and craft skills together really inspired my already deep interest in gleaning what was right in front of me to make work that connects to place. I kept it in my mind to still feature her somehow on the podcast. After getting back from the Colorado Trail Plant-a-go walk this summer, she was one of the first people on my mind to contact. I wanted to hear what she was up to now, and also how the current situation in the world was affecting her mindset and practice. Our conversation here is just that. A check-in, an exploration of Sharon's work, some art + ecology philosophy talk, some untangling of what decolonizing craft could look like in one way and in one place, and more. About Sharon Kallis: (From the Earthand Gleaner's Society website) Sharon is a community engaged environmental artist (in her words). ‘With a “one mile diet” approach to sourcing art materials, Sharon works to discover the inherent material potential in a local landscape. Involving community in connecting traditional hand techniques with invasive species, tended plantings and garden waste, she creates site-specific installations that become ecological interventions. Graduating from Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in 1996 she began working materials from the land in 1999 and has exhibited and engaged communities with her practice in Ireland, Spain, Mexico and throughout the United States. At home in Vancouver Canada, Sharon works with Vancouver Park Board, Stanley Park Ecology Society. She is one of the primary stewards of the Means of Production Garden since 2009 which is a community garden that grows art materials. She is also one of the primary stewards of Trillium North Park. Sharon has received numerous Canada Council and British Columbia Arts Council grants for both studio-based and community-focused projects. Her work has been acknowledged as the 2010 recipient of the Brandford/ Elliott International Award for Excellence in Fibre Arts, Vancouver Mayor's Arts Award for Studio Design: emerging artist, and the Vancouver Mayors Award Recipient for Studio Design in 2017. Her book, Common Threads: weaving community through collaborative eco-art,” was published by New Society Publishers in 2014 and is used in many post secondary programs as a model for creative engagement in shared green spaces.'     In this conversation with Sharon, we talk about: Sharon's creative work and how she arrived at what she is doing today in Vancouver, BC, Canada how creative folks can be important connection-makers and ecological problem-solvers and how allowing room for them is important the importance of respecting indigenous peoples' relationships to their cultural weaving and fiber practices working on community garden projects in urban Vancouver focused on regional culturally significant fiber plants how ‘invasive' plants can be useful for learning to weave and for problem-solving because they are abundant free materials that you can mess up on while experimenting different ‘invasive' plants Sharon has worked with doing community craft projects in Vancouver, BC the importance of Nettles, Fireweed and Flax as fiber plants and pollinator preferred species how weeds are often seen as plants that simply don't serve the human agenda navigating connection to place and the land as a settler trying to stay buoyant during pandemic, fires and revolution   Sharon offered a video how-to on Dogbane fiber processing for patrons of the Ground Shots Project. It will be available for subscribers $5 and up! Pledge here to support the podcast and learn more about processing fiber from Sharon.   Links: Follow Sharon Kallis on Instagram @sharonkallis Sharon's Facebook page Earthand Gleaner's Society website Sharon's Flickr account with amazing photographs over the years of various ‘invasive' plant weaving, net-making and crocheting projects in Vancouver, BC Sharon's book, “Common Threads”   Support the podcast on Patreon to contribute to our grassroots self-funding of this project.  Support the Ground Shots Project with a one time donation via Paypal at: paypal.me/petitfawn Donate on VENMO: @kelly-moody-6 Cashapp: cash.app/$groundshotsproject  Our website with backlog of episodes, plant profiles, travelogue and more: http://www.ofsedgeandsalt.com  Our Instagram pages: @goldenberries / @groundshotspodcast Join the Ground Shots Podcast Facebook Group to discuss the episodes Subscribe to our newsletter for updates on the Ground Shots Project Theme music: 'Sweat and Splinters' by Mother Marrow Hosted by: Kelly Moody Produced by: Kelly Moody and Opia Creative  

Robert Fuller, Ph.D. is a physicist and former president of Oberlin College. He has consulted with Indira Gandhi, met with Jimmy Carter regarding the President's Commission on World Hunger, and worked to defuse the Cold War in Russia when it was known as the USSR. As Fuller reflected on his career he realized that he had been, at different times in his life, a somebody and a nobody. His periodic sojourns into “Nobodyland” led him to identify rankism - the abuse of the power inherent in rank - and ultimately to write the book Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank. He has become a recognized leader of the dignity movement to overcome rankism and keynoted a Dignity for All conference hosted by the President of Bangladesh. His many other accomplishments include co-authoring the text book Mathematics of Classical and Quantum Physics. His books include: Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank (New Society Publishers 2003), Dignity for All: How to Create a World without Rankism (co-author Pamela A. Gerloff) (Berrett-Koehler Publishers 2008), Religion and Science: A Beautiful Friendship? (e-book, Smashwords 2012), (novel) The Rowan Tree (CreateSpace 2013), (children's book) Theo: The White Squirrel (co-author Claire Sheridan)  (Amazon Digital Services 2016), Questions and Quests: A Short Book Aphorisms (Amazon Digital Services 2017), The Theory of Everybody (Robert Fuller 2017)Interview Date: 2/5/2013   Tags: Robert Fuller, rankism, Marshall Plan, indignity, dignity, racism, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, predation, somebodies and nobodies, Social Change/Politics

From traveling across Russia on the Trans-Siberian railroad to the “Golden Rule” in religion, Fuller takes us on a wide and deep adventure, always returning to the idea that learning to ask better questions is one of the keys to truly improving our lives and improving society. Robert Fuller, Ph.D. is a physicist and former president of Oberlin College. He has consulted with Indira Gandhi, met with Jimmy Carter regarding the President's Commission on World Hunger, and worked to defuse the Cold War in Russia when it was known as the USSR. As Fuller reflected on his career he realized that he had been, at different times in his life, a somebody and a nobody. His periodic sojourns into “Nobodyland” led him to identify rankism - the abuse of the power inherent in rank. His books include Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank (New Society Publishers 2003), Dignity for All: How to Create a World without Rankism (co-author Pamela A. Gerloff) (Berrett-Koehler Publishers 2008), Religion and Science: A Beautiful Friendship? (e-book, Smashwords 2012),The Rowan Tree (CreateSpace 2013), Theo: The White Squirrel (co-author Claire Sheridan) (Amazon Digital Services 2016), Questions and Quests: A Short Book of phorisms (Amazon Digital Services 2017) and The Theory of Everybody (Robert Fuller 2017) Interview Date: 2/5/13     Category: Tags: Bob Fuller, Citizen Diplomacy Movement, dignity, Robert Fuller, Robert Works Fuller, Community, Global Culture, Peace/Nonviolence, Philosophy / Psychology, Science, Social Change / Politics

Today's guest is James Ulager, the author Beginning Seed Saving for the home gardener, and though this certainly isn't a talk about farm scale seed saving and propagation, I thought it was essential to include in this series. In my opinion, seed saving and selective breeding is one of the best ways that anyone with even a small yard or garden can participate in ensuring the food security of future generations. We live in a time when governments have deemed it possible to patent seeds and own genetic information. This not only threatens the sovereignty of our seeds, but of every aspect of our food system as life itself is now able to be patented and owned. Yet we all still have the capacity to grow and save seeds that keep the genetic history that is the foundation of so many cultures alive and evolving, not through technological genetic tampering, but through the stewardship and care that selects for adaptation and resilience. While this is a topic that I'm looking forward to exploring from a lot of different perspectives and advanced applications, James gives a wonderful talk in this episode that directly speaks to the novice gardener.  In this session we break down just how easy it is to get started saving your own seeds and just how powerful an action it actually is. We cover all the essentials like knowing when the seeds are ready to harvest, the best way to store them for good germination rates, and we even get into more intermediate steps like working with biennials and plant varieties that don't like to grow true from seed if they're cross pollinated.  James does a great job at making this practice accessible and fun and because I'm so excited to get more people saving and breeding their own seeds, I've teamed up with New Society Publishers to give away a free copy of the book. If you want to win a copy of Beginning seed saving for the home gardener just message me through our dedicated facebook group called Abundant Edge weekly regenerative skills and write a post about why you want to save your own seeds. I'll select a winner one week after this episode comes out and send a hard copy of the book to you if you live in the US or Canada or a digital copy if you live anywhere else in the world.    Resources: https://www.seedsavers.org/ https://newsociety.com/books/b/beginning-seed-saving-for-the-home-gardener

May 29, 2020 Front Lines MTB Show Page ABOUT THIS EPISODE We’re joined by three guests, all of them experts in Youth in the Outdoors. Returning to the show is Melissa Werkman, who is now the Executive Director of the Children’s Advocacy ‘Center’ of Kent County in West Michigan. Mike Greer joins us again as the Executive Director of Elevation Outdoors, which works with underprivileged youth in the Kelowna, BC area. And joining us for the first time, is Nevin Harper, Associate Professor with School of Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria on Vancouver Island. SPECIAL PROMOTION FROM TOOLS FOR TRAILS! CHECK IT HERE! About Brent: Brent is a Trail Builder with the North Shore Mountain Bike Association and focuses on the Upper and Lower Griffen Trails on Mount Fromme. Through his work with Trailforks he’s come to discover the world of advocacy beyond just his home in North Vancouver, and serving as the inspiration to create Front Lines MTB. Do you have a person or company you want to hear on Mountain Bike Radio? If so, let us know at info@mountainbikeradio.com. ---------- RELATED SHOW LINKS Children’s Advocacy Center – https://cac-kent.org/ Elevation Outdoors – http://www.elevationoutdoors.ca/ Nevin Harper – https://www.nevinharper.com/ New Society Publishers – https://newsociety.com/books/n/nature-based-therapy BC Trails Strategy Review – https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/sports-recreation-arts-and-culture/outdoor-recreation/camping-and-hiking/rec-sites-and-trails/rstbc-policies/trails_strategy_review_what_we_heard_21april2020.pdf People For Bikes Federal Rulemaking – https://peopleforbikes.org/federal-e-bike-rulemaking/ Traditional Territory – https://native-land.ca/ Upcoming Events http://frontlinesmtb.com/events/ Support the Show! http://frontlinesmtb.com/support/ http://frontlinesmtb.com/book-club/ http://frontlinesmtb.com/shop/ Amazon Wishlist: http://a.co/dpiekfU Follow Us on Social Media https://www.facebook.com/FrontLinesMTB/ https://twitter.com/FrontLinesMTB https://www.instagram.com/frontlinesmtb/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-gMNwHUwF6OpJnjjF4AwoA Rate & Review on your Favourite Podcatcher https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/front-lines-mtb/id1180212487 https://player.fm/series/front-lines-mtb http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/brentskibikeski/front-lines-mtb Find more music by Lee Rosevere http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/

Judith Plant, together with her late partner Kip, was the longtime publisher of New Society Publishers. Headquartered here on Gabriola for three decades now, NSP is a leader in publishing books about social change. (Episode 6 (“Groundswell”) of this podcast series featured Gabriolan, Fay Weller – a New Society author.) Physically distanced by the Rocky Mountains, I caught up with Judith and we reflected on these pandemic times. Judith’s presentation “Gathering the Threads” is on Youtube, telling the NSP story over the decades. And this email from Judith, re: books to recommend now . . . I found myself selecting titles that aren't in print anymore, like Colonialism on Trial, by Don Monet and Arydthe Wilson, and Clayoquot Mass Trials, and others...mostly because I have fond memories of putting them together. But really, when I look at the list, I like so many of them. So I decided to give you the five NSP books on our coffee table: “The Year Round Hoophouse”  “Soil Science” “Elegant Simplicity”  “Clean Money Revolution”  "Culture Gap"    Also mentioned were: “Our Ecological Footprint”  And books by author, Joanna Macy. https://newsociety.ca/books/c/coming-back-to-life

There are so many ways to 'be' and 'do' polyamory. There are not many right ways and wrong ways...just the ways that work best for you and your partners. Crystal Byrd Farmer is a wealth of knowledge in the area of polyamory. Join us as we answer many of your questions about the do's and do nots around polyamory. Crystal Byrd Farmer is an engineer turned educator from Gastonia, North Carolina. She has been an organizer and speaker as part of the co-housing and polyamorous communities. She is the website editor for Black & Poly, an organization promoting healthy polyamorous relationships for people of color. Crystal is passionate about encouraging people to change their perspectives on diversity, relationships, and the world. Find out more about Crystal Byrd Farmer and Black & Poly: Websites: www.blackandpoly.org and www.bigsisterteams.com Twitter @crystalbfarmer Facebook @crystalbyrdfarmer Upcoming Book- The Token: Common Sense Ideas for Increasing Diversity in Your Organization, Fall 2020 from New Society Publishers. Stay up to date with Sisters of Sexuality Website: www.sistersofsexuality.com Email: sistersofsexuality@gmail.com Instagram: @sistersofsexuality Facebook: @sexysostour Twitter: @sistersofsex --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sistersofsexuality/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sistersofsexuality/support

Here we are! The end of 2019 and season three of this podcast. For those of you who've been following this show for a while you know that I went through a lot of big changes this year, most notably a big move from the permaculture farm startup that I worked on for for about 16 months in Guatemala. From there I took some big trips through southern Mexico and the US and a bit in Canada to where I finally settled down in the Catalonia region of north easthern Spain. Though I live really far away from where I started the year, I thought it'd be a good chance here at the end of the season to check in with Neal Hegarty, the co-owner of Granja Tz'ikin in Guatemala, where this year began for me, to see how things have progressed and developed since I moved away. I know a lot of you followed along on our journey through the regenerative round table sessions of last season as we planned and started building out the design for the farm, so hearing how the design is starting to mature should be a good update. In this interview Neal fills me in on how the animal enterprises that were just taking shape while I was there are becoming more consistent and regimented and how they feed the other enterprises on the farm like the cafe/restaurant, the permaculture courses, the development of the hostel space and much more. They've also made some important alliances in their community and around Guatemala that are helping them reach more people in their village in their goal to facilitate a better market for high quality local farm products and a better price for wholesale goods. We also talk about some of the promising big design projects that Neal is taking on which have the potential to regenerate large acreage of damaged land in some of the most biodiverse regions of Peten in the north of the country. As I mentioned, this episode wraps it up for season 3. 2019 was a really major year for me personally and for the audience of this podcast. Together with you listening we more than doubled the subscribers to this show and I got so much beautiful and heartfelt feedback from so many of you that it really renewed my faith that this show is bringing the information and the inspiration that many of you are looking for. So thank you sincerely to everyone who has supported this show and sent feedback this year. Thanks to New Society Publishers especially for their collaboration and support and for making it possible to provide this content without any long pleas for patreon donations. Being able to advocate for an organization with integrity and strong ethics means the world to me. Season 4 of The Abundant Edge podcast will kick off strong again with brand new episodes starting on February 7th but stay tuned because I'll be reposting the most popular shows from this last year again until I return. Resources: Granja Tz'ikin Website Podcast RSS

This Podcast project was a project implemented by three Concordia university students, Karl Thomas, Shanelle Jarvis, and Samira Qalandary. For this assignment, our group decided to demonstrate the existing power dynamics between mothers and their daughters. Suarez, C. (2018; 2018). The power manual: How to master complex power dynamics. Gabriola Island, BC; 4: New Society Publishers.

How does a spore become a fertile fungus? Let alone a mushroom? On today's episode, we are joined by the charismatic Willoughby Arevalo who does a spectacular job at peering into the promiscuous world of fungal sex. This stuff isn't just interesting, it's critical knowledge for any serious mycological endeavors.Additionally, we highlight Willoughby's latest book "DIY Mushroom Cultivation", a new favorite here at Mushroom Revival for easy, yet effective ways to grow mushrooms just about anywhere.Willoughby Arevalo is passionate about the ecology of fungi, the ways they shape our world and the ways we shape theirs. His lifelong friendship with fleshy fungi has led him down a mycelial pathway – from a start in field identification and mushroom hunting, branching into cuisine, DIY cultivation, farming, education, writing and eco-arts. In his thirty years of self-motivated inquiry and intimate lived experience with fungi, he has spent the last decade prioritizing sharing mycology with people in communities across North America This has manifested in numerous presentations, art projects, teaching tours, collaborations, gatherings, and his new book, DIY Mushroom Cultivation, out now from New Society Publishers. Between the mycology and art work, and caring for his kid, Uma, he works part time on an organic vegetable farm. Originally from Arcata, California (Traditional Wiyot and Yurok Territory), he lives as a guest on Unceded Coast Salish Territory in Vancouver, Canada.Show notes:DIY Mushroom Cultivation Book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/artist/willoughby-arevaloSex Life of Mushrooms Performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldOR1rUkNOIhttp://www.vegetationstation.ca/2016/05/the-sex-life-of-mushrooms.htmlFuture Ecologies Interview with Willoughby: https://www.futureecologies.net/patreon/meet-your-fungal-associates-6

A New Garden Ethic with Benjamin Vogt   Sarah talks to garden designer and author Benjamin Vogt about his book A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future. Benjamin writes in his book how it’s imperative that we take up a new style of gardening, a new garden ethic, and that we do so fast. Benjamin explains what it means for him to garden with every species in mind and what happens when we separate ourselves from the rest of our garden’s community.  Benjamin Vogt runs Monarch Gardens, a prairie garden design practice. His own garden was named a top outdoor space of 2012 by Apartment Therapy and has been featured in Fine Gardening, Garden Design, Nebraska Life, the Omaha World Herald, the Lincoln Journal Star, and on KOLN (Lincoln's CBS affiliate).   Benjamin wrote an award-winning garden column for Houzz for five years and has contributed to books such as Lawn Gone! and Pollinator Friendly Gardening. His book A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future was published in 2017 by New Society Publishers.     We talk about:   What is A New Garden Ethic Why it’s important that we feel part of the entire community that’s specific to where we live The effects of a disconnect from nature Benjamin’s definition of native plants Benjamin’s design work and plant palette  Objections to using native plants   Links    Benjamin Vogt - Monarch Gardens www.monarchgard.com  Benjamin on Twitter @BRVogt  A New Garden Ethic:Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future by Benjamin Vogt (2017)    Get in touch; Email podcast@rootsandall.co.uk  Website www.rootsandall.co.uk  Twitter @rootsandall Instagram rootsandallpod   Patreon Link; Help us keep the podcast free & independent! Donate as much or as little as you like at https://www.patreon.com/rootsandall     

Nance Klehm, Radical Ecologist — Mushroom Ecologist, Cultivator and Author, Willoughby Arevalo is my guest on my next Spontaneous Vegetation Show! Sunday 5-6pm CST 105.5 FM Chicago or stream at lumpenradio.com Willoughby Arevalo is passionate about the ecology of fungi, the ways they shape our world and the ways we shape theirs. His lifelong friendship with fleshy fungi has led him down a mycelial pathway – from a start in field identification and mushroom hunting, branching into cuisine, DIY cultivation, farming, education, writing and eco-arts. In his thirty years of self-mtivated inquiry and intmate lived experience with fungi, he has spent the last decade prioritizing sharing mycology with people in communities across North America This has manifested in numerous presentations, art projects, teaching tours, collaborations, gatherings, and his new book, DIY Mushroom Cultivatioon, out now from New Society Publishers. Between the mycology and art work, and caring for his kid, Uma, he works part time on an organic vegetable farm. Originally from Arcata, California (Traditional Wiyot and Yurok Territory), he lives as a guest on Unceded Coast Salish Territory in Vancouver, Canada. #mycology, #mycoecology, #lumpenradio, #coprosperitysphere, #willoughbyarevalo, #fungi

This week's episode is a really high level overview of composting.  Composting is critical for maintaining fertility in your soil if you are growing and harvesting intensively. Heather and I chat about how we compost, using thermo-compost, vermicompost and bokashi composting, leaf mold, and mushroom compost.  There are a lot of great resources available on all the different compost methods. , some of our favorites are: Applehof, M. 1997. Worms Eat My Garbage.  Flowerfield Enterprises.  McDowell, C.Forrest; T.C Clark-McDowell. 1998. Home Composting Made Easy. Cortesia Press, Eugene Oregon.  Geoff Lawton 18 Day Compost Video Preview https://permaculturenews.org/2008/07/26/18-day-compost-the-appliance-of-science/   https://www.saskwastereduction.ca/recycle/resources/composting/ Footer, A. 2014. Bokashi Composting: Scraps to Soil in Weeks.  New Society Publishers.    Our theme music was composed and performed by Heather's son Callum, and audio editing was done by Laura Eccleston.    

Alex and Karthik Disclaimer- This is an APES project for a high school class Arrow, K., Bolin, B., Costanza, R., Dasgupta, P., Folke, C., Holling, C. S., … Pimental, D. (1995). Economic Growth, Carrying Capacity, and the Environment. Science, 268, 520–521. Brooke, J. (1992, March 08). Brazil Welcomes Drop in Population Growth. Butler C. D. (2004). Human carrying capacity and human health. PLoS medicine, 1(3), e55. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0010055 Cohen, J. E. (1995). Population Growth and Earth’s Human Carrying Capacity. Science, 269. Hinrichsen, D., & Robey, B. (2000, October). Population and the Environment: The Global Challenge. Hopfenberg, R. (2003). Human Carrying Capacity Is Determined by Food Availability. Population and Environment, 25(2), 109–117. doi:10.1023/B:POEN.0000015560.69479.c1 Murphy, B. (2013). POPULATION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH. Rees, W. E. (1992). Ecological footprints and appropriated carrying capacity: what urban economics leaves out. Environment and Urbanization, 4(2), 121–130. Sanderson, E. W., Jaiteh, M., Levy, M. A., Redford, K. H., Wannebo, A. V., & Woolmer, G. (2002). Article Navigation The Human Footprint and the Last of the Wild: The human footprint is a global map of human influence on the land surface, which suggests that human beings are stewards of nature, whether we like it or not. BioScience, 52(10), 891–904. doi:https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2002)052[0891:THFATL]2.0.CO;2 Wackernagel, M., & Rees, W. E. (1995). Our Ecological Footprint. New Society Publishers.

Yes, Nature can probably get along without us, but we are here and we're part of Nature, our nature creates as well as whacks. How can we renew this connection? To heal and protect Nature - and us!             Andres Edwards - educator, media professional and welcomed returning Earthworms guest - brings ideas and heart to this conversation from his new book Renewal - How Nature Awakens Our Creativity, Compassion, and Joy (2019, New Society Publishers).  THANKS to Andy Heaslet, Earthworms engineer Music: Brandenburg No.4, composed by J.S. Bach, performed by Kevin MacLeod Related Earthworms Conversations: In the Company of Trees from Forest Bather Andrea Sarubbi Fareshteh (January 2019) Handprints: Retouching Human Impacts with Gregory Norris (March 2019) The Big Book of Nature Activities (January 2016)

At EarthX, Tyler and Peter had the opportunity to interview Rev. Mitchell Hescox, who serves as President/C.E.O. of The Evangelical Environmental Network and speaks nationally on creation care, especially on the environmental life threatening impacts on the poor and defenseless. Rev. Hescox co-authored Creation Care: The Evangelical’s Guide to Climate Change and a Healthy Environment with Paul Douglas, published numerous articles and contributed to Sacred Acts: How Churches are working together to Protect Earth’s Climate by New Society Publishers. He has testified before Congress, appeared on CNN, NPR, PRI and numerous radio programs both Christian and secular. Named one of the ten Environmental Religious Saints in the Huffington Post, Mitch lead the 300 mile Creation Care Walk from West Virginia to Washington, DC and the 80 mile Gulf Coast Prayer Walk during the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill.

The antidote to fear and despair is hope and action. With all the pressures on society and the climate, I talk with Gabriola-changemaker, Fay Weller about the rays of hope she sees in the grassroots of community activism. We dive into the work of Sustainable Gabriola and pull out the common threads of what makes this island so good at environmental and social activism. We also talk about the book Fay and Mary Wilson teamed up to write, “Changemakers – Embracing Hope, Taking Action and Transforming the World”. It’s a guidebook for ordinary people who want to create a new society now. Published by New Society Publishers https://www.newsociety.com/Books/C/Changemakers  (Find more about Fay and Mary at the link above.) Featured song credit, used with express permission: “The Last of Amanda”—by Gabriola-singer songwriter, Victor Anthony (written by Wirt Courtney). Album: Mystery Loves Company. Purchase at: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/victoranthony

Donate to The Permaculture Podcast Online: via PayPal Venmo: @permaculturepodcast My guest today is Tim Krahn, a Canadian engineer, builder, and author of Essential Rammed Earth Construction from New Society Publishers. Donate online to the Winter to Spring Fundraiser Tim joins me to share his thoughts and experiences with rammed earth as a natural building method. This includes the distinction between raw and stabilized rammed earth and how rammed earth can reduce the amount of cement required for a long-lasting wall. Tim also gives an estimate of the price difference between stick-built walls and professionally installed rammed earth, while acknowledges that natural building is a growing but still niche field. We close with a discussion of the importance of valuing our time when considering the cost of erecting a building or other project to come to the real price for any of our work. You can find his book, Essential Rammed Earth Construction at NewSociety.com. Below you'll also find links to the earlier interviews from the Essential series and natural building, including the conversations with Bob Theis who we mentioned in this episode. I'm giving away a copy of Tim's Essential Rammed Earth Construction, a $40 value, here on Patreon.  That giveaway runs from March 28 to April 8, so leave a comment today and all you need to do is enter a comment in that post. Enter the Essential Rammed Earth Construction Giveaway As Tim works full-time as a professional engineer, the best place to find his thoughts and knowledge about Rammed Earth are in this interview and his book. If you do have any questions for him, please forward those to me here at the show, and I can send them to Tim for a follow-up interview. What I love about natural building, which Tim reinforces in this interview, is the flexibility and forgiveness of the materials and techniques compared to stick-built homes. Whether stacking earthbags for a dome, filling tires for an Earthship, or ramming earth for a wall, at many steps along the way we can put things up and tear them down again, trying different ideas and learning as we go. Though the costs may be more expensive when we account for our time, we can learn a lot along the way about what satisfies our physical or aesthetic needs. By being involved in the process, we become connected to the spaces we build and what it means to inhabit a place. What do you think of natural building? What techniques and materials have you used where you are? I'd love to hear more about your projects and accomplishments. Email: The Permaculture Podcast Write: The Permaculture Podcast The Permaculture Podcast From here the next interview is an interview with Kevin Jones, recorded by co-host David Bilbrey. Until the next time, consider all the natural techniques you can use to design and build the world you want to live in while taking care of Earth, yourself and each other. Natural Building Interview Essential Rammed Earth Construction Natural Building and Design with Bob Theis More Natural Building with Bob Theis Rob Avis on the Essential of Rainwater Harvesting Essential Earthbag Construction with Kelly Hart The Mudgirls Natural Building Collective Natural Building, Community, and Opportunity with Clare Kenny of The Mudgirls Natural Building and ThePoosh.org with Eric Puro Natural Building with Cliff Davis Natural Swimming Pools with Eddy Garcia

My guest today is Tim Krahn, a Canadian engineer, builder, and author of Essential Rammed Earth Construction from New Society Publishers. Donate online to the Winter to Spring Fundraiser Tim joins me to share his thoughts and experiences with rammed earth as a natural building method. This includes the distinction between raw and stabilized rammed […] The post 1909 – Essential Rammed Earth Construction with Tim Krahn appeared first on The Permaculture Podcast.

Donate to The Permaculture Podcast Online: via PayPal Venmo: @permaculturepodcast In this episode, Kirsten Lie-Nielsen, author of So You Want to be a Modern Homesteader, joins me to share her journey in becoming a modern homesteader and the advice she has for anyone interested in pursuing a similar path. Residing in Maine, I like her story because of how she and her partner had this dream and began on the land they were on. Continuing to develop their skills, in a space that was definitely not a farm, they spent this time seeking out the right piece of property for their goals. Through our chat together Kirsten shares what and why she and her husband focused on when moving to the land. That she earns an income off the farm, and what they are developing to make one on it. The value of a partner who shares your dream, which she has in her husband. The relationship we have with our animals, including what develops from bottle feeding a baby goat, when your geese imprint on you and having a guardian dog as part of your family. Engaging your local community, while also leveraging social media to stay connected, learn new skills, and promote your farm and farm business. We get into quite a bit in our time together, which also reminded me of how technology is not always the most reliable at the end of a rural lane. You'll hear a few places where we have less than perfect audio, but those are minor compared to the wealth of information Kirsten shares with us in this conversation. You can read Kirsten's blog and learn more about her journey at HostileValleyLiving.com, and you'll find her book at newsociety.com. In cooperation with New Society Publishers, I'm giving away a copy of her book to a listener on Patreon. For those of you who support the podcast there, you'll find this in your feed beginning February 18th. Not a Patreon supporter? That's okay, this drawing is open to everyone. All you need to do is register with Patreon and leave a comment in the link below. This giveaway only runs through February 28th, so head over there today. Book Giveaway: So You Want To Be A Modern Homesteader While lauding Kirsten's book, I mention that I like the questions she asks to help you perform a self-assessment and decide whether or not this really is the path you want to pursue, something we don't talk about enough within the permaculture community. Those questions can help you with preparing for rural life, understanding the seasonality of living on a farm, the reality of raising children on the homestead, and more. A few of those questions, from the chapter on Skills and Resources for Rural Living, include: What is your plan for keeping food fresh or preserved? How will you bathe and get fresh drinking water? How will you keep your animals warm in winter? As you read each chapter and answer those questions, if you want to learn more and dig deeper, Kirsten provides a relatively comprehensive list of books for each topic. From the same chapter, some of the books she recommends: The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery Raising Goats Naturally by Deborah Niemann I'm a fan of her suggested reading because many of the books are ones I would personally recommend from my own library, or have been suggested by guests at one point or another. Overall, if you are called to the land, you can learn a lot from Kirsten, her blog, and her books. I missed her at Mother Earth News Fair in PA this past year, as I was hanging out with Jereme Zimmerman at the time talking mead, but look forward to meeting her this September and sitting through some of her presentations. If you can make it to that or any of the other events, she'll be at, seek out the opportunity. If not, read her work. After listening to this episode, what do you think about making a move to a homestead? Have Kirsten's insights changed your views? Will you need to take some time to build your skills? Let me know. Email: The Permaculture Podcast Or if you still like to seal an envelope and mail a letter, that address is: The Permaculture Podcast The Permaculture Podcast From here, the next episode is a conversation with Zev Friedman of Co-operate WNC as we sit down to talk about mutual aid and the scale of cooperation. That's out on February 27 for Patreon supporters and regular release on February 28. To go with that episode is a giveaway for copies of Peter Kropotkin's Mutual Aid and The Conquest of Bread. Until the next time, consider whether or not a homestead is right for you and your plans, while taking care of Earth, yourself, and each other.

Donate to The Permaculture PodcastOnline:via PayPal Venmo:@permaculturepodcast [caption id="attachment_4389" align="aligncenter" width="610"] Verge Permaculture 2016 Gavin Young Photography[/caption] In this episode of The Permaculture Podcast, Rob Avis, of Verge Permaculture, joins me to talk about rainwater harvesting. This conversation is based on his new book from New Society Publishers, Essential Rainwater Harvesting. Rob wrote this book along with his wife and Verge Permaculture Partner, Michelle. Though they began their professional careers as engineers designing solutions in the oil fields, they now live on a productive permaculture homestead in Alberta, Canada, and use that experience to create and share all the formulas, calculations, and components needed to create a productive system for capturing clean, healthy water. You can find more about Rob's work at VergePermaculture.ca, and his book, Essential Rainwater Harvesting at NewSociety.com. You'll, of course, find links to those and other resources, including his Rainwater Harvesting Toolkit, in the Resources section below. To go with this conversation, In cooperation with New Society Publishers, I'm giving away a copy of Essential Rainwater Harvesting. That drawing runs from February 8th through at least the 18th. To enter, all you need to do is follow the link below and leave a comment in the post. I'll then randomly select the recipient once this giveaway closes. Book Giveaway: Essential Rainwater Harvesting In the book, Rob and Michelle break down what we need in order to install a rainwater harvesting system, and they back that up with their professional experience and the sources, that lead them to their conclusions. They also hold the additional need to understand the liability and risks of such a system as engineers who put their stamp on a design. I mention this latter part as one of my earliest lessons in rainwater capture was just how heavy a rain barrel, even a 50 gallon one, can get—over 400lbs/180kils—and what we need to consider when placing them, such as a solid foundation, so they can be productive and not create any hazards for the user or surrounding neighbors. One of the mystifying parts of rainwater harvesting for me, in the beginning, was calculating just how much water would fall on a given area and the necessary size for a storage container to hold it all. Once you start doing those calculations you quickly find that a lot of water, whether you count the volume in liters or gallons, comes off of a roof or parking lot with just a centimeter or half-inch of rain. Accounting for that, how your surfaces or gutters divide and divert those flows, and where they'll go can help to understand how to use this resource around your home or in your landscape. And with Essential Rainwater Harvesting, you'll find all the details for that and so much more. Which is a long way to say, I like this book and like the others in the Essential series from New Society Publishers, think you will too. What did you think of this conversation with Rob? Do you have questions for him? Would you like to hear more about this work or his other projects at Verge Permaculture? Get in touch: And for those of you who still like to put a stamp on an envelope, I love finding your mail in my mailbox. The Permaculture Podcast PO Box 16 The Permaculture Podcast From here the next conversation is with Kirsten Lei-Nielsen to talk about whether or not you should become a homesteader. Until then, spend each day making smart use of your resources while taking care of Earth, your self, and each other. Resources Verge Permaculture - Rob and Michelle Avis Essential Rainwater Harvesting Rainwater Harvesting Toolkit Peter Coombes - Urban Water Cycle Solutions Dr. Anthony Spinks PhD Thesis on Biofilms and Sludges American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) North American Rainwater Harvesting Code

In this episode of The Permaculture Podcast, Rob Avis, of Verge Permaculture, joins me to talk about rainwater harvesting. This conversation is based on his new book from New Society Publishers, Essential Rainwater Harvesting. Rob wrote this book along with his wife and Verge Permaculture Partner, Michelle. Though they began their professional careers as engineers […] The post 1904 – Rob Avis on the Essentials of Rainwater Harvesting appeared first on The Permaculture Podcast.

Animals and livestock can be an essential component to land restoration if managed correctly and while we already have goats, chickens and ducks on our small demonstration farm here in Guatemala, I've been looking into the addition of another animal enterprise that would fit into our existing systems without overwhelming the small space we have. For a while I've been interested in rabbits for their fast reproduction, amazingly fertile manure and their delicious lean meat. That's when I came across a book called “Raising Rabbits for Meat” by Eric and Callene Rapp and published by my good friends and supporters at New Society Publishers. Immediately I wanted reach our to Eric and Callene because of the wealth of well explained and practical knowledge from their experience raising heritage breeds of rabbits for both genetic conservation and high quality protein. In this interview Eric and Callene share their wealth of knowledge in running a profitable rabbitry and walk us through the process of how they got started, general care and maintenance, breeding, harvesting and much more. Be sure to stay tuned until the end when we talk about some of their delicious rabbit recipes that they also include in the book. Now before I give everything away, I'll hand things over to Eric and Callene Resources: Buy the book “Raising Rabbits for Meat” Contact Eric and Callen on Facebook

Donate to The Permaculture Podcast Online: via PayPal Venmo: @permaculturepodcast Today guest host David Bilbrey sits down with Hunter Lovins to talk about Natural Capitalism Solutions and Hunter's new book,  A Finer Future - Creating an Economy in Service to Life. During their conversation David and Hunter talk about the problems facing humanity, from climate change to economic policies, and how we got into this mess. She then shares solutions we can take, right now, to make a difference. Those ideas range from new habits, to ongoing education and direct action. Learn more about Hunter Lovins and her current work at NatCapSolutions.org and her book, from New Society Publishers, at NewSociety.com. What did you think of this conversation with Hunter Lovins? Leave a comment in the show notes, or get in touch with David and I: Email: Write: The Permaculture Podcast The Permaculture Podcast Until the next time, spend each day creating the world you want to live in by taking care of Earth, yourself, and each other. Recommended Reading (and watching) George Monbiot - Neoliberalism: The Ideology at the Root of All our Problems. Powell Memorandum: Attack on American Free Enterprise System Dana's Writing - The Donella Meadow Projects Tony Seba: Clean Disruption - Energy & Transportation (Video) Gabe Brown: Keys to Building a Healthy Soil (Video) John Fullerton - Regenerative Capitalism Buckminster Fuller - Operating Instructions for Spaceship Earth (PDF) Kate Rayworth - Donut Economics Freya Williams - Green Giants Andrew Winston - Big Pivot E.F Schumacher - Small is Beautiful (Full Text) E.F. Schumacher - A Guide for the Perplexed (Wiki) Lester Brown - The Twenty Ninth Day (Thrift Books) Lester Brown - Full Planet, Empty Plate (Thrift Books) Lester Brown - Plan B 4.0 (Thrift Books) Jonah Sachs - Winning the Story Wars Resources Hunter Lovins A Finer Future (New Society Publishers) Natural Capitalism Solutions Bard MBA in Sustainability Robinhood - Invest for Free Rocky Mountain Institute The Mont Pelerin Society Neoliberalism (Wiki) The Dark Mountain Project Well Being Economy Club of Rome Transition Network Savory Institute Regen18 Ecological Outcome Verification Change Finance (CHGX) ETF John L. Lewis (Wiki) Cesar Chavez (Wiki) Amory Lovins

Donate to The Permaculture Podcast Online: via PayPal Venmo: @permaculturepodcast Our guest for this episode is the carpenter, architect, and builder Kelly Hart. He joins me today to talk about Earthbag Construction, the subject of his recently published book Essential Earthbag Construction from New Society Publishers. In this interview, Kelly walks us through many of the steps required for building with earthbags, including the practical needs of what bags to use, what you can fill the bags with for thermal mass or insulation, some of the tools and equipment you'll need, establishing a foundation, laying the courses, tying each layer together, and also how to secure your doors and windows.After you've listened to this interview, you'll have a basic understanding of how to use earthbags for construction. With a copy of Kelly's book you can learn the rest. Find out more about Kelly and his work, including his DVD A Sampler of Alternative Homes, at naturalbuildingblog.com, and his book at NewSociety.com. I like this interview because Kelly invites us to try our hand at building with earthbags. I find that invitation in, to try, to make mistakes, and to learn, incredibly powerful and empowering. We can start with simple structures, like an above-ground root cellar or domed storage shed, to get comfortable with the necessary techniques before proceeding to something more complicated. With the way earthbags go together we can stack, pull down, and try again, with our first structure serving as an in-depth learning experience. This is also an inexpensive technique, making it affordable and accessible in ways other methods, where mistakes can be costly, are not. Looking at the cost of supplies and some sample projects, 1,000 of the polypropylene bags that Kelly mentioned, are less than $400. Another $80 for a 440-yard roll of 4-point barbed wire. From there you'll need rebar, lumber, windows, doors, and your tools, but over and over again I found many owner-built earthbag homes, all over the world, for under $10,000, in all shapes and sizes. Multi-story. Rectilinear. Rounded. Any combination you can imagine. As a lover of cob and the feel of Earthships, there is something about the earthbag as a base that appeals to me. Its natural building meets LEGO. Earth risen into walls and offering us security, in a structure we can build with our own hands. I can think of few things more comfortable than that. What do you think of this conversation? Has this changed your thoughts on building with earthbags? Is this a method you've used? Let me know. Leave a comment in the show notes, or get in touch. From here the next regular episode is a conversation with Ben Goldfarb to talk about his book Eager and the role of one of the world's greatest ecosystem engineers, the beaver. Until then, spend each day creating the world, and homes, you want to live in, while taking care of Earth, yourself, and each other. Resources Essential Earthbag Construction Natural Building Blog (Kelly's Website) A Sampler of Alternative Homes (Kelly's DVD) Nader Khalili (1936 - 2008) The $50 and Up Underground House Book (undergroundhousing.com)

Donate to The Permaculture Podcast Online: via PayPal Venmo: @permaculturepodcast My guest today is Victoria Redhed Miller, who joins me for the second part of our conversation on Craft Distilling, this time to talk about the art of the process which turns fermented sugars, whether from grains, fruit, molasses, or honey, into tasty, tasty liquor. Along the way she tells us about the process of distilling, including watching for our heads, hearts, and tails; the poisonous compounds found and concentrated in distilled alcohol we need to look out for; equipment every distiller should own to keep them and their final product safe; and why we should think twice about making sugar-shine. Find out more about Victoria and her work at victoriahedheadmiller.com, and her books from New Society Publishers at newsociety.com. If you'd like to hear one of Victoria's talks on distilling or making bread, attend one of the 2018 Mother Earth News Fairs, there are still several left in the year, including Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Kansas. If you're interested in making booze at home, after listening to our first episode together on the legality of this practice and deciding it is worth the concern, I highly recommend her book, Craft Distilling, as you can learn all you need from Victoria's hands-on, experience-based approach. If you want to learn more about making beer, wine, or mead as the basis for your at-home still runs, I recommend the following books from my days as a brewer, vintner, and mead maker. The first of those is Charlie Papazian's classic The Complete Joy of Homebrewing. This will tell you just about everything, and I do mean everything, about making beer. From there, on the wine side, one of the favorites that got me started is The Foxfire Book of Winemaking, filled with memories and recipes for wines, juices, and punches based on the traditions of the region I call home, Appalachia. Finally, when it comes to making mead, though I like The Complete Meadmaker and several others, my go-to is Jereme Zimmerman's Make Mead Like a Viking. He'll have you wild fermenting honey in no time, and after a night of drinking with Jereme before an event can say that a honey-based gin is a delightful thing. At this point, I would like to offer an update in my comment about methanol and damaging the optic nerve. The amount required to do so is 10ml or about 2 teaspoons. To me, that's not much, but looking into it further the risk of creating and consuming methanol in that quantity from a single batch of alcohol is unlikely. The issue increases, however, through multiple distillations as we combine and concentrate larger amounts of alcohol. Play it safe, use the alcohol refractometer, and make sure you separate your heads, hearts, and tails. A Patreon exclusive giveaway for Craft Distilling starting on Tuesday, July 10th and open for entries through Thursday, July 19th. Leave a comment in that post and you'll be entered in the drawing. Not a Patreon supporter? Check out Patreon.com/permaculturepodcast for the list of rewards and to sign up today. For her book on bread, send me an email to The Permaculture Podcast with the title “Sourdough” to enter that giveaway. I'll pick the winner for that on Monday, July 30. What did you think of this episode? Did you learn something new? Are you interested in brewing beer or setting up a still? Leave a comment below or get in touch. You can use the regular email address, as above, give me a call at , or drop a letter in the post. The Permaculture Podcast The Permaculture Podcast At the moment I'm not sure what piece will come out next, but you can expect that by July 20th or earlier. Until then spend each day learning the skills that help to create the world you want to live and take care of Earth, yourself, and each other. Resources Victoria Redhed Miller Craft Distilling From No-Knead to Sourdough New Society Publishers The Legality of Craft Distilling (Our First Interview) Mother Earth News Fair The Complete Joy of Homebrewing The Foxfire Book of Winemaking Make Mead Like a Viking

Donate to The Permaculture Podcast Online: via PayPal Venmo: @permaculturepodcast My guests today are five members of the Mudgirls Natural Building Collective, a Canadian women-owned and operated group of builders who focus on materials and techniques like cob, earthen plaster, earthen floors, and livings roofs, and authors, together, of the recently released Mudgirls Manifesto from New Society Publishers. In this episode, we take our time to focus on the role of supporting one another in our lives and business, the importance of friends and family, ways we can make classes and more accessible, and the importance of low-tech building for global sustainability and personal stability. Find out more about them at mudgirls.ca. There you'll find more information about their book, and so much more. Often in permaculture, as we spoke about today, we talk about meeting someone where they're at, which is one of the things that stood out for me in this conversation with The Mudgirls. They are using the patterns they see in the world around them that make accessing meaningful work and ongoing education, and creating the details by ensuring all members receive an equal wage whether building or providing childcare for the others. This extends to their classes and workshops that allow families and single-parents to attend and learn together. Clare and I talk about this in more depth in another conversation, out in a few weeks, when we go into more depth about the history and experiences of The Mudgirls, their clients, and students. What patterns do you see hindering people from engaging in quality work or engaging workshops or classes? What details can we create from those? Let me know so that we can continue to make permaculture design and education more accessible and affordable for all. What patterns do you see hindering people from engaging in quality work or engaging workshops or classes? What details can we create from those? Leave a comment in the show notes. . Email: The Permaculture Podcast. Write: The Permaculture Podcast The Permaculture Podcast From here the next regular episode is an interview from David Bilbrey with Dr. Elaine Ingham to discuss the Soil Food Web. Until then, grow your support structure and create the world you want to live in by taking care of Earth, yourself, and each other. Donate to the Podcast Resources Mudgirls Mudgirls Manifesto from New Society Publishers Jen Gobby (Article in Dwell) Becky Bee Canelo Project Peak Oil (Wiki) Cob (Wiki)

Donate to The Permaculture Podcast Online: via PayPal Venmo: @permaculturepodcast My guest is Victoria Redhed Miller author of Pure Poultry and her latest From No-Knead to Sourdough. These books pull on her experiences as an off-the-grid homesteader in the Pacific Northwest and are available from New Society Publishers. Our conversation today, however, comes from her second book, Craft Distilling, as we discuss what is involved with legally crafting our own booze at home. With that in mind, we about the lunacy of laws when everything we want to do at home or on our homestead is illegal and what we can do to bring about change, as well as a history of the role of distilling, liquor, and taxation in the founding days of the United States. This is the first of two conversations on distilling with Victoria. We recorded nearly two hours of audio together in a single session, so end here with some of my thoughts on this need for change and how we can engage. The other half of this, out in a few weeks, begins with Victoria walking us through an overview of the distilling process and then diving deeply in. You can find out more about Victoria, Craft Distilling and her other books at victoriaredhedmiller.com, or through her publisher, NewSociety.com. After listening to our discussion about working to make craft distilling legal, what issue matters enough that you would start making some phone calls and writing letters to engage in the political process as a private citizen with a passion for ecological and individual progress? I'd love to hear from you. Email: The Permaculture Podcast Write: The Permaculture Podcast The Permaculture Podcast From here, the next regular interview is a conversation with The Mudgirls, a women-owned and operation Natural Builders Collective in British Columbia, Canada, and the authors responsible for the upcoming Mudgirls Manifesto. Until then, spend each day creating the world you want to live in my getting involved and taking care of Earth, yourself, and each other. Resources Victoria Redhed Miller Craft Distilling New Society Publishers Whiskey Rebellion (Wiki) H.R.2903 - Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act of 2015 - The bill we want to be passed! It includes a provision to exempt home distilleries from excise tax and bonding requirements when making liquor for personal or family use.

Robert Fuller, Ph.D. is a physicist and former president of Oberlin College. He has consulted with Indira Gandhi, met with Jimmy Carter regarding the President's Commission on World Hunger, and worked to defuse the Cold War in Russia when it was known as the USSR. As Fuller reflected on his career he realized that he had been, at different times in his life, a somebody and a nobody. His periodic sojourns into “Nobodyland” led him to identify rankism - the abuse of the power inherent in rank - and ultimately to write the book Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank. He has become a recognized leader of the dignity movement to overcome rankism and keynoted a Dignity for All conference hosted by the President of Bangladesh. His many other accomplishments include co-authoring the text book Mathematics of Classical and Quantum Physics. His books include: Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank (New Society Publishers 2003), Dignity for All: How to Create a World without Rankism (co-author Pamela A. Gerloff) (Berrett-Koehler Publishers 2008), Religion and Science: A Beautiful Friendship? (e-book, Smashwords 2012),  (novel) The Rowan Tree (CreateSpace 2013), (children's book) Theo: The White Squirrel (co-author Claire Sheridan)  (Amazon Digital Services 2016), Questions and Quests: A Short Book Aphorisms (Amazon Digital Services 2017), The Theory of Everybody (Robert Fuller 2017)Tags: Robert Fuller, rankism, Marshall Plan, indignity, dignity, racism, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, predation, somebodies and nobodies, Social Change/Politics

My guest today is Kelly Hart, author of Earthbag building which is part of the “essentials series on natural building put out by New Society Publishers. He is also the founder of greenhomebuilding.com, dreamgreenhomes.com, earthbagbuilding.com, and a few others. Today we tackle one of the most constant questions that I get asked as a natural builder and that I hear the most debate over in online forums and that's the subject of domes and their advantages and disadvantages. Kelly shares wonderful insights from building earthbag domes and living in one for many years. We both share our own stories of successes and challenges in building and living in domes and Kelly gives sound advice on how to avoid leaks and other problems. We also get into the topic of how living in a natural home can have a profound effect on your lifestyle and some of the simple habits that you can change to make the biggest positive impact towards a regenerative lifestyle. Resources: Green Building Directory Essential Earthbag Construction Hartworks.com Dream Green Homes website Earthbag building website Green Homebuilding website

The Rev. Mitchell C. Hescox serves as President/C.E.O. of The Evangelical Environmental Network and speaks nationally on creation care, especially on the environmental life threatening impacts on the poor and defenseless.  Rev. Hescox co-authored Creation Care: The Evangelical’s Guide to Climate Change and a Healthy Environment with Paul Douglas, published numerous articles and contributed to Sacred Acts: How Churches are working together to Protect Earth’s Climate by New Society Publishers.  He has testified before Congress, appeared on CNN, NPR, PRI and numerous radio programs both Christian and secular.  Named one of the ten Environmental Religious Saints in the Huffington Post, Mitch lead the 300 mile Creation Care Walk from West Virginia to Washington, DC  and the 80 mile Gulf Coast Prayer Walk during the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill.  Mitch led EEN to successful championing of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards. He serves on the National Association of Evangelicals Board of Directors. Before EEN, Mitch pastored a local church for 18 years, and before the call to ordained ministry served the coal and utility industry as Director, Fuel Systems for Allis Mineral Systems. He is married to Clare with four (4) grown children and four (4) grandchildren. Music is provided by bensound.com. Creative Commons License

Donate to The Permaculture Podcast Online: via PayPal Venmo: @permaculturepodcast Gianaclis Caldwell is the author of a modern classic on cheese production, Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking from Chelsea Green Publishing, and her new book to help get anyone started, Mastering Basic Cheesemaking from New Society Publishers. These books and her expertise form the basis for our conversation today about animal cheeses, whether you start with goat, sheep, or cow milk. I dive in with all my questions about starting supplies; expected yields; soft versus hard cheeses; the different types of cheese; and an exploration of rennet, including three types to look for and one to avoid. As Gianaclis joined me previously for Episode 1724 - Holistic Goat Care, we begin with a brief overview of her background and then get cheesy. Find out more about her and her books at gianacliscaldwell.com. -- As you heard during this conversation, I'm really inspired by people like Gianaclis that take these ideas that at first seem so complex, and break down the mystery into easy steps we can follow. Sure, we might make mistakes or have some failures, but we can take what we learn and try again. Using what she shares with us, we can start with a $4 gallon of store bought commercial cow milk and make our first pound of cheese. If we want, then we can seek out grass-fed organic or raw milk, try sheep or goat milk, and see how that changes what we get. But if we don't want to, we never have to. We can keep using that same grocery store jug while still getting something better than store bought. Though I haven't made my own cheese yet, as my children look at me with that “Dad? Really?” look every time I bring it up, I feel comfortable and confident that when we do get to it, we'll wind up with not only some great cheese but also a fond memory. Those experiences are the ones we need to create the world we want to live in, and so I encourage each of you to keep playing, in the kitchen, in the garden, field, and forest, to find those moments that speak to you, add to your set of skills, and help you to be who you are called to. If there is any way I can help you on that journey, get in touch. The Permaculture Podcast The Permaculture Podcast. Also, during this conversation, I mentioned making a yogurt fermented soda. I was inspired to do that based on a recipe in Rachel Kaplan's Urban Homesteading, which you'll find at urban-homesteading.org. From here the next episode out on October 7 for Patreon supporters and general release on October 10, is my interview with Viktor Zaunders, on localfoodnodes.org, a service for directly connecting farmers and consumers. Until them, spend each day taking care of Earth, yourself, and returning the surplus to your community. Summer to Fall Fundraiser Donate today! Become a Patreon supporter. Enter to win a Permaculture Design Course at VerdEnergia Pacifica in Costa Rica. More information about this campaign: Returning to The Gift Resources Gianaclis Caldwell Pholia Farm Dairy Mastering Basic Cheesemaking (New Society Publishers) Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking (Chelsea Green Publishing) American Cheese Society - Vern Caldwell Holistic Goat Care (Chelsea Green) 1724 - Holistic Goat Care with Gianaclis Caldwell

Diana Leafe Christian is an author, former editor of Communities magazine, and a nationwide speaker and workshop presenter on starting new ecovillages, on building communities, and on sustainability. She lives in an off-grid homestead at Earthhaven Ecovillage in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, USA. She is the author of Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities (New Society Publishers 2003) and Finding Community: How to Join an Ecovillage or Intentional Community (New Society Publishers 2007)Tags: Diana Leafe Christian, sociocracy, consensus decision making, democracy, governance, N Street Consensus, dealing with objections, Community, Social Change/Politics

So today's average child can identify over 300 corporate logos - but only 10 plants ad animals native to where that kid lives. Yikes! Will humans a generation from now not care about the environment? Not if Jacob Rodenburg and Drew Monkman can help it! They are co-authors of the brand new Big Book of Nature Activities (June, 2016 - New Society Publishers). It's 384 pages are packed with games, crafts, stories and science-strong activities guaranteed to get the most resistant kid away from the screen and outdoors, discovering. Oriented to help parents, teachers and enviro-educators open nature's wonder-gifts just enough to excite a child's curiosity, this book combines it's creators' experience in all these adult roles. Organized to convey key ecological concepts like phenology - natural changes through the seasons - nature learning-play using this guide will build sound science knowledge (painlessly) by engaging our human senses and fueling curiosity, kids' engine of learning. Happily, in the natural world, there is no end to what we can discover, about our Earth and - in relationship to nature - about ourselves. At any age, but especially in childhood. And we need this connection, this "Vitamin N," for kids of all ages today. Check it out as a fun companion on your summer adventures. Earthworms bets you'll keep this BIG Book around, year-round. Enjoy! Music: Sweet Georgia Brown - whistled live at KDHX by Randy Erwin, June 2010. Related Earthworms Conversations: In 'Toon, Greenly, with Poet and Enviro-Cartoonist Joe Mohr (November 2015) Ed Maggart and Experiential Education (March 2015)                                       

Agility in your agricultural business can be the difference between coming back for another growing season, or putting the farm to rest. That agility starts with listening. Your customers will tell you what they want you to produce. It is then up to you to decide whether you want to listen, and if that will work for both you and your business. I had no idea that I would end up where I am today. If you told me 10 years ago that I would be a chicken farmer running a 50 acre farm, hosting a podcast, and selling eBooks on the side, I would have told you that you were crazy. When I first got mixed up with agriculture I thought I was going to be an heirloom vegetable farmer. Then I tried vegetable farming. When I got into vegetables I realized I liked them, but I didn't love them. Not the way I do chickens. I also found that there were way more vegetable farms than poultry farms. I listened to the market, started a poultry farm, and the farm continues to grow in popularity. I have learned, through some very hard lessons, to watch for and embrace change. You may have a plan, but life has another one, and there's no way you are going to know all the details until they're happening to you. Who knows where I will be in another 10 years? All I know is that I am excited for whatever comes my way. Right click here to download the MP3 In this farm podcast you will learn: What is a service as a business? Different ways to make money in agriculture How to leverage your skills, passion, and knowledge What flexibility can bring to you What you get from listening to your customers How to get over impostor syndrome How to grow your business and give yourself more time Interview with Christy Hemenway of Gold Star Honey Bees: Just what did bees do before beekeepers? Searching for the answer to what seemed like it should have been a simple question, Christy Hemenway launched her own investigation into what was really behind the growing problems with honeybees. She soon came to the conclusion that with honeybees, "less is more," in other words, less human manipulation is better for the honeybee. This led Christy to found Gold Star Honeybees - to advance a low-tech, natural beekeeping system known as the top bar hive. The most important feature of a top bar hive is that it allows the bees to make their own natural beeswax honeycomb. Because for bees, "It's all about the wax." Gold Star's top bar hive beekeeping equipment is all natural, non-toxic, clean and green, and supports the making of natural beeswax - beeswax made BY bees, FOR bees! At TEDxDirigo in 2011, Christy highlighted the important connection between honeybees, pesticide-free food, and people in her TED Talk - "Making the Connection – Honeybees, Food and YOU." The inter-relatedness of bees, human health, the health of the planet and in fact, all of nature suddenly becomes very clear. You can watch it here: http://bit.ly/TedxDirigoTalk Christy Hemenway is the author of The Thinking Beekeeper – A Guide to Natural Beekeeping in Top Bar Hives. Published in 2013 by New Society Publishers – this book contains the practical how-to information you need to begin keeping bees in this natural method. http://www.thinkingbeekeeper.com/ Christy advocates and agitates for MORE organic food, LESS industrial agriculture, and of course, for BETTER beekeeping – natural and sustainable. It's a case of understanding that instead of one beekeeper industrially managing 50,000 beehives, and lots of trucks and treatments, shouldn't it really be 50,000 beekeepers each tending a few hives of their own in their own backyard garden? Gold Star Honeybees supports top bar beekeepers with education. A Gold Star Honeybees Weekend Intensive offers a bee’s eye view of the reasons that top bar hives make sense - for bees, for beekeepers, and for the planet. Learn where to site a hive, how to inspect and manage it, what to do about "cross-comb,” and how to conduct the "dual harvest” that top bar hives are famous for. This comprehensive weekend class inspires people to be confident natural beekeepers. If you are interested in a shorter workshop: The How and Why of Keeping Bees in Top Bar Hives offers a quick overview of the "how-to" and "why-to" of stewarding bees in top bar hives. This workshop is ideal for those just getting into, or beginning to learn about, natural beekeeping. Classes are offered nationally, and we'd be happy to bring these opportunities to your area. Call for information about hosting a live Weekend Intensive or The How and Why of Keeping Bees in Top Bar Hives where you live! 207-449-1121. Christy encourages people to think outside the box and reminds us, in the words of John Muir: "When one tugs at a single thing in nature, one finds it attached to the rest of the world." Items mentioned in this farm podcast include: Gold Star Honey Bees GSHB on YouTube The Barefoot Beekeeper Bush Farms Top Gun Program in Maine Women Standing Together Take aways: Are you listening to your customers? What is something they have been asking for that you don't yet provide? Are you ready to adapt and change with the times/economy/whims of the public? How are you prepared? Share your answers in the comments section below. -- Thanks for taking the time to listen in, and let me know what you think. You can leave a comment below, send me an e-mail, reach me on Facebook , or leave a 5 star rating in iTunes if you liked the show. Click to subscrible to iTunes Support the podcast with $1 a month Past Episodes

The most common misconception about video marketing is that it is hard. That doesn't have to be true at all. I recorded, edited, and published my latest farm video right from my cell phone. Quite honestly, that blows my mind, and I'm a geek. Let's take a look at the three biggest fears that people have when it comes to video marketing. 3 Fears of Video Marketing 1. I will look like a fool on camera. So? If you are yourself, you're honest, and you have a good message you will not look like a fool. When I think back to my beginning videos I cringe. I have done some really embarrassing stuff in my day. The good thing is, if it's terrible, you can delete it! If it's not half bad then you need to post it before you over-think it. Take a second to make sure your hair isn't insane (unless that's what you're going for), make sure your surroundings are at least a little orderly (at least what's in frame), and speak with confidence. 2. I have no idea how to work a video camera. Learning a piece of "video equipment" is no different then learning to use any other piece of farm equipment. All you have to possess is the earnest desire to learn and the knowledge that this new skill will help your business. Through the owners manual, the internet, and some young tech geek you will be shooting tons of video in no time. 3. I can't edit the video once I have shot it. Again, I refer to #2. Earnest desire to learn, and the knowledge that this will help your business. For every person out there who wants to learn something there is a teacher. Just start asking people. You can find a pro video editor in one of your kids, in a friend, or even in an actual professional who wants to trade for some veggies. Once you've conquered those fears just upload it to YouTube, figure out how to embed it on your website, and make sure to share it with your customers. If this still scares you that is ok, write me a note in the comments section asking me to create a tutorial on video creation and editing and I will make it happen. Right click here to download the MP3 In this farm podcast you will learn: Getting started on Youtube Creating video to illustrate a point or farming technique Using video to educate Why simple videos are often more effective The elements of an effective video What elements of your online marketing benefit your offline store How Christie got to speak for TEDX What it means to be “on” all the time What is a “Content Management System” What’s the best practice for Search Engine Optimization? Let the perfection go! Interview with Christy Hemenway of Gold Star Honey Bees: Just what did bees do before beekeepers? Searching for the answer to what seemed like it should have been a simple question, Christy Hemenway launched her own investigation into what was really behind the growing problems with honeybees. She soon came to the conclusion that with honeybees, “less is more,” in other words, less human manipulation is better for the honeybee. This led Christy to found Gold Star Honeybees – to advance a low-tech, natural beekeeping system known as the top bar hive. The most important feature of a top bar hive is that it allows the bees to make their own natural beeswax honeycomb. Because for bees, ”It’s all about the wax.” Gold Star’s top bar hive beekeeping equipment is all natural, non-toxic, clean and green, and supports the making of natural beeswax - beeswax made BY bees, FOR bees! At TEDxDirigo in 2011, Christy highlighted the important connection between honeybees, pesticide-free food, and people in her TED Talk – “Making the Connection – Honeybees, Food and YOU.” The inter-relatedness of bees, human health, the health of the planet and in fact, all of nature suddenly becomes very clear. You can watch it here: http://bit.ly/TedxDirigoTalk Christy Hemenway is the author of The Thinking Beekeeper – A Guide to Natural Beekeeping in Top Bar Hives. Published in 2013 by New Society Publishers – this book contains the practical how-to information you need to begin keeping bees in this natural method. http://www.thinkingbeekeeper.com/ Christy advocates and agitates for MORE organic food, LESS industrial agriculture, and of course, for BETTER beekeeping – natural and sustainable. It’s a case of understanding that instead of one beekeeper industrially managing 50,000 beehives, and lots of trucks and treatments, shouldn’t it really be 50,000 beekeepers each tending a few hives of their own in their own backyard garden? Gold Star Honeybees supports top bar beekeepers with education. A Gold Star Honeybees Weekend Intensive offers a bee’s eye view of the reasons that top bar hives make sense – for bees, for beekeepers, and for the planet. Learn where to site a hive, how to inspect and manage it, what to do about “cross-comb,” and how to conduct the “dual harvest” that top bar hives are famous for. This comprehensive weekend class inspires people to be confident natural beekeepers. If you are interested in a shorter workshop: The How and Why of Keeping Bees in Top Bar Hives offers a quick overview of the “how-to” and “why-to” of stewarding bees in top bar hives. This workshop is ideal for those just getting into, or beginning to learn about, natural beekeeping. Classes are offered nationally, and we’d be happy to bring these opportunities to your area. Call for information about hosting a live Weekend Intensive or The How and Why of Keeping Bees in Top Bar Hives where you live! 207-449-1121. Christy encourages people to think outside the box and reminds us, in the words of John Muir: “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, one finds it attached to the rest of the world.” Items mentioned in this farm podcast include: Gold Star Honey Bees Episode 49 with Christy about pivoting your farm business Dennis vanEngelsdorp PechaKucha 20x20 TED Talks Toast Masters Video about selling at a moment’s notice Joel Salatin at Poly Face Farm EasyFarmWebsite.com Today's quote: Video Marketing solidifies your online presence whilst building deep and meaningful relationships with your customers. It adds a personal touch to your brand whilst increasing your conversions!” – Lilach Bullock Take aways: What common questions do you get about your farm that can be cleared up with a simple video? What is one thing you wish your customers knew about you, your farm, or your products? Would a video help them learn? -- Thanks for taking the time to listen in, and let me know what you think. You can leave a comment below, send me an e-mail, reach me on Facebook , or leave a 5 star rating in iTunes if you liked the show. Click to subscrible to iTunes Support the podcast with $1 a month Past Episodes

Leila Darwish is a community organizer, author, permaculture designer, educator, urban gardener, and grassroots herbalist with a deep commitment to environmental justice, decolonization, food sovereignty, and to providing accessible and transformative tools for communities dealing with toxic contamination of their land and drinking water. Over the last decade, she has worked as a grassroots bioremediation instructor for different environmental organizations and community groups in Alberta, BC and the USA on campaigns such as tar sands, fracking, nuclear energy, coal, climate justice, water protection, and more. We will be discussing her book from New Society Publishers entitled “Earth Repair: A Grassroots Guide to Healing Toxic and Damaged Landscapes.”

The Canadian author and scholar, Heather Menzies, has written a book about the journey she took to the highlands of Scotland in search of her ancestral roots. In Reclaiming the Commons for the Common Good: A Memoir and Manifesto (New Society Publishers, 2014), Menzies outlines her discovery of a vanished way of life and argues that restoring it would help North Americans recover a deeper sense of self as well as more satisfying social relations with the people around them. It could also help them gain more control over political decisions that affect them in their communities, states and provinces and at the national level. “Commoning–cultivating community and livelihood together on the common land of the Earth,” Menzies writes, “was a way of life for my ancestors and for many other newcomers to North America too. It was a way of understanding and pursuing economics as embedded in life and the labor, human and non-human, that is necessary to sustain it.” She maintains that reclaiming the commons could also help us to heal an overheating planet and reconcile with the native peoples displaced by European settlers. Heather Menzies is an adjunct professor at Carleton University in Ottawa. She is the author of 10 books and has been awarded the Order of Canada for her contributions to public discourse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Canadian author and scholar, Heather Menzies, has written a book about the journey she took to the highlands of Scotland in search of her ancestral roots. In Reclaiming the Commons for the Common Good: A Memoir and Manifesto (New Society Publishers, 2014), Menzies outlines her discovery of a vanished way of life and argues that restoring it would help North Americans recover a deeper sense of self as well as more satisfying social relations with the people around them. It could also help them gain more control over political decisions that affect them in their communities, states and provinces and at the national level. “Commoning–cultivating community and livelihood together on the common land of the Earth,” Menzies writes, “was a way of life for my ancestors and for many other newcomers to North America too. It was a way of understanding and pursuing economics as embedded in life and the labor, human and non-human, that is necessary to sustain it.” She maintains that reclaiming the commons could also help us to heal an overheating planet and reconcile with the native peoples displaced by European settlers. Heather Menzies is an adjunct professor at Carleton University in Ottawa. She is the author of 10 books and has been awarded the Order of Canada for her contributions to public discourse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Canadian author and scholar, Heather Menzies, has written a book about the journey she took to the highlands of Scotland in search of her ancestral roots. In Reclaiming the Commons for the Common Good: A Memoir and Manifesto (New Society Publishers, 2014), Menzies outlines her discovery of a vanished way of life and argues that restoring it would help North Americans recover a deeper sense of self as well as more satisfying social relations with the people around them. It could also help them gain more control over political decisions that affect them in their communities, states and provinces and at the national level. “Commoning–cultivating community and livelihood together on the common land of the Earth,” Menzies writes, “was a way of life for my ancestors and for many other newcomers to North America too. It was a way of understanding and pursuing economics as embedded in life and the labor, human and non-human, that is necessary to sustain it.” She maintains that reclaiming the commons could also help us to heal an overheating planet and reconcile with the native peoples displaced by European settlers. Heather Menzies is an adjunct professor at Carleton University in Ottawa. She is the author of 10 books and has been awarded the Order of Canada for her contributions to public discourse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Canadian author and scholar, Heather Menzies, has written a book about the journey she took to the highlands of Scotland in search of her ancestral roots. In Reclaiming the Commons for the Common Good: A Memoir and Manifesto (New Society Publishers, 2014), Menzies outlines her discovery of a vanished way of life and argues that restoring it would help North Americans recover a deeper sense of self as well as more satisfying social relations with the people around them. It could also help them gain more control over political decisions that affect them in their communities, states and provinces and at the national level. “Commoning–cultivating community and livelihood together on the common land of the Earth,” Menzies writes, “was a way of life for my ancestors and for many other newcomers to North America too. It was a way of understanding and pursuing economics as embedded in life and the labor, human and non-human, that is necessary to sustain it.” She maintains that reclaiming the commons could also help us to heal an overheating planet and reconcile with the native peoples displaced by European settlers. Heather Menzies is an adjunct professor at Carleton University in Ottawa. She is the author of 10 books and has been awarded the Order of Canada for her contributions to public discourse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Howard Kunstler will be resuming the KunstlerCast, solo, in the near future. In the meantime, this is the "pilot" episode for "A Small American City," a new podcast series by former KunstlerCast host Duncan Crary. Jim helped Duncan launch the new series with this special interview. TROY, N.Y. - For many Americans, "The City" only refers to New York City, or one of the other major metroplexes in the country with populations in the millions. But North America is filled with smaller cities that were once just as lively, if only at a smaller scale. And they may come back to life again as events already underway continue to unfold. Urban polemicist James Howard Kunstler believes that people will be living a lot differently in the U.S.A. during the coming years. Financial distress and energy scarcity are just two forces that may dictate Americans re-inhabit the centers of our smaller cities. But contrary to prevailing suburban notions of our times, life in an activated urban center - at a smaller scale - is delightful. The more activated these places become, the more desirable it will be to be in them. Kunstler feels that Troy, N.Y., with its currently population of 50,000, has many characteristics that make it a universal stand-in for every small American city. But he also believes there are aspects that make Troy uniquely poised for a genuine comeback. For this pilot episode of A Small American City, Kunstler joins host Duncan Crary for a special, introductory conversation about small cities, Troy, N.Y. and the urban fabric. From 2008 to 2012, Crary and Kunstler produced the popular podcast series, The KunstlerCast, a weekly conversation about "the tragic comedy of suburban sprawl." During their run, the two often used Crary's home city of Troy, N.Y. as an informal laboratory to illustrate and observe the urban design, energy and economic issues of the times. Now, after completing what he considers an "intellectual apprenticeship," Crary will be setting off alone to continue exploring the urban organism. The episode begins with an excerpt from an essay by Crary about his time spent learning from Kunstler and living in Troy, NY. It first appeared in print as the concluding chapter of Crary’s book, The KunstlerCast: Conversations with James Howard Kunstler...the tragic comedy of suburban sprawl, (New Society Publishers, 2011). Visit http://asmallamericancity.com to hear more. http://asmallamericancity.comVisit

In this episode, Joanna and Sarah interview Starhawk–one of the most respected voices in modern earth-based spirituality.Starhawk is also well-known as a global justice activist and organizer, whose work and writings have inspired many to action. She is the author or coauthor of twelve books, including The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess, long considered the essential text for the Neo-Pagan movement, and the now-classic ecotopian novel The Fifth Sacred Thing. Starhawk's newest book is The Empowerment Manual: A Guide for Collaborative Groups, forthcoming in November 2011, from New Society Publishers.

Are Your Cosmetics Safe? Learn About The 'Not So Pretty' Side Of The Beauty Industry Stacy Malkan is the author of the award-winning book, "Not Just a Pretty Face: The Ugly Side of the Beauty Industry" (New Society Publishers, 2007), and co-founder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a national coalition of health and environmental groups working to eliminate toxic chemicals from beauty products. She is also the co-author of the new report, "Not So Sexy: The Health Risks of Secret Chemicals in Fragrance." Download or Open:

Professor Steven Chu, the US Energy Secretary, is advocating for people to paint their rooftops white in order to save on energy and to cut down on global warming. James Howard Kunstler reacts to this idea and also addresses the topic of rooftop gardens, or "green" roofs. This week's podcast is sponsored by New Society Publishers http://newsociety.com

James Howard Kunstler says one reason why American cities are so dirty is because we do not have a firm agreement about how to treat the public realm in this country. He believes that people will literally trash a place that they don't like or respect. And a lot of American space is difficult to respect. While suburbia contains meticulously groomed private yards, the public highways are often lined with impressive amounts of trash on the shoulder. On a larger scale, many corporations treat the American landscape with a similar disregard. While Kunstler believes that large scale pollution from mega corporations may taper off with the cheap oil supply, he thinks local manufacturing in the future might reintroduce forms of pollution that haven't been seen in the U.S. for a while. Note: The voice of Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk appears in this episode, courtesy of Planetizen, publisher of The Story of Sprawl DVD. KunstlerCast listeners receive a $5 discount when purchasing this DVD by using the discount code FIESTA: http://www.planetizen.com/DVD SPONSOR: This week's sponsor is New Society Publishers, the leading publisher of Peak Oil thinkers such as Dmitry Orlov, Richard Heinberg, Sharon Astyk and Michael Ruppert. NewSociety.com