Podcasts about verge permaculture

Today, we sit down with Rob Avis, the Owner, Lead Instructor, and Engineer at Verge Permaculture. Rob is an expert in regenerative business and eco-entrepreneurship, and he is using his skills to lead the next wave of permaculture education – covering everything from building science to agroecology. In this episode, you will uncover: Why the energy return on fossil fuel may be dwindling.  The limitations of our world's current energy sources.  Why the nutrient density of our food is steadily declining.  What's the future of energy and food production on our planet? Experts like Rob are determined to find out… Want to find out more about Rob and his work? Click here now! Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3bO8R6q

In keeping with the theme of water regeneration this month I spoke to Rob Avis, the co-author along with Michelle Avis of their book in the New Society Essentials series called Rain Water Harvesting. Rob and Michelle founded Verge Permaculture, an award-winning design, consulting and education company in Calgary, Alberta after years of international training in renewable energy and regenerative design. Since its founding, Verge has helped more than 1000 students and clients to design and create integrated systems for shelter, energy, water, waste, and food, all while supporting their local economy and regenerating the land. Through their design and consulting they create havens that produce their own energy and food, harvest water, cycle nutrients, and restore the surrounding ecosystems, enabling property owners to thrive no matter what. With such a broad range of knowledge, experience, and expertise, we focused mainly on rain water harvesting techniques and systems in this episode as an entry into the larger concept of watershed regeneration and revival. In this session Rob explains some of the key components of rain water harvesting systems and the ways that you can treat and filter the water for various uses. We talk at length about why expensive filters and disinfectants are often unnecessary, even for most potable water uses, and the different ways you can keep your stored rainwater clean. Rob also speaks about how rainwater harvesting systems fit into a larger system aimed toward water resilience in multiple living contexts from urban to rural applications. I've been a big fan of Verge Permaculture and all their great work for some time now and I'm intending to create a larger series of in depth talks with Rob and Michelle in the future 

Energy and food production is constantly evolving, and as resources seem to dwindle, experts are looking at alternative approaches to a multitude of ecological issues. Joining us today to discuss his perspective on this matter is Rob Avis, an expert in renewable energy and regenerative design. Rob is the Owner, Lead Instructor, and Engineer at Verge Permaculture – an internationally-recognized and award-winning regenerative design, consulting, and education center. With a background in the oil and gas industry, Rob saw the need for a global mindset shift. Now he is focused on creating cultivated ecosystems that provide food and other crucial resources… Offer: We all know we should be eating less sugar. But we're constantly bombarded with drinks and snacks loaded with refined sugar might not be as harmless as we thought. Enter Oobli, who JUST launched the world's first beverages to satisfy your sweet tooth with protein! Oobli gives brand new sweet iced teas with sugar-like sweetness without the impact to your health. Get 20% off your Oobli order with promo code GENIUS at oobli.com and try all three delicious, craft-brewed sweet iced teas: lemon, peach, and mango yuzu. Jump in now to explore: What inspired Rob to pursue permaculture. The importance of using energy more efficiently.  The reality of our society's energy consumption. Want to find out more about Rob and his work? Click here now! Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: http://apple.co/30PvU9C

In today’s episode, we are thrilled to welcome Rob Avis, an internationally trained and certified expert in renewable energy and regenerative design. Alongside his wife and business partner, Michelle, Rob co-founded Verge Permaculture, a globally recognized and award-winning company specializing … Continue reading →

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

When I invited Rob Avis of Verge Permaculture to come on the podcast, I thought we'd be talking about food forests and garden design.Little did I know we'd be diving guilt around existence, how to use problems as a roadmap to solutions, and strategies for thinking holistically in every area of life. This is one of my top 5 favorite interviews to date- don't miss it!Be sure to check out Toups & Co, a small homestead family that makes amazing skin products from natural ingredients. Go to ThePrairieHomestead.com/makeup and save 15% with code HOMESTEAD.Learn more about the Modern Homestead Conference here: https://modernhomesteading.com/ Where to find Rob Avis: http://theprairiehomestead.com/verge  Use the code: oldfashioned100 for $100 CAD off any level Permaculture Design Certification (expires May 31, 2023) Weekly musings from my homestead: http://theprairiehomestead.com/letterMy essays on an old-fashioned life: www.prairiephilosophy.comMy homesteading tutorials & recipes: www.theprairiehomestead.comOur Wyoming-raised, grass-finished beef: http://genuinebeefco.comJill on Twitter: http://twitter.com/homesteaderJill on Instagram: @jill.wingerJill on Facebook: http://facebook.com/theprairiehomestead

Energy and food production is constantly evolving, and as resources seem to dwindle, experts are looking at alternative approaches to a multitude of ecological issues. Joining us today to discuss his perspective on this matter is Rob Avis, an expert in renewable energy and regenerative design. Rob is the Owner, Lead Instructor, and Engineer at Verge Permaculture – an internationally-recognized and award-winning regenerative design, consulting, and education center. With a background in the oil and gas industry, Rob saw the need for a global mindset shift. Now he is focused on creating cultivated ecosystems that provide food and other crucial resources… Jump in now to explore: What inspired Rob to pursue permaculture. The importance of using energy more efficiently.  The reality of our society's energy consumption. Want to find out more about Rob and his work? Click here now! Episode also available on Apple Podcast: http://apple.co/30PvU9C

After pursuing international training and certifications in renewable energy and regenerative design, as well as a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Michelle Avis, along with her husband and business partner Rob, began Verge Permaculture in 2010, now a globally-recognized and award-winning design, consulting, and education company. She loves the complexity of working through holistic design challenges to create resilient, eco-sustainable homes, acreages and farms that produce their own energy and food, harvest water, cycle nutrients and restore the surrounding ecosystems. By integrating innovative technology with sound design, her goal is to engineer creative solutions that bring a positive benefit to the environments in which people live and thereby thrive. A frequent instructor in Verge's programming, she is also the co-author of two books, Essential Rainwater Harvesting and Building Your Permaculture Property. Coupled with a deep connection to nature and a passion for growing nutrient-dense food, Michelle's driving goal is to ensure that her work and actions leave this world a better place for future generations to inherit. Dr. Peter Coombes is a Systems Thinker, Scientist, Engineer, Economist, Problem Solver and Policy Analyst, a Provider of alternative perspective and a designer of sustainable cities, projects and buildings. He is a director of Urban Water Cycle Solutions and is currently an editor of the Urban Book of Australian Rainfall and Runoff and was awarded the 2018 GN Alexander medal by Engineers Australia for his contributions to hydrology and water resources. Peter recently contributed to the inquiry into stormwater management held by the Senate of the Australian Parliament and inquiry into Australia's water resources held by the Productivity Commission and was a chief scientist in the Victorian Government. He has held senior academic positions at the University of Newcastle, Melbourne University and Swinburne University and has experience in change processes in government, development of government policy and managing complex engineering business collaborations. His professional and research interests include systems thinking and analysis, hydrology, water resources, economics, molecular sciences, water quality and public policy.   The Rainwater Harvesting Masterclass starts on Jan 25th here: https://vergepermaculture.ca/rainwaterharvestingcourse   Urban Water Cycle Solutions:  https://urbanwatercyclesolutions.com/   Food Forest Abundance: Website: https://foodforestabundance.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FoodForestAbundance Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foodforestabundance/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/FFAbundance LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/food-forest-abundance/   The Jim Gale Show Podcast: https://linktr.ee/jimgaleshow   Sponsored by The Weston A. Price Foundation: https://www.westonaprice.org

Today, we sit down with Rob Avis, the Owner, Lead Instructor, and Engineer at Verge Permaculture. Rob is an expert in regenerative business and eco-entrepreneurship, and he is using his skills to lead the next wave of permaculture education – covering everything from building science to agroecology. In this episode, you will uncover: Why the energy return on fossil fuel may be dwindling.  The limitations of our world's current energy sources.  Why the nutrient density of our food is steadily declining.  What's the future of energy and food production on our planet? Experts like Rob are determined to find out… Want to find out more about Rob and his work? Click here now! Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3bO8R6q

Learn more and register for the Profitable Syntropic Agroforestry course today! Fill out this form to receive free trees and planting support as well as a consultation call with Oliver As we continue through this series on regenerative design we've taken a look at small and residential scale projects with Rob Avis of Verge Permaculture, last week we explored the homestead scale with Drew Grim from The Schoolhouse Life, and this week we're getting into the larger scale of properties and how regenerative design can be applied to farms.  For this subject, my go-to source for practical and professional farm design is always Darren Doherty.  Darren describes himself as a 5th generation Bendigo region land manager, developer, author & trainer who has been involved in the design & development of well over 3000, mostly broadacre projects across 6 continents in more than 50 countries, ranging from 1 million hectare cattle stations in Australia's Kimberly region to 110,000 acre Estancia's in Patagonia, EcoVillage developments in Tasmania to public:private R&D agroforestry & education projects in Viet Nam, novel AG Machinery development + family farms across the globe with a range of private, corporate, government & non-profit clients. Darren is the originator of the Regrarians Platform® process which outlines a strategic & logical process to the development of regenerative agricultural systems and is the program extensively outlined in the Regrarians Handbook which is now being released chapter by chapter as an eBook; along with the Regrarians Workplace which is the online content management and professional liaison platform for all client, associate, training and alumni relations. Though I've interviewed Darren a couple times before on this show, this session in particular was very timely for me as I'm currently working through the Online REX program for the design of my own property while guiding our Climate Farmers Pioneer group through the same process. With a more intimate understanding of Darren's design system I was looking to gain insight to the lineage of his learning and experience as well as the mind behind the process.Darren has a unique way of teaching in that many of his answers to questions come in the form of stories and explain not only the answer you were looking for but the history and context around it so that you can develop your own answers in the future.This interview takes a much more philosophical bend than I had anticipated going into it, and as a result I learned a lot more than what I had expected since I'm now quite familiar with his teaching material. So get comfortable for this one and just let the stories unfold Join the discord discussion channel to answer the weekly questions and learn new skills with the whole community Links: http://www.regrarians.org/  http://www.regrarians.org/webinars-ron/  https://regenerativeskills.com/abundantedge-darrendoherty/ https://regenerativeskills.com/abundantedge-darren-doherty-2/

Check out New Society Publisher's sustainability practices for digital reading Welcome to the very first episode of Season 6 of this show. This podcast has undergone a lot of changes and evolutions since I began as the Abundant Edge podcast back in 2017 in Guatemala. Back then I was working mostly in natural building designing homes and managing construction sites for friends and clients around lake Atitlan, now it's been two and a half years since I moved to Spain to be with my partner, and after years of searching and planning, we're now preparing to move to a new property later this year in the Catalan mountains. Yet through all of these changes, my fascination for the knowledge and stories of folks around the world who are working to regenerate this planet and their communities has only grown.  This year and over the 48 weeks of this podcast season, I want to take you through a learning journey through some of the most important concepts, skills, and experiences that I've come to value in my professional work, as well as the path that I'll be taking to move into our new property and design the place to accomplish the personal, financial, and community goals that my partner and I have set out for ourselves.  I've also been listening keenly to the valuable feedback and ideas that have been coming up from the Discord channel. Many of you there have voiced a clear interest in hearing more in-depth and long form interviews, and so that's exactly what I'll be working to provide.  So to start off this season, I'll be doing a deep dive into the design process from some of the most renowned permaculture and regenerative project planners that I know.  Since all of you are coming from different contexts and resource bases, I'm approaching this topic from different angles.  In this first session I spoke with Rob Avis from Verge Permaculture. For 12 years now he and his wife Michelle along with a growing team of designers have been elevating professional permaculture design in Canada and have written and produced professional resources and educational content in order to make permaculture and environmental design learning accessible to as many people as possible.  Since launching Verge, he's helped more than 5,000 students and a growing number of clients design and/or create integrated systems for shelter, energy, water, waste, and food, all while supporting local economies and regenerating the land.  In 2019, Rob moved to a 65-hectare [160-acre] wooded property in central Alberta, Canada, and now spends most of his free time building his own permaculture property. In this session we covered a lot of ground, but focused on the design process specifically for small and residential scale projects. We talk about the differences in the process at small scales and the advantages and disadvantages of the space limitation.  Rob shares a lot of his personal learning from being a designer and educator for over a decade and the aspects of the learning and observation process that he's expanded or now breezes past. We also spend some focused time talking about the opportunities outside of just growing food that he sees in making a living and building business through the application of  permaculture training. Be sure to stick around all the way till the end where Rob gives a sneak peak at the new blockchain project he's launching this year with the cofounders of the Ethereum cryptocurrency with the goal of regenerating the planet by 2049.  Rob brilliantly mixes a deep and philosophical understanding of earth care and environmental patterns with a practical and focused approach of a career engineer. You'll want to take the time to hear this one all the way through.  Join the discord discussion channel to answer the weekly questions and learn new skills with the whole community Links: Vergepermacuture.ca https://www.youtube.com/c/VergePermaculture https://www.instagram.

Thank you for listening, beautiful soul. If you would like to explore working with me further, I offer: Soulful Connection Group Coaching and Exploration Calls Pathway to Courage Self-Led Course Audio Card Readings Medical Intuition Reports 1:1 Spiritual Guidance All information can be found at https://www.woodlandpriestess.com AND if you're on social media, you can find me on Facebook and Instagram. Until next time...Stay Curious Tawny Stowe | The Woodland Priestess ------------------------------------------------------------ Our guest in this episode: Barbara Eikmans CEO Ecostentialism™ Inc., https://www.ecostentialism.com Barbara provides environmental education and environmental consulting to individuals, businesses and organizations. Ecostentialism™ combines existentialism with environmental psychology to foster the connection between people and the environment. She has a diploma in Architectural Technologies from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT). After finding out that the home builder she was working for had people sign waivers to remove liabilities for low exposure to sour gas in areas where many of the purchasers had English as second language, she decided to return to school to pursue work more in line with her values. She obtained a bachelor of arts degree in Psychology from Athabasca University graduating with a cumulative GPA of 3.74/4.0. She has seven years experience working in front line homelessness in various capacities. Including client services, community facilitation and client sustainability strategy. So many of the theories and premises utilized stem from behaviorism which assumes that people do not have a consciousness. This fundamentally negates everything she has learned about the human condition. Within each of these roles she was an active agent for creating more effective systems and integrating sustainability measures that were put into practice. Barbara created a sustainable clothing based eCommerce company where every component of the business and supply chain were vetted for environmental sustainability and practice. She is currently taking her Permaculture Design Certificate with Verge Permaculture in order to refine her capacity to integrate not only sustainable, but regenerative methodologies into abstract systems within businesses and organizations. Barbara is adept at finding systemic solutions among abstract and organizational systems that manage people. In order to create, refine and adapt those systems so they are as effective as possible, in line with integrity, values-based leadership and incorporate the environment ensuring that the Earth is here today and for the future. She utilizes the triple bottom line model - People | Planet | Profit.

Rob Avis from Verge Permaculture shares tips on passive solar greenhouses.Avis says a key consideration when designing a passive solar greenhouse is whether to optimize the design for light or for thermal efficiency. He says it's a trade off between light and heat. Knowing the balance between light and heat will help inform design choices such as glazing material and the amount of glazing surface.

Let's take a look at the 1st step in the process of creating a design for building your permaculture property. In working in regenerative design for a while and being connected with many other people who make their living this way, myself and a lot of others have begun to identify patterns in the questions and troubles that people reach out to us consultants and designers for. I haven't been in this line of work though nearly as long as the team at Verge Permaculture and so it felt really good to hear that many of the commonalities that they've seen from clients and students mirror my own experience. The truth is that permaculture is a very broad design philosophy that can feel overwhelming even with years of experience, especially at the beginning of a project when you're still gathering information about your ecology and context and when you see so much potential in front of you. For this reason it can be extremely helpful to have a guide that outlines a process that can illuminate and simplify the options available to you and cut through the overwhelm.  Throughout this season I'll be teaming up with the members of Verge Permaculture to show you the process that they've outlined in their new book, Building your Permaculture Property.  In five clear steps, their process can guide you through the minefield of choices and pitfalls while designing your project and then implementing the design.  Step 0 inspect your paradigm Step 1 Clarify your vision, values, and resources Step 2 Diagnose your resources for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats Step 3 Design your resources to meet your vision and values Step 4 Implement the Right Design That Will Most Improve Your Weakest Resource Step 5 Monitor Your Resources for Indicators of Well-being or Suffering In today's episode I'll be speaking with Takota Coen of Coen Farm in Alberta Canada about Step 0 and Step 1 to start you on the process of design and implementation.  For those of you who want to get ahead of the game and learn from more than 15 of the biggest names in Permaculture on how to transform your property, the authors Takota, Rob, and Michelle will be hosting their online summit for the release of the book from April 23-25th. The summit is completely free and you can register at mypermacultureproperty.com So let's get started at the beginning. Takota began our discussion by explaining the 5 common problems that he and the team at Verge repeatedly hear about which lead to the 5 step process in the book. Get the resource packet for this episode! Join the discord discussion channel to answer the weekly questions and learn new skills with the whole community Links: https://vergepermaculture.ca/building-your-permaculture-property-summit https://vergepermaculture.ca/ https://www.coenfarm.ca/ Want to learn more about permaculture and regenerative design? Check out these previous episodes: https://regenerativeskills.com/abundantedge-daniel-halsey/ https://regenerativeskills.com/https-www-abundantedge-com-abundantedge-daniel-christian-wahl/ https://regenerativeskills.com/abundantedge-nelson-lebo/

In this podcast my colleague, co-author and friend Rob Avis shares his insights, on peak energy/food, intermittent fasting, bioregional diets and how a permaculture approach to your diet can help you to heal yourself, and heal the planet. Rob and his wife Michelle are the founders of the globally-recognized and award-winning ( http://vergepermaculture.ca/events/permaculture-design-certicate-calgary-week-ends/blog/2015/09/21/winner-of-the-24th-emerald-foundation-award/ ) design, consulting, and education company, Verge Permaculture. ( https://vergepermaculture.ca/ ) For the past decade they have helped more than 1000 students and a growing number of clients to design and/or create integrated systems for shelter, energy, water, waste and food, all while supporting local economy and regenerating the land. I often refer to Rob as an Amateur Holistic Nutritionist, and if you watch the video you will see why! In this podcast Rob shares his wisdom on: * His health transformation from a "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Diet" * How insulin was the original root cellar and why it makes you eat until you hate yourself * Bioregional Probiotics: The most important thing you can grow in your own back yard * Why peak oil, peak energy, peak phosphorus could equal peak food * Intermittent fasting * How a pig is a cross between a coconut tree and olive tree * The prime directive of permaculture * Selfishness intelligence: how do we meet our needs while enhancing the biosphere. * How he ate his way into not wearing glasses anymore, and eliminating his hypoglycaemia * His 5 step process for experimenting with his personal optimal diet * And so much more! Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/building-your-permaculture-property/donations

Join farmer, educator and author Takota Coen as he explores how you can design and develop land anywhere in the world to provide for your food, water, shelter, energy, and other needs in a way that is good for all people, the planet and our future. Takota Coen is the co-author of "Building Your Permaculture Property: A 5 Step Process To Design and Develop Land", an instructor with Verge Permaculture, and co-owner of Coen Farm, a 250 acre award winning permaculture farm, in Alberta Canada. Find out more at www.mypermacultureproperty.com Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/building-your-permaculture-property/donations

Donate to The Permaculture Podcast Online: via PayPal Venmo: @permaculturepodcast My guest today is Rob Avis, a permaculture practitioner from Calgary, Canada, and one of the founders of Verge Permaculture. He joined me during the Covid-19 pandemic to discuss what we can do to creatively respond to this and other crises. This includes our role as teachers and leaders while others are struggling for security, and how we can build resilience in our homes and our communities. He shares how together we can soften the blow to ourselves and others by preparing for the economic changes possible in the scenarios of hyperinflation, deflationary contraction, and hyper-stagflation, the latter of which he sees as the most likely outcome of those three at this time.  A past guest of the show we get rolling with his thoughts on how to handle what we're currently facing, so I've linked to Rob's earlier interviews in the show notes below if you'd like to learn more about his background, his work on harvesting rainwater, and the framework he and his business partner Takota Coen have developed to simplify the application of permaculture to agriculture. Find out more about Rob and his work at VergePermaculture.ca, and more through the links below. I agree with Rob that now is a vital time for us to continue our education, take a role in creating resilience in our communities, and shift the narrative of what is possible. For ourselves, we can turn to our books, the University of YouTube, or the online classrooms like Coursera to work on expanding our knowledge. Now would be a great time to take that online Permaculture Design Course if you're still looking for one. If you have skills to share, we can contact our friends and family and see what they want to learn more about. Can we help them with their garden design? Help them repair something around the home? If you're a permaculture teacher, now is a good time to work on those online classes you wanted to put together. Begin sharing your knowledge through one-on-one consulting or webinars. For our communities, we can coordinate seed swaps by mail, and eventually in person. We can make those phone calls to the city council or the mayor's office to begin the conversation about chickens or other micro-livestock, or about expanding community garden efforts so people have access to land, or grow their own food. To help with these, I've included links in the show notes to resources for each including some places offering online classes; software to connect remotely or run webinars of your own; and to organizations working on policy change. If you have any resources that come to mind others should know about, leave a comment in the show notes. And of course, I'm always here to help you move your projects forward. Until the next time, creatively respond to these uncertain times, while taking care of Earth, your self, and each other. Previous Interviews with Rob Avis Rob Avis on the Essentials of Rainwater Harvesting The Adaptive Habitat Program Related Interviews Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness Edenspore Resources Verge Permaculture Spanish Flu Waves (CDC) The Great Influenza, a great book on the 1918 pandemic by John Barry. Economist Mark Blyth Online Classes (General Education) EdX Harvard University Free Online Classes Coursera Free Classes Online Meeting and Webinar Software Cisco WebEx GoToMeeting Zoom Micro-Livestock Backyard Chicken Project How to get your city to allow backyard chickens (Grist) Raising Chickens in the City (Mother Earth Living)    

My guest today is Rob Avis, a permaculture practitioner from Calgary, Canada, and one of the founders of Verge Permaculture. He joined me during the Covid-19 pandemic to discuss what we can do to creatively respond to this and other crises.  This includes our role as teachers and leaders while others are struggling for security, […] The post Creatively Responding to a Crisis | Rob Avis appeared first on The Permaculture Podcast.

Episode Highlights:Rob's journey from being a pipeline engineer to permacultureHow harvesting energy coincides with permacultureDifference between the rebuild and resetWhy community groups are more important than gardeningWhy do we need to consider using alternative currenciesHow Rob is preparing for the big changes brought about by the pandemicWhy podcasts are more important than the pressA note by Katie LaMonteAbout Rob AvisWith over 15 years of combined experience in engineering, project management, ecological design and sustainable technologies, Rob co-owns Adaptive Habitat – a unique and leading edge property design and management company in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. As a skilled Professional Engineer, he offers a depth of practical expertise in building science and appropriate technology (solar, wind, combined heat & power), as well as rainwater harvesting, agro-ecology, ecosystem engineering, soil regeneration and onsite wastewater treatment / septic design.His extensive project management experience includes site analysis, technical design, cost estimating and scheduling, through to commissioning and construction.He holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Alberta, interned at the Folkecenter for Renewable Energy in Denmark, and co-founded Verge Permaculture in 2008, now an internationally-recognized & award-winning regenerative design, consulting, and education centre. With over 15 years of combined experience in engineering, project management, ecological design and sustainable technologies, Rob co-owns Adaptive Habitat – a unique and leading edge property design and management company in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. As a skilled Professional Engineer, he offers a depth of practical expertise in building science and appropriate technology (solar, wind, combined heat & power), as well as rainwater harvesting, agro-ecology, ecosystem engineering, soil regeneration and onsite wastewater treatment / septic design.His extensive project management experience includes site analysis, technical design, cost estimating and scheduling, through to commissioning and construction.He holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Alberta, interned at the Folkecenter for Renewable Energy in Denmark, and co-founded Verge Permaculture in 2008, now an internationally-recognized & award-winning regenerative design, consulting, and education centre. Online Permaculture Design Course with Josh RobinsonThe Online Permaculture Design Course

Donate to The Permaculture Podcast Online: via PayPal Venmo: @permaculturepodcast Each winter, in those weeks between Christmas and the new year, I sit down and look forward to what the year ahead holds. For 2020 my main focus is on finishing The Possibility Handbook. Until that project is complete, I'm visiting the podcast archives to re-release some of the very best of the show from the past nine years. If you've been a long-time listener and want to hear something that is no longer available through iTunes or elsewhere, let me know and I'll get it in the re-release queue. If you are a new listener who would like to hear an interview on a particular topic or with a member of the permaculture community, leave a comment in the show notes. If I already have an episode recorded, I'll get that posted. If not, I'll add it to the master list of guests and subjects to cover for this year. When regular releases resume I'm looking at a mix of one-off interviews and episodic seasons. The former so we can continue to hear the latest from the world of permaculture; regenerative programs; social change; food and foraging. The latter to take a comprehensive look at a given subject. Recordings for these deep investigative looks are underway with Rob Avis and Takota Coen of Verge Permaculture, to look at the breadth of their Adaptive Habitat Program. As this episode comes out, I'm sitting down with Allen Clements of Forest Ranch Regen to talk about Biodynamic Agriculture and the philosophy of Rudolph Steiner from the perspective of a new practitioner, leading to larger discussions with biodynamic teachers and leaders. As some of you may know, last year I took on regular employment in order to continue to meet my healthcare needs, as auto-immune disorders and a family history of cancer and diabetes aren't fun). My hours there and family needs (as we've had several losses this year) have kept me from producing the show with the same regularity as the first eight years. To return to the place of regular work on the podcast while meeting my needs, I'm transitioning employment to the world of nonprofit fundraising and freelance and contract grant writing. If you are working on any projects and need some help there, let me know. I'm also in the middle of creating (finally!) a 501(c)3 non-profit to raise and hold funds for projects related to (you guessed it) taking care of Earth, ourselves, and each other. The last conversation with Joshua Hughes and Amanda Wilson reminded me of the resources available in the world of philanthropy that can only be unlocked by the right organizational structure and support. After spending time in the world of nonprofits and working on policy issues earlier in my career, these various projects feel like a good fit for where to go behind the scenes in order to keep the show on the air. As those projects launch, I'm looking for board members. If you are interested, send a cover letter and a copy of your CV to me expressing your interest. Finally, I'm also taking the show on the road again to offer workshops and classes on permaculture, social design, and community engagement; as well as podcasting and storytelling. I'm also looking to record in-person interviews with regional experts in front of live local audiences. If you'd like to host something like this where you live, or are interested in anything else mentioned in this episode, the email address to get in touch is: The Permaculture Podcast As we start the year, if you'd like to be part of sharing this vision with the world, become a personal supporter of The Permaculture Podcast by giving online at: paypal.me/permaculturepodcast Become an ongoing member of the community: www.patreon.com/permaculturepodcast Or drop something in the mail: The Permaculture Podcast The Permaculture Podcast All my best to you, until we meet again. Visit our Sponsors VerdEnergia Pacifica Food Forest Card Game The Fifth World Pip Magazine Acres U.S.A. Visit the Affiliate Page

Rob Avis, along with his wife Michelle, are the owners and lead instructors at Verge Permaculture, an internationally recognized and award-winning permaculture design company from Calgary, Alberta. They have taught permaculture to thousands of students, offering expertise in building science and appropriate technology as well as rainwater harvesting, agro-ecology, ecosystem engineering, soil regeneration, and wastewater treatment.   Rob and Michelle Avis also founded Adaptive Habitat, a unique and leading-edge property design and management company that leverages the couple's collective experience in engineering, project management, ecological design, and sustainable technologies.   In this podcast episode, Rob sheds light on the importance of learning about bioregionality so that we can better support the regeneration of our local ecosystems and divorce our globalized food system from its reliance on fossil fuels; why we need to rebuild community-based self-sufficiency for sustainability and not have to depend on a centralized food system, power system, water supply, and so forth; and more.   Episode notes: www.greendreamer.com/184 Weekly solutions-based news: www.greendreamer.com  Support the show: www.greendreamer.com/support  Instagram: www.instagram.com/greendreamerpodcast

Today's episode is a BEST OF episode, which is a replay of a previously aired episode.  Enjoy! Engineer and permie Rob Avis from Verge Permaculture talks about building and designing passive solar greenhouses. Key Takeaways:   It is very important to have thermal mass in the greenhouse. Thermal mass absorbs the surplus heat during the date and radiates it back out at night. Know what your goals are for the greenhouse. Why are you building it? You can't over-vent a greenhouse. Thermal curtains can cut heat loss drastically through the glazing.   Listen to past episodes at https://www.paperpot.co/podcast Increase farm efficiency with the Paperpot Transplanter and Other Small Farm Equipment at https://www.paperpot.co/ Follow PaperpotCo on Instagram https://instagram.com/paperpot Follow Diego on Instagram https://instagram.com/diegofooter

Rob Avis is a petroleum engineer-turned-permaculture designer with many years of boots-on-the-ground experience in developing regenerative living systems. He runs the Canadian design company Verge Permaculture, as well as the consulting firm Adaptive Habitat.For this installment of the show, Rob joins me to talk about Essential Rainwater Harvesting, the book that he co-authored with his wife Michelle, released earlier this year.If you're curious about getting started with rainwater harvesting, whether for irrigation, washing, drinking, or all of the above, I think this conversation will serve as a great primer!Among other things, Rob walks me through all of the basic components of a catchment system and how to approach the design process. We also talk about the importance of seeking out high-quality information in a world thoroughly saturated with poorly researched blog posts and YouTube videos and the like. I hope you find it as helpful as I did!

In keeping with the theme of water regeneration this month I spoke to Rob Avis, the co-author along with Michelle Avis of their book in the New Society Essentials series called Rain Water Harvesting. Rob and Michelle founded Verge Permaculture, an award-winning design, consulting and education company in Calgary, Alberta after years of international training in renewable energy and regenerative design. Since its founding, Verge has helped more than 1000 students and clients to design and create integrated systems for shelter, energy, water, waste, and food, all while supporting their local economy and regenerating the land. Through their design and consulting they create havens that produce their own energy and food, harvest water, cycle nutrients, and restore the surrounding ecosystems, enabling property owners to thrive no matter what. With such a broad range of knowledge, experience, and expertise, we focused mainly on rain water harvesting techniques and systems in this episode as an entry into the larger concept of watershed regeneration and revival. In this session Rob explains some of the key components of rain water harvesting systems and the ways that you can treat and filter the water for various uses. We talk at length about why expensive filters and disinfectants are often unnecessary, even for most potable water uses, and the different ways you can keep your stored rainwater clean. Rob also speaks about how rainwater harvesting systems fit into a larger system aimed toward water resilience in multiple living contexts from urban to rural applications. I've been a big fan of Verge Permaculture and all their great work for some time now and I'm intending to create a larger series of in depth talks with Rob and Michelle in the future so if you enjoy this episode and have further questions that you'd like to hear us cover in future talks, then by all means send your questions and feedback to me at info@abundanedge.com or in the comments in the show notes on the website. Resources: Buy the book “Essentials: Rainwater Harvesting” Verge Permaculture Website Verge Youtube channel Are you the owner or promotions manager for a regenerative business or organization looking to get your message out to a larger audience? Finding your target audience for regenerative products and services can be tough, especially while the movement is still in its infancy and awareness around the importance of ethical business still has a long way to go. If you want to tap into a network of informed and motivated people with strong environmental and community ethics who vote with their purchases then you've come to the right place. The Abundant Edge podcast now has more than 30,000 monthly listeners around the world and is growing fast. These are listeners who are actively involved in the regeneration of our planet and are enthusiastically supporting businesses and projects that reflect their priorities. We now offer competitive sponsorship packages for single episodes and discounted rates for multiple episodes, social media campaigns, promotional videos and more. The best part is that all your investment goes straight into making this podcast the best resource for regenerative skills education that it can be. Because of our commitment to the integrity of our message and our affiliations, this offer is only open to businesses and organizations that are as committed to regenerative work as we are. If this sounds like a good fit for you, go to the show notes for this episode to fill out the collaborator application form. We look forward to helping you reach your highest potential. Collaborator's Application form Name * Name First Name Last Name Email * Tell us about your business and why its "regenerative" * Where can we look to learn more about your business or organization? * Which of our services are you interested in? * Choose as many that apply Podcast sponsorship space Social media exposure Promotional video

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.

Donate to The Permaculture Podcast Online: via PayPal Venmo: @permaculturepodcast In this episode co-host David Bilbrey sits down for a group interview the co-founders of Propagate Ventures, with Ethan, Jeremy, and Harry. Together they share how they bring agroforestry to existing farms using direct investment. Through these efforts they also show that farming, agriculture, and regenerative business hold a place in the portfolio of the investment class, allowing those who practice Earth care to take advantage of the resources that might not be available to them otherwise. You can learn more about their work towards on-farm investing and agroforestry at propagateventures.com, and if you'd like to know more about regenerative business and news, check out their sister site, propagate.org. This is David's last interview that came his trip to ReGen18. Would you like him to return to ReGen19 and bring you more about regenerative business? Let him know: david@thepermaculturepodcast.com Do you have any questions on Regenerative Business? Would you like to know more about anything covered in David's series or any other episodes in the archives? Would you love to hear a particular subject included in the future as David and I plan the second and third quarter of 2019? Get in touch: The Permaculture Podcast Or drop something in the mail: The Permaculture Podcast The Permaculture Podcast This week and next I'm recording the interviews for February and early March. Some of those include Rob Avis of Verge Permaculture to talk about harvesting rainwater, Kirsten Lei-Nielsen of Hostile Valley Living and what it takes to become a homesteader, and Zev Friedman and Mutual Aid Societies. You can catch those in the upcoming weeks. Until then, spend each day bringing together your expertise and your vision of a beautiful future while taking care of Earth, yourself, and each other. Resources Terra Genesis International Regrarians

  In this episode that first aired live on the radio show, we talk with Rob Avis of Verge Permaculture about passive solar greenhouses. Rob shares suggestions about glazing materials, orientation, insulation, ventilation, soil, irrigation, and thermal mass.

Robert Avis from Verge Permaculture joins us for an overtime interview. This guy does amazing things with plants, engineering yards to be thriving ecologies unto themselves. But he leads us down a few very interesting roads and makes us question what science is telling us - or isn't telling us - in a fun and provocative way. Rob's Reading List: The Black Swan: Second Edition: The Impact of the Highly Improbable: With a new section: "On Robustness and Fragility" - Nassim Taleb The End of Food: How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our Food Supply-And What You Can Do About It - Thomas Pawlick Pandora's Seed: Why the Hunter-Gatherer Holds the Key to Our Survival - Spencer Wells Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It - Gary Taubes

Learn more at www.permaculturevoices.com/151 There had always been that group of design-centric permaculturalists focused on the process, not the techniques. The Toby Hemenways and Larry Santoyos of the world, the Darren Dohertys and the Ben Falks, The Richard Perkins, and my guest today, Rob Avis. They are all just a small sample of a larger subset that's focused on permaculture a design process, and only a design process. To them it's just another tool in the toolbox. A tool that you have at your disposal that when needed and applied correctly, can make your job easier. It's through the readings and conversations with these people that I have re-embraced permaculture for what it was a intended to be, and how I initially came about it. And a big key in that return to permaculture as a tool, were the conversations that I had with Rob Avis of Verge Permaculture. Like me Rob comes from an engineering background, and he came to permaculture after having been an engineer. For him, permaculture gave him another tool to use and way to re-purpose his engineering career. Permaculture gave him a way to richen and deepen his design work and engineering versus diluting it. And it was in one of our conversations where he said something that stopped me in my tracks, and changed my paradigm on the spot. He said, "Diego, it doesn't matter what anyone is saying or doing with permaculture, no matter how irrelevant it may seem. Permaculture is simply another tool in the toolbox, and if it makes my job easier, then I will use it. Like a hammer, it doesn't matter what people are saying or claiming about a hammer, when you need to drive a nail you use a hammer, and when you, I don't pay attention." It was that simple idea of permaculture being a tool, regardless of what claims people make, it's still a tool, that really reset my perspective on permaculture. Suddenly all the bogus claims didn't matter, and I had something in my back pocket that made things easier, it was Permaculture - Another Tool in The Toolbox. Support the show at www.permaculturevoices.com/support

Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/139 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support If you have kids and you are self-employed and you work from home, getting work done in that environment can be a challenge. Today Rob Avis is going to talk about some of his methodologies for balancing out working at home and what techniques he uses to plan out his week. Rob is a busy guy co-running two companies (Adaptive Habitat and Verge Permaculture) with his wife Michelle, and he does it from his house, raising two young kids, so he has had a lot of experience getting serious work done in the heat of it. Rob's also one of the smartest guys that I know. He's an avid reader and he thinks a lot about this type of stuff, so I was really curious how he is approaching raising kids, how he is choosing to school his kids and why. He's one of those guys that I go to when I am questioning a decision that I am making. He usually has a lot of insight into things that make me really think about what I am doing and why. It's something that I think we all need in our life. Overall this message is part life hacking, part parent hacking, part hard dose of reality. Learn more at permaculturevoices.com/139 Support the show at permaculturevoices.com/support

The Salatin Semester, a comprehensive course featuring the teachings of you-know-who, is the latest educational offering from Verge Permaculture. I review the course. After that: a conversation with Eric Barnhorst about his take on a home-made vacuum seeder, and some of his approaches to working with soil blocks. Eric submitted some photos of his vacuum seeder and his soil block trays. Check them out at theruminant.ca

Engineer and permie Rob Avis from Verge Permaculture talks about building and designing passive solar greenhouses. Key Takeaways: Orientation. In Northern hemisphere orient it South or within 45 degrees of South. Higher the glazing transmisivity is, the better it is for the plants. Don't underestimate the value of good insulation in the walls of the greenhouse. Rob uses R-20 in Calgary. Keep in mind insulation doesn't stop heat loss, it just slows it down. In lower light conditions look to plants that are adapted to growing in lower light conditions. A hoop house may be a viable alternative in lower light conditions. It is very important to have thermal mass in the greenhouse. Thermal mass absorbs the surplus heat during the date and radiates it back out at night. Know what your goals are for the greenhouse. Why are you building it? You can't over-vent a greenhouse. Thermal curtains can cut heat loss drastically through the glazing. Show Notes: www.permaculturevoices.com/88

Rob Avis of Verge Permaculture joins me to talk about the business of permaculture - a right livelihood.We live in a world where we are surrounded by environmental liabilities that have a real economic impact. So why not solve those problems and earn a living in the process?Rob talks a lot about approaching permaculture as a profession. What opportunities are out there. What works in permaculture based business and what doesn't. And how we in the permaculture community should embrace business, charge an appropriate price for our services while we solve the world's problems.This episode should dismiss the myth of the pauper and permaculture. There are legitimate large scale problems that need to be solved. And permaculture provides a matrix of solutions to solve those problems. There are a huge number of business opportunities out there do what you love to do, earn a living, and make a better world. The hardest part? Just getting started.Show Notes: www.permaculturevoices.com/35

Climate change may be the biggest challenge humanity has ever faced. If the present trend continues, the world will likely experience a severe average increase in temperature by the end of this century, endangering our civilization, as we know it. The speaker will argue it is time to put the climate change debate behind us and get on with the tasks at hand. We will need to both mitigate and adapt. Food insecurity for example is already an issue many places on the globe and will probably get worse as we head into a warmer world. It is however not too late to avoid the worst effects of climate change if we act now. Luckily, many strategies are available to reduce the risks, but political will is lagging on when, where and how to start. The speaker will discuss important facts about the impacts of climate change on food security both here and in other parts of the world as well as climate change mitigation and adaptation options at the grassroots level. Speaker: Sandy Aberdeen Sandy completed the Environmental Management program at the University of Calgary 16 years ago. A Leadership for the Environment and Development (LEAD) fellow, Sandy and his son started Calgary's first single site urban farm. He has recently completed a permaculture design course with Verge Permaculture, and in August 2012 received training from Al Gore to present on The Climate Reality Project. Taking the Environmental Management Program helped Sandy understand environmental issues and challenges. The more he learns about climate change and global warming the more concerned he becomes and he feels morally and ethically obligated to work on making a difference.

Climate change may be the biggest challenge humanity has ever faced. If the present trend continues, the world will likely experience a severe average increase in temperature by the end of this century, endangering our civilization, as we know it. The speaker will argue it is time to put the climate change debate behind us and get on with the tasks at hand. We will need to both mitigate and adapt. Food insecurity for example is already an issue many places on the globe and will probably get worse as we head into a warmer world. It is however not too late to avoid the worst effects of climate change if we act now. Luckily, many strategies are available to reduce the risks, but political will is lagging on when, where and how to start. The speaker will discuss important facts about the impacts of climate change on food security both here and in other parts of the world as well as climate change mitigation and adaptation options at the grassroots level. Speaker: Sandy Aberdeen Sandy completed the Environmental Management program at the University of Calgary 16 years ago. A Leadership for the Environment and Development (LEAD) fellow, Sandy and his son started Calgary's first single site urban farm. He has recently completed a permaculture design course with Verge Permaculture, and in August 2012 received training from Al Gore to present on The Climate Reality Project. Taking the Environmental Management Program helped Sandy understand environmental issues and challenges. The more he learns about climate change and global warming the more concerned he becomes and he feels morally and ethically obligated to work on making a difference.

Climate change may be the biggest challenge humanity has ever faced. If the present trend continues, the world will likely experience a severe average increase in temperature by the end of this century, endangering our civilization, as we know it. The speaker will argue it is time to put the climate change debate behind us and get on with the tasks at hand. We will need to both mitigate and adapt. Food insecurity for example is already an issue many places on the globe and will probably get worse as we head into a warmer world. It is however not too late to avoid the worst effects of climate change if we act now. Luckily, many strategies are available to reduce the risks, but political will is lagging on when, where and how to start. The speaker will discuss important facts about the impacts of climate change on food security both here and in other parts of the world as well as climate change mitigation and adaptation options at the grassroots level. Speaker: Sandy Aberdeen Sandy completed the Environmental Management program at the University of Calgary 16 years ago. A Leadership for the Environment and Development (LEAD) fellow, Sandy and his son started Calgary's first single site urban farm. He has recently completed a permaculture design course with Verge Permaculture, and in August 2012 received training from Al Gore to present on The Climate Reality Project. Taking the Environmental Management Program helped Sandy understand environmental issues and challenges. The more he learns about climate change and global warming the more concerned he becomes and he feels morally and ethically obligated to work on making a difference.