Bradley Springer

I actually found Permaculture through Paleo. The two go hand in hand, imo.

You don't have to be a vagabond to be Paleo. I think life on a homestead closely mimics the daily movement of our hunter gatherer ancestors. Homesteaders spend most of their day moving slowly, and occasionally lifting heavy things.


As for the health benefits, all I can say is use your own body as an experiment. I was a tad skeptical myself, but with an autoimmune disorder I really didn't have much to lose. Before and after blood work was all I needed to become a believer. And the subsiding of my symptoms was a huge relief.

I also must stress that sleep is probably the most important aspect of this lifestyle. Imagine early man finding a nice big patch of berries. They probably hung out for a few days not doing much of anything but goofing off and sleeping.

I think it helps push the linked page towards the top of search engine results.

I'm near ground zero. I like the chicken moat idea, but I currently cannot own chickens due to city laws. So while I work on changing that, does anyone know what type of wild bird(s) to attract to help keep the ticks down?

I know we all hate lawn mowers, but what about a strip of lawn that circles the property cut really short so birds can more easily see the ticks?

Paper products are comparatively benign. If you have the means to mulch with natural products already on site, then great. Most of us are starting from scratch and we have to use what's available to us. I have a source for non glossy cardboard, so I use it heavily in sheet mulching. My only other options are straw and wood chips, but both cost money and fuel and may contain pesticides.

I'll take my chances with cardboard.

We have to keep the benefits vs risk/harm in perspective. You could mulch the desert with 2 feet of compostable garbage to retain water. Some would protest this as horrible thing to do, and others would embrace the garbage because it's a low risk waste stream achieving huge benefits.

Anyone try planting with peat moss then maintaining Ph with the irrigation water by adding vinegar to it?

You will create more micro climates with a 90 degree orientation. The windy side will be dryer and cooler so you could match plantings according to their preferred environment.

Sounds about right. The problem with the raw capitalism model in the modern world is simply dependence on other systems. People can be exploited when they NEED products like food, water, and energy. Permacultre provides mechanisms to alleviate these needs, which creates a surplus of abundance (read that in Lawton's voice), and consequently lowers demand for the product. Lower demand = lower prices.

Is it possible (in theory) for every individual in the world to be a self sufficient "island"? What about every family? Every neighborhood? Wherever you draw the line, these autonomous islands can now participate in voluntary interaction with the other islands.

When analyzing the ethics of a economic system we have to consider individual rights as well. The existence of a right like freedom of speech doesn't immediately place a burden on other people. Healthcare and education are the products of another person's labor. And the right to another person's labor is slavery. This of course brings in all sorts of moral issues with taxation and collectivism. Can permaculture design provide ample healthcare and education for the world's population? If not, how much can it reduce the need for these products?

There's so much to consider when designing an economic system with permaculture as a fundamental principal. Balancing the potential of abuse and individual freedom is difficult and messy. Perhaps we need another ethic that simply states "Don't be an asshole."

But whether you're a communist, capitalist, or anything in between, driving self reliance (via permaculture) as close to the individual level as possible should be a priority.

Not allowed. Currently rallying troops from gardening FB groups to make a go at it.

Chicago, LA, and NY all allow chickens to some degree. That's usually enough to convince the average person. City bureaucrats are a tough nut to crack around here. HOA mentality at all levels of government.

I had to sign up just to say that AS changed my life entirely. It really opened my eyes to the old cliche "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

As far as selfishness and objectivism go, I think the world would be a better place if people focused on their own dreams and desires and made them happen. Too often I see people that only criticize the dreams and accomplishments of others- all while demanding a piece of pie for themselves.

I could go on, but I think I'll save it for the politics forum on a rainy day.

Anyways, thanks for the great forum. I was just honestly shocked to see Rand viewed in a positive light here. But now that I think about it, permaculturists are "doers" not takers, so it really does makes sense.