new forums

We had requests a while back in the Europe forum for a separate UK forum, too. Not really sure that we get enough UK specific posts for it yet though.

Yeah, would like a tools forum, so could find one when i can't remember the exact type i saw in some random post.

Would also like to see a " read these" or "baselines" or Stickies type forum, where we can leave posts or book lists to refer newbies too.

Zoe Wroten wrote:

We just added "appalachia". Maybe after you posted this. I have to admit that my knowledge of the eastern US is a bit weak. Do you think your suggestion still works?

I know I would use a "Northeast" or "New England" forum a lot more than I would an "Eastern US". I might be interested in what Permies from, say, NY have to say. But Maryland, for example, is still the east coast but not Appalachia, and probably has little or nothing to do with my area or climate, nor would I travel that far for an event. Thanks, Paul!

Northeast or New England would be a good addition. Once you get below NY, most New Englander's consider it "the South". Might as well be another country as far as most are concerned.

How about a thread for Media? Video, audio etc. Perhaps a "Media Dump" for links to online teaching tools. Not for discussion, just a media dump. All copyrights respected of course.

I'm wondering if "mason bees" shouldn't be expanded to include other solitary bees and bumble bees. and if we go that far, maybe other pollinating insects, like wasps and syrphids. butterflies?

I would stop short of including bats and hummingbirds, though where those would fit in the current arrangement, I'm not sure.

Paul, could you include Straw Clay in the Cob forum, unless there has been enough interest already to warrant its own forum? (oops, I forgot to add that Wattle and Daub might also be appropriate with Cob)

Also, how about a forum on Thatching and other organic building methods using bamboo, reeds, straw, saplings, brush, leaves, fronds, vines, etc.?

I think that this new setup greatly enhances the site as a research tool, as well as building a tighter community amongst those with similar interests. Everything about topic x will now be in one place. Much easier for members to put together the puzzle than it was before with many related posts scattered around a half dozen forums.

For those who navigate the site from the "Recent Topics" option, may I suggest that next time you log on, click on the forums in the header to each thread. This will take you to the home page for the 'new-and-improved' listing of forums. I think you will be pleased with the greater number of specialized forums available, and their organization.

Perhaps, we will see fewer posts that begin "I hope I posted this in the right place..."
Staff have also edited many of the older post's titles. Instead of it saying "Need help", it will now say something more like "Need help (getting rid of) Bermuda grass". This makes it much easier to see which threads are relevant to what you are interested in. It also makes search results quicker and more relevant.

Join in and learn. Join in and share. That's what the internet is supposed to be all about.

Enjoy the new functionality of the site.

I'm taking an online Permaculture Design Certification class and I would like to see a forum for us "onliners" to discuss our progress and have dialogue. I am taking the course with 6 of my family and friends and we could certainly use the forum. It would also hook up new PDC people with our greater Permaculture Family by networking with us/y'all.

I live in the woods near Asheville, N.C. in the Appalachian Mts. Yeaaaaaaaaa!
Well, Applachia would be a good forum since it has a different biodiversity than either north or south of here.
We are second to the Amazon Rainforest in biodiversity....maybe first now.

@Art - Are you planning to attend the SE Permaculture Gathering in Celo next month? If so, I look forward to seeing you there! That is another idea for a new forum (or perhaps it already fits into an existing one?) - a place where people can begin threads dedicated to a particular permaculture event. Attendees and hosts of the event could exchange info beforehand and keep up with one another afterwards, including swapping photos.

BTW, Art, there already is a regional forum for Appalachia. It's very new, so you should post something in it! : )

~ Matthew N., southern transplant

Art Freeman wrote:I'm taking an online Permaculture Design Certification class and I would like to see a forum for us "onliners" to discuss our progress and have dialogue. I am taking the course with 6 of my family and friends and we could certainly use the forum. It would also hook up new PDC people with our greater Permaculture Family by networking with us/y'all.

I guess I'm having a hard time following this one. If you wanted to talk about, say, animals in the landscape, wouldn't you just do it in the critters forum?

I'm trying to figure out what sort of discussion would go on there.

For the "homestead" section, what forums have I left out?

I currently have:

ponds
earthworks
gear
homestead
farm income
wwoof

Coming soon:

energy:

saving energy, solar, hydro, wind, jean pain (inlcudes biogas), alternative, wood burning stoves, transportation, bio-diesel

///////////////////

what have I left out?

...Feng Shui? ; )

Is there any chance of a horse forum in the critter care?

Katy Whitby-last wrote:Is there any chance of a horse forum in the critter care?

Well, I guess I forgot about horses. I suppose it might be one of those places that could be a permaculture vector (bring people in to learn about permaculture).

I just checked: there are lots of threads about horse stuff.

If somebody on the staff is willing to move a bunch of threads to the new forum, I'll create it.

I was on another website (http://www.happyearth.com.au/media/) that listed this link: Top 10 fruit trees for urban spaces. I wonder if a thread for "Top 10 ________" such as guilds, perennials (herbs, fruits, vegetables, etc.) would be helpful? I know it varies depending on your location and climate; perhaps it should also list or be listed in region? Thinking out loud I guess.

WIki Appalachian Mountains with map

Hi Paul,

Thank you for adding the Appalachia forum. The matter is that the Appalachian Mountains run from the north in CANADA all the way south to Alabama. So, there are many growing zones and regions involved in "Appalachia." Even the categories "northern Appalachia, Central Appalachia, and Southern Appalachia leave many areas together which would bewilder folks.

So, perhaps other folks can come up with ideas about how to remedy this. Perhaps it is best to keep with regions such as Northeast, New England, Mid-Atlantic Coastal, Southeastern Coastal, Southern Coastal, Southern. and/or add to those titles which states and areas are included in that grouping. South Central, etc.

If a title such as Southern Mountains is used, then states like Tennessee have mountains in the east and flat areas west of Middle Tennessee towards Memphis.

Onward and upward.

THANK YOU for this amazing website and all the dedication of all the moderators and many members who make this a safe and fun place to learn about many topics.

I think we need an Education Forum. I kept looking for it thinking I had to be wrong that it had to be here somewhere...

Matt Powers wrote:I think we need an Education Forum. I kept looking for it thinking I had to be wrong that it had to be here somewhere...

What sort of stuff would be in such a forum?

I think it might be useful to add the following:

Earthmoving:
-discussions about machines and implementing large scale projects like Swales and berms

Technology:
-computers and programming and more;

paul wheaton wrote:

Matt Powers wrote:I think we need an Education Forum. I kept looking for it thinking I had to be wrong that it had to be here somewhere...

What sort of stuff would be in such a forum?

For starters:

- Reviews of Permaculture Design Courses, comparisons & critiques both online & in person
- Reviews of Educational Materials
- Feedback Loop to connect HomeSchool Parent Teachers, Public School Teachers, Parents, Students, Permaculture Experts & Permies in general on Permaculture Education
- Both Adult & K-12 Curricular focuses
- Threads centered on things like HomeSchool Mom's Teaching Permaculture to groups of age ranges or just young kids, etc.
- Incubation for new designs /formatting for the information transfer
- Sharing of Lesson Plans, Experiments & Public Demonstrations - What worked, What Didn't, & Why

This will help us all focus on the way we spread Permaculture especially how it is introduced to permies, private & home education.

I think it might be possible, but first ....

Reviews of Permaculture Design Courses, comparisons & critiques both online & in person

I think it would be best to cover that in the "permaculture artisans" forum.


For the rest of it ... yeah, I think a new forum makes sense. Are you willing to populate the forum with these topics if we create it?

Yes. I pledge to take Permie Ed under my wing & raise it up right.

THANK YOU!!!

ROCK!!!
MP

If one of the staff reads this and is in the mood, could you please create this forum?

I just created the forum in the LIVING forum.
https://permies.com/forums/f-166/Education
(I've never started a forum here, so if another staff member wants to check it out, I'd appreciate it.)

I have moved a few threads into the forum to help get it started.
If you find any others that you feel belong in the thread, just hit the "Report" button.
When it asks for the reason you are reporting it, state that the thread belongs in 'Education'.
That way, one of the staff can 'split' it into the Education forum.

John Polk wrote:I just created the forum in the LIVING forum.
https://permies.com/forums/f-166/Education
(I've never started a forum here, so if another staff member wants to check it out, I'd appreciate it.)

I changed the name and the descirption just slighty. It is now called "permaculture education." I want the focus to be a place for teachers to exchange notes on teaching PDCs or other workshops, plus how to teach permaculture in a homeschooling space, etc.

I made a post this morning under community/city repair because I am traveling to NYC and wanted to see some great urban permaculture examples. I looked around for the best place for my post but didn't find quite the right fit under, for example, the internships or education forums. So should there be a forum specifically for 'permie tourism' or do we just need a better way to find the examples that have been written about? One idea would be to (somehow - not familiar with jforum) enable geotagging posts and collecting them on a single map.

I read Art Freeman's post about a section for the onliners taking PDCs. I think there is an alternative approach that could be implemented for him instead of another forum. Since there may or may not be enough people in the permies.com community doing an online PDC other than Geoff Lawton's to warrant an entire new forum, the idea could be implemented as a scaleable directories of topics/posts.
Perhaps it could look like this: primary, secondary, and tertiary threads function as directories. It would serve a similar function to a another forum.

So like the first thread could serve as the primary directory for all PDC reviews. I have to draw this idea out because it is hard to describe in words: (best seen at largest window size)
...................................................Online PDC Review Conglomerate Thread............................................... (primary directory)
............................................Permaculture Visions Thread......................OpenPermacultue Thread......................... (secondary directory)
.........Who is Permaculture Visions............Overview of Courses offered by Permaculture Visions.........Reviews of Permaculture Visions......................... (tertiary directories where people talk)
...................................................................................................................................................
So the primary directory contains links to the secondary directories which would contain links to the tertiary directories. In turn, it would essentially function like a forum.

paul wheaton wrote:

Matthew Nistico wrote: "straw bale," "cob cottages," "wofati/earth-bermed buildings," "passive solar design principles," "earth ships/earth bag/rammed earth," "round wood construction," "earthen floors," "light-clay-straw," "insulated concrete creations,"

I covered a few of those earlier, but you came up with some good ones I had not thought of.  I think I will put those in tomorrow.

Here's one place where rammed earth was suggested a while back.