Why Do YOU Love Permaculture? New Permaculture YouTube series.

Hey permies! Feel free to check out the 4th episode in a new social permaculture-based YouTube series that I have started called Permaculture Perspectives. This episode is all about why I fell in love with permaculture; the reason might not be what you were expecting! Please feel free to comment and subscribe... if you'd like to collaborate, let me know!

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=ZYjXojOJDs8[/youtube]

Hey permies! Here is the latest installation of Permaculture Perspectives where I get a little bit philosophical and chat about how time is perceived when living meaningfully while I start some seeds indoors. This is my response to a short audio clip by the Geoff Lawton which I link to in the video.

Hey Lucie, Just wanted to thank you for your video perspectives, and to welcome you to Permies if nobody else has yet.  If you are coming as far West as B.C., I am also there, and am currently taking Geoff Lawton's online PDC and designing permaculturally on my property in the Rockies.  Feel free to connect if you and your partner are in the area.  oh... and a heads up about a typo in your thread's subject title.  I'm not sure how to change that, but... there must be a way to edit it; you could ask a staff member.  Not that it's super important... but I thought I'd mention it in case you hadn't noticed it.    

Roberto pokachinni wrote:  oh... and a heads up about a typo in your thread's subject title.  I'm not sure how to change that, but... there must be a way to edit it; you could ask a staff member.  Not that it's super important... but I thought I'd mention it in case you hadn't noticed it.    

Got it!  

Hi Lucie,

To answer your question fully might take a bit too much space and time for what I have at the moment.  ...suffice it to say that so far I have begun to plant a small food forest along the edge of my meadow, near my little creek which is in the forest.  The forest encompasses most of my 40 acres and is of very mixed species.  My feral meadow is big enough that I do not have to clear forest to build a solar efficient house or a garden.  I have a south facing slope on the West (wet) side of the Rockies.   I have a single hugulkultur bed so far, built by hand, wheelbarrow, and shovel with the aid of a pick-up to haul the wood to location.  My veggie garden is about 1/3rd of an acre, and is built of swales raised beds, some of which have keyhole beds attached where the swales are wide.  I am preparing mentally to begin my hugulkultur/greenhouse/RMH/sauna combo this year.  I could really use a backhoe to landscape/dig some for that project.  

I currently live next door to my property in a rented house with my aging parents (who are devoted to the project).  We have an additional 1/6th acre garden and greenhouse here on the rented parcel (from which my land is a small subdivision).  

The primary focus for me, at least off the top of my head at the moment is to try to incorporate as much of the existing ecosystem(s) as I can in the design/functions.  As an example, in the case of the food forest, I am leaving many willows, spruces, firs, birches, poplars, cottonwoods, alders, etc as well as patches of the feral meadow where this edge is.  Some of these, like the spruces, cottonwoods, poplars, and some of the alders and willows will eventually be used primarily for chop and drop, giving way to desired species.

Through the murky crystal ball, I see plenty of ponds (backhoe?) and small critters in my future, though my future focus, I think, will be primarily small fruit (berries) and medicinal herbs. I may be getting to that with annual production food crops for market in Jasper, Alberta and Prince George, B.C. (1.5 hours and 3 hours, respectively, away). There is possibly micro-micro-hydro potential on my tiny creek. (where is that back hoe fairy, anyway?)  I am harvesting dead pine (killed by the mountain pine beetle epidemic) in large volume from my forest and getting it under cover to provide firewood for many years to come.  That said, my primary goal in the forest is to keep it intact as much as possible, while selectively wild-crafting herbs, fungi, and wood for building.  

I am presently working as a welder for the railway to pay for the property and be able to afford the infrastructure, though I have done some market gardening in the past, and am very tempted to get a loan and go for it.  

I have some experience with herbal medicine, and would like to get into making tinctures, as well as some bulk dried berries and herbs.  I mostly prefer to walk in the bush and climb trees... but as youthful as I am at 47 I'm not sure that's the best longterm strategy.        Phew.  

     

Thanks so much to Roberto for sharing your permie lifestyle with me! Sounds like tons of projects on the go!

I will continue with this thread sharing a video that I made which is a reaction to some nasty comments I received after I posted a Permaculture Perspectives video called 'Decolonizing Permaculture'. I think it's really important to keep having these conversations!

I commend your courage in discussing such topics.  I see that you are a very deep thinker.  I am more feeling oriented and envy your analytical abilities.

That being said, I don't see why your commenters were so negative.  You bring up some very good points.  I (being very emotionally reactive) am guessing that anyone offended by your vlog is probably white and affluent and needs to loudly proclaim the righteousness of that position, perhaps even because they have a few doubts about the sustainability of their circumstances.

Keep on doing what you are doing.  If 'they' don't like it, they should not watch your videos.

Edited to add:  JUST MY OPINION!

Marla Kacey wrote:I commend your courage in discussing such topics.  I see that you are a very deep thinker.  I am more feeling oriented and envy your analytical abilities.

That being said, I don't see why your commenters were so negative.  You bring up some very good points.  I (being very emotionally reactive) am guessing that anyone offended by your vlog is probably white and affluent and needs to loudly proclaim the righteousness of that position, perhaps even because they have a few doubts about the sustainability of their circumstances.

Keep on doing what you are doing.  If 'they' don't like it, they should not watch your videos.

Edited to add:  JUST MY OPINION!

Thank so much for your comments and kind words Marla! I think you are absolutely right about people feeling triggered by things that make them uncomfortable, such as the fact that they might be contributing to a system that is oppressive and discriminatory to others - even though they are not wanting to.

Take care!!

Awesome video series, thanks for posting it here. I subbed and look forward to many more great videos. I may agree with you sometimes and others I might disagree, but will always try to keep civil and keep it about furthering knowledge and understanding.

I like that you ask some possibly uncomfortable questions. I like that you took time to think about more than just soil PH or what plant guilds work. There is most definitely some philosophy and politics that tend to follow permaculture, but also some contradictions between permaculture philosophy and what people do outside of permaculture.

The reality is permaculture is a revolutionary movement that is trying to change the world, literally from the ground up by starting with the soil. Then the food and how we produce our food.

Thanks so much to Roberto for sharing your permie lifestyle with me!

no problem.

Great videos and thanks for addressing the bigger picture.  Sometimes we are steered away from having these difficult conversations because we don't want to have people get upset, or we are told that that is not what permaculture is all about.  But the people who say those things have not thought deeply about it.  This is very political, and very foundational on a society level.  If you read all of what Bill Mollison wrote, Permculture in his big picture view of it is very revolutionary, very political.  

I remember this year, Paul Wheaton was having a hard time figuring out the rejection of his stuff on some sites, while completely inane comments got +++++ or thumbs up or whatever, and his was voted down and out in spite of being brilliant.  When you put yourself out there on the Internet, you don't necessarily get to know who your audience is, and these things can come as a shock, but I think you are handling it well.  Keep being you.  It's a good thing you are doing.

So, has anyone seen that 'How Whales Change Climate' video that's been floating around the Facebooks and the Youtubes lately? I did and I thought it was a perfect example of Mollison's phrase "everything gardens"! You can check out my video response above and if you haven't seen the original video, don't worry I provide a link to it. =)

Thanks for another great video.  The 'Everything Gardens' idea is such a seminal thought... it's amazing how many of these incredible conceptions Bill Mollison came up with that hold so true.  

One other sea creature that comes to mind as a gardener is the Sea Otter.  The rebound of the sea otter population after the fur trade, and the implementation of a ban on shooting them (which was done somewhat indiscriminately supposedly to give salmon fishermen a chance at getting more fish), has caused a huge rise in the kelp forests.  The Kelp was being overcut, due to an overly large population of sea urchins, which are a favorite food of sea otters.  Once the otter population began to expand, the urchins were more under control and the kelp forests began to expand.  The only unfortunate part of this, is that the forests are so dense that it is hard to get a boat through them... ...maybe not such a bad thing (keeping the boats out), but that is why some people are still shooting the otters.  Sad.

Roberto pokachinni wrote:Thanks for another great video.  The 'Everything Gardens' idea is such a seminal thought... it's amazing how many of these incredible conceptions Bill Mollison came up with that hold so true.  

One other sea creature that comes to mind as a gardener is the Sea Otter.  The rebound of the sea otter population after the fur trade, and the implementation of a ban on shooting them (which was done somewhat indiscriminately supposedly to give salmon fishermen a chance at getting more fish), has caused a huge rise in the kelp forests.  The Kelp was being overcut, due to an overly large population of sea urchins, which are a favorite food of sea otters.  Once the otter population began to expand, the urchins were more under control and the kelp forests began to expand.  The only unfortunate part of this, is that the forests are so dense that it is hard to get a boat through them... ...maybe not such a bad thing (keeping the boats out), but that is why some people are still shooting the otters.  Sad.

Thanks Roberto! Funny, I studied ecology and conservation during my undergrad and we actually did a case study about the otter as a keystone species, so I totally remember this story! It's so amazing! But beyond amazement, we just have SO much to learn about how natural systems work, don't we? It's very much a humbling, and I would go as far as to say spiritual feeling for me, to think about being a part of something as complex and awe-inspiring as an ecosystem.

we just have SO much to learn about how natural systems work, don't we? It's very much a humbling, and I would go as far as to say spiritual feeling for me, to think about being a part of something as complex and awe-inspiring as an ecosystem.

   Indeed.  This is very similar to my thoughts.  We have so much to learn, it's humbling, it is spiritual, and to fully grasp the concept, of being a part of it ourselves... it should be just the way it is, the way we are, what we should have been taught, and what we know intrinsically within our ethical heart space, but at every step and turn this culture of manipulation and division takes us away from these ideas, concepts, and feelings.  People talk, for instance, of going out into Nature.  That is diametrically opposed to the reality of which we are speaking.  I have a sticker on my bicycle that I toured extensively on:  "Environment is Everything".  Until we understand, fully and completely in the core of our beings, (Spirit, Mind, and Body) that there is no separation, then we will have division, and that leads to misunderstanding and conflict both within ourselves and in the greater community.

I studied ecology and conservation during my undergrad and we actually did a case study about the otter as a keystone species, so I totally remember this story! It's so amazing!

 Cool.  You've chosen a great path.  I nearly went that route and then got distracted for a while in a different world. Now, I'm playing catch-up, working for the man to pay for my land, but trying to get at least some of my life back in the mode of this deeper ecological thinking.

Hey permies! Join me today in chatting about how to repot 'leggy seedlings', why tiny greenhouses are awesome, and different approaches to growing food in dry climates! Spring has sprung and I love being out in the garden!

Here is the latest episode of Permaculture Perspectives! This is a super quick but (I think) interesting one, where I look at the difference in growth and health that companion planting with nitrogen fixing plants and allowing for more soil depth makes for growing Collard Greens! This was a completely unintentional experiment... Observe and Interact!

Finally another social permaculture episode is up! This time I discuss the issues and assumptions behind the idea of 'work hard and you'll succeed'.

Just came across this thread ; thought you were brave to enter Troll country ie Reddit .
Keep up the good work . Here in permies its a safe space relativity and heavy moderation takes place to try to stop trolls and spammers etc .

David

After a bit of a lull, here is the next instalment of Permaculture Perspectives! It's more about zone zero zero this time. The video was inspired by the Decolonize Yourself Creative Immersion Course run by Heather Jo Flores (http://www.heatherjoflores.com/). It's super inspiring and we're going pretty deep to look at ourselves honestly and ask how we can be the most creative and compassionate people possible. Something that has come up for me is an overwhelming sense of Nostalgia.... check it out: