posted 1 year ago
Glad to have found this place, although a bit surprised that it took so long to find the way into this wonderful group. So many great resources here, and wonderful people. After watching some of videos, listening to podcasts, and reading through some of the threads i decided it was time to sign up and become a member.
A little bit about me:
Ive been practicing a permaculture way of life since receiving a PDC back in 2012 at the La'akea Permaculture community on the Big Island of Hawaii. Shortly after the PDC i decided to pursue Tropical Agroforestry studies at the local college, and joined any educational opportunities available relating to Natural Farming. I was fortunate enough to have family invest in a few acres, where I lived alone off grid near the mostly native rainforest at a higher and cooler elevation. This was a place with almost no soil to play with - mainly lava rock. I got into soil building, studying the local diversity of plants and animals, and eventually was able to make a small income selling nursery plants and garden products, such as log grown mushrooms and many annual root crop species. Tree trimming and landscape maintenance also provided a small side income, with the additional benefit of being able to capture and store energy in the form of "green waste" - turning a problem for others into a solution for myself. Through this process i was also able to begin raising chickens and ducks with almost zero dependency on store bought feeds. I made it a goal to only feed the system with what I could gather and produce locally. "Zero Waste" was one of my main practices, and I got to the point where i was producing almost no trash. In fact i was helping capture waste from others, and use it. I even built a small house out of entirely reclaimed materials for less than $500, plus the cost of my own time and labor. My water supply was provided only by the rain, and my heating exclusively wood fire.
Eventually I did get married, which of course changed the dynamic a bit. After living in Hawaii for 16 years I was now convinced to let go of the Hawaii life and give the permaculture lifestyle a try in my wifes roots of Taiwan. This is where we have been for the last 2.5 years. There have been many challenges here, but also many beautiful experiences and successes. We began focusing a little bit more on education, where we developed some children's programs, and hosted some permaculture based work shops. After trying very hard to find land that we could use for the long term we have realized that it is extremely challenging here, to the point that we are now making yet another transition. Being somebody that craves stability and a more "permanent" place - this has been a very frustrating time for me. But there is hope on the horizon.
We are now in the process of making our move to my own family roots in a totally different climate. My whole life has been mostly in the tropics, but now we will be in the more moderate climate of northern-western Poland - hardiness zone of 7-8. This is exciting for us because family already owns land there. We plan on building a home out of straw bale and repurposed materials, a passive solar greenhouse, wood fired heat systems, compost heat systems, and develop all the other fun things that help practiced permaculturalists stand out - breaking the barriers and boundaries of what most people consider impossible. Crater gardens, Sepp Holzer style water retentions systems, silvopasture, and regenerative - syntropic practices are in the vision.
Very much looking forward to connecting with and learning from many of you, and sharing about the more inspiring experiences and lessons we can help to give to you all.
eArthur
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