Incredible Permaculture Farm Created in Just 3 Years!

Hi everyone, I made this film about a guy who quit his job in the finance industry and created an amazing permaculture property. I hope you enjoy it!




This film was made as part of our Living the Change series. For this series we're traveling around New Zealand making short documentary films about permaculture farms, tiny houses, and sustainability.

You can find more permaculture films on my website http://happenfilms.com.

Are you still travelling around nz? This is pretty awesome.

Andy Moffatt wrote:Are you still travelling around nz? This is pretty awesome.

Hey Andy, yep we sure are. This is the first of many films!

Jordan your little film is amazing, very well produced, clear and to the point, I really loved it !

We need more of these stories of "upper class" people converting to the permaculture lifestyle. They help show that Permaculture is a global solution for everyone.

They help show that Permaculture is a global solution for everyone.

Great film and I'm happy for you. I would recommend in the future to not be so general about your comparisons between corporate and permaculture. I think there is the myth out there as if someone has done some comprehensive study I have never seen that everyone with money and that works in corporate is miserable, so, I'll compare my success and happiness to that since I was miserable and assume the rest have to be. Well I'm here to tell you there are plenty of people in corporate doing what they love to do with money and without and not everyone is a farmer or wants to be. I for one as a natural building and energy scientist would not be content that far detached from technologies I enjoy and their challenges. I also am very satisfied getting rewards for my hard work both monetary and personally and I know many that are too. I love trying to change/better cities and suburbs, I don't need to go out to rural and away from it all or everyone to find permaculture or teach it.

Regardless, good luck and keep up the good work.

Alex Apfelbaum wrote:Jordan your little film is amazing, very well produced, clear and to the point, I really loved it !

We need more of these stories of "upper class" people converting to the permaculture lifestyle. They help show that Permaculture is a global solution for everyone.

Thanks Alex!

When are you going to be in the Wairarapa? Or have you already been?

Terry Ruth wrote:not everyone is a farmer or wants to be.

I'd like to see more stories of people living a permaculture life without having to be a farmer. I don't personally want to be a farmer.

Andy Moffatt wrote:When are you going to be in the Wairarapa? Or have you already been?

We'll hopefully be there in a couple of weeks.

Wow, that place is impressive. I can tell they've spent a lot of time and money to get their farm to that level in just three years.

Tyler Ludens wrote:

Terry Ruth wrote:not everyone is a farmer or wants to be.

I'd like to see more stories of people living a permaculture life without having to be a farmer. I don't personally want to be a farmer.

Agree the biggest impacts to society will not be on rural nor in the middle of la la land. The biggest challenges are in cities and the burbs that have little farming lands. Poor folk cannot afford nothing. To these folks, they could care less if you left some sorry ass corporate job nor how many billions you were subjected to and are now making a living on permaculture, it is a matter of survival and showing them how to do just that where they are.

Sorry but I got to hand it to the guy for building such a contrast sales hype of how he and his wife had the opportunity(s) to be part of millions they could have been part and left it all to permaculture now consulting and making income at it. VERY entertaining to say the least You read between the lines

Why bring your finance career or millionaire surround lifestyle or clients into the equation? Be hard pressed to find anyone that knows better to care less. I recommend to permies to stop buying into this sales hype that I predict will only grow. Don't buy their books, websites, etc....

I don't know, maybe if high-finance types can make permaculture seem cool, more people will want to do it. You know, "Lifestyles of the Rich and Permie." If folks can opt out of the consumerist lifestyle, and make it look appealing, that would be great.

Lifestyles of the Rich and Permie."

Nice Tyler now that was funny I don't care who you are even a bean counter that lost it all to Permie.com.

I liked this video and where the series is going......thanks for sharing

In two weeks I fly to Kansas City to talk with a University about rammed earth construction for the poor and needie. After that Colorado about hemp constuction. Both with live roofs to grow crops in the burbs and cities. All on my own dime funded by my corporate job on the US east coast. I have made nothing doing at any of this for three years, am struggling financially, only on my corporate job, it has been NOTHING but a headache but I will sustain. I guess I get a little irritated at people that knock corporate sorry about that.

What a wonderful film! After watching the end I got so hungry I made a beet salad!

One thing I've been learning by watching the videos and reading the posts here is adaptability. Unfortunately I can't at this time have a 100% permaculture lifestyle but I'm certainly learning many things I can do and use as well as adapt so I am able to use them.

very interesting series keep on posting, they are inspiring!

The cool thing is that this little video gets across the idea that permatulture is a state of mind. You can be a practitioner whether you have a farm, just a patch of ground or a window box.

Rose Seemann wrote:The cool thing is that this little video gets across the idea that permatulture is a state of mind. You can be a practitioner whether you have a farm, just a patch of ground or a window box.

Or rather, a system of design based on ethics. I'm not convinced I can be a permaculturist just because I fancy myself one - I think I actually have to DO something permacultural. But I think I know what you mean. Even though the title of the video is "Finance to Farmer" the subject does not make money as a farmer - he is a consultant - but he grows his own food and lives in close contact to the land. I'd personally like to see less emphasis on the "farmer" aspect of permaculture, because most people don't want to be farmers, but a lot of people like gardens. I'd like to see the garden aspect played up more for those who don't make money selling products grown on their land, but who get most of their diet from their land (which can be done on a city lot) and otherwise live in a way which is connected to nature. I think this would give permaculture a wider appeal, beyond farming.

Loved the film. So inspiring!

It seems like there's a problem with semantics here. I personally consider "farmer" to mean anyone who produces food. My mother is a gardener to be sure, but very little of what she grows is food outside of some raspberrys, some citrus, a few herbs and the occasional annual vegetable or two. 95 percent of her yard is ornamental/landscaping/flowers or beneficial, but not edible.

To be more clear, too many people think food comes from the grocery store or maybe they go as far as to say it's from a food factory, bit those who produce their own food know that food comes from farms and are therefore farmers. Even if they are not professional or profiting from it I'd still call them a farmer. But to me, who cares... I liked the film and would love to see a shift from society chasing money to society embracing life as it seems the subject of the film has done.

Thank you for posting here.

Nice work Jordan. Thanks for coming on here to share our work with us.

Story is far more powerful than just speaking propositional truth. It has the power to draw people in and bring clarity to questions people may not even know that they are asking.

Anyhow, well shot and well edited. It told the story well. Thanks for sharing this.

I personally prefer the word gardener to farmer, and the term gardening instead of farming, for myself anyway. I am not a farmer.

Here's an article which discusses the ideas behind these words and how they pertain to permaculture: http://kennysideshow.blogspot.com/2008/05/agriculture-or-permaculture-why-words.html

Toby Hemenway's big long lecture about these concepts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nLKHYHmPbo

I think it is as important to reach gardeners with permaculture ideas as it is to reach farmers, perhaps more so. For instance, there are over 110 million gardeners in the US, versus a little over 2 million farmers. Imagine if many or most gardeners were food gardening as in the example. That's a lot of food!

Tyler Ludens wrote: I personally prefer the word gardener to farmer, and the term gardening instead of farming, for myself anyway. I am not a farmer.

Here's an article which discusses the ideas behind these words and how they pertain to permaculture: http://kennysideshow.blogspot.com/2008/05/agriculture-or-permaculture-why-words.html

Toby Hemenway's big long lecture about these concepts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nLKHYHmPbo

I think it is as important to reach gardeners with permaculture ideas as it is to reach farmers, perhaps more so. For instance, there are over 110 million gardeners in the US, versus a little over 2 million farmers. Imagine if many or most gardeners were food gardening as in the example. That's a lot of food!

Informative links - thanks, Tyler

Hello Jordan,

The video is very nice! The garden looks amazing, and I love seeing/reading about people who find ways to get small amounts of land to flourish and balance with nature.

I do have to say tho', that as someone who was miserable until he made the transition to city life, I did find the anti-urban parts of the video kind of off-putting. Maybe I'm unrealistic, but I believe that urban live doesn't have to be all concrete and my dream is to do what the subject of your video does on smaller scales, and get people to turn tiny little public spaces into sanctuaries for birds and fruiting plants.

Do keep up the good work!

William Jack wrote:
I do have to say tho', that as someone who was miserable until he made the transition to city life, I did find the anti-urban parts of the video kind of off-putting. Maybe I'm unrealistic, but I believe that urban live doesn't have to be all concrete and my dream is to do what the subject of your video does on smaller scales, and get people to turn tiny little public spaces into sanctuaries for birds and fruiting plants.

I think this is tremendously important! Most people live in cities these days, and many people prefer to live in cities. I sometimes see people expressing the idea that they can't "really do permaculture" unless/until they get acreage in the country. I would like to see many more examples of permaculture in cities so as to dispel this idea.

Jordan, I really enjoyed the film. Thank you for making it.

One reason people are going way out in la la land US to grow crops and animals is due to the legal way home ownership and bulk associations are structured, more specifically, these HOA corporations managed by people that got nothing better to do with their time but to measure grass blade length. These HOAs in America are legally binding contracts you sign as a home owner at the closing table in these sub-divisions and the lawyers love them since they know a bunch of yahoo homeowners will end up managing them once the sub-divisions are built out, that most of which have never designed anything Architectural in their life. The cookie cutter covenant contracts and Articles of Incorporation managed by neighborhood Board of Directors state that no more than a small garden (more less farm or farmette) or a dog and cat are allowed, deviate, and you can bet those people with no life with take that run and complain. So NO this cannot be done in most US Cities, not even remotely close, your only option to move out to la la land and get away from it all. They claim in their minds anyway, this maintains home values, ok I agree to some extent, that we don't want a farm in a dominated city design. As I said, this is where the biggest permaculture challenges are, not rural. I've lived in rural before it is not all it is cracked up to be, anyone that has knows it is hard work too and can be expensive so dream on.

Then we have the city building and safety inspectors, zoning and land use laws. Wow! Have fun with that dreamers that know no better. My advise, head for the hills before taking on that political war zone

All of the city pro dwellers I know are so fed up with dealing with politics they gave up. Next week I fly to a university researching urban natural building methods, meeting two professors, one of which has many awards and even his own Wikipedia page, that refuses to debate with city codes enforces and HOA's and I don't blame him.

Rather than take the easy way out and move to la la land I chose to battle the politics and spend my own hard earn cash from corporate doing so, wish me luck I'll need it!

When I lived in Los Angeles, I had no problem having gardens.

The city near me just made growing food legal throughout the city. So nobody there, anyway, has the excuse "THEY won't let me!"

http://therivardreport.com/city-council-makes-urban-farming-legal-throughout-city/

Hey Tyler, I am from there too and graduated El-Segundo HS, CA by LAX in 79, Dad worked at LAX for TWA. For the most part, CA has the strictist building and zoning codes in the nation these days. I have some Architect friends that have moved since they are going out of business, a similar thing happen to the aircraft business there back in the mid 80's that drove me to the mid west where life was more affordable and there was a corporate job. I NEVER want to raise my child in LA. The Compton riots and Rodney King drove my parents to retire from Hawthorne, CA by me in Kansas where you can hear the birds sing not gun shots.

I do still have a home in San Diego don't get me started. Even today in LA gang war far is not far away. Some things NEVER change. Add your city gardens people "homeless" potheads and drunks attractions and theft, do what you want many will never return, the cons out weigh the pros.

Los Angeles is a fantastical place, full of challenges for sure. But many people wouldn't choose to live anywhere else. Some people love their cities! We left because it got too expensive to live there and we could tell our industry was changing so our livelihood was going away. Plus riots, earthquakes, floods, fires, etc. But we didn't leave because I couldn't grow food there. I'm sure I could have done a lot more if I'd known about permaculture design.

Well Tyler, these days forget it. All those insect and flying critters that are "natural" flocking to gardens in rural city folks won't tolerate or will be hunted( i never seen a wild rabbit until moved to midwest, they and cats/dogs killed for sport cant imagine farm animals dead shot) and are not allowed in many restrictive covenant HOAs or city and zoning codes read them. I can post an example of one if you wish or read one online. That legally binding contract is very enforced in CA these days in what needs to be looked at not some community looking to get people to buy homes then find out by their lawyers $$$s what they bought into. Read the fine print that can be enforce by what is call a BOD or better yet "association" people in numbers power. Besides, forget CA the bulk of the US is legally manged by code or HOAS. That my friends in the BIGGEST challenge! Not rural.

I just don't buy the "they won't let me" argument. I think we have to be a little more creative and bold than that.

http://goodfoodla.org/good-food/overview-of-food-issues/urban-agriculture/

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-beat-urban-farming-20141112-story.html

etc

Tyler Ludens wrote:Most of Los Angeles are not HOA neighborhoods. I just don't buy the "they won't let me" argument. I think we have to be a little more creative and bold than that.

http://goodfoodla.org/good-food/overview-of-food-issues/urban-agriculture/

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-beat-urban-farming-20141112-story.html

etc

As I said I own a home in San Diego I fail to see the city code if any in that article points too but, it be great if people don't complain. In these poverty areas perhaps but have to wonder a city due to nice weather with the largest population of homeless in the world how much is not being stolen. Grocery prices ridiculous! I must say again CA is not indicative of the rest of country, trust me, I am currently on the east coast, been all over the US, I dont see alot of gardens in homes with gardens stacked on zero lot lines, as I said the bulk of that will be on live flat roofs that wont work due to snow, only the local jurisdictions will allow but, reality or not CA is desperate the weather is not what people think, crime still highest in the country, not worth it growing a garden not worth loosing your live over. The biggest issues not poverty cities but the american HOA sub-divisions.

How many are growing a garden or proving a major impact to city codes or HOAs, or practice what they preach, I mean out of curiosity? I'm not interested in one offs? Ill be in LA soon and would like to hook up and see what you have accomplished? I'm thinking of building there. I'm thinking more east like towards Empirical Country desert areas earth consruction where things are difficult with lots of poverty. Looking for trades and partners.

I have partners in Ca now I'd like to send to you if you are actually producing permaculture anywhere in the So Cal area let me know so we can hook up and get this going.

I can't send a pm on my phone but if you need a shower or bed while you're down here I'm just out of featherston.

Terry Ruth wrote:In two weeks I fly to Kansas City to talk with a University

When will you be in Kansas City, and what University will you be speaking with? I only ask because you'll be in my neck of the woods!

Where I live we are able to grow any type of garden you like, as long as it is well maintained (not an overgrown, weedy mess) and behind the line of your house. I don't thinks it's completely unreasonable, but people have been cited for growing tall veg (stocks over 4 feet) in the front of their homes because the rest of the property was not suitable. I am currently looking into farming property because my property will not allow the aquaponics setup I am working on, and the city ordinates do not allow me to keep chicken, ducks, or bees. ( I live in the suburbs.)