Welcome Paul Wheaton and Shawn Klassen-Koop, Authors of Building a Better World in Your Backyard!

I'm here!

I put 11 posts in this thread:

https://permies.com/t/125144/nitrogen-planet-ecosystem

This looks like an amazing book of knowledge and a way for each of us to make a positive change to ourselves and the world.

And when I wanna feel good, i go read the reviews.

It will be interesting to read the topics discussed in the Permaculture forum this week.  Thanks for all you do Mr. Wheaton and Mr. Klassen-Koop!  

I am really looking forward to reading this book. Thank you so much for making it happen!

Hi!  Thanks for your great work of sharing knowledge through your book!  Marvellous!

I love your book! Thank you for writing Paul and Shawn.

Hi Paul and Shawn,
I am reading your book and thank you for so much helpful information. Being a native plant devotee however, I do want to encourage you to give native plants more consideration.  They support for pollinators and we need those guys. I'm not a native or nothing person, but we do need to include natives in our designs. Thanking for your hard work.

Welcome Paul and Shawn. Can't wait to read all there is about permaculture.

Hi! I've been recovering from a book launch event that I had over the weekend, but I do intend to pop in and out over the next few days!

I have been a supporter of Paul's book and have been lurking in the background.
I've also been very busy the entire summer, digging by hand, setting forms, and pouring concrete.
I poured a total of 6 concrete pads, 6 ft x 8 ft for a total of 228 sq ft under my lower 12 ft x 24 ft deck.
I also built brick walls on both ends, put in a personnel door, and have done framing.

I have done skills I have not done before. Brick laying looks easy on YouTube. But I challenge you to try it yourself!
And all this is for a shed that shan't be seen. I have been taking pictures all the while when I have been doing this work.
I'm surprised a lot of people wouldn't even know how to do some of this. The skills I have been doing could be used to build a cottage or even a house.
So maybe I'll write a book about this when I'm finished. I want to get finished soon as it's starting to get cold outside.

Hey Paul just about everything I've learned about permaculture I've learned from you. Thanks! Also, what's your favorite flower? (Functional or otherwise)

Hi Paul and Shawn,

Thank you so much for this book, just bought 12 to give away and am thinking to order a hardcover for our local library and I also supported the kickstarter project.

Normally at the end of reading a good book a little sadness comes in because it's over. I certainly felt like this after I finished reading your book, but realized quickly that there is no need for sadness, since I have all of the permies website to continue reading even more in depth. In fact it feels like that the book gives the overall structure to the permies website.

You are so inspiring in all ways and I feel as exited as you are about spreading the message for real solutions, rather than being angry...or just protesting.

I met permaculture almost 20 years ago when I saw one of Sepp Holzer's documentaries on German TV. At the time my husband and myself had a Lakota Native American teacher through whom we earned the right to run a sweat-lodge.
The similarity between permaculture and the Native American tradition/spirituality stuck out to us right away, especially the fact that observation is the core principle for both.
It led us to making and experimenting with Holzer mound - or Hugel beds right away. Later on I stumbled over Geoff Lawton and Bill Mollison. Never took the course out of timely reasons but noticed Paul and his permies site and the fact that he too thought that Sepp Holzer is the Perma-King.

Which brings me to my question hoping that this thread is the right place to ask.
Sepp Holzer's Hugel-beds are dug down as much as they rise up and I never read anywhere that he makes ditches filled with mulch on each side. On the other hand I learned from Paul's videos to build the mound while digging up the needed earth next to it, which makes the whole process less work-intensive. My husband and I currently live on a 5 acre piece of land and I have been hand-digging all my Hugel-beds, so the next one I'll make I'll definitely want to try the Wheaton way. Is there any other reason why your Hugel-building method is different from Sepp?

Other than that I would like to tell Shawn that I love Brussel-sprouts too, by taste and the way they look and my husband agrees entirely with Paul on this subject!

The kitchen chapter was the best for me personally, because I seem to be that nice woman you describe and by telling my people your conclusion that all problems start in the kitchen in all communities, the kitchen was officially dedicated to be mine and now things run much smoother only through raising the consciousness in this very area. So I would like to express my personal big THANK YOU for this revelation with immediate positive impact in my life!

There is so much more I could say, but for now I would just like to say Thank you to you both and Tracey and everyone who helped create this book.

I don't know if I am in the position to give out acorns but I for sure have plenty of real ones on my land especially at this time of the year.
So I would give the book 10 out of 10 acorns.

Hi Kat, thanks for your encouragement!

If you want to show up on the review grid, you can post to:

https://permies.com/w/better-world


And start your post with "I hereby give this book __ out of 10 acorns."

Thanks Shawn, I had noticed myself after posting that I probably should post it in the review section which I did already, but thanks again for mentioning...

Cameron Granger wrote:Hey Paul just about everything I've learned about permaculture I've learned from you. Thanks! Also, what's your favorite flower? (Functional or otherwise)

Forget-me-not.  For a bunch of reasons.

Thanks for the book. I am not quite done, but it is awesome so far. People I have told about it love the title as well.

Question, I have a remote cabin and would like to level it on a new foundation. How would you approach this task if it is really hard to hire anyone local?

paul wheaton wrote:I put 11 posts in this thread:

https://permies.com/t/125144/nitrogen-planet-ecosystem

Hi Paul and Shawn.
When I first visited this thread I saw this post ... I followed that link and forgot to 'say Hi' to you both.
But now I got a message about a new post here, which reminded me.
Thank you very much for sending me 1 personal copy of the book and another 6 copies. I read all the book, it was a very nice read. I wrote a review (you can find it in that thread). Now all 7 copies are with someone else. I told them to read it and then pass it on. Only my own copy I lended to a friend and asked her to give it back after reading. I will lend it to other friends and family members too.

Hi Paul & Shawn! Thank you for your amazing book! I've been circulating copies in my library and as part of a local "Zero Waste" group that meets every month to share ideas.

My question is for Shawn,

Hello fellow Canadian! Sorry I just missed you when you were at the Lab. In my community people have been LOVING the book. They want to buy more books! I send them to Permies (and I guess I can send them to amazon now) but people are lazy and forget by the time they get home. I'm going to be selling produce at the farmer's market this Summer. Could I sell books too?

Hi Ashley,

I'm sure we can make something work! I'll send you a PM with my contact info.

Hi Paul,, didn't see this till today and thought i'd say hello and ask a question,,,, i'm setting up a couple of small dugout style places in the backcountry and wanted to use the RMH with bench's to heat the places but the largest one is only going to be about 12x16 inside ,, a 6 in rmh would be way to much,, has anyone set up a 4 or 5 in. with a bench for small cabins and if so , can you give me contact info to get a hold of them thanks,,Ed

Ed,

This thread is for announcing this event in this one forum about horticultural permaculture techniques.   I'm doing my best to be a good boy and stay on topic.  

Have you posted your question on the rocket mass heater forum?  

Hi Shawn and Paul.

Despite all the gloom and doom you hear about climate change and while I 100% believe climate change is real I am optimistic that thinks will be 'OK'.  What gives me hope is the rapid growth in renewable energy and growth is not showing signs of slowing, the decarbonization of transport, and the serious manner some countries esp China are taking the climate crisis.  There are so many ways the average person can reduce their carbon footprint with the help of us permaculturalists so I think we are gonna beat this thing.  Do you share my optimism?

Jeff,

I am a crushed optimist.  

Most of the stuff I hear about carbon footprint is along the lines of "there's nothing we can do" or "the only thing we can do is scream at the bad guys" (with zero ownership of funding the bad guys).    The solutions I hear about typically make little to no difference.

So, there is a massive campaign to plant trees.  Very good.   And there are several campaigns to burn trees.  Oops.

In 2004 I felt that I could quit my career and take this path instead - and make a real difference.  I have reached more than 100 million people.  But I guess my message was too weak, or I didn't do it right.  

This book is another attempt to affect real change.   I hope each person hands out a few dozen copies.  And each of those people get a few dozen to hand out.  And so on.  We are on the cusp of the holiday gift giving season and sales have been light.   I have a few hundred copies left - I don't think I'll need to get any more printed.

I wrote the book with optimism that it will infect hundreds of millions of brains.

Hi Jeff,

I think that for me it really depends on the day. Overall, my natural inclination is to be hopeful. I am extremely encouraged by a lot of the people I have talked to about this book. It seems like a lot of people get it. And maybe they won't do explosive life change tomorrow, but overall I think will move in the right direction. The average person takes years to change. So I see it like we are planting seeds and the fruit of those seeds is not completely apparent yet. The flowers are still blooming.

And then, not gonna lie, I have pessimistic days too. Often when I hear that a number of my friends are out protesting but not really effecting the change that they are hoping for. And I have ideas that I know would make a difference if they would try them. But I'm finding that if I get stuck in that pessimism, then I'm not in a place where people want to listen to what I have to offer. So I'm trying really hard to stay in the hopeful camp and celebrating each and every step that I see people taking.

Hi Paul and Sean!
Congrats on your book, it's awesome!!
I learn so much from you guys, keep it up! <3
Thank you.

Glad I found you guys! We're having fun!

Weee! I get to do one of my favorite things that helps build a better world: Announcing winners!!

Congratulations!

William Schlegel
Marisa Majemu
Noi Szefler
R Spencer

I'm going to send each of you a PM--please respond back by Sunday to claim your copy of Shawn and Paul's book!

And, huge thanks to Paul and Shawn for answering our questions this week, and for writing such a great book!

@Danny asking “Question, I have a remote cabin and would like to level it on a new foundation. How would you approach this task if it is really hard to hire anyone local?”

This is not the right thread for a long explanation but: start by assessing your own skills, what the current foundation/construction is, what the ground condition is, and what materials you’ll need/be able to bring to the site.

Julie Reed wrote:@Danny asking “Question, I have a remote cabin and would like to level it on a new foundation. How would you approach this task if it is really hard to hire anyone local?”

This is not the right thread for a long explanation but: start by assessing your own skills, what the current foundation/construction is, what the ground condition is, and what materials you’ll need/be able to bring to the site.

First of all: find the right part of the forum and post this question as a new thread. You will surely get a lot of answers.