Podcast 232 - Listener Questions with Ben Lawson Part 2

If you really want to infect minds, I think a poll is in order (I've seen that on other forums). You may have to play around with the phrasing of the question(s) though.

If you asked me when I first heard about permaculture I'd say "pfftttt, ages ago." I think I've had that Intro to Permaculture book like 15 years and have picked out a few things to try.

Now, if you asked me when I got obsessed with permaculture I'd say "oh, a year and a half ago I went to Ben Falk's farm for a Peak Oil talk/farm tour." It was funny because he never actually mentioned peak oil at all (he said it was implied). But he did have lots of swales and explained how they captured water running down the hill, trees had time to absorb the water. Seeing everything connected in person made everything click. I went back and reread Intro to Permaculture. Everything made more sense because I had seen it in action (plus I now had lots of livestock which I didn't before).

Something else...

I've noticed that people who are into permaculture are also into/concerned about:
Low Carb eating
Peak oil
Worries about finance
Prepping
Critical thinking (fallacies)
Alternative energy
Transition Towns

So maybe people who are interested in these issues are like your low hanging fruit. So much easier to infect those brains. In concrete terms that may just mean swapping links with sites like The Automatic Earth and Clusterfuck Nation both have mentioned permaculture for sure.
Also, The Oil Drum or Mark's Daily Apple.

I did enjoy your interview with Tom Obrien of From Alpha to Omega who interviews pc people and money people but I think he's not hip to low carb -yet.

Hey Paul,
Just so you know, you've infected someone in the toxic gick industry. (Hopefully not for much longer)
Thank you for your help and all you do.

Latest land issue broke my heart, I've been so excited about it and anticipating the next chapter.. Wish I had an awnser for this problem.

I think the fruit of your labor may never be seen by you nor your "reach" and effect be seen by you however it is out there I am sure. I know I have gleaned tons but have not put it into practice because I too am looking for land (in all the wrong places)~ After the land purchase the podcast may be too hard to keep up with and I think it would be very fair of you not to worry about them (although I would be disheartened). I went and bought the # 217 and 218 podcasts today after listening to this one.

Funny think about the land. got a call yesterday from somebody and she tells me where she is. I say "I almost bought acreage about a mile from you" "Well, you can have mine - cheap! All of the land out here is infested with heavy metals!"

We talked for another hour and now I'm glad I didn't buy that land.

Wow! Was it a natural contamination?

Adrien Lapointe wrote:Wow! Was it a natural contamination?

Maybe some of it was natural. But I get the impression that most of it was due to mining in the area.

Then the water gets loaded with heavy metals. Then people water their yards and crops. Then it is everywhere.

paul wheaton wrote:Funny think about the land. got a call yesterday from somebody and she tells me where she is. I say "I almost bought acreage about a mile from you" "Well, you can have mine - cheap! All of the land out here is infested with heavy metals!"

We talked for another hour and now I'm glad I didn't buy that land.

It sounds like The Fates were watching over you on this one (although your frustration with the process and the time wasted is understandable).

I am also a frustrated non-landowner. For many years I stopped doing anything out in the yard because we weren't on "my land" yet. Last spring I had an attitude change. I decided that it was better to do than to want to do. While I don't yet have my ideal rural homestead, I do have enough land around my house for a small suburban homestead.

That's when I started surfing and deciding what I wanted to do. I discovered Paul Wheaton and this site, and my world changed. Our front yard has been changed from a lawn to edible landscaping. I figured out how to get the city to pay me $0.50/square foot for the lawn. I've got one area of the back with a hugel kultur and a polyculture of various seeds planted. I included some strategically located tree seeds. We've got some winter greens that sprouted, but I'm interested to see what will happen there in March.

Currently we are under construction on the second hugel kultur. I'd love to add some chickens into the mix, but I don't feel like our yard is large enough for me to keep them properly. Besides that, if I had chickens, I don't think my older Airedale Terrierist Zoe (aka Queen Barktifah) would ever shut up.

Once you get the land, you will probably not have as much time to spend infecting others. I do hope that at minimum you will blog and document your transformation.

Julie

What about this for an idea for podcasts - a permies kickstarter like or pledge page for all the thoughts Paul has in his head for future podcasts or future projects, etc.

Then we can pledge or pay to get what we'd like to hear next funded. So if we want to get so and so book reviewed , as soon as it's funded, it can be moved to the top of the list.

Great stuff Paul, I really like the "captains log"
Idea except you need to call it the " Dukes Log" and yes there would be plenty the would listen!!

I was happy to hear Paul acknowledge that he's been out of practice in this podcast. I've had doubts in relation to certain topics he advocates and isn't practicing, especially making the big bucks with permaculture.

However, the reason I value these podcasts and am willing to pay for them is not necessarily Paul's personal expertise, but his wide exposure to permaculture and ability to articulate concisely what others have learned through experience. The role of popularizer (which I think Paul fills) seems to be a bit thankless and a job few people are willing to take on but is work which I admire. I agree that Paul should return to production in order to increase credibility, though I'd hate to see that take the place of spreading the great ideas others have developed.

Paul. you may be a bit of a 'Johnny Appleseed'; you plant the seeds and may not see them
grow and bear fruit. Not all the seeds you plant will grow. But many will, and in turn they
will spread the seeds further.

Just keep planting those seeds, and trust that they will grow! Thank you, Paul.