Listen Online 
Download 
Get all of the Podcasts in convenient, giant zip files 
Subscribe on iTunes
Summary
part 1 of a 2 part podcast
Paul is talking with Cat 2, who came up with the idea that he
should do a more biographical kind of podcast. Cat's been at the lab for 3 weeks, and says it's healthier than living in the
city. She has a list of questions for Paul.
The first one is "How did Paul convert from being a software engineer guy to being Duke of Permaculture".
That's a big question... Paul discusses some history: When he was about 11 he moved to live with his granddad on a 500 acre farm in a remote rural area. His granddad inspired him, taught him to drive a
tractor and evidently had a big influence on the young Paul. That's why there's a yellow transparent
apple tree at the lab: his granddad had one.
As he grew up Paul became, in his words, obnoxious, he would pursue things flat out and tell everyone about it at length. He says his first girlfriend tried to calm him down some, but he didn't like the person that made him into.
Around 1993 Paul was in the grocery store and noticed how cheap seed was, so he bought a bunch of seeds and planted them, but they all died. Then he became obsessed with
gardening and began a journey to learn
gardening and growing stuff. He read a bunch of
books, did Helen Atthowe's master gardener course, and bought
Sepp Holzer's videos and watched them about 18 times. He credits Sepp's videos with inspiring people who are starting out in
permaculture.
He saved up and bought 80 acres on Mount Spokane, and got into permaculture in about 2001. In 2004 he decided to leave the software industry and devote his time to permaculture, and in 2005 attended his first
PDC.
Along the way he was inspired to create the
Wheaton eco scale: This came about after a woman who wrote in a
newspaper about living a more green life was forced to quit by getting death threats from other, much more green campaigners. The scale is to help people get along and work towards the same goal.
Relevant Threads
Paul getting given his infamous "duke of permaculture" badge
The Wheaton Eco Scale
Support the Empire
Help support the empire and get all of the podcasts in a bundle
here in the digital market at permies.
To support production of these podcasts, make a donation
here at Paul's Patreon page.
This podcast was made possible thanks to:
Dr. Hugh Gill Kultur
Kyle Neath
Bill Crim
anonymous
Chris Sugg
Kerry JustTooLazy
Jocelyn Campbell
Bill Erickson
Sasquatch
G Cooper
Dominic Crolius
Penny McLoughlin
Mehron Kugler
Pasquale DeAngelis
havokeachday
Julia Winter, world's slowest mosaic artist
Greg Martin
Mark
Sean Benedict
Rita Bliden
Dana Martin
Candace Dahlk
Keith Kuhnsman
Leanne
Eric Tolbert
Nick DePuy
Nathan Hale
Opalyn
Rose
Polly Jayne Smyth
Todd Gerardot
Katie Young
Ivar Vasara
Brent Lawson
Weston prestage
Candice Crawford
Chris Holtslag
Song Zheng
7
