As this latest trip around the sun drew to a close there were many memes and references that 2016 was a year where people would make sure to stay up to midnight just to watch it die, while looking forward to 2017 being an entirely different, perhaps brighter, year. I don’t put much stock in a year being good or bad, as even with all my own ups and downs, a divorce, two moves, and some health issues, I’m quite pleased with what happened over the last 12 months: time spent with my children, dozens of interviews recorded, hundreds of phone calls and emails responded to, people met, and projects launched.

Already this new year, 2017 is shaping up to be beautiful. But, there was some big news this year. Out of everything that happened around the globe, perhaps the biggest news for our community as a whole was the loss of two important figures to the movement: one of the founders and one of our best communicators. I speak of course of Bill Mollison and Toby Hemenway. I never knew Bruce Charles “Bill” Mollison, who passed away on September 24, 2016 at the age of 88, but I wouldn’t be here without his efforts to popularize the ideas he developed with David Holmgren. Slow to build in the early years, seeing the number of trained practitioners grow from dozens to hundreds throughout the 1980s, and the books rise from a handful to perhaps a dozen, we are now seeing a flourish of activity building upon what Bill started with David more than 40 years ago. When I first came to permaculture nearly two decades ago, Mollinson’s The Designers’ Manual, the big black book of Permaculture, was about all we had to go on in the West. Starting in the early 2000s with Gaia’s Garden, the number one selling book on permaculture thus far, the roots of this discipline took hold and allowed the rest to flourish.

It is with a still heavy heart that I hold the loss of Toby Hemenway, who passed away on December 20, 2016. I had the good fortune to get to know him through correspondence and our interview together . Though Gaia’s Garden touched many, it was his second book, The Permaculture City, that continues to hold my thoughts because of the critiques he offered on running away to the countryside, as opposed to being where people are: in our cities. He also throughout those pages encouraged us to focus on our talents and to create systems that account for them, rather than pushing us to embrace someone else’s example of what to do. To truly design our systems around ourselves. I was looking forward to a follow-up to that book and was outlining a second interview with Toby when word of his illness reached me. Not long after, he passed. Both Toby and Bill will be missed and I’m thankful for the time they did have to share their thoughts through their writing, interviews, and, thanks to the good fortune of the internet, videos. With the big news from our community, there is the smaller news of this show, which entered it’s seventh year in October, 2016.

Between guest host David Bilbrey and myself, we produced forty-seven episodes this year. If you are new to the show, or want to check out some highlights, some shows that I recommend include:

Mary Reynolds, the Irish author of The Garden Awakening, shared with us a way to reconnect with the stories of a place and to become a guardian of Earth. To listen to the myths and legends of the people and the land to reconnect with what we’ve lost culturally. Whatever our backgrounds, we come from somewhere and should get to know that where.

Steven Martyn, The Sacred Gardener from Canada, reminded me, in a similar way to Mary, for the need to reconnect, by creating a relationship with the land that we are on. For those of us who can look to our ancestors and know that their stories are not those of the land we are on, we can reach back to those who called the ground we walk on home and learn about and from them the wisdoms of the first people, while also being allies to their cause, as continues to happen with the Dakota Access Pipeline protests at Standing Rock. I also think, from Steven’s examples, about how many of us are displaced from the places where our stories come from and how we were once all indigenous. Those traditions, stories, and folkways often still exist, we just call them myths, legends, and old wives tales, and can rediscover them by connecting to our families or the land they come from.

Moving from the land to our social and economic structures, both of the conversations with Shaun Chamberlin bring his work with David Fleming, and David’s legacy, to life. Surviving the Future and Lean Logic, both books on my Best Of for this year, create a connection between the long standing work of permaculture to build in the landscape, and take it a step closer towards meeting the needs of our social and economic systems by addressing the tension we feel between our always on, just-in-time economy, and the slower traditions of community. David’s vision, continued by Shaun, is not rooted in some sense of nostalgia, but on the prospect of what the world will be like when energy and employment cease to exist as we know them today.

We can slow down and react through an outreach of our gifts throughout our community, which is what Eric Chisler, my dear brother, joined David Bilbrey to share his thoughts on. This subject dear to my heart as the boundaries of permaculture continue to push beyond the roots in the landscape, and Eric shared his own experiences and current efforts with The Emergence Network to create the opportunities the future will require. The interview with Eric meant a lot for me personally because it was recorded just as he and I were preparing to leave Seppi’s Place, as that project came to a close. I give thanks for my time with Eric and how our conversations drove me deeper into exploring community and alternative structures as we spent late nights in the kitchen cleaning and preparing food, wrapt in conversations, while listening to heavy metal in the background.

A colleague of Shaun’s, whose work he extended in The Transition Timeline, is Rob Hopkins, originator of the of Transition Town movement, joined me shortly after the Brexit vote, while we American’s were reaching the zenith of the United States presidential election, to talk about the current state of Transition. During that conversation we also look at some of the critiques of permaculture to accomplish the work that is necessary to create not only permanent human agriculture, but also permanent human culture that can survive the climate crisis that is already upon us, and the looming thread of energy descent. Though we may not talk about these two motives for permaculture, especially as oil prices drop and we adjust to the “new normal” of weather weirding, but the dangers are not going away and soon will come to call.

Dr. Talia Fletcher and her family visited me while still living at Seppi’s Place. There we got to know one another and discuss a holistic approach to veterinary medicine, which we then turned into a later interview.

For those of us practicing permaculture, we have allies among all disciplines, we just need to find them, as demonstrated in the conversation with Dr. Fletcher Just as we can find allies around us, we can also be allies in our communities, as I found from interviewing Robyn Mello, the program director of The Philadelphia Orchard project. After provided an introduction to that project,  Robyn shared her own story about the community choices she’s made by living in the inner city of Philadelphia. Having known Robyn a long time, she remains someone whose work I follow to remember what is possible in the urban environment. While others are still formulating and collecting their thoughts, she is actively doing the work through POP and her own life choices, all while living in the fifth-largest city in the United States.

Ending the retrospective on interviews a conversation that started the year: Taj Scicluna, the Perma Pixie. In this continuation of the conversation we had at the end of 2015, Taj shared her experiences as a small business permaculture practitioner and what it means to straddle economics and earth care. I’m often reminded that 80 % of business fail in the first year and a half, so it’s clear that being an entrepreneur isn’t a straight shot at success, and still if we are going to continue to practice permaculture in the world that we find ourselves in, with liberal economic policies focused around market capitalism, there are structures that we can play with in by owning our own labor, or looking to work outside of those systems through structures like the gift economy, and by making changes in our own lives to live with less financial capital, while we build the social and otherwise.

Myself, Taj, Shaun Chamberlin, and many others are choosing to live differently. I won’t say that it is easy, but each day we can make the shifts that get us closer to where we want to be. It is a long game we are participating in. Industry, capital, and environmental degradation didn’t begin overnight and we’re not going to solve these problems either. As a mentor of mine used to say, “fast, cheap, or easy: pick two.” Let’s make it cheap and easy by going slow.

One day, one small act at a time. With these conversations that were all recorded via wire, also check out the group conversations from my trips to Clear Creek , Kentucky; Philadelphia , Pennsylvania; and Baltimore, Maryland. In those you can hear a multitude of voices come together in conversations about community, fellowship, and creating in urban and rural spaces. Live events like these are always fun, and I like going out to meet and speak with folks in person. If you would like to host an in-person recording of The Permaculture Podcast, and are somewhere near the East Coast, let me know.

While recapping this best of from the show, I’d like to give a shoutout to Jason Godesky for creating The Fifth World role-playing game. Though it’s been a while since Jason was on the show as a guest, I got to hang out with him and Giuli at the convention Save Against Fear in October of 2016. During our time together I got a chance to play The Fifth World for the first time and in that process they evoked an Animist experience for me within the game when, for a few moments, I had to face the personification of my character’s disconnect from  family. It left me shaken for a few moments thanks to the power of the storytelling moment. Whatever your background, be it gamer, storyteller, or an interest in myth, check out TheFifthWorld.com.

If you are looking for new books to read, some releases from 2016 I recommend picking up Lean Logic and Surviving the Future, both edited by Shaun Chamberlin. Rewild or Die by Urban Scout, a persona of Peter Michael Bauer from Rewild Portland, and The New Wildcrafted Cuisine by Pascal Baudar. Lean Logic and Surviving the Future, as mentioned in my interviews with the editor Shaun Chamberlin, fill the gulf between Permaculture and Transition, bridging the landscape and the new culture needed for a bountiful future that acknowledges scarcity and embraces it. Rewild or Die , though a snapshot of a particular moment in time for the rewilding community, is one of the earliest books on Rewilding. I recommend this for everyone interesting in permaculture, rewilding, and the modern primitive skills movement. As someone knowledgeable of permaculture, Peter is able to provide insights on the intersection between the world that arose from agriculture, and what we have to learn from indigenous traditions, all delivered with a bit of snark and sarcasm.

On the other side of the spectrum is Pascal Baudar’s The New Wildcrafted Cuisine , which takes wild foods and turns them into high culinary fare in a way I’ve not found elsewhere. Yes, many field books will teach you what to eat and how to make it edible, but Pascal is creating foods that one would want to eat, or even see served in a Michelin rated restaurant. As part of the interview with Pascal, I also appreciate hearing about how many classes and workshops he took in order to learn all that he did to create the book. This is a valuable lesson for all of us to slow down and take our time collecting our experience and understanding our chosen discipline.

Looking forward for 2017 and the 7th year of the show, I’m continuing to step into what it means to slow down and take a sabbatical where I reinvest in myself and the podcast. I’ll continue to produce new long-form interviews, as you’re used to while leaning on friends like David Bilbrey to have other conversations and add unexpected voices to the conversation.

My door remains open if you have any questions or would like to talk about anything you heard here, from an episode in the archives, or on a future episode of the show. Leave a comment below to start a conversation, today.

The announcement from Kiel, his wife:

"It’s with the deepest grief that I tell you that Toby passed away early this morning, Tuesday, Dec. 20. We were both so very moved by the outpouring of love and support from all of you. Before we settled down for the night, Toby was looking at your messages and the notifications of donations. He was touched beyond belief. Those were the last moments that I saw him alive—bathed in your love and appreciation. I couldn’t have wanted a better end for him.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I will never forget your love.

I will use your donations to pay for his hospice care this past week, as well as cremation and service (details are yet to be worked out) and to help me with living expenses while I start a new life. We will close this site soon. If you feel moved to make further donations for my support during this transition, it would be deeply appreciated. But please know that your love and support have blessed Toby’s and my life forever. We are so grateful.

May Toby’s legacy be carried forward by all you good people.

Blessings and gratitude,

Kiel Hemenway"

If you are able, you can still give to the You Caring fund and help Kiel and all of Toby's loved ones.

Please give today.

Toby was a bright voice in our community who I looked forward to interviewing again in a few months and, hopefully, meet later in the year. A friend was conspiring to have a get together in Pittsburgh and to convince Toby to come.

Toby had a gentle voice that encouraged discussion and a diversity of opinions and practices which was reflected in our correspondences. We talked about the future of permaculture and how to adapt it to our current living situations as humanity inhabits cities in ever greater density. He wondered if an urban permaculture book was appropriate for the author of Gaia's Garden and whether or not to release it. I'm thankful that he did go forward with The Permaculture City. As I came to expect from his work he gave that book a voice that people could connect with and again change the conversation about what it means to practice permaculture.

Those are some of my private memories of Toby. If you studied with him, knew him, or were influenced by his work, I'd love to hear your memories and how Toby Hemenway impacted you and your life. Please reply to this message or give me a call: .

Kind regards,

Scott Mann

Our conversation focuses on how we can heal the land and ourselves by reconnecting with the stories of a place, and to acknowledge those feeling of the sacred. Through this process we become guardians of the land, responsible for the earth as much as we are for ourselves and our descendants. The land becomes a member of our family and connected to our community.

I'm not normally one to involve myself in conversations about the spiritual, but Mary's storytelling and personal experiences, as shared in the book and through her own words in this interview, spoke to me. The more that I connect to what it means to build community or establish a sense of place, these spiritual and religious overtones have meaning because of how much they matter to the people around us and to how those beliefs shape our interaction with the land. I've also had experiences when hunting of hiking of entering a primordial space. An area influenced by man, and yet still wild. An animist moment with the other than human. I don't have words for it, as it is so far removed from what I would normally find in a reductionist mindset, but there it stands, something I wish to and need to explore further. May you enjoy this conversation with Mary and may it awaken something in you, as it did for me.

Find out more about Mary and her work at MaryMary.ie.  

Resources
The Garden Awakening
Mary Reynolds

Related Interview
Larry Korn - Masanobu Fukuoka and Natural Farming

In October of 2015, Toby was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He completed a course of chemotherapy at UCSF in San Francisco, but a CAT scan taken a couple months later indicated that the cancer had spread to his liver. He began a second course of chemotherapy in October 2016, which was interrupted when he developed septic shock in November.

Since then, additional scans show that the cancer has continued to spread in his liver. Toby signed up for home hospice on December 16, 2016.

Toby is no longer able to work, and his wife, Kiel, is his full-time caregiver. We are asking for support to help us meet expenses for living and caregiving.

We want to extend our deepest gratitude for all those who have already offered their prayers, time, food, and friendship. Thank you all. And please know that no offering is too small, and prayers and good wishes are so appreciated.

All donations are paid directly to Toby & Kiel. If you have any questions you can email the organizer at kanejamison [at] gmail [.] com.

Give Today!

This time we focus on Shaun including his background, current activities, and what it means to bear David's Legacy. Along the way, the conversation touches on a variety of subjects related to our work in the modern world, including the role of education, the apolitical need for action on the future, and what we can do to live inexpensively and with directed intent. This is candid, on both of our parts, as we share more of our own private stories as much as the public.

Find out more about Shaun and his work at DarkOptimism.org.  

Resources
Lean Logic (Chelsea Green Publishing)
Surviving the Future (Chelsea Green Publishing)
Get both books for $60 (Chelsea Green Publishing)
Dark Optimism (Shaun's Site)
Schumacher College
The Moneyless Manifesto  - Mark Boyle
The Dark Mountain Project
The Transition Timeline
The Happy Pig, Ireland. (Permaculture Magazine UK)
The Power of Time Off  (TED Talk)

Related Interview
Shaun Chamberlin - Lean Logic: The Work of David Fleming 

This new book from Chelsea Green Publishing looks at intensive pasture management and animals on the farm. Though that is the subject of the book, which comes from decades of experience running The Sow's Ear Farm in Ohio and provides a holistic approach to farm management, we spend most of the conversation discussing the calling to become a farmer and what the lifestyle includes. We also discuss the impact that a single large ruminant, the cow, can have on a farm, and the role of milk in transforming the availability of nutrients, which reduces the need for off-farm inputs. As Beth says, animals turn yesterday's sunlight into today's fat and proteins. This is something we can accomplish with a few acres of grass, the sun, and a dairy cow.

Resource
The Independent Farmstead (Chelsea Green Publishing)*      

*This is an affiliate link. Purchasing using these links will benefit the financial health of the show.

The conversation is as much a discussion of these books, as it is a celebration of the life of David Fleming, who we get to meet through a series of clips throughout the interview. Without hyperbole I see these two volumes as some of the most important recent texts for any permaculture practitioner, recent convert to long-standing expert, to add to their library.

David, through the careful clarifying editing by Shaun, has created the resources that bridge the landscape and our communities, from food to tranistion, in an apolitical, accessible way, covering topics from Abstraction to Yonder. Self-referential, you can open Lean Logic to any page and be lead on a trail of connected thoughts to lead you to ideas that initially might seem unrelated, kind of like going to Wikipedia to look up swales and before you know it three hours have passed and you are now reading about the health risks of tritium , except in a book where everything is related to the resiliency necessary to create a world where humans can survive whatever the future may hold. Enjoy this first conversation with Shaun. 

Pulling from the work of earlier Anarcho-Primitivists, Peter, as his character Urban Scout, uses the framework of persona and performance art to create a trickster figure to challenge what it means to practice primitive skills and seek to rewild ourselves in a world that is industrialized, homogenized, and pushes back with violence against efforts to return to living as a free, undomesticated human being. I find that the book serves as a starting place for anyone new to the idea of human rewilding because of the topical approach, dissecting individual ideas vs. rewilding into a cohesive whole that gets to the root of what rewilding is, is not, and where it runs into conflict or cooperation with other ideas.

Rewild or Die, written with short, focused chapters that covers a wide range of subjects, also serves as a counterpoint to challenge other perspectives, such as veganism or permaculture. My personal journey to rewilding began through primitive skills through a copy of Richard Graves Bushcraft, then learning alongside experimental archaeologists as a young adult, and then from conservationists who rewild the land with animals. Later I discovered permaculture and what it means to build lasting communities. These two interest draw me ever more to human rewilding.

In that context storytelling, mythmaking, and culture creation form the foundation to create communities. Those are the communities that hold sacred the stories, roles, and landbase required to allow for a return to a way of life that honors ourselves and the other-than-human. We can live in cooperation together, tending to one another, in a way that goes beyond the promises of permaculture, agroforestry or regenerative agriculture. Rewild or Die continues the journey, and is a worthy addition to your library.  

Resources
Rewild or Die
Rewild Portland
Rewild Portland Online Fundraiser
Deep Green Resistance
Black and Green Review (Anarcho-Primitivist Journal)
Geeks, MOPS, and sociopaths in subculture evolution BarCampFoo Camp (Wiki)
The Fifth World - Children of Wormwood
Rewild.com Forums

Related Interviews
Peter Michael Bauer - Rewilding Permaculture
Peter Michael Bauer - Human vs. Conservation Rewilding

During the conversation he guides us through how this effort has moved the amount of land under management through his projects from 20 acres in 2014, to 400 acres two years alter, and providing a return of 4,000% to investors over a 30 year period. All while creatinging local jobs and keeping the majority of the physical assets and resources in Costa Rica. Regenerative investing: practicing permaculture using the tools of modern business to rebuild the land and the people who call the land home.

Is this a model we can use to bring the needed financial capital into our work and find success during this period of transition?  Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below. 

Resources
Blacksheep Regenerative Resource Management
VerdEnergia Pacifica

Related Interview
Joshua Hughes - Transitional Ethics - Joshua's first interview on the podcast.