By creating a pattern language, an idea first coined in 1977 by Christopher Alexander in the book A Pattern Language: Towns - Buildings - Construction. My guest today, Adam Brock, took that lens, originally applied to architecture and structures, and used it to examine our invisible structures, which resulted in his book Change Here Now: Permaculture Solutions for Personal and Community Transformation. During the conversation today we talk about the development of the book and some of his processes on going from concept to published manuscript. We also touch on some of the challenging conversations that arise from looking broadly at we apply permaculture and these patterns to our communities, including some of the dialogues we should consider engaging in as neighbors or leaders. We close of course with Adam final thoughts, but not before he shares some of the patterns he developed, including Dynamic Pricing and Nurtured Networks.

You can find out more about Adam and his book, including upcoming events, at AdamBrock.me.

Do this quick introduction to Pattern Languages and the conversation with Adam make sense? Can you see using this kind of patterning and a pattern language in your own work? Will you be picking up a copy of Change Here Now to get a better understanding of these ideas and how to apply them? E

Resources
AdamBrock.me
Overton Window (Wiki)

There we talked about Community Developed Finance, here Adam and I speak more broadly about Invisible Structures and his emerging Invisible Structures Pattern Language. This invisible structure theme began when I first spoke with Adam and I've wanted to follow up on it for some time. What we are capable of as individuals is multiplied when we come together. Many hands make light work whether designing a landscape, working out the details of an alternative economic system, or building community. In Permaculture, there's plenty of work on backyard permaculture, and as Rafter Sass Ferguson's study shows the work on broad scale is growing. To take these ideas further, we now need to move from the physical and start on the small scale invisible structures: our friends and neighbors. And then our community.

You want to review his online presentation here: Adam Brock's Invisible Structure Pattern Language Take your time to look it over. If you have thoughts on what to the pattern language, leave a comment and help Adam grow this body of knowledge he's working on.

I think these pattern languages, in the long term, serve as one of the best ways to take the vast body of information we have available as permaculture practitioners, and break them down into something we can carry with us. Though the descriptors that go with each piece of the language may take several paragraphs, or pages, to explain in detail, the title of the pattern is short. You can take all titles from the patterns in Peter Bane's A Permaculture Handbook, which is excellent by the way, and write them down on the front and back of a single sheet of paper. The same can be said for the edible forest garden pattern language in Edible Forest Gardens by Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier. Take those two, add in Alexander's plus Mr. Brock's, and you have a very powerful reference, that extends the ethics and principles of permaculture. This toolkit allows us to facilitate designing larger, more varied systems, all in a format that fits in a pocket.

Inspirations for Adam's Pattern Language:
A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander, Sarah Ishikawa, and Murray Silverstein.
Debt the First 5,000 Years by David Graeber
Edible Forest Gardens by Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier
The Empowerment Manual by Starhawk
People and Permaculture by Looby MacNamara
The Permaculture Handbook by Peter Bane
Sacred Economics by Charles Eisenstein

Resources:
The GrowHaus
Tyranny of Structurelessness by Jo Freeman

During our conversation we talk about The GrowHaus as a model for others who want to implement Urban Agriculture and along the way touch on invisible structures in Permaculture, engaging the community, practicing Permaculture in the city of Denver, which in turn leads us to both climatic issues such as sun, rain, and plant selection, but also water rights and the need to work with regulators. When I first became aware of The GrowHaus and traded email with Adam to setup the interview, my biggest question arose about how the people and organization worked on objectives of the goal “...to provide healthy, affordable food for the surrounding community and raise awareness about issues of food justice and sustainability.” The answers surprised me. As often happens I'm left speechless for a little bit, but thankfully can edit that out. You do, however, hear some of my joy for their work and the process. Another area that really stood out was in the conversation of social justice. I find when the word justice is attached to a term describing a movement towards equality, or a level playing field, the rhetoric can turn heated, or the phrase used to allow someone opposed to the idea to dismiss the advocate and their argument. But you should listen to what Adam says and the way that The GrowHaus works to provide a hand-up through personal engagement and responsibility, rather than a hand-out. Just as Adam and his colleagues grow food to physically nourish the members of the community, they also nurture the financial growth of those people. But, you should listen to the interview to hear the rest of that. Resources The GrowHaus Contact the Show The Permaculture Podcast