My guest for this episode is Rachel Kaplan, the co-author, along with K. Ruby Blume, of Urban Homesteading. She is also a permaculture teacher and practitioner, as well as a licensed marriage and family therapist from northern California. Our conversation today covers all of these roles, and more, as we talk about re-patterning ourselves and permaculture to be more intentional and deliberate in our work. We also spend some time talking about women in permaculture, as I spoke with Karryn Olsen-Ramanujan, and on breaking down the barriers of understanding others and insuring we are diverse in our inclusion and practices. Rachel also shares with us the upcoming PDC she will be teaching, along with Delia Carroll, Cassandra Ferrera, and Kyra Auerbach, as part of the 13 Moon Collaborative, a new model for a 13 month long course that allows time for the course material to become a part of your internal thoughts and external practices. Find out more at: 13MoonCollaborative.com Our conversation today reminds me that we all have a voice and a place in the permaculture community. It part of what I love about creating this podcast and sharing what other have to say with the world. We add to the chorus of people who spend each day creating a better world. That includes your voice. Go, do your work, and add your voice to the conversation. Resources Urban-Homesteading.Org 13 Moon Collaborative Walking Elephant Theatre Company The Show is On The Road The show is on the road so that I can go report on events of interest to the growing movements to build a better world, and to continue to spread the word of this wonderful system of design we call Permaculture. Next up I’ll be going to CHABA-Con, in Bridgeton, New Jersey, on October 11th, 2014 where Lester Brown, of the Earth Policy Institute will be the keynote speaker for a day of lectures, discussions, and tours on how to transform the world we live in. The last of the currently planned trips is to Roanoke, Virginia, from October 20th-22nd, interviewing farmers and local permaculture practitioners. I am also delivering a presentation, “Permaculture: Creating a Better World by Design” on 630PM on October 21st, 2014, at the Roanoke Natural Food Co-Op at Grandin Village. If you’re in the area I’d love to see you there or at any of the other events I’ll be attending. More on those as they are scheduled. Support If you value this show and the work of the podcast in spreading the word of permaculture to the world, lend your assistance in supporting these projects. Share links posted to the Facebook page, facebook.com/thepermaculturepodcast, with your friends or followers. Retweet messages sent from @permaculturecst. Leave reviews on iTunes or your favorite podcast sites. The show can also use your financial support, either as a one-time or ongoing monthly contribution. Find out how to do that at: www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/support. Get In Touch E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann The Permaculture Podcast Facebook: Facebook.com/ThePermaculturePodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst (Episode: RachelKaplan2)

My guest for this episode is Elizabeth Farnsworth, PhD, a research biologist with the New England Wild Flower Society, and one of the leads on the GoBotany! project, an online resource for discovering thousands of New England Plants, including simple and advanced plant identification tools, teaching tools, and a PlantShare space where you can create your own home page to catalog your plant discoveries. This also gives you access to Ask A Botanist. As an online tool, GoBotany! Serves as an electronic field guide that can help us reconnect in a digitally connected world to the natural landscape, and foster ongoing discovery. We also spend some time talking about the idea of citizen science and how we can work to be a part of the scientific process. For those of you who listen to this show and Jen Mendez of PermieKids.com, there are some thoughts on developing a passion for discovery that extends from us into our children. I took away from this conversation that each of us is a scientist. We can wake up each morning and simple as, "Why?" That leads us to an exploration of the world. We can then take that further by connecting with citizen scientist programs like EDDMapS or the EarthWatch Institute and get involved. Your interest and passions can add to the body of human knowledge. In turn that adds to the body of permaculture knowledge. Together we can create an abundant world together. Resources and Citizen Science Programs GoBotany! EDDMapS EarthWatch Institute Cornell Lab of Ornithology Check out the Merlin Bird ID App for Android and iOS. BugGuide Citizen science comes of age (PDF) From the Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment journal. Zooniverse Citizen Science Websites. Project BudBurst CitizenScience.org CitSci.org DataONE.org for managing large data sets. PublicLab.org DIY monitoring tools Project Noah Explore and document wildlife in your area. Going on the Road The show is going on the road so that I can go report on events of interest to the growing movements to build a better world, and to continue to spread the word of this wonderful system of design we call Permaculture. Next up I’ll be going to CHABA-Con, in Bridgeton, New Jersey, on October 11th, 2014 where Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute will be the keynote speaker for a day of lectures, discussions, and tours on how to transform the world we live in. The last of the currently planned trips is to Roanoke, Virginia, from October 20th-22nd, interviewing farmers and local permaculture practitioners. I am also delivering a presentation, “Permaculture: Creating a Better World by Design” on 630PM on October 21st, 2014, at the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-Op at Grandin Village. If you’re in the area I’d love to see you there or at any of these other events. Get In Touch E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann The Permaculture Podcast Facebook: Facebook.com/ThePermaculturePodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst (Episode: ElizabethFarnsworth)

An interview recorded at the Mother Earth News Fair on Friday, September 12, 2014.

Get In Touch

E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast

The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann

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Facebook: Facebook.com/ThePermaculturePodcast
Twitter: @permaculturecst

My guest for this episode is Mark Shepard, owner of New Forest Farm and author of Restoration Agriculture. This is the second of three pieces that Mark and I recorded together to talk about Restoration Agricultural practices and to answer listener questions. In this episode we discuss four topics based around listener questions.

1. Mark’s nursery techniques.
2. Grafting vs. Seeding.
3. What tools and infrastructure are needed to start a nursery project?
4. How Mr. Shepard markets his tree crops locally or otherwise.

We also discuss the importance for each of us, that means you and me, to be growing, selecting, and breeding our own plants from seed. To make this easier Mark shares his STUN method of seeing what plants are best. What does STUN stand for? Sheer Total Utter Neglect. After listening to this episode, even if you don’t have a green thumb, there’s no reason to not be playing with plants on a variety of scales. Here is another discussion about how to bring profit and entrepreneurship into permaculture. It is something I continue to work on and struggle with at times, but it is something we can do. As Mark said, we do this and then ask other systems to try and keep up with us as we create a better world now and for the future. This is not a game or something we play at, but real work to make a difference. We can do it. To support that, I have some interviews that will come out over the coming months with people like Ethan Roland to discuss the Eight Forms of Capital and Regenerative Enterprise and how we can apply permaculture to business. Then Carol Sanford joins me to discuss how we can apply business to permaculture, find the essence of our entrepreneurial work, and grow what it is we are doing to bring functional permaculture models into the mainstream.

Support the Podcast If you value this show and the work of the podcast in spreading the word of permaculture to the world, lend your assistance in supporting these projects.

Retweet messages sent from @permaculturecst. Leave reviews on iTunes or your favorite podcast sites.

The show can also use your financial support, either as a one-time or ongoing monthly contribution. Find out how to do that at: www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/support.

Going on the Road:

The show is going on the road so that I can go report on events of interest to the growing movements to build a better world, and to continue to spread the word of this wonderful system of design we call Permaculture.

Next up I’ll be going to CHABA-Con, in Bridgeton, New Jersey, on October 11th, 2014 where Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute will be the keynote speaker for a day of lectures, discussions, and tours on how to transform the world we live in.

The last of the currently planned trips is to Roanoke, Virginia, from October 20th-22nd, interviewing farmers and local permaculture practitioners. I am also delivering a presentation, “Permaculture: Creating a Better World by Design” on 630PM on October 21st, 2014, at the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-Op at Grandin Village. If you’re in the area I’d love to see you there or at any of these other events.

Contact: The Permaculture Podcast

Welcome to a Permabyte from the Mother Earth News Fair, presented by The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann, a listener supported program. This is Photographer John's first interview. He spoke with Jason Drevenak of the North American Bushcraft School. This school caught my attention because their sign mentioned re-wilding, a subject covered in the past on this show with Ben Weiss and Wilson Alvarez. Displayed throughout their booth were a number of flintknapped arrowheads, tanned hides, bushcraft knives, and other useful simple tools. I wanted to go back around and get more information, but was called off to something else. Shortly thereafter I looked up the hill to see John recording some video. So, without further ado, here's John's short interview with Jason. Enjoy.

https://www.northamericanbushcraftschool.com/

...we are all more than the worst thing we've ever done.

Bryan Stevenson. Executive Director, Equal Justice Initiative My guest for this episode is Melanie G. Snyder, author of Grace Goes to Prison who works on issues of restorative justice and prisoner re-entry. You can find out more information about her and her work at www.melaniegsnyder.com. One of the core ideas of her work is “prison as a last resort” and that forms the theme for this interview, and how restorative justice, and rehabilitation and treatment programs impact in a positive way the people and communities who use these options. I see this conversation as an important way for permaculture practitioners to apply what we know, especially among those with sociology, psychology, law, or criminal justice backgrounds, to engage the system that exists and create a better world that values all the people who are a part of it. This very candid conversation touches on a number of stories of people from my life impacted by the criminal justice system. Melanie’s work and this conversation matter to me, and from speaking with many other people it matters to them, too, because of their loved ones who could have been saved if other options existed. Listen if you know anyone who has ever had a negative interaction with the law and consider how implementing restorative justice and re-entry programs in your community help create a better world. Work like Melanie’s is important for breaking us out of the mold of current thinking and shows that other systems are possible. We don’t live in an unchangeable machine, we’re not cogs or sprockets. We are part of a dynamic living system and we can change it to be more kind, more peaceful, and more beneficial to all. The Four Questions of Restorative Justive

1. Who has been harmed by a crime?
2. What are their needs?
3. Who should be accountable for addressing the needs and harms that were caused by the crime?
4. What can be done to address the harm?

Resources Melanie G. Snyder The Center for Community Peacemaking Lancaster County RMO Restorative Justice Online National Association of Community and Restorative Justice The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander Melanie's TedX Talk: Breaking Out of Prison Thinking

Recommended Listening

• Practical Possibilities with Ethan Hughes The interview that introduced me to the idea of restorative justice and circles.
• Nonviolent Communication with Karl Steyaert A way for us to communicate more effectively in our interpersonal relationships, and in conflict resolution and mediation. A useful tool when seeking ways to work through problems and avoid the criminal justice sytem.

Class Announcements Permie Kids Edge Alliances Sunday, August 31st 8:30-9:30 p.m. (EST) Thanks, Brian, from Walking Elephant Theatre Company for joining us to contemplate the following questions:

• What challenges do we face today and how can theatre start to help us address these issues with children?
• How can we use theatre to enrich active, self-empowered learning?
• What are some ways that we can use theatre to help us and our children connect with community?

Sunday, September 7th 1:00-2:00 p.m. (EST) Thanks, David, from Rites of Passage Experience (ROPE) and The Center for the Advancement of Youth, Family, and Community Services for inspiring us to think about the following:

• What is a healthy, normal transition for children into community?
• What are rites of passage and how have been/are rites of passage experienced in different cultures throughout the world and time?
• What does this mean for what our children need from us as parents/educators the the greater community and what does this mean for what the greater community needs from the children?

Sunday, September 7th 6:00-7:00 p.m. (EST) Collaborate with other educators and parents from Alternative Education Resource Organization (AERO) on the following questions:

• What does it mean to be a mathematical person?
• What have we, the educators, experienced throughout our lives that have helped us develop a playful attitude and curious nature towards mathematics?
• How can we explore and approach math with children in a way that meets them not only where they are, but also where they are going?

Sunday, September 21st 1:00-2:00 p.m. (EST) Meet Kelly and educator from Mother Earth School and Marissa, a PERMIE KIDs parent, educator, and founder of PermaCognition who recently attended the Advanced Permaculture for Youth and Child Educators program, and join us for a lively discussion on the following questions:

• What sort of knowledge, concepts, or skills are needed to have a solid foundation as a permaculture youth and child educator?
• What sort of things are integrated into the environment of a permaculture-minded educator?
• How does our own and our shared story influence us as educators and our children? How can we use storytelling as an educational tool?

How can I help you create a better world? Get in touch. E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann The Permaculture Podcast Facebook: Facebook.com/ThePermaculturePodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst (Episode: melanie)

Here is a model for anyone who wants to farm successfully.

In my review of Mr. Fortier’s book, and in this interview, I expressed how much I enjoyed his work. This is a handbook that I wish I’d had when first setting up my front yard garden. Combine this book with Peter Bane’s The Permaculture Handbook and you have all the makings of a small-scale permaculture farm that is holistic and integrative, with a Zone One Vegetable garden that can provide regular and routine cash crops, while developing perennial agriculture systems in other areas.

Resources
The Market Gardener Market Gardening Tools

On the subject of small-scale farming, you may enjoy listening to the life and times of starting and running a farm, including those with my friend Erin Harvey of The Kale Yard, and Wayne Herring, of Herring’s Green Grass Farm. Give those a listen and have a better understanding of whether or not this life of farming is for you.
Erin Harvey
Starting a Small Scale Farm
Wayne Herring
Starting a Sustainable Family Farm
Farming During Transition
Listener Questions - Small Scale Farming 

My guest for this episode is Michael Judd, a permaculture practitioner from Frederick, MD, and the author of Edible Landscaping with a Permaculture Twist. You can here his first interview on the podcast here: https://www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/2014/michaeljudd/ I recorded this conversation when I visited Michael to discuss his book. You will find a link to that first interview in the show notes. During this interview we talk about a wide variety of subject regarding getting ones hands dirty with permaculture, both figuratively and literally including his work with international permaculture in Nicaragua as part of Project Bonafide, as well as professional permaculture and just getting out there and doing the work, whether in the landscape or whatever else your dream might be. I’m left feeling a bit blown away from putting this episode together because of the raw energy of the conversation. Get out there. Find what you love. Do it. Overall I enjoyed this conversation because of the give and take, the dialog, that occurs by being in person with someone to record the interview, as you’ve heard here or with Ben Weiss and Wilson Alvarez, or in the Susquehanna Permaculture Round Table discussion. Help me meet more of these great guests and increase the level of candor in the conversation by supporting the show. Find out how to make an ongoing contribution by visiting: Find out more about Michael and his book at his website, Ecologia Design. www.ecologiadesign.com Class Announcement Jen Mendez at PermieKids.com has the following Edge Alliances coming up. Sunday, September 7th 6:00-7:00 p.m. (EST) *NOTE: THIS IS A NEW DATE Collaborate with other educators and parents from Alternative Education Resource Organization (AERO) on the following questions: • What does it mean to be a mathematical person? • What have we, the educators, experienced throughout our lives that have helped us develop a playful attitude and curious nature towards mathematics? • How can we explore and approach math with children in a way that meets them not only where they are, but also where they are going? Sunday, September 21st 1:00-2:00 p.m. (EST) Meet Kelly and educator from Mother Earth School and Marissa, a PERMIE KIDs parent, educator, and founder of PermaCognition who recently attended the Advanced Permaculture for Youth and Child Educators program, and join us for a lively discussion on the following questions: • What sort of knowledge, concepts, or skills are needed to have a solid foundation as a permaculture youth and child educator? • What sort of things are integrated into the environment of a permaculture-minded educator? • How does our own and our shared story influence us as educators and our children? How can we use storytelling as an educational tool? Can I help you get started in permaculture? Get in touch: E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast Facebook: Facebook.com/ThePermaculturePodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann The Permaculture Podcast (Episode: MichaelJudd2)

My guest for this episode is Jono Neiger, one of the organizers of the Permaculture Institute of the North East, and a partner at Regenerative Design Group, LLC. In our conversation we touch on his practices as a professional designer and some of the business of that, permaculture education, collaborating with colleges, and the need to develop one’s own niche. If you enjoy this episode, support the podcast by making an ongoing monthly contribution to the show. Find out how at www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/support. There is a gotcha question in the middle of this episode that put Jono on the spot. I ask him what percentage of his work with the Regnerative Design Group, LLC, would he consider permaculture. I didn’t mean to put him in that space like that, but I appreciate his ability to respond to the question in the way he did by addressing the question, "What is Permaculture?" I find his perspective points out how varied permaculture can be. This is a system of design, not a dogma. There is no rote description for what it looks like. We all practice it in our own way, and need experience to design well in whatever niche it is that we fill. This conversation also reinforces what I continue to learn by speaking to more individuals who have practiced permaculture for years: there is plenty of room underneath this umbrella of design than just design and teaching, but we need to find our own way forward. Our own fit. We apply permaculture to what it is we do that we want to do, not ourselves into the models of permaculture that we already see. The more that I walk down this road the less my work is about landscape design and about communicating permaculture to the world through this podcast and other media. Ever more I am a permaculture journalist and producer. What roles do you see filling when you combine your life with permaculture? Class Announcements Jen Mendez at Permiekids.com is continuing her EDGE Alliance series via Google Hangouts. Thursday, August 14th 7:00-7:45 p.m. (EST) Jeanne from Move & Groove, helps us explore how and why to integrate music into our lives as a way to build community. In this Edge Alliance, we will explore the following questions: • How do children experience music? • What is a normal musical development process for children? • What are some ways we can integrate music into our lives? • How can music help our children connect with themselves and their communities? Sunday, August 17th 12:15-1:00 p.m. (EST) Amy from Supporting the Unschooling Life and Amy Child's Happiness Consultant, inspires us to explore the idea of and the social-emotional components of alternative forms of education. In this Edge Alliance, we will explore the following questions: • What is happiness? • How can we develop an education based in freedom, trust, and fun? • What are some emotional challenges to educating and learning this way? There are also spaces still available in the Open Enrollment Online PDC. Contact me if you would like more information or to register. Taking the Show on The Road As I mentioned a few weeks ago I am taking the show on the road, and now it begins. Coming up on September 6th, 2014, Photographer John and I attend the First Annual Finger Lakes Permaculture Tour. We’ll be touring a number of sites between 10am and 4pm before attending a reception at 6pm. As I record this there are currently twelvee sites available to tour. If you are able come out please do. You can find out more at Fingerlakespermaculture.org. Full Event Page: Finger Lakes Permaculture Tour September 12-14, 2014, Photographer John and I attend the Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs, PA at the Seven Springs Mountain Resort. He and I, along with his assistant, are arriving late Thursday the 11th, and staying through until the close of the event on Sunday, so be sure to look for us or send me a note if you are going to be in attendance and we can see about saying hello somewhere. Or maybe we can do a flash mob reception somewhere on-site (are those still a thing?). This is my first time attending and by every indication it’s a massively good time. Guests this year include Joel Salatin, Stephanie Tourles, Ed Begley Jr., Barbara Pleasant, Dan Chiras, Barbara Damrosch, and many many more. Find out more information about this at: motherearthnews.com/fair/Pennsylvania Last of my currently scheduled late summer and early fall tour is CHABA-Con on October 11, 2014 in Bridgeton, NJ. Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute will be a keynote speaker and festivities start at 7AM with a run in the Park with Mr. Brown, followed by lectures and round table discussions in the morning and early afternoon, with street theater in the afternoon, drumming in the part from 5:30 until dusk, and wrapping up with “An evening of Cabaret with Jane Seaman” from 8 until 10pm. Come and see how a town in New Jersey is facing a changing world by raising awareness and taking action. More on this event at: CHABACON-2014 If you have an event, project, or site you would like me visit and cover, I am availabile in late October through December, 2014 for field reporting so contact me and we can work out the details. Get in touch with the show: E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast Facebook: Facebook.com/ThePermaculturePodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann The Permaculture Podcast (Episode: Jono)

My guest for this episode is Byron Joel, a permaculture designer, teacher, and practitioner from Margaret River, Australia, where he operates Oak Tree Designs. We originally sat down to speak about his background and work as a professional designer in Australia, but didn’t wind up going in that direction at all. This is a powerful, personal, and candid conversation between the two of us. This is open and honest like Dave Jacke kind of open and honest, for those of you who have listened to that interview. If you haven’t, the whole archives are still available through the RSS feed so go check look it up and give it a listen. In the space we created for one another we talk about finding a calling to practice permaculture and with it a transformative experience that delivered us from the paths we were on to something better. We also touch on the history of permaculture and where we stand today in this current wave of permaculture growth and transition from the earliest pioneers to the next generation of designers who can change the world. We also talk about hope and the importance of preserving cultural traditions. Every interview recorded for this show, every guest I speak with, is important to me and transforms the way I look at the world and what we can do to create a better place. Sometimes, however, one stands out that really touches me and makes me a better person for it. This is one of those conversations. If you enjoy this episode, or any in the archives, please make a donation to the show so that I can keep this generous cycle of sharing going in the world. Find out how at thepermaculturepodcast.com/support. And that was Byron Joel. I’m not going to add anything to this conversation, except to say that you can find out more about Byron, his work, and listen to other interviews he’s given, by going to: Oaktreedesigns.com.au And here are the other resources mentioned in this episode: Zaytuna Farm Loess Plateau Watershed Rehabilitation Project Darren Dougherty Edible Forest Gardens Firestick Farming and Land Management The Biggest Estate on Earth by Bill Gammage Tending the Wild by M. Kat Anderson If you’d like to get in touch, here are the usual ways. E-mail: The Permaculture Podcast Skype: permaculturepodcast Facebook: Facebook.com/ThePermaculturePodcast Twitter: @permaculturecst The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann The Permaculture Podcast (Episode: byronjoel)