If we are a home gardener, you'll find encouragement to grown anything you want to serve on our table or share with friends. For commercial growers Andrew focuses on the eight most profitable crops for market:

1. Tomatoes
2. Peppers
3. Cucumbers
4. Eggplant
5. Lettuce
6. Greens
7. Microgreens
8. Herbs

If you're a plant nerd, you'll also find technical details to dig into, with information on spacing, grafting. If you like technology, you can immerse yourself in to all the systems that go into a greenhouse: lights, solar curtains, irrigation types, and even record keeping.

In addition to authoring this book and his life as a farmer, Andrew is also the editor of Growing for Market magazine. That publication is dedicated to growers who sell directly to clients be they restaurants or farmer's market customers.

Resources
The Greenhouse and Hoophouse Grower's Handbook (Chelsea Green)
Growing for Market Magazine
High Tunnel System Initiative (NRCS Grants)
The Greenhouse Company (Commercial Greenhouse Company)
15 Free Greenhouse Plans (Homestead and Prepper)
Build a 12' x 8' Gothic Arch Greenhouse  (YouTube)

 These questions, and more, are examined in this episode with my guests Warren Brush, of Quail Springs Permaculture, and Jesse Peterson, of Inside Edge Design, LLC.

The title for the show today comes from a pattern that Warren sees in the world: that as life and transition more to a digital space of screens we become incrementally more disconnected from what sustains us. Rooted in a conversation that opens with American politics and what Jesse and I observed via our respective permaculture networks, we move to Warren and his work internationally. This results in a longer than usual normal interview that takes us to a number of places of interest for anyone interested in social or political permaculture. Given the nature of this episode, it may not be for everyone, and I'd like to hear from you if you like this political commentary.

Leave a comment below.

Resource 
Quail Springs Permaculture

Originally from Hawaii, and now in California, Eddy spent over 3 decades observing nature and living off-grid. Today he creates state-of-the-art closed-loop regenerative agriculture systems, on a foundation of aquaponics, designed for productivity, but with aesthetics in mind. Eddy's design process is motivated by a desire to build systems that mimic nature in both efficiency and beauty, while also building new earth.This results in aquaponics systems with an eye for building holistic systems which include a variety of living creatures. In these installations you can find fish, shrimp, copepods, fungal cultures, several different types of bacterial colonies, plants, worms, and, of course, humans.

Resources
Living Earth Systems
Living Earth Systems (Instagram)

There is a process to all of this, but we can achieve this goal by making choices that lead to more of what we desire, as we discover what holds us in rapt attention: the true pleasures of our lives. During our conversation, Annie uses her own life, as a artist, long-distance hiker, and forager, to model what we can expect by embracing frugal hedonism. The results lead to a life rich in time with those we care about and full of opportunities, for concerts, education, and the occasional luxurious restaurant meal. You might say this is minimalism, with a permaculture twist.

After listening to this conversation, can you see making the changes to live this way? Would you want to?

Leave a comment below.

Resources
The Art of Frugal Hedonism  (Annie's site)
The Art of Frugal Hedonism  (Chelsea Green Publishing)

Read the Regenerative Agriculture Definition White Paper (PDF). This served as my first foray into this modern approach to discuss what it means to practice Regenerative Agriculture. I don't necessarily feel any closer to it now than I did when we started, but commend Ethan et al. on addressing meaning within a larger community. In the resource section, rather than just link to each of the companies and organizations Ethan mentioned doing good work, I chose to link to the various vision, mission, and philosophical statements underpinning what they do. Let's focus on their ideas, not just the products.

Resources
Regenerative Agriculture Definition
Terra-Genesis International
Appleseed Permaculture LLC
Sustainable LUSH (SLush)Fund
The Seven First Principles of Regeneration
Darren Doughtery - Regrarians
The Philosophy of Epic Bars
Patagonia Sustainability Mission - Vision
Kiss the Ground - Mission Statement
Carbon Drawdown Project
The Carbon Underground
Regeneration International - Why Regenerative Organic Agriculture?

Related Interviews
Eight forms of Capital & Regenerative Enterprise
Gaia University & Appleseed Permaculture,
 

After the interview, I recommend several books for any parent or educator interested in place-based, nature-immersive, environmentally-focused education.

Those are:
Earth in Mind by David Orr
Beyond Ecophobia  by David Sobel
Last Child in the Woods  by Richard

Resources
Institute for Permaculture Education of Children
Spiral Ridge Permaculture

To start that conversation, Botho Willer, the creator of Plant Buddies, joins me to talk about this open-source tool that makes finding compatible companion plants easier. During our time together Botho also shares his work with Serlo.org, an open education platform and project modeled after Wikipedia and designed to provide high-quality education worldwide, free of charge, and without ads. As mentioned in this conversation, open-source tools matter to me. I've used these resources for years.

My first encounter with Linux was in 1995 as the senior student systems administrator for my high school. In the early days of the podcast the show was recorded and edited entirely on a Linux laptop, and to this day the podcast website is hosted on a Debian Linux server. Even after 6+ years, I continue to edit the show with Audacity, a Free and Open Source editor. As a result of all of that, I would like to see more independent education like you find on the podcast, or on YouTube through the videos of Geoff Lawton  or Blake Kirby . With so much information available, however, sometimes it can be difficult to find high-quality resources, which is why sites like Serlo are important for curating this information in open, crowd-sourced, democratic ways.

Together, with our skills and talents, we can contribute the regenerative future. If you know of other projects or programs like Serlo, let me know by leaving a comment below.

Resources:
Plant Buddies Serlo (English)
Serlo (German)
Green Gold  - John D. Liu (Documentary - YouTube)
The Language of Image  - My discussion with David Bilbrey which is mentioned in this interview. (A Patreon Exclusive)

Bryan founded B the Change Media in 2015 to look at how businesses, particularly B Corporations, work to bring about social good. Bryan is a rancher and entrepreneur. For 19 years he ran Ogden publications, the owner of Mother Earth News, Mother Earth Living, Grit, and several other category-leading media companies focused on sustainability, natural health, and rural lifestyle. Bryan is the recipient of numerous awards, including Niche Media’s 2014 Niche Rockstar of the Year, and was honored with a B Corporation 2014 Hal Taussig Award for using business as a force for good.

After listening to this interview, what are your thoughts on B Corporations? Do you see business as a valid agent for change? Can you see how Bryan's observation and engagement of employees lead to greater well-being for those individuals, their community, and the organization? Would you consider moving your work, if you are an entrepreneur, towards a B Corporation? I'd like to know what you think about all this. Leave a comment below.

Resources:
B the Change Media
EcoThinkIt
B Lab / B Corporation
Directory of B Corporations
Cooperative Home Care Associates
Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream

This 18-month course is a hands-on intensive focused on farming, communities, and permaculture. This program stood out for me, and I asked Jessa for this short interview, because the subjects covered are the trifecta of my interests: growing food, taking care of the people around us, and doing so in the framework of permaculture. Many institutes offer farming apprenticeships or community development training or permaculture design certificates, but this fellowship contains all three. The only other similar program I know of operates in California, whereas AMI's location in Virginia is accessible to a wide range of participants along the Eastern seaboard. Making the fellowship viable for even more folks is that Phase I fellows receive a stipend of $1,000 upon completion, and Phase 2 participants receive $1,5000 per month, removing the financial burden of taking the time to live and learn deeply, embedded in community.

If you or someone you know are interested in this opportunity you can read more in the: AMI Fellowship Outline (PDF) If you are already ready, get your application in soon, as they are due by February 19, 2017. Apply at: Allegheny Mountain Institute 

They frame the conversation around the Five Zones of Service and Action for Place-based Social Organizations, and share with us how to develop a place-based nature immersion school, based on the work at Jean's Farm which houses IPEC and Mother Earth School They begin with Matt's background, including his desire to work for the Park Service, which he put aside to dive deep into education for children to found Mother Earth School with his wife Kelly Hogan.

This took Matt way from the woods and back to study Sustainable Education from Portland State University. After this introduction they lead into the first two Zones of the Service and Action for Place-based Social Organization framework. Zone I is the living labratory: the people, activities, and efforts taking place at Jean's Farm in the urban environment of Portland. Zone II, which draws this piece to a close, is the demonstration of the lab, integrating the work of Mother Earth School and IPEC into the local community through various partnerships so that the organization can be as inclusive as possible. This integration is vital to the continued work of IPEC, whether in the home town of Portland, or in any other community they teach. Expect Part II on February 28, 2017. Five Zones of Service and Action for Place-based Social Organizations Zone I: Living Labratory Zone II: Demonstraing the living labratory locally. Zone III: Community Education Zone IV: National Education Zone V: International (Global) Education

Resources
Institute for Permaculture Education of Children
Mother Earth School
My Side of the Mountain
Sustainable Education  - Portland State University
Jean’s Farm
City Repair Project
Oregon Sustainable Agriculture Land Trust (OSALT)

Related Interview
Kelly Hogan  - Permaculture Podcast Interview