Ryan Rising and Leah Song - Permaculture Action Network
Today’s guests are Ryan Rising, of Permaculture Action Network, and Leah Song, of Rising Appalachia, who join me to talk about how they use the work on-stage and off to organize communities to participate in a permaculture action day. How they blend permaculture and activism with music and merriment.
From their experience bringing together more than 13,000 people to over 90 action days, they share how we can learn more, get involved, and make a difference. You can find Ryan’s work at permacultureaction.org and Leah at risingappalachia.com.
Though I interviewed Jasmine Saavedra about the Permaculture Action Tour in 2015, it was my friends in Kentucky—whom you’ve heard in the in-person conversations recorded at the Clear Creek Schoolhouse—who helped get this conversation together. Thank you, Leah Van Winkle and Michael Beck for helping to set all this up.
What I’m left with stepping away from this conversation is a reminder of David Fleming’s Lean Logic and how in those pages he calls on the need for celebration and carnival if we plan to have a joyous and bountiful future. But, we can have that now, and Ryan and Leah and all the rest are working on making this a possibility. The first is through the permaculture action days. We can take this further, however, through related movements like slow music or slow food and celebrate and enjoy the bounties of life and our ability to share a space or a plate with others, a part of our everyday lives and ongoing rituals. This is social permaculture in motion, working with people so they can work the land. As they care for one another, they can care for Earth.
If you are an organizer, or just interested, get in touch with the Permaculture Action Network and see what you can do to create or join with one of the regional hubs. Look for the artists, artisans, and allies that can come together and share the surplus with one another. Need help along the way? Get in touch.
Resources
Permaculture Action Network
Rising Appalachia
The Slow Music Movement (Huffington Post)
Lead to Life
Extinction Rebellion
Sonic Bloom Festival