Andrew co-taught my advanced permaculture design certificiate teacher training, along with Jude Hobbs and Rico Zook, so I went into this interview with a familiarity with his work and style. In addition to teaching, he continues to design and consult on permaculture installations of all types and sizes, and also works on documenting permaculture projects. There are two videos you should check out, one with Tom Ward and another with Don Tipping. You can find out more about Andrew at beaverstatepermaculture.com. Someone else to know about in the Permaculture community is Andrew's colleague Marisha Auerbach, who currently teaches an online course with him. If you find that his schedule is too busy, or you'd like another voice from the Pacific Northwest, check out her work and you'll be in good hands.

Resources
Beaver State Permaculture
Marisha Auerbach
Barnabus Kane
Brad Lancaster
Tim Murphy
Gary Nabhan
Barbara Rose
Oregon State University Permaculture (4 College Credits)
Oregon State University Permaculture (Non-Credit)
Arcosanti
Ecosa Institute
Prescott College
Caduceus Cellars (Maynard James Keenan's Winery)

In this episode I speak to Bill Wilson of Midwest Permaculture. When I began looking for a Permaculture Design Course, Bill Wilson's name kept popping up as I searched the web and asked around. I've had an interest to speak with him for some time and am thankful for the hour or so he spent with me for this show. We begin, as I often do, with his background and how he came to permaculture, which, as with all of the guests, was a unique road.

The rest of the conversation winds and weaves through the impacts of agriculture on the environment and our communities, to the Permaculture Design Course, his methods and curriculum, and what he sees as the major areas of permaculture education. Around this time, as we speak about what makes for a permanent culture, I lose the connection and we pick back up on that point, and proceed to the way he approaches curriculum while honoring the work set forward by Mollison and Holmgren and identify the evolution that is required 30 years after releasing this idea into the wild. Perhaps the most powerful part of all of this is as we begin to wind down and speak about right livelihood and finding your personal authenticity so that you can contribute and grow, because you must do both. May you enjoy this time with Bill Wilson as much as I did. Oh, and if you are looking to take a PDC, go see Bill, Becky, Milton, and their guest instructors. They have the experience to give you the permaculture education you've been looking for. You'll hear that readily in the interview.

Resources:
Earth User's Guide to Permaculture
Midwest Permaculture

This brings us to the next portion of the Permaculture Design Course with the very core ideas of permaculture: The Prime Directive, Ethics, and Principles that make permaculture permaculture. The Prime Directive, from Mollison, states: "The only ethical decisions is to take responsibility for our own existence and that of our children." From there we move into the Ethics:

• Earth Care
• People Care
• Fair Share

This time around, I present the Principles differently from those presented by Holmgren and others.  10 Principles in total are covered:

• Whole System
• Observation
• Soil
• Diversity
• 4-Dimensional Design
• Relative Location
• Planning Tools
• Scale
• Yields
• Energy

For this episode, my primary resources were: Permaculture: A Designers' Manual by Bill Mollion Teaching Permaculture Creatively by Skye and Robin Clayfield The Earth Care Manual by Patrick Whiefield