Urban Permaculture

So a little while ago I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with Glynn Barber, who is the President of the Indiana Aquaculture Association and the inventor of ECSIA. During the interview we discussed aquaponics from a variety of angles including: localizing food networks, food safety, some ways of improving nutrient uptake by the plants (like using mycorrhizal fungi in the system), eliminating pest issues, function and yield stacking with aquaponics, the fact that plant yields outpacing fish yields 5 to 1, the benefits of a raft system over rock substrates and NFT, and the workings of his ECSIA system. In addition to all that aquaponic fun we talked about the state of our current food system, and how aquaponics can work inside food localization efforts to fix it. We also touched on food safety in relation to plastics and off gassing, the business side of fixing our food system and using appropriate technologies to reduce oil consumption. Oh and lets not forget an invention that recycles plastic back into petroleum. How's that for loaded to the gills? There are a couple of rough segues as there is lots going on up in Redkey, Indiana and most of it requires Glynn's attention, but worry not this interview is well worth what little distraction that provides. I hope you enjoy it as well as I did. If you would like more information on the Indiana Aquaculture Association or the Environmentally Controlled Sustainable Integrated Agriculture (ECSIA) just click the links you just read. Also if you would like to read the book on Aquaponics that Glynn recommended, it is available here.

This Podcast was a lot of fun and a total pain to record. I think we ran into every technical difficulty that you can have and still manage to record. The good news was Rick was a great sport and we managed to cover a broad array of subject matter. In this podcast we discuss the operations at the urban farm on the south side of Indianapolis that he runs with his wife. In that we covered his ducks, chickens, rabbits, and plans to move into dairy goats. We also covered a wide variety of perennial plants they grow including an extensive herb garden and several hard to find (at least in Central Indiana) varieties such as Goji Berry and hardy kiwi. Finally we spent some time discussing his outdoor aquaponic set up. Besides the urban farm we talked a bit about the podcast he and his other partner Dustin Schwartz have created as a voice for average Midwestern guys. Of course a frequent subject of theirs is self sufficiency and Permaculture. Before during and after these two subjects we share some of our own views on Permaculture, its practices and where we think it is going. Enjoy the show. 2 Midwest Guys Wolf-Beach Farms

The answer to the title of this particular podcast seems pretty simple. Everywhere. But the reality is the subject is a bit deeper, and a bit more feisty at that. In this episode, I decided to take a swing at an unnecessary problem in Permaculture. That issue is the constant sniping between different factions of perceived leaders in  Permaculture. I should note that this is the third version and I probably should have re-recorded it again, but I feel like I have already spent too much of my time on this matter. Part of what I said turned out to be erroneous, so I will correct that here. When discussing some things that Allen Savory said during the Permaculture Voices Conference about a Mark Shepard presentation, I put forth the notion that Allen had stated that Mark had essentially said that doing anything other than broad scale Permaculture was a waste of our time. As I finally got around to watching Mark's speech on Monday night, I have to state plainly that he in fact said the opposite, and he insisted that we need to work in all areas. On the other hand, he did spend an inordinate amount of time belittling the work of more than a couple of Permies. I used that word specifically because the main target was clearly Paul Wheaton, who he even went as far as calling Paul Wooten. Paul of course made similar statements about Mark (without being quite as obtuse which was surprising), and these type things are exactly why I made this podcast. My one regret in recording this episode before today is in not calling Paul out as well, for doing the same thing that he was speaking against in his keynote speech. The other thing I wish to address is part of what Mr. Shepard seemed to be railing against. That is internet activism, writing of research books and the trinkets (my word I don't recall off hand what he called them but the sentiment is the same) of Permaculture. I will start with internet activism. For the record I want to start off by stating that there are a lot of things about Paul Wheaton and his "brand" of Permaculture I do not like. I do not feel the need to list them, as I have plenty of things I need to improve in my own delivery. I should also state that Paul's website is part of the triumvirate that introduced me to Permaculture (Permies, Gaias Garden, and One Straw Revolution. I know I do not stand alone when I say I may have never really "got" Permaculture if Paul was not doing the work he is doing. In fact, I would go as far as to say that I would be willing to bet that there are 100,000 people who are ACTIVELY working to improve the world with Permaculture who found and or learned extensively about Permaculture on Paul's website. The long and the short of this statement is that while it is not the end all of Permaculture, net activism is helping and Paul is doing valuable work. Mr. Shepard also seems to have a problem with people writing how to books about Permaculture, especially when they are about plant guilds. It seems silly to have to say this, but I am going to anyway. Mark, mankind has used the written word to share ideas and concepts with his fellow man for at least 6000 years. It is one of the principle ways that we have advanced our knowledge, and it is one of the most efficient ways of spreading new ideas to the populace (especially when mixed with the interwebz, see above) If we all run out and research the same thing over and over we lose even more time, and we all know we cannot afford that. As for the trinkets of Permaculture (the specific ones picked on were cob ovens and herb spirals), I would like to point out that while all of these things are not appropriate to all areas (I wish I could have a banana circle in Indiana) and some of them are not nearly as cool in function as they are in appearance, they also serve a purpose. Sex appeal. An herb spiral when actually cared for (and some Permaculture practitioners actually prefer to care for their gardens),

We have a long one for you this week folks. A couple of weeks ago I sat down with Linda Proffitt of Global Peace Initiatives, where we discussed several of their most recent activities. This interview runs about an hour and a half, and we had to cut it off mid topic then... but what do you expect when you are talking to the head of an organization that is involved in so many community building projects. So give a listen and find out all about the gardens, greenhouse projects, vermicomposting, aquaponics, art and farmers marketing, educating, recycling and community building that this student of  Will Allen is making happen down at the Marion County fairgrounds. It truly is a remarkable set of projects and I look forward to talking with her again. For any other information about what is going on at Global Peace Initiatives including activity dates, workshops, openings or how you can volunteer; check out their website.

This episode of the DIY Food Supply Podcast is a do over of our first interview attempt. We sit down with Matthew Jose who singlehandedly runs a three acre urban farm right in the shadow of downtown Indianapolis. During the interview we discuss his operations, the state of local food as a movement in Indianapolis, consumer supported agriculture (CSA), and urban gardens/farms from around the country. Big City Farms

This Podcast is one I thoroughly enjoyed writing and recording. Basically, it came to be like this. Attainable Sustainable , which I subscribe to through facebook (here is theirs), posted a question to their readers asking what was holding them back or causing them issues in their quest to continue forward in their quest for more self sufficient and sustainable lives. As I read over the questions I noticed some recurring themes, and even though many of the questions got good answers from other readers, I thought it would be fun to discuss some of the most repeated problems, and offer suggestions on how to deal with them in a podcast...so I did. Hopefully the guys over at Attainable Sustainable aren't sore about it, because like always I did not warn them this was happening, and they will be finding out I chose their thread as a topic right after I post. I did however leave the names of any posters out of my podcast out of respect for their privacy. Some of the issues discussed include: not having enough money for projects, being short on time, crazy weather, having enough space, zoning laws and HOAs, leasing vs owning land, lack of equipment, not enough direct sun, water issues and draught, extreme heat and wind, weeds, pest bugs, and a lack of how to. Like you have come to expect of me, I do not sugar coat my answers and a couple of these were met with some rather harsh realities. All of my answers though are meant to encourage and hopefully show people that these problems are not insurmountable in our quest for sustainability or more self reliance. In fact all of these problems can becomes our strengths and advantages when we design our systems with Permaculture principles in mind. Hopefully this podcast serves to get some folks over the hump so they can realize their dreams. This website was also mentioned in the site for its forty foods that grow in shady areas.  

In this episode we discuss the Energy Audit, what it is, how to conduct one and what to do with the information afterword.  

In this weeks podcast, I talk about a recent blog by Matt Lerner over at Walkscore  (article here), where he had the sad task of notifying all of us that my fair city of Indianapolis is doing a notably poor job of getting healthy nutrient rich food to its residents. That's right, we have large areas of what are commonly referred to as food deserts. During the course of the podcast I discuss some of the base facts of what a food desert is, how (in my view) Indianapolis has developed them, and what we can do to fix the problem. During the course of my rant I cite the following websites/articles: EPA (food recovery/waste streams) Feeding America.org article NPR Article Indianapolis Zoning Code I hope you enjoy the Pod. If you do, be sure to "like" the page and tell your friends.

This weeks Podcast is a lengthy (about an hour twenty minutes) interview with Maggie Goeglein Hanna over at Fall Creek Gardens. Normally I would trim down to under an hour, but I felt like it was worth keeping the continuity along with sharing all of the great info about the community gardens and operations associated with it. We covered everything we could fit in about community gardens, their structures, how they operate, and some great ways people who want to can get involved. Like a lot of non profit organizations, it turns out they operate mostly on volunteerism and the goodwill of the neighborhood. Everything from help getting work done around the lot, to trees being donated by Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, to stocking the gardening library that they are trying to develop; depends on resources being given by people who want to build up their neighborhood and city. During the conversation Maggie talked about some local contractors that helped with some major tasks for the gardens and I think it is appropriate to encourage that type of "put something back" behavior, so if you are in the Indianapolis Area and need roofing services, give Universal Roofing and Exteriors a chance to earn your business. In addition, if you need exterior materials for your buildings or structures Reese Wholesalers also walk the walk when it comes to putting back into the city where they work. There was another general contractor who does a lot of work with the gardens by the name of David Andrews, and if you would like to reach him he can be contacted through Fall Creek Gardens info below. So besides me plugging do-gooders on the near north side of Indianapolis,  we also discussed classes on various forms of organic food production that are available through Fall Creek Gardens. If you are interested in looking in to these, their schedule is here. Any inquiry or donations to Fall Creek Gardens can be directed to maggie@fallcreekgardens.org .

In this weeks pod, we take a look at the ongoing struggle to raise food in our communities and in other small scale environments. The podcast begins by taking a look at specific situations that have occurred across the country as community leaders have challenged peoples right to raise their own food on their own property. Then we move on to discuss some of the reasons this may be happening and what we can do as Permaculturists and urban gardeners to push back, retain our rights and help others to continue to move towards self resilience and a sustainable regenerative lifestyle. Links to articles cited in the podcast: Article on "Click Orlando" by WKMG concerning Jason and Jennifer Helveston's front yard garden in Orlando. The first and second articles found in the Orlando Sentinel, that followed up on the above story Articles referring to urban garden destruction in Coney Island, Harlem1 and Harlem 2, the Bronx and Brooklyn. The Eastlake Seattle garden that was ordered destroyed. The first and second articles about the hilarious anti garden situation in Harrisburg PA. The original and follow-up story of the Memphis teaching garden that was ordered destroyed. Miami Shores Gardener ordered to remove garden or pay $50 per day in fines. The first, second and third articles about a Tulsa Woman whose gardens were allegedly torn out by the city while her court case was pending. Article from Northants UK, where a couple is ordered to remove their garden by the same government that encouraged them to plant it!

In this weeks episode, Robb takes a quick look at Backyard Chickens. Going over the basics on  topics such as feed, water, hygiene and housing needs. But not before having abit of a confessional as to the quality of the podcast and the need to continually improve. Halfway through the podcast there is a bit of more in depth conversation on the virtues and vices of the four acceptable (by my own accounting) methods of keeping chickens. Those methods are coop and run, free range, tractoring and rotational pasturing. In the third segment of the show he talks some about the methods he is using for keeping his own chooks, with a light discussion on how they integrate into his urban permaculture garden. Finally in wrap up there is a hint of things to come, interviews of local movers and shakers in the Indianapolis local food movement, oh my!

Show notes: In this episode of the DIY Food Supply Podcast, the host discusses The Prime Directive, the Ethics and the Principles of Permaculture Design. While discussing the, he demonstrates the relationship between them and how they have evolved from Bill Mollison's first teachings on the matter. During the episode, the host draws heavily on two sources. They are; Permaculture: Principles and Pathways beyond Sustainability by David Holmgren and Permaculture: a Designers Manual by Bill Mollison. Both are highly recommended reading for the Permaculture student.                                  

Here is our first podcast. It  just an introduction to the DIY Food Supply Podcast.

This is a lengthy interview between Diego Footer and Geoff Lawton at the Permaculture Research Institute, done for promotion of the upcoming "Permaculture Voices" seminar. During this podcast; Geoff discusses in depth his views on Permaculture, where it has been and where he see it going, the interpretation/re-interpetations of its ethics and answers lots of questions that I see asked and unsatisfactorily answered in the various Permaculture media. Give it a listen (download), check out the Permaculture Research Institute website, and if you are lucky enough to have the time to go, look into the Permaculture Voices Seminar.