Fuck Yeah Permaculture

The philosophy behind permaculture is one of working with, rather than against, nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless action; of looking at systems in all their functions, rather than asking only one yield of them; and allowing systems to demonstrate their own evolutions. (Definition via TPRI.) It's really kinda cool.

[fuckyeahpermaculture]

“Leaky Weirs” explained.

[fuckyeahpermaculture]

Turning greenhouse gas into gasoline

New catalyst provides design principles for producing fuels from carbon dioxide emissions.

“ A new catalyst material developed by chemists at MIT provides key insight into the design requirements for producing liquid fuels from carbon dioxide, the leading component of greenhouse gas emissions. The findings suggest a route toward using the world’s existing infrastructure for fuel storage and distribution, without adding net greenhouse emissions to the atmosphere.” Bravo @mit!

[fuckyeahpermaculture]

Click here to support Help Toby Hemenway Meet Expenses While Fighting Cancer

In October of 2015, Toby was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He completed a course of chemotherapy at UCSF in San Francisco, but a CAT scan taken a couple months later indicated that the cancer had spread to his liver. He began a second course of chemotherapy in October 2016, which was...

Toby Hemenway, author of the fantastic permaculture guide Gaia’s Garden, could use our help as he fights pancreatic cancer.

UPDATE: Toby Hemenway passed away this past Tuesday, the 20th of December, 2016. May he rest in peace along with Permaculture’s co-founder Bill Mollision, who passed away earlier this year on September 24th, 2016.

Toby’s family will use the proceeds of the crowdfunding to pay the last of his medical bills, to pay for his memorial services, and to help his wife through the difficult transition ahead. 

[fuckyeahpermaculture]

The Cosmos, the Earth, and Your Stomach: The Story of Soil - Toby Hemenway

“Give me a place to stand and a lever long enough, and I will move the world.” With these words, the ancient Greek philosopher Archimedes taught us the power of leverage points. It’s a key concept in permaculture design, too. When we deeply understand the system we’re working with—be it a garden, a business, a …

“With these words, the ancient Greek philosopher Archimedes taught us the power of leverage points. It’s a key concept in permaculture design, too. When we deeply understand the system we’re working with—be it a garden, a business, a community, or even a personal relationship—we can spot the places where a small, perfectly located nudge will beget a large response. Plenty of disciplines use leverage points. There’s aikido, where a tiny movement by a master redirects the force of an attacker to send the latter sprawling—or worse. In integrated pest management (IPM), the timely deploying of an insect trap at a vulnerable moment in a pest’s life cycle will snare only the target insect while leaving beneficial bugs. Finding leverage points usually requires keen observation and a deep grasp of the system we’re working with.” - Toby Hemenway A series to follow! Enjoy.

[fuckyeahpermaculture]

Coal's Prospects Are At An All-Time Low

The energy landscape appears to be shifting away from coal at an accelerated rate. While many are still clinging on to the hope of clean coal and other potentia

Electricity Landscape Shifting Towards Renewables

While natural gas poses a large near-term threat to coal, renewables represent an even greater threat in the long term. Solar, in particular, has enormous potential to displace coal and even natural gas over the next few decades. Solar's current minuscule contribution to US electricity generation is not at all indicative of the threat the solar poses to the fossil fuel industry. While solar only accounted for .6% of US electricity generation capacity in 2015, this industry is growing at a breakneck pace. Keep pushing industries toward renewables!

[fuckyeahpermaculture]

I will be posting more.

Hope everyone is enjoying their permaculture properties :)

[fuckyeahpermaculture]

Analysis: Every day is Earth Day for farmers, the stewards of the land

This Earth Day, support the farmers who are working hard to create a more holistic and healthier system for us all. Our future depends on it.

“The future of food and of the planet are inseparable.” - MSNBC | @civileats

[fuckyeahpermaculture]

Turkey Tail Tree Stump Removal

Here's a helpful story from Paul Stamets about removing stumps with Turkey Tail mushrooms. The stumps rot out fast (no grinder necessary) and you get medicinal mushrooms too. Nice function stacking. I'm a huge fan of Turkey Tail as medicine. Has anyone used other fungi to rot stumps? 

[permacultureandhomesteading]

[permacultureandhomesteading]

The Easiest Way To Grow Tomato Seedlings

[plantedcity]

Grow Your Own: ‘Edible Yards Proliferate in Vancouver Neighbourhoods’

From The Vancouver Sun:

The landscaping installed by young entrepreneurs Katie Ralphs and Ruth Warren is a far cry from the patchy lawns and scruffy rhododendrons that are near ubiquitous in front yards across much of the city.

Lush caches of rainbow chard, peas, beans and lettuce dot Vancouver’s Riley Park neighbourhood between 18th and 29th avenues, in some places as many as two, three and even four yards on a block and a half dozen yards adjacent to a city bike lane.

Ralphs and Warren — the twentysomething proprietors of City Beet Farm — maintain 17 yard gardens all within ten blocks of each other, essential because they move themselves and their produce by bicycle.

…

Similar businesses — Inner City Farms, Frisch Farms, Barefoot Farms and Yummy Yards to name a few — are converting dozens of Vancouver yards into micro-farms, paying the owners vegetables as rent.

…

Yard farming is hitting the mainstream, at least in Vancouver, according to Jennifer van den Brink, who specializes in vegetable garden installations and garden maintenance for Yummy Yards.

“It started out that we were just doing conversions in yards that we were then going to farm, but a lot of people just wanted help starting their own vegetable garden,” she said. “So, most of what I do now is installations for people who want to grow their own food.”

Check out the rest of the article here. 

Related:

‘Urban farming is growing, but needs nurturing’ (Toronto Star)

‘This Californian urban farm is a glimpse into the future of agriculture’ (FastCoExist)

‘How to eat your lawn: transform your wasteful grassy space into a food forest garden’ (Inhabitat)

‘Detroit urban farming prompts career hopes’ (Detroit Free Press)

‘African urban farmers supply growing cities’ (Deutshe Welle)

‘Climate change caused droughts take toll on global crops’ (Vancouver Observer)

(Photo: Steven Godfrey)

[fuckyeahpermaculture]

California’s Grand Plan to Fight Climate Change on the Farm

California lawmakers move toward paying farmers to adopt climate-smart practices.

“While El Niño rains have brought some relief to drought-stricken California, Governor Jerry Brown appears to be concerned with the impact extreme weather could continue to have on agriculture in the state. His 2016 budget proposal includes almost $3.1 billion for programs that address climate change and the allotment for agricultural programs jumped from $15 million in 2015 to $100 million.

In fact, said Jeanne Merrill, Policy Director of the California Climate and Agriculture Network (CalCAN), protecting the nation’s food supply might be the central reason for the dramatic increase. “I think the governor is concerned with food security,” she told Civil Eats. The more farmers can combine their efforts to mitigate the current problems by reducing the worst greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on the farm, she added, “the better we are at maintaining a secure food system.”

The suite of proposed agricultural programs include existing strategies such as methane digesters on dairy farms, and new ones, like the Healthy Soils Initiative, which aims to increase soil organic matter and carbon sequestration. They would all receive an unprecedented allotment of funds from the state’s cap and trade program, which allows large GHG-emitting businesses in California to buy and sell allowances beyond the state-wide cap. According to CalCAN, there is currently $1.7 billion in cap-and-trade funds that have yet to be allocated.” - @civileats 

It’s a shame it takes disaster for people to start paying mind to soil and it’s importance in holding water and nutrients.

[hardcoresandals]

It’s almost soil…

[hqcreations]

that is a thing of beauty

[ethnographic]

wooo looka that sexy compost heap!

[hardcoresandals]

Why, thankyou! Love that y'all think it’s sexy!

[thegreenurbanist]

My February reading goal. #permaculture (at Andersonville, Chicago)

[fuckyeahpermaculture]

:)

[agritecture]

From N16 to SW9: How London's Urban Farmers are Cultivating the City - Modern Farmer

From the UK’s first acquaponic vertical farm to a bee apiary that spans the city’s gardens and rooftops, a new generation of farmers are transforming London into an urban acreage.

How London’s Urban Farmers are Cultivating the City

One of the most expensive cities in the world, London is not known for its urban agriculture. Yet a new generation of farmers is starting to change all that by transforming the city’s underground tunnels, industrial warehouses, and rooftops into urban acreage. Read the full article on Modern Farmer.

[fuckyeahpermaculture]

An interview with David Holmgren. This is the full length interview from the upcoming documetary on.fb.me/20vwPqp

[fuckyeahpermaculture]

As Bees Die off, the EPA Shuffles Its Feet

"Lately it seems like bees just can’t get a break. This is the tenth consecutive year of exceptional annual bee losses. And despite heightened attention to the plight of the nation’s pollinators—which are essential to producing $15 billion worth of U.S. agricultural products a year—these losses continue to grow." - on.fb.me/1PEbQdY