Regenerative Skills

Transitioning to a regenerative economy with Matt Powers, author of “The Permaculture Student 2:” 095

My guest today is one of the most inspiring and enthusiastic educators working in permaculture and regenerative education anywhere in the world. I had the pleasure of interviewing Matt Powers, author of “The Permaculture Student” and “The Permaculture Student 2,” in the last season on this podcast and got to catch up with him again to talk in depth about some of the most urgent transitions facing humanity and how we all need to prepare ourselves to contribute positively to a regenerative shift in the way our societies and economies operate.
In this interview Matt breaks down how advances in technology and AI will affect us all and drastically disrupt our economy in the near future, but rather than paint a bleak picture of the days to come, we discuss how anyone motivated to do so can see this shift as an incredible opportunity to re-tool and re-skill to advance themselves and their communities in a new “Regenerative Economy.” We also talk about the types of jobs and contributions that will most be in demand in this changing global system and Matt even dispels the myth of the self-sufficient homestead being a way to insulate or disconnect ourselves during this transition. Matt is a fantastic educator and storyteller who illustrates his points with thoughtful observations from his own experiences and much of the beginning of this episode is spent talking about some of the big transitions that and his family have gone through directly
Resources:
thepermaculturestudent.com
Matt Powers on Facebook

How to raise rabbits for meat with authors Eric and Callene Rapp: 094

Animals and livestock can be an essential component to land restoration if managed correctly and while we already have goats, chickens and ducks on our small demonstration farm here in Guatemala, I’ve been looking into the addition of another animal enterprise that would fit into our existing systems without overwhelming the small space we have. For a while I’ve been interested in rabbits for their fast reproduction, amazingly fertile manure and their delicious lean meat. That’s when I came across a book called “Raising Rabbits for Meat” by Eric and Callene Rapp and published by my good friends and supporters at New Society Publishers. Immediately I wanted reach our to Eric and Callene because of the wealth of well explained and practical knowledge from their experience raising heritage breeds of rabbits for both genetic conservation and high quality protein.
In this interview Eric and Callene share their wealth of knowledge in running a profitable rabbitry and walk us through the process of how they got started, general care and maintenance, breeding, harvesting and much more. Be sure to stay tuned until the end when we talk about some of their delicious rabbit recipes that they also include in the book. Now before I give everything away, I’ll hand things over to Eric and Callene
Resources:
Buy the book “Raising Rabbits for Meat”
Contact Eric and Callen on Facebook

Discovering our nutritional wisdom by observing animals with Fred Provenza, author of “Nourishment:” 093

It’s not often I get the chance to speak with a renowned animal behaviorist, much less for a talk about nutrition and nourishment, but my guest today, Fred Provenza, professor emeritus at Utah State University, makes the argument that we can learn a lot about our own health by observing the way that animals choose their food in their natural environments. Fred challenges us to be more skeptical of the latest diets and academic findings on nutrition and listen more to our own bodies and how they respond to the food we ingest.
In this interview, Fred explains how his observations of seemingly counterintuitive eating behavior in goats first compelled him to look deeper into the nutritional wisdom of animals and how his findings gave him valuable insights into how we can begin to rediscover our own nutritional wisdom on a personal basis. We also talk about how someone (like myself), who is coming from a place of chronic digestive issues, can rebuild their system to the point that we can trust the signals that our body is giving us once again. Now before I give too much away, I’ll turn things over to Fred
Resources:
Buy “Nourishment” the book

Finding ways to build soil and ecosystem fertility with every aspect of the farm :RRT 11

The Abundant Edge team is back to talk about all the progress from our projects over the last month as we transition from the rainy season to the dry season here in Guatemala. We’ve got compost production, plant propagation, new baby goats, duck houses, gray and black water treatment for the house and much more. Above all we’re talking about how each one of these projects and enterprises contribute either directly or indirectly to building soil health and fertility on the land.
If any of you are hoping to see pictures of the farm and many of the elements that we’re discussing in these episodes, you can follow us on facebook under the Abundant Edge page and on instagram under @abundant_edge
Resources:
intro to natural building course
intro to permaculture course
Ecological farming and agroforestry course link
Permcaulture chocolate episode with Lorenzo Maniet

Fighting food apartheid and empowering people of color to get back to the land with Leah Penniman, author of “Farming While Black:” 091

Leah Penniman’s mission is to end racism and injustice in our food system by increasing farmland stewardship by people of color, promoting equity in food access, and training the next generation of activist farmers. Her new book, Farming While Black, has been called "a revolutionary work that opens important doors" by Civil Eats and a “brilliant guide” by Mark Bittman.
In this interview Leah explains the effects of miseducation around the contributions of people of color to agriculture and food science, and how the decline in land ownership and participation in agriculture from these groups affects us all. We also discuss the importance of ritual and ceremony in reconnecting people to the land and their cultures and how anyone can become an ally in transforming the inequitable system we currently have.
Resources:
Soul Fire Farm
Buy the book “Farming While Black”

Cultivating “silver branch perception” and reviving indigenous culture with Diarmuid Lyng: 090

For those of you used to the more practical and literal information that I usually focus on in these interviews, you'll be refreshed by the story telling and concepts in this next session. This week, Neal Hegarty interviews countryman Diarmuid Lyng, a former star hurler for the county of Wexford who wrote a compelling article on the concept of "silver branch perception" from Irish mythology and how the traditional sport of hurling is linked to the health of the ash tree from which the "hurley" is made. They also go into how to reconnect with traditional culture and the importance of ritual in the modern context.
This is a great talk for anyone looking to connect with the "why" of environmental stewardship and cultural importance.
Resources:
A Hurler’s Silver Branch Perception: Article by Diarmuid Lyng
GAA Hurling
Podcast RSS

The Japanese traditions and techniques of natural plasters with Kyle Holzhueter: 089

Those of you who’ve been listening to this podcast for a while know that I geek out big time when it comes to natural plasters and finishes. So you can imagine how excited I was to get to talk to kyle holzhueter, a certified plasterer who learned his trade and got his certification in Japan where the traditional style and techniques are surprisingly different from those that I’ve become accustomed to from the western world.
In this interview we cover those important differences which, though less flashy and aesthetic than the natural plasters you may have seen on many natural buildings, are much more workable for a longer timeframe. Kyle talks about his journey in the plastering trades in Japan, sourcing fibers for stronger finishes, the benefits of fermenting a plaster mix, and much more. Though I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about natural finishes I actually learned a ton in this interview and I know you will too, so grab a notebook and I’ll hand things over to Kyle
Resources:
Kyle Holzhueter on Facebook

Animal pens, native plant nursery and teaching at the farm: RRT 10

In this month;s regenerative round table Jeremy and Oliver discuss the challenges of managing a lot of animals in a small space and some of the problems with keeping pests and predators out. We cover the progress on the little coffee beneficio, plastering the house, producing native and edible plants for ourselves and clients and all of the progress over the last few weeks of developing our little farm on lake Atitlan in Guatemala.
Resources:
Abundant Edge course schedule
Volunteer with us at Granja Tzikin

An intro to design and siting for natural buildings: 087

Get the design and siting PDF here
In this special episode, Oliver goes into one of the key lectures in the Intro to Natural Building course on some of the most important considerations and bits of information to consider when designing a natural building and choosing a site for the structure. In this episode we cover many iconic natural building styles, considerations for different climates and regions, designing for function, determining needs and wants, and a whole lot more. Don’t forget to download the accompanying PDF document in the show notes for this episode at abundantedge.com
Resources:
Get the design and siting PDF here
Sign up for the Natural Building course!

The reality of natural building and designing for your climate with Ziggy Liloia from “The Year of Mud”: 086

My guest today, Ziggy Liloia from “the year of mud” has been building naturally and blogging about his experiences for a decade since he started with a small cob cottage, just over 200 sq ft at an ecovillage in Missouri back in 2008. Since then he has explored many other materials and techniques and joins us today to talk about the myths and realities of natural building, especially when it comes to costs, climate appropriate design, and labor considerations.
In this interview Ziggy and I discuss some of the mistakes and learning experiences that have informed the way we design and assess appropriate materials. We talk about the importance of understanding the differences between thermal mass and insulation, and Ziggy also goes into detail about timber framing and charring wood for aesthetic purposes and to preserve the lumber for longer. This is a great episode for anyone looking to get a better understanding about the costs and realities of building with natural materials
Resources:
“Year of Mud” article on Shou-sugi-ban
The Year of Mud website
The Real Cost of Natural Building Article