Regenerative Skills

The Abundant Edge design criteria checklist part 2: 074

Welcome to part two of the Abundant Edge design criteria checklist. If you're just tuning in now for the first time, I would recommend that you have a listen first to part one where we covered the goal and visioning exercise and the site analysis portion of our design criteria. Today we'll be starting where we left off by diving into "invisible structures and moving through the list until we've formed an actionable strategy with well defined roles and expectations.
Remember, this list isn’t meant to be a replacement for your own judgement or creativity as a designer, but it reflects many of the criteria that have helped us the most and what we consider to be some of the most essential bits of information and observations that can be expanded on based on the needs of your clients (or your own projects). We are constantly updating and revising this list so feel free to let us know if there are other essential criteria missing from this list or considerations that you think are important.
Resources:
Get the Abundant Edge design criteria checklist here
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The new “Abundant Edge design criteria checklist” is here. Jump-start your regenerative projects today with our free PDF guide: 073

The biggest challenge for our team here at Abundant Edge when it comes to holistic design is that there are just so many considerations. Climate and landscape data, client’s wants and needs, economic constraints and many more can seem overwhelming but are crucial to creating designs that work in harmony with nature and solve real problems. This is why we put together our “Design Criteria Checklist” to help us remember some of the most important considerations and questions to ask when designing for individuals and organizations alike. This list isn’t meant to be a replacement for your own judgement or creativity as a designer, but it reflects many of the criteria that have helped us the most and what we consider to be some of the most essential bits of information and observations that can be expanded on based on the needs of your clients (or your own projects). We are constantly updating and revising this list so feel free to let us know if there are other essential criteria missing from this list or considerations that you think are important. Don’t forget to listen to the podcast episode that accompanies this list for more stories and explanations on how we’ve used many of the key points bellow to help us get past sticking points and challenges in our work. We hope you enjoy!
Resources:
Get the Abundant Edge design criteria checklist today
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First Name *
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Bio ferments, slaking your own lime and the regeneration of coffee production: RRT 6

Here we are once again to talk about the progress, projects and challenges of building the Abundant Edge homestead. On this episode Neal and I are also joined by our good friend Tim Reher. Owner of Shangrila Coffee Roasters in San Marcos just one town over from us here on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. In this episode we talk about setting up our four animal compost factory and the benefits of inoculating soil with bio-ferments and compost teas. I break down the process of slaking our own quicklime to make the mortar for laying slate stone tiles without any cement, and Tim dives in deep into the world of coffee production and processing as we investigate ways or improving the ecological impact of the industry for small producers and processors alike. This was a really fun and insightful conversation to record so I hope you enjoy it!
Resources:
Shangrila Coffee

From poverty to permaculture abundance, with Luwayo Biswick, director of the Permaculture Paradise Institute: 071

I try to keep my fingers on the pulse of whats going on in the world of permaculture, natural building and regenerative living, since after all that’s the focus of this podcast, and as a result I find tons of inspiring projects and designers doing ground-breaking work around the world. One of the people and projects that have really caught my attention in the last two months is Luwayo Bizwick and his organization Permaculture Paradise Institute in Malawi. The scope of his projects and the impact he’s having on the agricultural practices in his country are truly inspiring.
In this interview we talk about the challenges that Luwayo faced while growing up and how the epidemics of malnutrition and poverty in Malawi can be addressed through holistic design. We go into detail about the goals of the Permaculture Paradise Institute as well as the strategies to accomplish them. We also dissect his incredible guilded and polyculture systems on the farm and much much more. This is one of the most profound and eye-opening interviews I’ve yet done and Luwayo has a poetic way with words that really helps to build narrative around the sometimes-dry technical aspects of permaculture which I admire very much.
When we recorded the episode originally we had a pretty lousy connection (turns out Guatemala to Malawi is challenging on a little wifi hookup) and so he was kind enough to send me his answers to the questions a second time and what resulted was an impressive expansion on this answers the first time around, and so I’ve published the second round in the show notes for this episode on abundantedge.com I highly recommend that anyone who enjoyed the interview have a listen to the second audio as well. It’s under 25 minutes long and absolutely worth the time. So before I drag on too long, here’s Luwayo
Resources:
Permaculture Paradise Institute on Facebook
Luwayo Biswick on Facebook

Respecting the diversity of permaculture and talking shop with Shad Qudsi and Zach Loeks: 070

This was an opportunity from a few months ago that I just couldn't pass up. Two of my best friends and mentors in the world of permaculture, Shad Qudsi and Zach Loeks, came together to teach a Permaculture Design Certification course and we got to sit down in the middle to talk about a wide range of topics from respecting the diversity of permaculture, exploring regenerative land management sites in local communities around Guatemala, to different landscape and soil amendment challenges in different sites. It was an blast sitting down with these two on the Abundant Edge homestead with coffee that we grew and processed ourselves so I'll hand things over now to Shad and Zach
Resources:
Atitland Organics on Instagram
Atitlan Organics
Zach Loeks on Instagram

The regenerative way to recover after a natural disaster with Rory Dickens of RecycleRebuild: 069

Climate change can manifest in many ways, but in the last 10 years the growing trend of increasingly severe storm seasons and natural disaster have grabbed headlines and displaced entire populations. The urgency of disaster relief is growing every year and the cost of the recovery efforts is skyrocketing. This is what lead me to speak with Rory Dickens, I was first introduced to Rory Dickens through John Bodnar, a former student of mine from our intro to natural building course who recommended that I get in touch with Rory to talk to him about the inspiring disaster relief projects that he and his team are working on with RecycleRebuild on the island of Dominica in the Caribbean.
In this interview we talk in detail about some of the major issues facing modern disaster relief efforts and how they can be improved. Rory speaks about his own experiences working in many relief efforts around the world and what he’s learned as well as how RecycleRebuild approaches their recovery efforts from a local perspective that takes into account the specific need of the effected communities and the resources that they have on hand. There are a lot of nuances in each of these cases and it was refreshing to hear a viewpoint that doesn’t advocate for a one-size-fits-all approach, so I hope you get as much out of this interview as I did. Now I’ll turn things over to Rory.
Resources:
Recycle Rebuild

Re-foresting the land by preserving heirloom avocados, with Neal Hegarty and Shad Qudsi: RRT 5

I haven't been this excited about a project in forever. On this month's regenerative round table, I sit down with Neal Hegarty, co-founder of Abundant Edge, and Shad Qudsi, founder of Atitlan Organics, to get to scoop on our first community reforestation project and heirloom local avocado preservation effort. This has been the culmination of many years of observing the local ecology, and social fabric of our valley here in Tzununa and we're opening the doors for groups and organizations to come and learn through practice. Before I give everything away, have a listen!
Resources:
Atitlan Organics Service Project Link
Hear more from the Abundant Edge Team

Solving climate change in your yard with Ginny Stibolt, co-author of “Climate-Wise Landscaping: 67

Climate change is becoming a major disruptor of ecosystems all across the planet with disastrous effects in many cases. For that reason, I spoke with Ginny Stibolt, co-author of the book “Climate-Wise Landscaping” to learn more about how we can transition our lawn centric and synthetic chemical heavy landscape maintenance practices into beautiful ecosystems that help to address the issues of climate change.
In this episode, Ginny talks in depth about alternatives to lawns and how adding native species can bring beauty and health to your yard while sequestering carbon in the soil and attracting wildlife too. We talk about reducing the heat island effect in cities by planting appropriate trees and creating water permeable surfaces to reduce runoff. We also investigate options for growing food, cutting down on maintenance and much more. We cover a lot in this short session so grab your notebooks and I’ll turn things over to Ginny.
Resources:
Greengardeningmatters.com
on Facebook
Buy the book "Climate-wise Landscaping"
Article: Soil. We need to stop treating it like dirt

The balance between diversity and efficiency on your permaculture farm, with Shad Qudsi of Atitlan Organics: 066

Here we are again with one of my favorite guests, Shad Qudsi. Shad has been a good friend and mentor to me and our team at Abundant Edge for years now and is the Founder of Atitlan Organics, a profitable permaculture farm and education center here on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. If you’d like to hear more from Shad and his path to permaculture farming in Guatemala you can always check out our previous interview from season one in the link in the show notes for this episode. I’ve invited Shad back today to help us tackle some of the most pressing questions and concerns that I hear addressed on our facebook page and on-line forums for permaculture farmers.
In this interview we speak from our own experiences and context about finding the balance between farm diversity and efficiency. We also go in depth on the often-neglected subject on lifestyle around your farm and how to prevent your plant and animal-based enterprises from trapping you in a cycle of constant maintenance and preventing you from living the life you want. The modern context of regenerative farming comes with a lot of advantages but also limitations if you’re not clear about the life you want to live around farming. I hope this is a discussion that many of you listeners will feel compelled to jump in on. Every context is a bit different and I look forward to hearing your take on the topic. You can always write to us on the abundant edge facebook page or email us directly at info@abundantedge.com. Now I’ll hand things over to Shad
Resources:
Atitlan Organics
Our first interview with Shad from season 1

Demystifying home-made bread and mythbusting gluten with Victoria Miller, author of “From No-Knead to Sourdough: 065

Bread has been a passion of mine for years. Ever since we tried making it for ourselves when I worked on trail crews in the national parks I’ve been fascinated by how much better tasting home made bread is compared to the majority of whats available on supermarket shelves. I eventually worked as a baker for a small artisan bakery in Seattle and have been making my own bread for years now and even building earthen ovens to bake in, so this interview with Victoria Redhed Miller, author of the new book, “From no-knead to sourdough: A simpler approach to handmade bread,” was really exciting for me.
In this interview we start with a brief history of how we got from home-made bread in every household, to wonder-bread and factory produced, pre-sliced loaves. Victoria walks us through the whole process starting from selecting flours and mixing ingredients all the way to finished bread fresh from the oven. We also go in depth on the topic of gluten and why many people’s aversion to this simple protein might be unfounded.  This is another information dense interview so grab your notebooks and I’ll turn things over to Victoria.
Resources:
Buy the book "From No-Knead to Sourdough"