Regenerative Skills

Giving blank walls a voice through natural plasters with Gabriel Franklin, founder of The Art of Plaster: 025

My guest today is Gabriel Franklin, master plasterer and the owner of the company “The Art of Plaster.” Gabriel grew up with a father who was a designer and builder who shared much of his trade with him from a young age. From the age of thirteen, Gabriel started on his dad's bucket and cleanup crew and has been working in plastering and finish work ever since. As an artist and nature enthusiast he has traveled all over the American northeast and even as far as Australia with his trade and dedication to giving blank walls a voice with clay, lime, and gypsum plasters, saying he is inspired by artistic design and how natural materials can accentuate one's personal experience within a living space.
In this interview Gabriel explains the difference in performance and characteristics of clay, lime and gypsum. He goes into detail about the importance of prep work and the variety of additives he uses to get specific finish effects and ad strength to his mixes. We even talk about some tricks of the trade and much more.
For "The Abundant Edge" listeners only, you can now get 50% off your digital subscriptions to Permaculture Magazine North America by entering the code PMNA50abedge at checkout. Get your subscription today and dive deep into the local and global solutions that go beyond sustainability.
Resource:
http://theartofplaster.com/
The Art of Plaster on Instagram
Sigi Koko on the The Abundant Edge
http://americancollegeofthebuildingarts.com/

Profitable permaculture market gardening with Zach Loeks, the author of “The Permaculture Market Garden:” 024

My guest today is Zach Loeks. The owner of the 50 acre Kula Permaculture farm in the Ottawa Valley of Ontario, Canada. There they run a local CSA, grow over 100 varieties of vegetables, herbs, fruits, nuts and trees , and even offer yoga retreats and children's summer camps. Zach is also the author of the book “The Permaculture Market Garden” which is an in depth guide to the techniques that he's developed and refined over many years of running this multifaceted and profitable farm.
In this interview Zach talks about how growing up on a permaculture homestead in northern New Mexico helped to give reference as he developed and grew Kula farm. He also talks in detail about his permabed system designed, profit resilience, and finding a balance between the diversity needed in a permaculture farm and the focus and efficiency needed to make a profit. This interview is chalk full of practical advice and information that you can take and apply to your own gardening project no matter what the size, so grab a notebook and I'll turn things over to Zach.
For "The Abundant Edge" listeners only, you can now get 50% off your digital subscriptions to Permaculture Magazine North America by entering the code PMNA50abedge at checkout. Get your subscription today and dive deep into the local and global solutions that go beyond sustainability.
Resources:
https://www.kulafarm.ca/

Promoting permaculture knowledge and environmental activism with Hannah Eckberg of Permaculture Magazine of North America: 023

My guest today is Hannah Eckberg. Along with being the co-founder, editor and creative director of Permaculture Magazine of North America, she has also been the president of “get oil out” which was recognized as the US's first grass roots activist organization when she was only 19 and also the United Hemp council promoting the agricultural and environmental benefits of hemp. As a self described “optimizer” she is always looking for ways to make things better and look at them from different view points.
In this interview, Hannah talks about her experiences and lessons as grass roots organizer, and now as an editor how she's helping to promote positive voices for change and regeneration in the permaculture community and beyond. She also gives invaluable advice on how to make a difference in community organization and empowerment.
For "The Abundant Edge" listeners only, you can now get 50% off your digital subscriptions to Permaculture Magazine North America by entering the code PMNA50abedge at checkout. Get your subscription today and dive deep into the local and global solutions that go beyond sustainability.
Resources:
https://permaculturemag.org/

The wide world of human powered machines with Tamara Dean, author of the book “The Human Powered Home:” 022

My guest today is Tamara Dean, the author of the book “the Human Powered Home: choosing muscles over motors” which is an in depth look into the history, advancement, and modern applications of human powered machines. Having just finished reading this I can honestly say that I was immediately inspired to start building and using these machines myself. It covers the full range of people powered devices from treadle sewing machines, prisoner powered treadmills and cotton gins, to bicycles, see-saw water pumps and pedal generators. In later chapters, Tamara profiles people and organizations that are applying human powered devices to appropriate technologies that stimulate economies in developing regions, empower people to take on new projects on their own steam, and even just improve your health and fitness.
In this interview Tamara talks about her inspiration to write “the human powered home” and some of the machines she built herself while researching for the book. She also gives advice on some of the most efficient and less efficient tasks to power on your own, some of which are based on her own successes and failures.
For "The Abundant Edge" listeners only, you can now get 50% off your digital subscriptions to Permaculture Magazine North America by entering the code PMNA50abedge at checkout. Get your subscription today and dive deep into the local and global solutions that go beyond sustainability.
Resources:
Pedal Powered Prime Mover Plans
http://www.mayapedal.org/
http://tamaradean.media/
https://www.newsociety.com/Books/H/The-Human-Powered-Home

Founding a sustainable living and education site, and working with the local community with Tim O’Hara of Rancho Mastatal: 021

My guest today is Tim O'Hara who's the owner and founder of Rancho Mastatal sustainability and education center, one of the premier sustainable living education sites in the world. For more than 15 years Rancho Mastatal has been leading the way in permaculture, natural building, and regenerative living skills such as fermentation, bio gas digestion, soap making, and much more.
Tim started out with a degree in agricultural economics and first began working in corporate agro business before becoming disillusioned with that world and joining the peace corps where he worked for two years in Uraguay and there met his wife. After another short stint working in agro business, Tim was ready for a big change. Through a friend of his from the peace corps Tim then found the land in Mastatal Costa Rica where the dream of the ranch came together.
In this interview, Tim shares invaluable insights on how to integrate with your local community as an outsider, how their demonstration site has had a positive impact on their community at large, and he goes over some of the biggest hurdles he and his team have had to overcome to get to where they are today. This is a great episode for anyone who dreams of starting their own training or educational site one day.
Resources:
http://ranchomastatal.com/

Desert regeneration and showcasing examples of permaculture success with Neal Spackman of the Al Baydah project and Sustainable Design Masterclass: 02...

My guest today is Neal Spackman, Neal is best known for his work on the Al Baydah project in Saudi Arabia, and as the co-founder of the Sustainable Design Masterclass. Neal has been working for nearly a decade in one of the most arid regions of the world in a severely desertified region of saudi arabia to regenerate the landscape there through permaculture methods focusing on water harvesting techniques. As a former student of Geoff Lawton, Neal began work on the project with no prior experience with either permaculture or dryland restoration, but in a remarkably short time he and his team have completely transformed the way the land both sequesters water and builds topsoil, and has even reached the point where the trees no longer need any water from drip irrigation in a desert that receives only a few centimeters of rainfall a year.
In this interview Neal talks in detail about the intricacies and challenges that they face on his land restoration project, the social and economic factors that add a human element to the designs, and how he went from a complete beginner to running one of the most prominent and successful desert restoration projects in the world.
We also talk about the incredible information and interviews that he hosts through the Sustainable Design Masterclass and the inspirational stories of people who are running profitable businesses by regenerating the earth.
Resources:
http://www.albaydha.org/
https://www.sustainabledesignmasterclass.com/

Tropical permaculture experiments in diversity and economic resilience with Scott Gallant of Rancho Mastatal: 019

My guest today is Scott Gallant who is a resident farm manager at Rancho Mastatal which is a permaculture and natural building design and teaching site in Costa Rica.
Scott grew up in a little town in Ohio outside of Cincinnati spending most of his childhood playing in the neighboring farmland. He later went to a small liberal arts school in Indiana called Wabash college where he studied economics and rhetoric. After that he was on the track to get a job in finances but instead took a detour when he decided to take some time off and head out west to work for a conservation crew. There he met his partner Laura and she convinced him to hitch-hike through Mexico with her to learn Spanish. Long story short, he says, we ended up at Rancho Mastatal in Costa Rica where he soon began running the farm, teaching permaculture, and eventually doing consulting work. Since then Scott has been featured on Permaculture Voices with Diego Footer, on the recent USDA “Inside Agroforestry Beginning Farmers” newsletter, and has written many articles for the Permaculture Research Institute.
In this episode Scott talks in detail about his role managing the farm on one of the premier regenerative living sites in the world and the journey that got him to that point. He also gives advice to beginners who might be looking to get involved in land management and regeneration projects themselves.
Resources:
http://ranchomastatal.com/

Regain your freedom and self-sufficiency through natural building with Chris “Uncle Mud” Mcclellan from unclemud.com: 018

My guest today is an outspoken advocate for freeing yourself from the shackles of the rat race by making lifestyle changes that help you regain your freedom. Chris Mcclellan is affectionately known as Uncle Mud and runs a website by the same name where you can find resources on how to learn to build with cob and other natural materials.
In this episode Chris goes in depth on the different ways that you can slash your monthly bills with natural building retrofits. How instead of paying upwards of 1k a month to heat his house he now only pays $75 a year using a wood stove he built with mud and recycled materials, and why you should look to your back yard before for building supplies before heading to home depot.

Building soil on a large scale and going beyond permaculture with Darren Doherty of Regrarians Ltd. Episode 017

My interview today is with one of the designers and change makers that has most influenced my own approach to professional projects and regenerative landscape development. Darren Doherty is the founder of Regrarians Ltd. Based in Bendigo Australia and he has extensive experience in project design, development, management and training. He's worked on 6 continents and nearly 50 countries in mostly broad-acre agricultural applications. The Regrarian's purpose that he promotes is to provide the potential for people to be informed about the regenerative economy, whether it involves their work in agriculture, land management, corporate life, domestic services, manufacturing or other activities that are within the reasonable domain of humans.
In this episode Darren talks extensively about the innovative platform and ethics that his organization promotes, how he got started as a landscape designer and began teaching with Bill Mollison the co founder of permaculture, and he gives essential advice on how to build soils that are counter intuitive to how many people have learned with mulch and compost. This is another really in depth interview and I'd advise having a note book on hand as Darren goes into detail about a lot of the science behind soil building and carbon sequestering in a regenerative landscape.

How to avoid 95% of straw bale house failures and more from Bill Steen of the Canelo Project: Episode 016

My guest today is Bill Steen, who along with his wife Athena is one of the early innovators and promoters of straw bale building in the American Southwest through their company “the Canelo Project.” Bill was born in Tucson, AZ and attended the university of AZ where he studied cultural anthropology. Out of college he ran a yoga ashram in NM for 12 years. He took a couple years off after that experience and moved to Canelo, AZ 33 years ago where he and his wife Athena quickly started the Canelo project which is dedicated to connecting people, culture and nature. He describes himself as someone who never lost the dreams he had that were born in the 60s in terms of more enlightened ways of living, whether it was spirituality or through sustainable ways of living on this earth.
In this interview Bill opens up about how he an Athena started the Canelo Project and wrote their essential work “the straw bale house” and “ the beauty of strawbale homes.” Bill also shares some off the most important tips and tricks he's learned in building through his extensive experience, how the aesthetics and natural building techniques of the SW have influenced him, and much more.
Resources:
https://www.facebook.com/The-Canelo-Project-131628036916687/
http://www.caneloproject.com/
Upcoming Workshops with Bill Steen and the Canelo Project
http://www.caneloproject.com/workshops/england-clay-plaster-workshop/
http://www.caneloproject.com/workshops/earth-floor-and-plaster-workshop-france/
http://www.caneloproject.com/workshops/artistry-with-clay-lime/