"It is time to talk about important things. Why have we come so close to the brink of extinction so carelessly and casually? Why do we still have thousands of nuclear weapons on hair-trigger alert? How can humankind reclaim the commons of atmosphere, seas, biological diversity, mineral resources, and lands as the heritage of all, not the private possessions of a few? How much can we fairly and … [Read more...] about Tallking About Important Things
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Governance in the Long Emergency
I recently read a great article about governance during the "long emergency". It addresses questions of true participatory democracy, and how we might conduct ourselves in a civic way in the presence of ongoing resource shortages, economic hardship, corporate predation, et al. While not filled with simple solutions, it does clearly point in the direction of urban homesteading, and other DIY … [Read more...] about Governance in the Long Emergency
Am I My Chicken’s Keeper?
This story has its roots in my degenerate relationship with my neighbors who let their chickens wander throughout the neighborhood, into my gardens, and never really seem to feel much remorse or need to change the situation. "Degenerate" because one year I swooped up one of the chickens committing mayhem in the yard and stashed her with my own flock til my neighbor discovered the crime. Check … [Read more...] about Am I My Chicken’s Keeper?
Urban Homesteading as Resilience Path
Our culture is growing now into the next level of change, evidenced by social movements addressing the environmental crisis with direct actions toward revising how we live today. Urban homesteading is just one of many creative approaches to this problem. The Transition Town movement is another, as are the growing numbers of young people from all strata of society training to become organic … [Read more...] about Urban Homesteading as Resilience Path
Resilience and Recovery
Resilience is the ability of a system to recover from shock, trauma, or change. The more resilient a system, the more shocks and impacts it can withstand and still recover. As systems—cultural or ecological—lose the strength of diversity, they become vulnerable to disruption or collapse. Nature is the ultimate example of resilience, with its systems of multiple planned redundancies and complex … [Read more...] about Resilience and Recovery
Quote of the Week
I notice a lot of permaculturists won't read Derrick Jensen because, I guess, he's so "depressing." Truth-tellers always get a bad rap. Here's a quote I liked from Deep Green Resistance, a treatise designed to inspire and encourage insurrection against the machine... "...Don’t just swap seeds; swap the US Constitution for local direct democracies confederated across your bioregion. Swap … [Read more...] about Quote of the Week
Digging Deep
It’s our family’s fifth winter at Tiny Town Farm on the westside of Petaluma. There’s no more room for another garden bed, or another chicken, and certainly not for the goat my daughter covets. The rooms of our house are filled up with the creative detritus of childhood and family. We sometimes wish we had just one more wall for a bookshelf, or a hallway, or the ultimate luxury: a mudroom. In … [Read more...] about Digging Deep
Growing a Wellness Paradigm from the Ground Up
The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings." Masanobu Fukuoka, The One Straw Revolution Is there such a thing as land-based healing? How do we cultivate change? How has the garden healed me? How does it matter that people learn to grow their own food, or create a bond with the plants and soil where they live? How does that confer … [Read more...] about Growing a Wellness Paradigm from the Ground Up