Summary
Akin to a cuppa while flicking through photo albums, this conversation is rich with stories of her lived experiences across every continent & through many decades. This wisdom holder has offered her life in service by knowledge sharing. A much respected permaculture educator, her foundation is science based, heart felt & relational in every way. Her practical generosity has contributed to refugee camps in war torn countries and her commitment to empowering communities without becoming a guru is refreshing.
Show Notes
Adaptation principles - Observe carefully, backup functions, seeing solutions, being prepared to make change & noticing
Is water more destructive than drought?
Creating a culture where people are comfortable to listen to their intuition
The critical value of eco literacy - taught in childhood but forgotten in adulthood
Building confidence in ourselves to enact change
Operating as a community rather than individuals who are side by side
Looking for change outside of ‘lobby groups’
The power of the collective rather than individual leaders
Intuition is when you know something from a prior sensory input but haven't made it conscious yet - this relies on eco literacy and enables us to come up with solutions
Her Vietnamese experience - connecting traditional knowledge with permaculture principles using the pyramid approach of community teaching
Removing guru’ism by teaching locally and inbuilding principles that ensure the original teacher is no longer needed because the knowledge is in the community
Her scientific background has ensured she is less inclined towards whims, rather its focussed on critical thought
Making people eco literate by starting with a focus on the fundamentals
Why permaculture is not western middle class - it is adaptable to traditional knowledge?
The role of traditional ritual and custom in building community - the Songs of Community
Singing to recognise climate, topography, people, direction, acknowledging the power and might of the natural over humans - keeps us small and in a sense of wonder
Reading plants as secular or sacred
Ritual is acknowledge of our small scope, observation and awe
Seeing permaculture as a jigsaw where we can take the pieces we need for the places we are in
Permaculture is not an armchair discipline - it’s a discipline of service through knowledge sharing
We are all as poor as the poorest person
The power of permaculture in giving individuals agency and the ability to bring change
Why waving $500 each week and a vibrant garden is enough
References
The Earth Restorers Guide - Rosemary Morrow
Earth Users Guide - Rosemary Morrow
Podcast partners ROCK!
Hidden Sea - Wine that saves the sea
Nutrisoil
Wwoof Australia
Buy the Book - Futuresteading - Live Like tomorrow matters
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