Let’s delve into the wonderful world of Acerola. This tiny yet powerful fruit that has found a place in the heart of many permaculture gardens. From this hardy Acerola plant, you can harvest an abundance of gorgeous bright red fruits that add a burst of nutrition and sustainability to your backyard. I have planted my Acerola on the main path to my house so I notice when it is fruiting and I can get ready to harvest. It’s good to keep them close because it only takes 2-3 weeks from flower to fruit. I made a little youtube clip, you can watch it here. Why Acerola? Also known as the Barbados che ..read more

Tune in this week for a conversation with amazing permaculture educator, practitioner, gardener and travelling filmmaker Andrew Millison from the United States. Andrew’s passion is travelling the world documenting epic permaculture projects to share inspiration of what’s possible. He’s filmed in places such as India, Egypt, Mexico, Cuba, and throughout the United States. When I spoke to him, he was about to jump on a plane to head off to Senegal! In this episode, we chat about everything from student power at university & storytelling to permaculture projects around the world & the imp ..read more

Join me this week for a Permaculture Writer’s special in conversation with amazing permaculture educator and doer, author and grower Kirsten Bradley from Milkwood Permaculture. As this podcast is going live, Kirsten has just released her new book -> ‘The Milkwood Permaculture Living Handbook: Habits for Hope in a Changing World‘. You can find it in your local library, bookstore, online and maybe even in your street library! It was so great to catch up with Kirsten, chatting about everything from her writing process and the importance of books to how to find a belonging to place when yo ..read more

In this episode I speak with the wonderful Poppy Okotcha – a qualified permaculture designer based in Devon. She’s an ecological home grower, forager and home cook passionate about ecological & local community food systems. Part of the Grow Share Collective, she tends a 5 x 30 m edible and medicinal forest garden next to her home. She loves creating, tending and learning from edible and medicinal spaces that are sustainable, nourishing, beautiful and useful and wild. Poppy is a sought after speaker at events and festivals and writes widely about her love of plants and gardening – featured ..read more

In this episode of the Sense-Making in a Changing World podcast, host Morag Gamble interviews Dr. Anne Stobart, a herbal practitioner and herb grower from Devon. Dr. Stobart, an educator, author, and founder of the Herbal History Research Network, has written two books through Permanent Publications: “The Medicinal Forest Garden Handbook” (2020) and “Trees and Shrubs That Heal: Reconnecting with the Medicinal Forest“, scheduled for release this year. It has 80 plants profiled, each with a simple recipe. Ann has also published her PhD research, “Household Medicine of 17th Century England.” Dr ..read more

In this episode I am speaking with Churchill Fellow, Community Food Forester, Community Gardens Australia QLD Coordinator, multi-award-winning Landscape Architect and Permaculture Educator, Gavin Hardy  – based not far from me in Meanjin, Brisbane. Gav and I go way back to the early days of setting up Northey Street City Farm in Brisbane, where he’s now the education coordinator. In 2020, Gav was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to investigate the potential of community food forests and orchards. Because of the pandemic his journey was delayed, but finally he got to visit 10 ..read more

In Episode 100 of the Sense-Making in a Changing World,  I am delighted to be speaking with STEPHANIE HAFFERTY who is based on a half-acre no-dig permaculture farm in Lampeter, Wales. From the Half Acre Homestead, Stephanie explains how to grow year round using climate friendly regenerative organic gardening methods for abundant harvests and fewer weeds, working harmoniously with wildlife, and what to do with your harvests, from seasonal meals to preserving, homemade body, home and garden care, remedies and natural dyes. In this episode, Stephanie shares a wonderful story about ..read more

In this episode of Sense-Making in a Changing World I am delighted to be speaking with Erik Ohlsen – a well-known, successful and much-loved Sonoma-based ecological designer, educator and author. Eric has been a permaculture practitioner for years and is now an regenerative entrepreneur who runs multiple companies deeply grounded in a love of nature and based on permaculture ethics and principles. Eric is one of those wonderful people who gets stuff done! In this conversation I ask him about how he has grown his wildly successful Permaculture Artisans company – regenerating landscapes from ur ..read more

,In this episode I am delighted to be speaking with pivotal figure in the world of deep ecology – a concept I came into contact with at Schumacher College in 1992 when I studied with Arne Næss – the Norwegian mountaineer and philosopher who coined the term Deep Ecology. My guest today is deep ecologist, rainforest activist and author JOHN SEED – a fellow ecovillager. He’s based at Narara Ecovillage in NSW and I’m at Crystal Waters on Gubbi Gubbi Country, QLD. John is the founder and director of the Rainforest Information Centre in Australia, working for rainforests worldwide since 1979. He say ..read more

How do we tend to land and culture at the same time? This episode was a conversation of hope for me, exploring the concept and practice social forestry with Tomi Hazel Vaarde – everything from ancient indigenous knowledge to stories of forests. Also Tomi reflects on design – avoiding it being an imposition, but something that emerges from connection with place and community  – an incredibly important distinction for a permaculture designer. Social forestry is the Tomi’s big picture thinking, their frame of reference for engaging in local and bioregional restoration.   “Social forest ..read more