Paul Stamets' Six Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World

This TED talk by Paul Stamets is more than two years old but it is a classic. He has found ways that mushrooms can produce energy, fight our common pathogens (bacteria and viruses), fertilize, sequester carbon, kill and then repel carpenter ants and termites and remediate toxic chemicals in the environment.

Two Permaculture herb spiral how to videos and a video tour of one that's full grown

San Antonio's resident certified permaculturist Doddi Evans has been talking about herb spirals recently. He's planning to have a workshop to build one soon. Until you make that event here are two youtube videos on two different herb spirals.

This video is by certified permaculturist Scott A. Meister of Japan's Potato House Permaculture Pension.




This video shows a different design by Dick Pierce which uses lots of straw as a growing medium , Dick is an Austin permaculture design consultant.




Finally, here is a video tour of a mature spiral by solealunaduir.  It will give you an idea of how lush an herb spiral can become.

Novella Carpenter: The Education of an Urban Farmer

Novella Carpenter, author of  Farm City: the Education of an Urban Farmer was in Austin on October 31 for a workshop entitled "The Complete Turkey".

I hope you heard about it.  I just ran across it and her a few minutes ago.  Here's her description of the workshop:

For meat eaters, raising turkeys is a dare, a stunt, a Herculean effort. The turkey is the most American of birds—native to North America, eaten by Indians, Aztecs, and pilgrims. Most people, come November, eat a Thanksgiving turkey without really knowing what a turkey looks or acts like, much less all the work that goes into raising one of these birds for the table.  In this class, we will show best practices for raising your own Thanksgiving turkey, including feeding, coop construction, breeding, and day to day care.

Following these basics, we will “harvest” a heritage breed turkey. Novella will demonstrate a humane, fool-proof method of dispatching a turkey, including plucking and cleaning. Seeing this process firsthand will make your upcoming Thanksgiving more meaningful than ever.

Her blog, Ghost Town Farm details her adventures farming in an Oakland ghetto neighborhood and her travels elsewhere.

The video below comes from Fora.tv.  To see the whole presentation click on the appropriate place on the screen.  In this presentation she reads from her book.  Chow.com has a fantastic video of Novella's urban farm entitled "Obsessives: Urban Farming" which is really, really worth the time to watch.

Sanctuario Sisterfarm: A gem of practical, responsible, relationship building and spiritual permaculture near Waring, Texas

Adrian Dominican Sisters Carol Coston, OP and Elise D. García, OP founded the sisterfarm in 1992 on a 7 acre triangular patch of Texas off of IH 10 at the Waring/Welfare exit on Big Joshua Creek.  In 2001 they established a non-profit and renamed their permaculture experiment, Sanctuario Sisterfarm.

The farm serves as their home as well as a welcoming space for members of their order and others.  Over the years they have gradually transformed the original house, which has a double wide mobil home at its core into an efficient dwelling with saltillo tile floors, energy efficient windows, rainwater catchment, gray water reuse, a standing seam metal roof and geothermal heating and cooling.

On Sunday, October 18, 2009 Carol and Elise welcomed members of Doddi Evan's Permaculture in Practice meetup group along with a visiting sister from Kansas and two sets of neighbors to an extensive tour.   Carol was particularly pleased to have visitors who were familiar with the principles of permaculture who were wanting to implement them in their own lives.

The farm includes two tiny houses for guests, a yurt, orchards, a keyhole garden, a spiral garden, vegetable box planters and a chicken yard.   Carol reported that they formerly had guinea hens but they did not behave as advertised so as they lost one after another to various predators they were not replaced nor mourned.  Their Gaia garden is only just recovering from its encounter with the guineas.

Less than two weeks old and already "San Antonio Permaculture in Practice" has two great meetups planned

San Antonio's first certified Permaculturist, Dodrick Evans has established the SA Permaculture in Practice meetup group.

Already the group has two meetups planned.

On Thursday October 1, 2009 Doddi will lead a workshop on medicinal herbs.
Here's what he has to say about it:

Learn about the wealth of medicinal herbs that can be grown in local gardens at a 1 hour workshop taught by Doddi Evans.

The workshop will focus on the role of herbs and herbal medicine in preventing and treating disharmonies. "I'll discuss how to use garden plants for health and wellness, including how to make teas and other preparations from plants and weeds you'd find in many backyard gardens," says Doddi.
During the workshop, Doddi will discuss sources of medicinal plants, how to select plants, what plants do well in San Antonio gardens, and how to harvest herbs.

There will be a sign by our sponsor Permaliving with my name "doddi" on it.

To find the place and more details go to the SA Permaculture in Practice meetup site.

On Sunday October 18 at 12 pm the group is planning a field trip to an intentional community that practices permaculture.

The term Intentional Community is inclusively used for eco-villages, co-housing, residential land trusts, communes, student co-ops, urban housing cooperatives, alternative communities, and other projects where people strive together with a common vision.

We'll have a day visit to the Santuario Sisterfarm intentional community. This will be an awesome opportunity to see some permaculture in practice! Just remember, every permaculture site is different.

"Santuario Sisterfarm is a nonprofit organization founded in 2002 by Latina women and Dominican Sisters and co-directed by Adrian Dominican Sisters Carol Coston, OP and Elise D. García, OP. Located in the Hill Country of south-central Texas and rooted in the rich multicultural legacy of the Borderlands, Santuario Sisterfarm is dedicated to inspiriting the work of transforming human relationships with Earth and among ourselves, from dominance to co-creative partnerships."

Please visit their website for more information:

http://www.sisterfarm...

I've visited several eco-villages and intentional communities around the world. Most that I've visited were composed of people from diverse social-economical, ethnic, professional, religious, and cultural backgrounds, who share the common goal of living sustainably.

In my opinion, "sustainable living" needs three functional elements:

Economic Sustainability - Micro-Industries (small business that can be established utilizing local resources and community member's skills, educations, professions, and talents).

Cultural Sustainability - Events and activities that address social needs of every member of the community.

Enviromental Sustainability - Use of rainwater catchment, solar and wind energy, organic gardening, and recycling etc.

Permaculture is often practiced by Intentional Communities because it's ethics and principles can easily be applied to address all of these needs.

During our visit to Santuario Sisterfarm, I recommend you to look for evidence of these three elements and assess their levels of functionality.

Santuario Sisterfarm requests a $10 per person donation for the tour of their permaculture site. So, please RSVP as soon as possible so we make car-pool arrangements and we may get a group package!

Dodrick Evans and Adhana McCarthy present the principles of permaculture at SASL August meeting

Dodrick Evans of Permaliving.com has an ambitious series of workshops and presentations in the works. At the August San Antonio Sustainable Living meeting, he and Adhana McCarthy gave a presentation on the principles of permaculture. Their presentation was put on video by OrganicTexas.



On Wednesday September 30, Dodrick will give a presentation on Medicinal Herbs, Plants and Spices from 7 to 8 pm at Henry A. Guerra, Jr. Library, 7978 Military Dr. West, San Antonio, TX 78227

Texas Chicken Tractors ready made in Burnett or in kit form for backyard chicken ranchers

With more and more people in San Antonio raising the three chickens (or more) allowed by law, more and more people need coops.

While it can be fun to build one yourself, Josh and Michelle Hudgins of Burnett, Texas are happy to build one for you. Alternatively they will sell you a coop in kit form.

Some of their coops are mobile, chicken tractor style coops. As the chicken tractor is moved about a property, the chickens do their business of insect control, tilling and fertilization one small spot at a time.

You can learn more about coops and mobile chicken coops at mobilechickencoops.com.

Permaliving's Doddi Evans brings 24 weekend Permaculture certification course to San Antonio beginning September 19

Permaliving a San Antonio based permaculture design and education company will be offering a 24 weekend, 120 hour permaculture course leading to certification in permaculture design.

The course will be taught by Dodrick "doddi" Evans, who is a Certified Permaculture Teacher and has worked as a permaculture teacher and designer in Portland, Oregon for several years.

The 24 Saturday workshops will each be from 1 pm to 5 pm. The workshops may be attended individually at a cost of $60 each. The cost is $1200 to attend them all ($50 for each workshop).

Topics include Introduction to Permaculture ethics and design principles, Designing from patterns to details, Ecosystems, bio-regions, climate, bio-geography, Edible landscaping; use of edible perennials Small-animal systems, Small-scale, intensive cultivation, Techniques and strategies for the urban environment,Broad-scale (rural/large-site) design Wildlife management; Ponds, aquaculture, and mariculture

This course follows the internationally recognized curriculum outlined in Bill Mollison’s Permaculture Design Manual. You aren't required to buy or read the manual, but attendees are encouraged to get a copy of Introduction to Permaculture, by Bill Mollison and Reny Slay, and read this book before the class starts. Other good introductory books are Gaia’s Garden by Toby Hemenway, and The Permaculture Way by Graham Bell.

Forget everything you think you know about mushrooms and learn how they can save our planet

At the 2007 TED conference, mycologist Paul Stamets delivered a provocative talk, after first educating the audience on the importance of mushrooms to life and on the nature of fungi life he proposes that mycelium fungus hold the key to progress on the earth's most pressing problems.



Thanks to San Antonio Enviroment Meetup member, Sergio Salazar for passing on this video.

New Braunfels' Organic Living Club brings speakers and presentations to Comal, Hays and Guadalupe counties

If you live in Hays, Comal or Guadalupe county you have a regular source for information on organic gardening and natural health topics. Since July 2008, the Organic Living Club has met (mostly) on the fourth Monday of the month at various locations appropriate to the topic.

Their Monday, June 29, 2009 meeting at 7:00 PM will be at the Markley Family Farm, 394 Union Wine Road, east of New Braunfels on the right of FM 725 past Zipp Road.

The Markley Family Farm grows vegetables and fruits hydroponically. Topics of discussion will include: Tree planting with a tree being planted at the farm, natural oak wilt prevention, tree pruning, drought avoidance.

Attendees are advised to bring a chair and to dress appropriately since there is no air conditioning. The presentation is free, there are no dues and everyone is welcome, but seating is limited. Please RSVP if coming to rsvp@organiclivingclub.org.

Past speakers have included Malcolm Beck, Mason Arnold of Greenling, Bob Fitzsimmons of Bob's Organic Garden and numerous presenters on alternative medicine. A number of their meetings have been recorded and posted to Jason George's YouTube channel, OrganicTexas.

OrganicTexas brings outstanding South Texas speakers and discussions to YouTube

Jason has been shooting and editing videos of south Texas organic gardening notables such as Bob Webster and Malcolm Beck and adding them to the YouTube channel OrganicTexas since October 2007. So far he has over 380 videos posted.

Since YouTube limits postings to a maximum of 10 minutes, he breaks up presentations into several parts, but the videos are grouped into playlists so you can play all of them in a series automatically.

His channel has over 240 subscribers. His most viewed video, a presentation by KTSA host Bruce Deuley speaking on compost tea, has been viewed over 5000 times. His Bob Webster videos and tapes of the Organic Roundtable at the Festival of Flowers have been very popular as well.

Austin's Rhizome Collective wins permit for composting toilet

Asher Price with the Austin American Statesman reported June 18, 2009 that the Rhizome Collective has obtained city approval for a composting toilet on their 9.8 acre former landfill, which the collective cleaned up over the past several years.

The composting toilet is quite a bit more complicated than the standard collecting toilet and compost pile system.(The Austin American Statesman may require free registration to view the article.)

Thanks to San Antonio Sustainable Living group member, Joe Barfield, for passing this along.

Composting Collecting Toilets: the affordable no waste-water, no black-water solution to your back end waste problem

To handle your humanure you can use low flow toilets, you can use an artificial wetlands, a Watson Wick, an aerobic or an anaerobic system but these all use water. If you have lots of money you can buy a clivus multrum. Or you could take the leap into the world of Joseph Jenkins and compost it all and practically eliminate your water use to handle your elimination.

Yes, according to Joseph Jenkins there are two kinds of people: those that deposit their body waste into drinking water and those that do not and we in the USA are mostly in the first group. But it doesn't have to be that way. A composting collecting toilet system as described in The Humanure Handbook is a sanitary, water free and inexpensive way to handle this basic human need.

You can read Joseph's book online for free, though if it takes hold of your imagination you will likely want to buy a copy for yourself. You can also watch humanure videos and see pictures of various composting collecting toilets. You can even buy kits if you don't want to design and build your own.

If you are like me, at first the idea seems a little extreme but then little by little the implications for your life might start occurring to you. That cabin in the woods might suddenly become affordable. That shed in the back yard might make a decent guest room with a gray water system for the solar heated shower and a composting toilet. Maybe that you can afford to make that inexpensive travel trailer a bit less costly to operate and a bit more inviting to travel in.

You might even find yourself trying to spread the word to skeptical friends and strangers. But you won't know unless you take a look at the book.

Ten things I learned at Brad Lancaster's hands-on water workshop in Austin

Here are ten things I learned from attending Brad Lancaster's hands on rainwater / gray water workshop in Austin.

1. Sometimes lead and copper is showing up in air conditioning condensate having leached out of solder and other components. But some manufacturers avoid using lead and are more careful with their use of copper, so their condensate is lead and copper free. The good manufacturers need to be encouraged while we need to let the other manufacturers know that we care about this issue so that they will change.

2. We are really rainwater rich in South Texas. Brad feels like we have a great opportunity to use our runoff and rainwater let alone our condensate.

3. We have so much rainwater,that we probably don't need to try to capture water from streets for our own property, although for street trees on public right of way, diverted street water is a good use. The water from streets though usable is not as clean as that captured on soil.

4. Hand watering will always be more water efficient than drip irrigation because with a drip system you will be watering plants that don't need it. Of course either is more water efficient than broadcast watering.

5. Some products with ecology friendly names use lye or salt and should be avoided if you have a gray water system.

6. It isn't as difficult as it seems to calculate the water coming into our property. "Think like a raindrop" he said. The drop doesn't care about the slope, just the amount of ground covered by a roof.

7. Surprisingly some studies indicate that quality of rainwater collected off an asphalt roof is not significantly different from that collected from a metal roof.

8. Some septic tanks are made with a WR Grace product DARACEM 100 which includes Formaldehyde-naphthalenesulfonic acid polymer sodium salt among other things you don't want in your water. So quiz your manufacturer before you buy a septic tank to store water.

9. Making an earthen berm structure to capture water and allow it to soak in is not nearly as complicated as I thought.

10. I want a backyard community dojo like the Welch sisters have.

"4 Trees, 1 Hole" Sounds easy enough

In this video, Ed Laivo of Dave Wilson Nursery looks at high density plantings of fruit trees at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center in California.

See over 45 videos from Dave Wilson Nursery on FRUIT TUBE their YouTube channel.



Thanks to Joe Barfield for passing on this video and site.

Austin's Rhizome Collective offers vision and methods of sustainable city living.

The Rhizome Collective was recently evicted by Austin code enforcement officials from the building they'd occupied and transformed since the year 2000. Their warehouse home featured wind power, rainwater catchment, aquaculture and a lush permaculture food forest.

In 2008 they published, Toolbox for Sustainable City Living, A Do-it-Ourselves Guide by Stacy Pettigrew and Scott Kellogg. Illustrated by Juan Martinez and Beth Ferguson .

From Radicalsustainability.org:
The Toolbox for Sustainable City Living is a DIY guide for creating locally-based, ecologically sustainable communities in today's cities. Its straightforward text, vibrant illustrations and accessible diagrams explain how urbanites can have local access and control over life's essential resources: food production, water security, waste management, autonomous energy, and bioremediation of toxic soils. Written for people with limited financial means, the book emphasizes building these systems with cheap, salvaged and recycled materials when possible. This book will be an essential tool for transitioning into a sustainable future threatened by the converging trends of global warming and energy depletion.

SASL member Joe Barfield writes" It has taken me around the corner in terms of a practical understanding of how much I can influence my immediate environment and destiny. "

He has pointed out links to interviews with Pettigrew and Kellogg.

Sustainable Building Conversations with People Involved with Sustainable Buildings.

Personal is Political: Toolbox for Sustainable City Living

Joe's favorite Kellogg recording is available on iTunes. It was recorded at Washington College in Chestertown Maryland, March 22, 2009. Toolbox for Sustainable Living, Scott Kellogg Cofounder of the Rhizone Collective. Album: Center for Environment and Society.

You can also download a short video about their clean-up a brown field site in Austin.

Radically Simple Sustainable Living (on the cheep!) and mostly at the library

I have been researching ways to reduce water and energy waste in my life. Elegantly.

Not with complicated stuff. Tanks aren't required to collect rainwater. Solar panels aren't necessary for capturing the sun's energy. Tanks and panels do have their place, but I lean towards cheap and easy.

By the way, I don't own any of the these books. Most are available at the San Antonio Public Library and the rest are available free through inter-library loan. Since I have several checked out, you may have to place them on hold for pickup (at your local branch - very cool!)

1. Toolbox for Sustainable City Living: A do-it-Ourselves Guide by Scott Kellogg
The Rhizome Collective has done an impressive job of enacting simple permaculture and sharing it with the public. A phenomenal resource to calibrate your brain for true sustainable living.

2. Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands (Vol. 1): Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life And Landscape by Brad Lancaster
Brad is a charismatic rainwater guru from Arizona. I highly recommend you Google him and visit his site and watch the few videos of him. Simple changes in the contours of your yard can retain thousands of gallons of water.

3. Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden And Your Neighborhood into a Community by Heather Coburn Flores
Maybe I am too demanding of the plants I put in the ground. Aren't beauty, oxygen production and shade enough to justify a few square inches and a splash of water? I lean towards plants that offer up some food for my family or my chickens. If it's a perennial, all the better!

4. The New Create an Oasis with Greywater: Choosing, Building and Using Greywater Systems - Includes Branched Drains by Art Ludwig
Art has provided me with wise counsel - Slow Down! I look forward to water trees with my laundry water, but I don't want to burn out my washing machine or kill my trees. That would be counter-productive. Art provides the philospohy and the How-To for greywater reuse.

5. Water Storage: Tanks, Cisterns, Aquifers, and Ponds for Domestic Supply, Fire and Emergency Use--Includes How to Make Ferrocement Water Tanks by Art Ludwig
Dee and I attended a Design-Build-Live rain jug workshop in Austin a few weeks ago. With a chicken wire, a bag of cement, a pinch of sand and a little bit of guidance means that you can make beautiful rain jars without a kiln or a potting wheel.

6. The Hand-Sculpted House: A Practical and Philosophical Guide to Building a Cob Cottage: The Real Goods Solar Living Book by Ianto Evans
I have been pulling up asphalt in my backyard to encourage water retention. Turns out my soil is clay. Bummer? Nope- I can build a house or an outdoor oven. Ianto's book leaves me with a sense of peace and purpose.

7. Builder's Greywater Guide: Installation of Greywater Systems in New Construction & Remodeling; A Supplement to the Book "Create an Oasis With Greywater" by Art Ludwig
This is a guide for those of you who want to have your greywater system installed with city permits. This won't make it a slam dunk, but your efforts will pioneer the way for others.

8. The Green Lifestyle Handbook by Jeremy Rifkin
1001 tips from many smart people. Edited by Jeremy Rifkin.

9. Builder's Guide To Hot - Humid Climates. by Joseph Lstiburek
Joe Lstiburek is a Building Science rock star with compelling, common sense approaches to Advanced Framing, Indoor Air Quality, and Building Envelopes. Why invite hot and humid air into my vented attic to condense on my nice cool ceiling or AC ducts? Lstiburek didn't invent this, but he's the one who presented it best! (Buildsagreen.com podcast was first.)

10. Entropy: A New World View by Jeremy Rifkin
A sobering and simple concept introduced to me in high school. I forget what the concept was, but I am fairly sure I was sober...

11. Pastured Poultry Profits by Joel Salatin
Cover crops and poultry. How to improve your soil and feed your chooks. I am hoping to cut back on buying feed!

12. Chicken Coops: 45 Building Plans for Housing Your Flock by Judy Pangman
"Fun ideas. I built mine from recycled louvered screens from a bungalow in Mahncke Park. Lots of plans for chicken tractors for those of you who aren't ready to let your chickens wander."

Adapted from an Amazon Listmania by SASL member Joe Barfield. Republished with his permission.

CHECK IT OUT!: So you want to raise Chickens? Our library has the books and we have the list

SASL member and backyard chicken farmer Joe Barfield offers a roster of books on home chicken tending that are available at the San Antonio Public Library.

Books available include: Backyard Poultry Raising The Chicken-Growing, Egg-Laying, Feather-Plucking, Incubating, Caponizing by John F. Adams
The Chicken Book by Page Smith & Charles Daniel. Chicken Tractor : The Gardener's Guide To Happy Hens And Healthy Soil by Andy Lee. Chicks & Chickens by Gail Gibbons Chickens : Tending A Small-Scale Flock For Pleasure And Profit by Sue Weaver. Crie Gallinas by Enrique S. Peron. Egg To Chick by Barbara Wolff. Eggs 101 A Video Project by The American Egg Board. Gallinas : Las Mascotas Del Siglo XXI by Johannes Paul Y William Windham. Keep Chickens! : Tending Small Flocks In Cities, Suburbs, And Other Small Spaces by Barbara Kilarski. Keeping Chickens by John Walters And Michael Parker. Poultry As A Hobby by Michael Baumeister & Heinz Meyer. Prisoned Chickens, Poisoned Eggs : An Inside Look At The Modern Poultry Industry by Karen Davis. by Gail Damerow. Técnicas Y Prácticas Modernas En La Cría De La Gallina by Enrique Salcedo Perón. Where Do Chicks Come From? by Amy E. Sklansky. Window Into An Egg; Seeing Life Begin by Flanagan, Geraldine Lux.

Beautiful natural home built into Welsh hillside

Northwest artist and builder Sun Ray Kelly calls the woods the "Supernatural Market". In Wales, Simon Dale went to that supernatural market for materials for his home which in many ways is reminiscent of Kelly's work.

The family home was built into a hillside and uses spare wood from surrounding woodlands along with lime plaster and strawbales. The home is truly beautiful.

Check out his website: A Low Impact Woodland Home for more information.

The Miracle of Permaculture Part 3: Geoff Lawton introduces the Food Forest

In this video, Geoff Lawton of the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia introduces the concept of the Food Forest. This is a small part of the DVD Establishing a Food Forest, which is available as a region free DVD that is playable worldwide. Unlike their Harvesting Rainwater DVD, this is in the NTSC television format which makes it viewable on US televisions.