As a culture, we've lost our fundamental connection to the natural world. This has led to a surge in dysfunctional behavior, like attention issues, depression, anxiety, and obesity, and in general I believe that this disconnect explains a lot of the suffering that we observe in the modern era. We all feel the detrimental effects of nature deficit disorder, but most of us just aren't aware that this is the source of our troubles, because we've been so deeply conditioned to accept the status quo of the human-dominated, human-constructed environment. With that in mind, I put together this episode of the podcast to arm you, dear listener, with the basic vocabulary to describe the symptoms, causes, and treatment of nature deficit disorder. The solution, I think, lies in cultivating ecological literacy at the individual level, which can only come about through immersion in the natural world -- daily observation and interaction. This topic offers a great entry point into a critique of how civilization relates to nature, and how our environment influences our behavior and our underlying worldview. It is our responsibility as self-aware individuals to assess our personal relationship with nature, and take decisive action where necessary to improve our overall health and wellbeing. I hope that this episode encourages you to keep pushing forward on the path that leads back to the natural world.

What is a culture, and how do cultures relate to their environments?

How does our culture relate to wild, unwanted, and invasive species? And what does that say about how we view the world at large?

Today on the show I explore the concept of intentional simplicity, and offer some guidance for putting this life philosophy into practice. Visit permaculturelifestyle.com for more on lifestyle design, health and wellness, producing your own food, and learning the skills and traditions of living in tune with the rhythms of the natural world.

Our increasingly globalized culture is in dire need of a basic moral compass that we can all agree upon. Permaculture offers one such solution.

This podcast aims to apply the principles and ethics of permaculture to our everyday lives; to align our core values and our daily habits towards a more sustainable, ecologically conscious way of thinking and interacting.