September 25, 2020

Shawn Klassen-Koop - Building a Better World in Your Backyard

41 minutes

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Permaculture practices begin in the landscape, with the training of a permaculture design course focusing on how to design in a way that restores soil, grows food and creates spaces for human needs, and cares for Earth, in ever-expanding zones. During our time in that class, we may spend some of the conversations on alternative economics and governance if the course uses Bill Mollison’s Designers’ Manual for the curriculum and discusses the material found in Chapter 14. Outside the PDC, many authors and practitioners have added to how to have an impact in our day to day lives as we apply design and systems thinking to where we live, work, and play.

As more and more of us, myself included, live in cities with little or no access to land or control over our living space—while others dream of returning to the countryside—we each have so many ways to practice permaculture.

That’s where books like Building a Better World in Your Back Yard, co-authored by my guest Shawn Klassen-Koop, fill a gap between those spaces. He and Paul Wheaton worked together to provide a book that gives inspiration and action for all of us. Through their insightful analysis and long-running knowledge of permaculture, they share ways we can achieve more than the latest green trends.

During the conversation today, Shawn shares some of those ideas and how to transform our lives wherever we live. He also talks about his experience of co-authoring a book, and how you can get that book inside yourself out onto the page and into the world.

Find out more about Shawn, his book, and the accompanying podcast series at buildingabetterworldbook.com/scott.

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As we shared in the middle of the interview, we have several copies of his book to give away. If you’d like to enter this giveaway sending me an email and include “Building a Better World” in the subject line.

Stepping away from this interview and looking through the book, I think this is a great introduction to the concepts of permaculture and turning our energy into steps we can take each day to achieve our goals. In doing so, we can practice David Holmgren’s first principle of permaculture, Observe and Interact, every day by deeply considering our place and space, and making small, meaningful consistent changes.

It’s also a good book to introduce others to the ideas of permaculture, and it’s going on my gift list for friends and family wondering what this permaculture thing is all about.

But, those are just my thoughts. After hearing this conversation with Shawn, and especially if you’ve read the book already, what do you think? How will you use what you’ve learned to change your permaculture practices and design? Let me know.