A discussion with author, Permaculture Designer, and psychotherapist Rachel Kaplan about her book Urban Homesteading: Heirloom Skills for Sustainable Living.  Kaplan, with co-author K. Ruby Blume, has written a book that is a veritable treasure trove of information about everything sustainable and regenerative.  Lavishly illustrated, detailed instructions are given for dozens of projects: including constructing a solar cooker, starting an urban seed bank, butchering a chicken, and greywater for renters.

In this interview, fiber and dye expert Rebecca R. Burgess shares her techniques for growing and harvesting color.  Burgess talks about her favorite dye plants and the impact that chemical dyes have on the environment.  Plants, minerals, and insects can yield brilliant, vibrant hues.  These natural dyes produce little waste, are nontoxic, and are easy to make at home.

Chicken expert and admirer Pat Foreman shares why she believes that chickens are an integral part of the local food movement.  Foreman, author of the books City Chicks and Chicken Tractor- The Permaculture Guide to Happy Hens and Healthy Soil, talks about how chickens are talented composters, soil builders, living fertilizer machines, and bio-recyclers. Listeners beware!  According to Foreman, chickens are also the gateway to other livestock.

Author of Edible Forest Gardens- Volumes 1 and 2, Dave Jacke is a longtime permaculture teacher and designer.  In this interview, he talks about the history of forest gardening, its many benefits, and how gardening like a forest can enrich your life.

Every two years, permaculturists from around the globe gather together at the International Permaculture Conference and Convergence (IPC).  This year, the IPC takes place in Jordan and its theme is "Plan Jordan- Water For Life. Water For Nature."  Margie Bushman and Wes Roe, volunteer coordinators for the IPC Support Group, clue us in on what happens at the Conference, why they believe that travel is the best teacher, and how, for the first time ever, you can watch the IPC10 Conference live-streamed through the internet.

Warren Brush, Permaculture Designer and educator talks with us about his work in Africa, the power of storytelling, and why children need us to be part of the solution.  Brush, co-founder of Quail Springs Learning Oasis and Permaculture Farm, has mentored youth and educated adults around the world teaching them Permaculture and other practical life skills. 

Have you ever wondered why we poop in fresh water?  In Part 2 of an interview author Carol Steinfeld, we talk more in-depth about human waste as a resource.  Carol, co-author of The Composting Toilet System Book and Reusing the Resource: Adventures in Ecological Wastewater Recycling, shares her extensive knowledge about human waste management practices around the globe, how to clear human waste of possible pathogens, and different waste-composting systems for the home. 

Have you ever wondered why we poop in fresh water?  In this interview author Carol Steinfeld,  of Ecowater Projects, talks about human waste as a resource.  Carol, co-author of The Composting Toilet System Book and Reusing the Resource: Adventures in Ecological Wastewater Recycling, shares her extensive knowledge about human waste management practices around the globe, innovative ways of re-using this neglected and often taboo material, and discusses why peeing outside might be a good idea.

Dr. Scott Fisher, Director of Conservation for the Hawaiian Islands Trust, speaks to us about his work at the Waihe'e Refuge, a 277 acre protected site on the island of Maui.  Dr. Fisher talks about traditional Hawaiian land stewardship, sensitive island ecosystems, biodiversity on Maui, and the importance of malama 'aina (care for the land).  

Botanist, seedsman, and landscape architect Gabriel Howearth talks about his life with plants.  Howearth, co-founder of Seeds of Change, and Buena Fortuna Botanical Garden, spoke with Jill Cloutier at the 2008 Southern California Permaculture Convergence at Quail Springs Learning Oasis and Permaculture Farm.  (This was the last interview that I conducted with my once-trusty, but now defunct, mini disc recorder; so please forgive the audio quality.)