Sense-Making in a Changing World

What is the role of growing food at home or community gardens in the pandemic? Why have so many people taken up gardening? Who's doing it? What impact has it had on their lives?A new Pandemic Gardening survey found that a huge 98% of survey respondents said they will continue food gardening after the pandemic. Surprisingly, 19% said they couldn't have made it without their garden. The survey team received hundreds of comments about how very important food gardening is. Respondents described it as liberating, essential, and life-saving. There were comments like: 'it gives me hope and peace". "gardening gives me purpose in a way that I haven't got from working" & "there is a future when you garden." Join me as I discuss the role of gardening during the pandemic with Dr Nick Rose - leader of the survey team, urban agriculture champion, Churchill Fellow, Exec. Director of Sustain Australia,  lecturer in Food Studies at William Angliss College, host of the national Urban Agriculture Forums , author (Fair Food & Reclaiming the Urban Commons ) & friend.Nick sent out a call to gardeners around Australia and in just a month got over 9000 responses. His National Pandemic Gardening Survey was done in conjunction with Community Gardens Australia, Sustainable Gardening Australia, 3000 acres, Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation, Yerrabingin, Pocket City Farms and was supported by Costa Georgiadis of ABC GardeniI'd love to hear from you. Text me here.Support the showThis podcast is a project of the Permaculture Education Institute. We work with people on six continents, teaching permaculture design and skills - from how to be a community leader to creating a regenerative permaculture livelihood. Visit our website to find out more. You can start any time, in any capacity! We teach permaculture and host permaculture teacher courses. We also share conversations through monthly masterclasses, Our Permaculture Life YouTube, and offer free monthly film clubs in a supportive global community. This podcast is broadcast from a solar powered studio in the midst of a permaculture ecovillage food forest on beautiful Gubbi Gubbi country. Subscribe, share and comment if you enjoy and keep this podcast myceliating!

What is change? How does change happen? What is the kind of leadership we need in the world today?  These are just some of the questions I explore today with my wonderful guest on Sense-making in a Changing World, Dr Amanda Cahill.  We know our current economic system is not working for a majority of the people on the planet, so what is the next economy, and how do we transition to a society that supports wellbeing of people and planet? I am thrilled to share this conversation with Amanda as we explore leadership, transition, power, way-finding, change and resilience. I truly value Amanda's perspective - as a thought leader in this space, and a dear friend. Amanda is CEO of The Next Economy, founder of the Centre for Social Change, an Associate of University of Qld and the Sydney Policy Lab . She was a content expert/ advisor for the 2040 movie, and featured in the movie too talking about the importance of educating girls, particularly in the global south. I joined her as a guest on a 2040 webinar she hosted about Farming for a Future last year.Amanda is also Churchill Fellow for 2020 exploring how climate action can build regional economies that are more resilient, just and prosperous. I hope you enjoy this conversation and I invite you to share this episode and subscribe to my podcast here.________________________________Download this list of 10 of Morag's favourite books.Morag's 4 part introduction to permaculture video series.________________________________LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WORLD OF PERMACULTURE WITH MORAG GAMBLEExplore the permaculture I'd love to hear from you. Text me here.Support the showThis podcast is a project of the Permaculture Education Institute. We work with people on six continents, teaching permaculture design and skills - from how to be a community leader to creating a regenerative permaculture livelihood. Visit our website to find out more. You can start any time, in any capacity! We teach permaculture and host permaculture teacher courses. We also share conversations through monthly masterclasses, Our Permaculture Life YouTube, and offer free monthly film clubs in a supportive global community. This podcast is broadcast from a solar powered studio in the midst of a permaculture ecovillage food forest on beautiful Gubbi Gubbi country. Subscribe, share and comment if you enjoy and keep this podcast myceliating!

What does it mean to design a regenerative culture? How we can become regenerative by design? What we can be doing in our daily lives to be part of the urgent change we need to see in the world?  These are the questions we explore today.It is my great pleasure to share with you on Sense-making in a Changing World today, a conversation I recorded with Daniel Christian Wahl PhD as we walked through the ancient olive terraces around the medieval monastery, Son Rullan on the island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean. We met there last year for the first time - the beginning of a friendship after knowing of each other's work for  years. We both are deeply involved in ecovillages, education, regenerative design and have a deep affiliation with Schumacher College, the Global Ecovillage Network and Gaia Education.Daniel's book, Designing Regenerative Cultures, published in 2016 is essential reading - helping us to reframe the crises we currently face and exploring how we can live our way into the future.Son Rullan has hosted many ecological gatherings and conversations, including an Ecovillage Design Education program, and my family and I were so graciously welcomed there as guests for the duration of our stay.Daniel and I talked in pre-COVID times, but I am sharing this again because what Daniel shares is so relevant to where we find ourselves today.I hope you enjoy this conversation with Daniel and I invite you to share this episode and subscribe to my podcast here.________________________________Download this list of 10 of Morag's favourite books Morag's 4 part introduction to permaculture video series.________________________________Find out more about permacultureThere's lots of free permaculture resources on my Our Permaculture Life Youtube and blog.  Learn how you can weave permaculture into your everyday and become a permaculture teacher through my free I'd love to hear from you. Text me here.Support the showThis podcast is a project of the Permaculture Education Institute. We work with people on six continents, teaching permaculture design and skills - from how to be a community leader to creating a regenerative permaculture livelihood. Visit our website to find out more. You can start any time, in any capacity! We teach permaculture and host permaculture teacher courses. We also share conversations through monthly masterclasses, Our Permaculture Life YouTube, and offer free monthly film clubs in a supportive global community. This podcast is broadcast from a solar powered studio in the midst of a permaculture ecovillage food forest on beautiful Gubbi Gubbi country. Subscribe, share and comment if you enjoy and keep this podcast myceliating!

My guest this week on Sense-Making in a Changing World is my amazing friend and fellow community food advocate and [pr]activist, Emma-Kate Rose. Emma-Kate has always been such an inspiration to me, and when you hear the projects she's involved with, I think you'll understand why.She leads the ground-breaking community food enterprise, Food Connect,  and is co-founder, with her partner Robert Pekin, of the Food Connection Foundation and the Food Connect Shed. The Food Connect Shed is a local space for the creative local food economy to shift towards healthier, fair and regenerative food system. This was an amazing achievement - bringing 500 community farmers and supporters to raise $2 million dollars in an equity crowdfunding campaign to purchase the warehouse they'd rented for 12 years. I am super proud to be one of the Food Connect Shed Careholders (not shareholders).Emma-Kate is also the Chair of the Queensland Social Enterprise Council, a fellow at the Yunus Centre for Social Business and Program Director at  The Next Economy.  Emma-Kate turns business on its head, well actually, puts heart, ethics and care right at the centre. Actually way back in 2006 she started Brisbane's first Car Share enterprise.  I hope you enjoy this conversation with Emma-Kate, and also hear how she has woven permaculture into thinking about their business and the future of food in the Brisbane region.I invite you to share this episode and can subscribe to my podcast here.________________________________Download this list of 10 of Morag's favourite books.Morag's 4 part introduction to permaculture video series.________________________________LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WORLD OF PERMACULTURE WITH I'd love to hear from you. Text me here.Support the showThis podcast is a project of the Permaculture Education Institute. We work with people on six continents, teaching permaculture design and skills - from how to be a community leader to creating a regenerative permaculture livelihood. Visit our website to find out more. You can start any time, in any capacity! We teach permaculture and host permaculture teacher courses. We also share conversations through monthly masterclasses, Our Permaculture Life YouTube, and offer free monthly film clubs in a supportive global community. This podcast is broadcast from a solar powered studio in the midst of a permaculture ecovillage food forest on beautiful Gubbi Gubbi country. Subscribe, share and comment if you enjoy and keep this podcast myceliating!

In this episode I am delighted to be sharing with you a conversation with Rob Hopkins, champion of the collective imagination, author of 'From What is to What If: Unleashing the Power of Imagination to Create the Future We Want' and co-founder of the Transition Town Movement that emerged out of an extended permaculture design course he was teaching in Ireland.His other books include: The Power of Just Doing Stuff: How Local Action can Change the World (2013)The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience (2008)The Transition Companion: Making Your Community More Resilient in Uncertain Times (2013)I caught up with Rob in his home town of Totnes last year - nearby to Schumacher College where he is a regular contributor. We recorded this interview in the Transition Town Totnes office. He is one of the most ethical and interesting thinkers I know with a grounding in permaculture too. It's no wonder he was voted one of the Independent's top 100 environmentalists and the Observer's list of Britains 50 New Radicals.I hope you enjoy this conversation with Rob, check out his podcast too, From What is to What If and follow him on Twitter.I invite you to share this episode and can subscribe to my podcast here.______________________________Download this list of 10 of Morag's favourite books Morag's 4 part introduction to permaculture video series.______________________________LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WORLD OF PERMACULTURE WITH MORAG GAMBLEExplore the permaculture films, articles, masI'd love to hear from you. Text me here.Support the showThis podcast is a project of the Permaculture Education Institute. We work with people on six continents, teaching permaculture design and skills - from how to be a community leader to creating a regenerative permaculture livelihood. Visit our website to find out more. You can start any time, in any capacity! We teach permaculture and host permaculture teacher courses. We also share conversations through monthly masterclasses, Our Permaculture Life YouTube, and offer free monthly film clubs in a supportive global community. This podcast is broadcast from a solar powered studio in the midst of a permaculture ecovillage food forest on beautiful Gubbi Gubbi country. Subscribe, share and comment if you enjoy and keep this podcast myceliating!

It is my great pleasure and honour to welcome Satish Kumar to the show today - world-renowned ecologist, thinker and educational visionary. Satish is the founder of Schumacher College and the Small School in Devon, England. He is Emeritus Editor of  Resurgence & Ecologist and founder of Green Books. The BBC Natural World program, Earth Pilgrim takes us out into Dartmoor walking with Satish exploring his Soil, Soul, Society philosophy. Walking and simple living is a key thread in Satish's life as a former Jain monk born in Rajasthan, and a member of Vinobe Bhave's 'walking university'. Back in the early 1960s, when he was just 26, he set out on a 13,000km peace pilgrimage with a friend and no money. They visited key nuclear nations and visited leaders with peace tea. In London, they met Lord Bertrand Russell the 90 year old who was jailed for peace activism and inspired them.It was in 1992 that I first met Satish at Schumacher College, just a year after the college had opened. I spent almost a year there then, and have returned several times - last year as a contribution teacher to the Beyond Development program with Jonathon Dawson.I recorded this interview with Satish during that program at Schumacher College, Dartington last year just as he was releasing his latest book Elegant Simplicity: The Art of Living WellElegant Simplicity provides a coherent philosophy of life that weaves together simplicity of material life, thought, and spirit. In it, Satish distills five decades of reflection and wisdom into a guide for everyone.Back in 1992 as well as the regular conversation sessions with Satish in the Schumacher College library, we cooked up authentic Indian feasts together every Friday and I often joined his meditation class. I also had the wonderful opportunity to study directly with Fritjof Capra, Helena Norberg-Hodge, I'd love to hear from you. Text me here.Support the showThis podcast is a project of the Permaculture Education Institute. We work with people on six continents, teaching permaculture design and skills - from how to be a community leader to creating a regenerative permaculture livelihood. Visit our website to find out more. You can start any time, in any capacity! We teach permaculture and host permaculture teacher courses. We also share conversations through monthly masterclasses, Our Permaculture Life YouTube, and offer free monthly film clubs in a supportive global community. This podcast is broadcast from a solar powered studio in the midst of a permaculture ecovillage food forest on beautiful Gubbi Gubbi country. Subscribe, share and comment if you enjoy and keep this podcast myceliating!

It is my pleasure to welcome Natalie Isaacs, founder and CEO of 1 Million Women to the Sense-making in a Changing World show today.For 10 years, Nat has been inspiring and engaging a movement of women and girls around the world to act on climate. No more than every this is so important. 1 Million Women lead programs on all kinds of things from food waste, plastics, fashion, consumerism, carbon footprint, and show how to lead a low-carbon life everyday. She advocates taking on the climate emergency through the way we live - because it is empowering, it is something we can all do and launch us in to being active.Just this week, 1 Million Women is launching a new campaign asking us all to divest from the fossil fuel industry. The way we live and what we do with out money matters!Natalie is also the author of Every Woman's Guide to Saving the Planet - a book that is packed full of practical how-to's and shares the story of how she transformed her life from being a climate bystander to an international campaigner. Being re-released in a global version this month.I'm proud to say I've been a member of 1 million women since the beginning. I was draw to Natalie's energy and positive message. I encourage you to join too. We are 950,000+ women and girls committed showing how much we love our home, the earth, by the way we live. It's free to join.As you will hear, we are going to soon join together Permayouth groups with 1 million women to create local community action crews.Enjoy !Subscribe & ShareThanks for tuning into this conversation today. You can subscribe to my podcast here.________________________________Download this list of 10 of Morag's favourite books Morag's 4 part introduction to permaculture video series.________________________________Find out more about permaculture Learn more about permaculture and becoming a permaculture teacher through my free 4 part permaculture serieI'd love to hear from you. Text me here.Support the showThis podcast is a project of the Permaculture Education Institute. We work with people on six continents, teaching permaculture design and skills - from how to be a community leader to creating a regenerative permaculture livelihood. Visit our website to find out more. You can start any time, in any capacity! We teach permaculture and host permaculture teacher courses. We also share conversations through monthly masterclasses, Our Permaculture Life YouTube, and offer free monthly film clubs in a supportive global community. This podcast is broadcast from a solar powered studio in the midst of a permaculture ecovillage food forest on beautiful Gubbi Gubbi country. Subscribe, share and comment if you enjoy and keep this podcast myceliating!

It is a delight to share this conversation with 18yo permaculture leader, Sierra Robinson, on the show today on International Youth Day 2020.  Sierra is an articulate and inspiring permaculture activist (practical activist = [pr]activist) and teacher from Vancouver Island, Canada. She gave a brilliant permaculture TEDx talk when she was 17yo in Seattle entitled Beyond Sustainability: A Call for Regeneration. Sierra is also a Regional Crew Director for Earth Guardians - a global youth organisation run by and for young people. She's an aspiring filmmaker and when we spoke to her, she had just finished her homeschooling. Sierra has been around permaculture for 10 years and completed her first permaculture design course when she was only 12yo. She is now reaching so many people with her knowledge, skills and passion and sharing permaculture through the Earth Guardians.Come and listen in to this conversation with Sierra, me and Permayouth representative, Maia Raymond (my daughter - 13yo at the time) and gain a glimpse of the amazing wisdom Sierra already embodies. Hear a little of her story and her work in the world. Note: This interview was recorded just days after tragic killing of George Floyd and riots were erupting around North America and the world. Sierra's friends were on the frontlines and her phone was pinging persistently (I've cut most of them!). In respect, we kept the call short and will continue this conversation with Sierra and the Permayouth another time.Subscribe & ShareThanks for tuning into this conversation today. You can subscribe to this podcast here.________________________________Download this list of 10 of Morag's favourite books Morag's 4 part introduction to permaculture video series.________________________________Find out more about permaculture teachingLearn more about permaculture and becoming a permaculture teacher through my free I'd love to hear from you. Text me here.Support the showThis podcast is a project of the Permaculture Education Institute. We work with people on six continents, teaching permaculture design and skills - from how to be a community leader to creating a regenerative permaculture livelihood. Visit our website to find out more. You can start any time, in any capacity! We teach permaculture and host permaculture teacher courses. We also share conversations through monthly masterclasses, Our Permaculture Life YouTube, and offer free monthly film clubs in a supportive global community. This podcast is broadcast from a solar powered studio in the midst of a permaculture ecovillage food forest on beautiful Gubbi Gubbi country. Subscribe, share and comment if you enjoy and keep this podcast myceliating!

Today on Sense-Making in a Changing World, I am thrilled to welcome Rosemary Morrow - a respected teacher of permaculture teachers around the world, an elder in the Permaculture movement and author of the permaculture classics, Earth Users Guide to Permaculture,   Earth Users Guide to Teaching Permaculture  and Permaculture Teaching Matters.  Rosemary is also the cofounder of Permaculture for Refugees.I would call much of what Rosemary does permaculture service work - offering permaculture education in some of the most challenging regions of the world  - because that is where it is needed most. She has worked in places like Cambodia, Bangladesh Timor Leste, Kashmir, Uganda, Afghanistan and the Middle East and she only goes where she is invited. This is the 2/3 world - the 'edgey' places of society where permaculture is so valued for surviving and thriving with little. Permaculture on the edge is the theme of her most recent writings to be released as new chapters in the updated version of her book.In our conversation Rowe and I explore permaculture education from so many angles. She sees its potential is profound and its application universal. Now, more than ever, she says we need to be teaching permaculture everywhere, and she encourages us to explore how to keep our permaculture thinking alive as we face an ever-changing world with cascading disasters like fire, COVID-19, climate change and economic collapse.I hope you enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Rowe as much as I did and are inspired to deepen your permaculture knowledge and widen your permaculture teaching reach, and support new permaculture teaching communities to grow everywhere. Subscribe & ShareThanks for tuning into this conversation today. You can subscribe here.________________________________Download this list of I'd love to hear from you. Text me here.Support the showThis podcast is a project of the Permaculture Education Institute. We work with people on six continents, teaching permaculture design and skills - from how to be a community leader to creating a regenerative permaculture livelihood. Visit our website to find out more. You can start any time, in any capacity! We teach permaculture and host permaculture teacher courses. We also share conversations through monthly masterclasses, Our Permaculture Life YouTube, and offer free monthly film clubs in a supportive global community. This podcast is broadcast from a solar powered studio in the midst of a permaculture ecovillage food forest on beautiful Gubbi Gubbi country. Subscribe, share and comment if you enjoy and keep this podcast myceliating!

Rhonda Hetzel, an award-winning blogger and best-selling author, shares her journey towards simple, fulfilling living. In a conversation shaped by the pandemic, she explores how to redefine home as a sanctuary for growth and creativity. Rhonda emphasizes practical advice for living resourcefully, the joy of simple routines, and the importance of community connections. She advocates for a debt-free lifestyle, highlighting how it fosters resilience and enriches family ties. Discover the beauty of everyday moments alongside her inspiring insights!