Regenerative Skills

The Abundant Edge team is back to talk about all the progress from our projects over the last month as we transition from the rainy season to the dry season here in Guatemala. We’ve got compost production, plant propagation, new baby goats, duck houses, gray and black water treatment for the house and much more. Above all we’re talking about how each one of these projects and enterprises contribute either directly or indirectly to building soil health and fertility on the land. If any of you are hoping to see pictures of the farm and many of the elements that we’re discussing in these episodes, you can follow us on facebook under the Abundant Edge page and on instagram under @abundant_edge Resources: intro to natural building course intro to permaculture course Ecological farming and agroforestry course link Permcaulture chocolate episode with Lorenzo Maniet

Leah Penniman’s mission is to end racism and injustice in our food system by increasing farmland stewardship by people of color, promoting equity in food access, and training the next generation of activist farmers. Her new book, Farming While Black, has been called "a revolutionary work that opens important doors" by Civil Eats and a “brilliant guide” by Mark Bittman. In this interview Leah explains the effects of miseducation around the contributions of people of color to agriculture and food science, and how the decline in land ownership and participation in agriculture from these groups affects us all. We also discuss the importance of ritual and ceremony in reconnecting people to the land and their cultures and how anyone can become an ally in transforming the inequitable system we currently have. Resources: Soul Fire Farm Buy the book “Farming While Black”

For those of you used to the more practical and literal information that I usually focus on in these interviews, you'll be refreshed by the story telling and concepts in this next session. This week, Neal Hegarty interviews countryman Diarmuid Lyng, a former star hurler for the county of Wexford who wrote a compelling article on the concept of "silver branch perception" from Irish mythology and how the traditional sport of hurling is linked to the health of the ash tree from which the "hurley" is made. They also go into how to reconnect with traditional culture and the importance of ritual in the modern context. This is a great talk for anyone looking to connect with the "why" of environmental stewardship and cultural importance. Resources: A Hurler’s Silver Branch Perception: Article by Diarmuid Lyng GAA Hurling Podcast RSS

Those of you who’ve been listening to this podcast for a while know that I geek out big time when it comes to natural plasters and finishes. So you can imagine how excited I was to get to talk to kyle holzhueter, a certified plasterer who learned his trade and got his certification in Japan where the traditional style and techniques are surprisingly different from those that I’ve become accustomed to from the western world. In this interview we cover those important differences which, though less flashy and aesthetic than the natural plasters you may have seen on many natural buildings, are much more workable for a longer timeframe. Kyle talks about his journey in the plastering trades in Japan, sourcing fibers for stronger finishes, the benefits of fermenting a plaster mix, and much more. Though I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about natural finishes I actually learned a ton in this interview and I know you will too, so grab a notebook and I’ll hand things over to Kyle Resources: Kyle Holzhueter on Facebook

In this month;s regenerative round table Jeremy and Oliver discuss the challenges of managing a lot of animals in a small space and some of the problems with keeping pests and predators out. We cover the progress on the little coffee beneficio, plastering the house, producing native and edible plants for ourselves and clients and all of the progress over the last few weeks of developing our little farm on lake Atitlan in Guatemala. Resources: Abundant Edge course schedule Volunteer with us at Granja Tzikin

Get the design and siting PDF here In this special episode, Oliver goes into one of the key lectures in the Intro to Natural Building course on some of the most important considerations and bits of information to consider when designing a natural building and choosing a site for the structure. In this episode we cover many iconic natural building styles, considerations for different climates and regions, designing for function, determining needs and wants, and a whole lot more. Don’t forget to download the accompanying PDF document in the show notes for this episode at abundantedge.com Resources: Get the design and siting PDF here Sign up for the Natural Building course!

My guest today, Ziggy Liloia from “the year of mud” has been building naturally and blogging about his experiences for a decade since he started with a small cob cottage, just over 200 sq ft at an ecovillage in Missouri back in 2008. Since then he has explored many other materials and techniques and joins us today to talk about the myths and realities of natural building, especially when it comes to costs, climate appropriate design, and labor considerations. In this interview Ziggy and I discuss some of the mistakes and learning experiences that have informed the way we design and assess appropriate materials. We talk about the importance of understanding the differences between thermal mass and insulation, and Ziggy also goes into detail about timber framing and charring wood for aesthetic purposes and to preserve the lumber for longer. This is a great episode for anyone looking to get a better understanding about the costs and realities of building with natural materials Resources: “Year of Mud” article on Shou-sugi-ban The Year of Mud website The Real Cost of Natural Building Article

Rammed earth is one of the earthen building techniques that I personally have the least experience with, but since it has been steadily growing in popularity around the world for its beauty and durability I reached out to April Magill of Root Down Designs to find out more about how this ancient vernacular building technique is being revived in the southeastern US and what challenges there are to getting rammed earth buildings permitted and accepted. In this interview April talk about how rammed earth structures help to combat some of the biggest challenges of building in her region such as humidity and mold. We discuss some of the hurdles for architects and owner-builders in getting natural buildings approved by local building authorities, and we also explore hybrid homes, permaculture design for structures, and much more. April also teaches courses with the American College of Building Arts in Charleston, SC so stay tuned till the end to learn how you can get hands on training in a variety of natural building methods in the South Carolina area. Resources: Roots Down Design The American College of Building Arts

The international presence of the permaculture movement has always been an inspiration to me and in today’s interview I had the pleasure of talking with Nelson Lebo of the Eco School in Whanganui in the north island of New Zealand. Nelson first reached out to me after hearing about some of our similar experiences on this podcast and I became fascinated with the development of his own farm with the unique factors in his area of New Zealand. In this interview Neslon speaks in depth about why he prefers to work with severely degraded land rather than pristine ecosystems, and the challenges of “permaculture triage” on a limited budget. From there we explore how he approaches the building and development of systems and models that are replicable and scalable and that also are economically viable. We also talk about adapting to severe weather, the “time” dimension within design, and the urgency of farming as if our children’s lives depend on it This is a remarkably broad reaching interview, bear with me for the couple minutes of rough audio as Nelson was recording his side from his local public library Resources: theecoschool.net ecothriftylife.com

It’s time once again to check in with Atulya Bingham, one of my favorite voices and innovators in the natural building world. Atulya is the author “Mud Mountain, Mud Ball” and the newest release “Dirt  Witch,” each of which tell the story of her journey of building her own home and alternative lifestyle, first in Turkey and most recently her move to the north of Spain. In the last interview I did with Atulya back in season one, she was still on the road searching for her new home. This time we catch up with her now that she´s found her site and is in the planning stages of a new off-grid lifestyle. In this interview Atulya speaks about common earthbag building mistakes and how to avoid them, earthen plaster recipes and techniques, how living close to nature can transform you, and much more. I would especially encourage those of you listening at home to check out her blog which you can find at themudhome.com or by clicking on the direct link in the show notes for this episode at abundantedge.com. Resources: The mud home blog Themudhome.com