Episode Summary: in this episode, we are joined by Rob, one of Jenn’s neighbours, to talk about his experience and the benefits of permaculture. 

In this conversation, Rob introduced some of the principles of permaculture design as well as the foundational ethics of this movement. He shared his experience and profound emotions from his relationship with his garden and its ecosystem. He also discussed connectedness and resilience.   

Rob is a permaculture advocate who 20 years ago completely transformed his garden after he took a permaculture design course and never looked back. Rob also lives in Langley, in British Columbia, Canada.

Listen to the full episode here 

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From Langley in British Columbia, Canada, Jenn is a Minister, Coach, Writer and Community Connector, helping people help themselves.  

Leekei is a fashion business founder, a business coach, an international development expert and a podcaster from Paris, France.

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The CarbonSessions Podcast is produced and edited by Leekei Tang, Steve Heatherington and Rob Slater.

The best definition I heard of El Permaculture recently, just,

uh, from a good friend maybe six months ago after trying to describe

it in lots of different ways.

Is, is this, um, it's a system of inquiry into relationships, a system

of inquiry into relationships.

. So on lots of different levels.

Um, you know, and the, the primary relationship that in, in

permaculture studies you'd look at is, is how does a forest work?

What are the relationships that happen in a forest that make it self-sustaining?

And then that little branch of that that I'm, you know, I'm stuck into because

I grew up in suburbs and I live in the suburb now, is, is how can suburb.

Transform, be transformed, hopefully, potentially into more

self-sustaining, um, organisms.

And then, so depending on the teacher that you go to, um, Permaculture.

There's 12 or 14 principles that have kind of been distilled over the years.

Uh, but there's all kinds of associated techniques such as deep mulching and,

um, diverse plantings, like I said.

So my garden has many different stories in it, like a forest does.

It's got mushroom layers potentially underneath the soil.

And um, then the ground covers, and then the small bushes.

In my case, that's the current bushes and.

Full grown tree.

So that, and eventually that tree will, um, the pear tree in the center

will kind of be the dominant thing.

But, uh, when I first planted it, I also planted squash and many of

them are also, um, just volunteer.

So I'm letting my yard move from immature to a mature ecosystem and depending on

its interaction with all the animals and creatures around there, not trying

to control like that like we do in, um, industrial agriculture, or totalitarian

agriculture as it's been called too.

So it's in that way.

I become, uh, an inhabitant of my suburb.

Not just someone who lives here, you know, or I, I'm both contributing

and drawing from that garden.

I'm contributing to the, the diversity in the area.

I feel really connected.

To the neighborhood in lots of different ways.

I was just listening to a podcast yesterday and there was a fellow

on it who's written a book called Just I think it's something.

I think his website is just Grow It, but I'm not sure what the name

of the book is, but he has taken.

Step by step.

Done a study between the benefits of a home garden and then, uh,

industrial, uh, growing of food.

And he said there had never been a full on study step by step by

step, point by point by point.

And it came out that you can produce far more food, far more efficiently, far kind.

To the planet in a home garden than you can in an industrial setting,

which for some of us sounds right.

Makes sense.

But he said people didn't believe that you could be more efficient and effective.

Uh, with a few hand tools in your yard, then you could be with a giant tractor

in a field growing for many people.

Yeah, it's amazing.

Yeah, it was an interesting conversation cuz he was talking

about all the hidden costs that there are in industrial agriculture that

aren't translated to the consumer.

Um, and that we don't hear about.

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