As each week goes by in this course, it’s hard for me to believe, but I am inspired and proactive more and more about living out and exploring the principals I have learned in this permaculture course. This week’s class on natural building really got me interested in this topic—I’ve already started to build my cob oven in my back yard as well as explore other natural building courses! I think what got me excited about natural building the most was that it was an area I hadn’t explored before and also that it can have such a huge impact on our health and environment. As Sasha mentioned natural building is fantastic since it utilizes passive solar, is fun to build, can recycle/use materials, and allows us to build a small, beautiful space. I also valued that Sasha wasn’t a purist when it comes to natural building – her definition of “the least refined least processed materials that are strong enough to do the job” really allows for use of recycled materials that might otherwise end up in a landfill, but might not necessarily be 100% natural.

I really enjoyed the layout of the natural building class this week as it was ideal for learning – process and observe information in the morning while exploring hands on applications in the afternoon. Once again, if we hadn’t seen how clay plasters were made or the process for making a clay oven I think I would have felt too intimidated to dabble in the subject until I took another course specifically on natural building. After Saturday’s class I definitely feel confident in exploring natural building on my own. Along with my cob oven, I hope to expierement with clay plasters and cob by building a bench and other simple structures in my yard and the yards of friends.

I thought that Sasha did a great job of describing and showing great examples of natural building from today as well as from hundreds of years ago. The examples from past use and other cultural uses of natural building really demonstrated that the process is not that foreign to our society and that these structures really are safe, durable and sustainable. I also found it very interesting to learn that straw bale houses are somewhat mainstream in so that there are already building codes regarding their use. Its absolutely fantastic that more and more people are using these techniques in mainstream building…hopefully that means that a permaculture based society isn’t too far off!

I really enjoyed the simplicity and approachability of this week’s class. Learning and talking about gardening, agriculture, and things of the like made me really remember that you can do something very simple and small like growing as much of your own food as possible and have a huge impact in our world. It was inspiring to watch part of the film “Home Grown” and truly see how one family can thrive and have a large impact in their own way by growing most of their food on a small suburban lot. On a side note, I just want to say how fantastic Saundra has been as a teacher for this class – she does a great job of mixing in multimedia resources and trying to share as much information as possible with us each class – I know it can’t be easy!

It’s so amazing every time I think about how many issues and feedback systems are enwrapped in our food production system. Just today on NPR I heard a piece about how horrible the chemicals are that are sprayed on conventional strawberries in California. So buying organic strawberries (or simply growing your own) is supporting the environment and fair treatment for farm workers (the statistics on miscarriages and health problems for people who work in conventional strawberry fields in California is terrifying). I found it really insightful the quote that Saundra shared from Thomas Jefferson regarding the importance of having most of our country be independent farmers in order to preserve a true democracy and thrive as a nation. It really is scary how far we have diverged from these important and rational ideas for how our food system and country are structured. And to think that corporations now have the right to donate to political elections openly…we seem far from a place where people and the environment are the main focus.

The second part of this week’s class exploring herbal remedies and propagation was a fun addition to the class. I really appreciate, especially when we have guest speakers not only the personal knowledge they share, but also the resources that they recommend. All of the resources that I have received through this class have been excellent and have really helped me enrich my knowledge outside of class since it is such a limited time. Although I don’t know if I will be making any extracts of my own any time soon, I do know that I will be gardening and plan on getting the “gardening by the moon” calendar to make sure that I am on top of when to plant all of my delicious produce.

This past week’s class on bioregionalism and the tour of the Berkeley “ecohouse” was wonderful. The first part of the class on food storage and bioregionalism was great. I had only heard of “bioregionalism” in passing before, so it was interesting to learn more about this connect, although usually is just called localism. I loved watching the video that highlighted ways to build a better, more sustainable local economy. The idea of local stock markets was fascinating, especially since there are actually laws set up to create this (due to the fact that when laws governing stock exchanges were created back in the 1940’s, they were capable of seeing local markets as a good thing, even though no we are so far from that). I also found the facts in the video incredibly useful. The fact that 10 times more of your money goes back into the local economy when you shop at a local book store was amazing! I always knew it was more, but I never realized there would be that significant of a difference. I the only hiccup I wonder about with this concept are boom and bust towns. What do you do with places that really don’t have all of the necessities you need to survive locally because the economy was built upon one or two specialized industries.

I really enjoyed the chance be able to get a tour of the ecohouse in Berkeley. Although the presenter talked about permaculture in general for the first 40 minutes or so, I actually found it very refreshing. Its great to get other people’s experience with permaculture and to have concepts repeated from a different persective so that the ideas stick. It was wonderful to hear him talk about how he stumbled upon permaculture and how it changed his life. I will always remember the quote from Karl Lynn that he shared with us : “Ask forgiveness, not permission.” Similar to the folks with City Repair in Portland working on reclaiming intersections and Karl Lynn working to turn city brownfields into community gardens, sometimes you just need to be a leader and go out an make the change and hope that the society will follow. It was a wonderful reminder that we have be the change that we want to see. The rest of the time spent at the ecohouse was incredible. I could not believe that the food forest on the property was less than 8 years old! The fruit trees were producing so much, I imagined they must have been there for over 20 years. I also really enjoyed seeing the greywater wetland they had constructed. I look forward to attending one of their classes to learn more specifically about the building process for the wetland and also the living roof. One of the best things about the Berkeley Ecohouse was the fact that it wasn’t an over the top, expensive remodel – it was a modest simple house practicing all of the principles we have learned about.

I can’t believe that we are half way done with the course already! Once again, I truly enjoyed this past week’s class. I think that Sandra does a fabulous job of making the material interesting and accessible. There is nothing better than spending a morning learning and talking about humanure, greywater and planting trees!

I really enjoyed the two videos that we watched in class – how inspiring to hear about the infinite possibilities of what permaculture principals can present. I particularly liked learning more about how permaculture is not that “far off” since at one point in history we embraced this lifestyle. The information and history that was presented really made an excellent case for permaculture and regenerative living. I also really appreciated and thought it was terrific for the growth of permaculture that both gentlemen in the videos were presented as relatively “mainstream”, clean-cut and logical. Although it is unfortunate, I think that how information is presented is so important in our society. If people feel like they can somewhat relate to the presenter they are more likely to be open-minded.

It was also terrific to get out in the dirt and do some manual labor for the second half of the class. Perhaps the best part of the afternoon though was having the chance to talk with other members of the class in an informal setting. Great information and stories were exchanged while working. It’s really inspiring how much diversity and fabulous knowledge everyone brings to the group. We shared information on co-ops in the Bay Area, the best place to get a garden plot, local permaculture resources, etc. The investment in hands-on activities and opportunities to build community in the class are really important I think to facilitating action outside of the class. Now having experience learning how to plant a tree the right way, I’m not intimidated anymore by the idea (even though I might be a little bit if I had only read about it).

This week’s class on aquaponics and water might be one of my favorites so far. Max was an excellent guest teacher – I defiantly hope that he works with Common Circle in the future. His breath of knowledge and teaching style really kept me captivated the whole day. Most importantly I really related and enjoyed his real life stories and pictures of the topics he was talking about. As someone who is a visual learner, seeing real examples of a concept in action really helps me to understand and take away more. I loved the before and after photos from his property.

Once again, I loved the video on Portland that was showed at the beginning of class – it really set the mood and got me excited for the day. Although we had covered greywater and water in the landscape briefly, all of the information presented was very valuable. I particularly valued Max’s section about our oceans and fishing practices – I always like to be reminded of why I don’t eat fish and also facts for those that argue that “farming” fish is sustainable. How on earth can it possible be sustainable (not to mention misleading) to farm salmon when you still need up t0 5 lbs of commercial fish just to feed the salmon. Also, how humbling and sobering it is to be reminded that over 75% of our world’s fish species are either extinct or severely endangered. Although it might be natural to think, “but now we have aquaponics, so we can grow as many fish as we can”! But stepping back and remembering permaculture my response now is, “Yes aquaponics is definitely a better solution for consuming fish, but we still need to eat less…Covering the whole state of California with aquaponic structures sure isn’t sustainable/regenerative (maybe Florida though…).

After this week’s class I kept on thinking about all of the possibilities and how versatile aquaponics and water on/in a site is. How amazing is it that someone in Oakland can grow up to 5,000 lbs of lettuce a day using aquaponics? Fantastic! What if I turned my garage into an aquaponics greenhouse? What if I built up as much topsoil as I can on my property? What if I could improve my grey water system? What if I planted a food forest in my backyard? All of these ideas really interest me and I’m looking to hopefully implement them as best I can. I do feel like having more training and education about these topics would be really beneficial to the up keep and quality of the projects I hope to approach. I’m not sure if Common Circle is in a place to offer more classes, but from what everyone else in the class was saying afterwards, there seems like there would be a lot of interest in offering hands-on one day topic specific classes such as building a “Food forest in Berkely” – the class could walk you through what plants are best in the shade/sun in this climate, etc.

I really enjoyed this past week’s class. I am very excited about working on our group design project in the coming weeks. I have to admit that it’s a little overwhelming to take on re-designing the downtown area of Berkeley as it feels like I am just getting my feet wet. It definitely makes it more comforting to be working in a group to combine our knowledge and resources to tackle this project. Maybe this would happen in future classes, but it would be great to be able to see “successful” examples of various permaculture design (whether it be an ecovillage, co-op, building, home, etc).

I found Jay’s nature awareness talk to be very captivating. I definitely appreciate all of the nitty gritty and information sections of the class (and I know that they are required for the curriculum), but adding portions like Jay’s nature awareness along with exercises from the first class really provide a holistic approach to understanding and embodying permaculture design.

Looking back on my notes from the ideals of a “core routine”, it really reminded me again of at the heart of permaculture and successful design begins with yourself. Being a reflective, aware, thankful, respectful, and curious person will be reflected in your design and contribution to a sustainable world. I’ve already found a sit spot and have gone there twice this week already. It’s a great reminder that taking the time to slow down, appreciate the world around, and be more aware as you sit/walk through the day is wonderful for the spirit. I really hope that I am able to establish these practices as a routine so that my mood and outlook can stay open and positive.

Learning the bird languages was also an exciting part of the class. Even though in theory I already know all of the “languages” is was wonderful to hear about them and put actively put interpretation into practice.

I’ve really enjoyed carrying the principles and ideas that I learned from Saturday’s class into my everyday life. So often it is easy to leave the “class” behind during my busy work week, but having constructive things to do and practice to enforce that I have learned has really been enjoyable. I can’t wait to go and take more observations at my project site tomorrow!

Another great class! First off, I would just like to say how much I really appreciate the interactive style of this course. I not only found today’s material to be engaging, but also it provided enough context and verbal exploration to take the ideas outside of the classroom. Often times, I find that even if I am excited about class material, if you don’t allow your brain to process and connect on the next level, it is very difficult to think about and engage in the material outside of the class setting (i.e. by Monday I have forgotten about the material and am not actively thinking about it in my everyday life).

Diving into the day, I found discussing the ever-expanding definition of permaculture to be very helpful. As we spoke about the constraints of our society’s currnet systems and way of viewing situations, I found that even my past experience exploring or hearing about permaculture was very one dimensional. Until recently, the idea in my head (which had arrived there from information taken from others) of what permaculture was, was simply a “sustainable” way to farm and garden. That’s it. I didn’t really have any idea about the social component or the depth of the principles. Not creating restrictive boxes and allowing for creativity are definitely two areas that I need to personally work on. I often find that I can be creative with something new that is presented before me, but its so difficult to look at something that’s routine in a new way and always expand the possibilities. Many times we are only present with option/view A and it is up to us to push ourselves to explore B,C, D, etc. I’m really looking forward to applying the tools I learn from permaculture to all other aspects of my life so that its more fulfilling, sustainable, and thoughtful.

Although I believe in and appreciate all of the principles and ethics set forth by permaculture design, the one that really struck me the most was protracted and thoughtful observation. As someone who has worked with various communities around the world, thoughtful observation can never be over valued. So often in society we jump to conclusions, don’t take the time to understand the larger picture, or even the time to get to know the other people, animals and whole environments we are working with. I have seen first-hand that this simple step can help avoid conflict, create efficiency, stability, and positive relationships. So often people in the US (and of course many other cultures in the world) lack the embodiment of this simple principle. I find it incredibly frustrating when people don’t take the time to develop their own thoughtful opinions, approach situations with humility, or the time to acknowledge the larger picture. The philosophy of “as long as its not in my own backyard,” doesn’t quite make sense…if you take the time to look and observe many people would come to be more aware of our interconnected existence and could observe that perhaps toxic chemicals in their neighbors yard are actually leeching under ground into their own, even if they can’t visually see it.

I firmly believe that ignorance is not bliss and I really hope to show that by exploring and learning as much about permaculture and the world around me so that I can be proactive about positive change outside of this 12-week course.

Riding my bike to the first PDC class on Saturday morning I was both excited and anxious. Half asleep, I thought to myself, why had I thought it was a good idea to take this class right now? I was swamped with 20 different projects and priorities and I was starting to wonder if committing to something else that took up a whole day for the next twelve weeks was a good idea. By the end of this first class, I was certain it was the best idea I had had in a long time.

I hadn’t arrived with any expectations for how the experience would be besides being fun and enriching. I was immediately put at ease the moment I walked into the Common Circle studio. The friendly faces, relaxing ambiance, and back jacks arranged on the floor made me more confident in my decision to come. As the class began, my anxiety soon returned though as I realized we were embarking on a series of “icebreakers”. As someone who is an introvert and would rather ask questions than talk, I found the first hour to be very difficult, but as the day passed on I felt, oddly enough, completely relaxed. Forcing yourself to articulate how you hope the future earth will be and how you hope to heal it, was both liberating and extremely difficult. Looking a stranger in the eye for two minutes? Talking about your views and opinions straight for 30 minutes (I happened to be on the outside circle during this activity)? Oh man, were these tough things to do. I also found it extremely difficult to not ask questions and start an open dialogue with my partner. All of these amazing people with so much knowledge and wonderful passions, how could I not want to find out more. It definitely was a good exercise in self-restraint and internal reflection. By the end of the day though, I found the activities to be the most sincere, heartwarming, and intimate path we could have taken to get to know the wonderful folks whom we are embarking on this journey with and I’m glad I was able to participate.

Oh and the best part of the first class — the people. I can’t even begin to describe the wonderful people! Everyone seemed to openly share and non-judgmentally listen. And the teachers are wonderful, too! To be among so many people who genuinely care about making this community and the world a better, more loving, and healthy place is an indescribable feeling of warmth and encouragement. Most courses or classes I have take have had a few folks who seem to be there for superficial reasons or dominate the class with their opinions, but I didn’t feel that way about this class (maybe I am prematurely stating this, but I hope and highly doubt that I am not). I couldn’t imagine a more perfectly diverse mixture of warm-hearted, proactive people (I would be curious to know if all CCE course are like this).

I proceeded to spend the next few days gabbing to everyone who asked what an amazing experience I had had and I still haven’t stopped. I’m now anxiously waiting to hop on my bike once more this Saturday to see where this great experience leads next.