This month, we’re screening the film Inhabit: A Permaculture Perspective!

You won’t be able to find a free copy of this film, so you’ll have to come out in person to see it!  The filmmakers usually charge a screening fee, but I got permission to screen it for free!

‘Inhabit’ is a documentary film project that explores the tools for and promise of meeting human needs while also caring for and regenerating ecosystem health. It is an exploration into the idea of conscience inhabitance through permaculture. Focussed mostly on the Northeastern and Midwestern regions of the United States, ‘Inhabit’ provides an intimate look at permaculture peoples and practices in these regions – examining their daily lives as influenced by permaculture design.

Permaculture is a design science based on the observation and replication of patterns and relationships found in nature; it is an approach to designing sustainable systems of agriculture, community, economics, politics, and more. ‘Inhabit’ will look at practices in rural, suburban, and urban environments to explore the breadth of response to local and global challenges – from issues of food, water, and medicine, to governance, economy, and culture. It is an attempt to illuminate certain societal and planetary ails through the lens of on-ground, Earth-based solutions.

Bring some food to share, if you’d like. Bring your own plates and utensils, and let’s try to make this a no-waste event! We’ll have plenty of time for a discussion about the film, or about whatever else is happening in Philly related to Permaculture and regenerative living!

Facebook event

Film’s Facebook page

Where: Repair the World 4029 Market Street Philadelphia

When: 7PM – 9:30PM, Tuesday May 10th

This month, we’ll be watching a few short videos on Soil Science: Agroecology Principles and Biomimicry.

Conservation Agronomist, Ray Archuleta with the National Resources Conservation Service joins David Brandt of Walnut Creek Seeds for a workshop on soil and the use of diverse cover crops to build life and fertility in the soil. Produce abundant yields while implementing the best organic and sustainable methods of establishing and maintaining maximum biology. Build aggregates that make up the best soils and see it grow your best crops year after year.

Bring some food to share if you’d like. Bring your own plates and utencils, and let’s try to make this a no-waste event! We’ll have plenty of time for a discussion about the film, or about whatever else is happening in Philly related to Permaculture and regenerative living!

Where: Repair the World 4029 Market Street Philadelphia
When: 7PM – 9PM, Wednesday April 20th

UPDATE: Here’s the link to the videos we viewed!

Facebook Event

Part 1 of the Philly Permaculture Round Table Discussion with The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann was released today.  This was a great conversation, check it out at the linke below.  And while you’re at it, check out Scott’s other podcast episodes.  This is my favorite podcast about Permaculture Design!

Episode 1613: Philly Round Table, Part 1

The local Roughwood Seed Collection is raising money to help preserve and share their amazing collection of historic, locally adapted, heirloom seeds.  Their collection has a fascinating history, and contains edible, medicinal, and native species from Native Americans, colonial and pre-colonial gardeners and farmers in the Philadelphia region.  These heirloom seeds have been adapted to local growing conditions, and selected to provide healthy and delicious food and medicine.  The Roughwood Seed collection is working to preserve this genetic diversity, and share these important seeds with the world. They are a very small operation with only one paid part-time staff and a large number of volunteers and friends who help out.  Please consider supporting their mission to preserve these important food crops that have incredible potential to feed our communities.  Support the future of local food systems!

Support Roughwood Seed Collection!

Roughwood Seed Collection’s Facebook page

For this month’s movie screening, we’re going to view an independent film by Paul Krafel called “The Upward Spiral.” This film presents some interesting perspectives on influencing change in your environment, whether socially or environmentally. It’s an unusual film, but has some great lessons related to pattern recognition, Permaculture, and designing for resilience.

The film is based on the book, “Seeing Nature: Deliberate Encounters with the Visible World” by Paul Krafel. Here’s a TEDx talk from Paul. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjy5s2_fyXs

Bring some food to share if you’d like. Bring your own plates and utencils, and let’s try to make this a no-waste event! We’ll have plenty of time for a discussion about the film, or about whatever else is happening in Philly related to Permaculture and regenerative living!

Where: Repair the World 4029 Market Street Philadelphia
When: 7PM – 9PM, Wednesday March 30th

One of my favorite podcasts to listen to is the Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann.  A bunch of the recent episodes have focused on Philadelphia-area Permaculturists.  It’s great seeing people getting exposure on a global platform like this podcast.  Philly has some amazing work being done.  Check them out below!

Episode 1608: Jewish Traditions with Nati Passow, Part 1 (Faith and Earth Care)

Episode 1609: An introduction to Philadelphia Orchard Project

Episode 1611: Permanent Multi-Culture with Robyn Mello

Episode 1613: Philly Round Table, Part 1

Episode 1619: Philly Roundtable Q&A

Both of these episodes are “part one’s.”  When the follow-up episodes are released, you can find them at ThePermaculturePodcast.com, but I’ll also share them here!  I’m also looking forward to the release of the Philly Round-Table Discussion podcast episode.  It was a great event, and I can’t wait to re-listen to the discussion!

This month we’re going to screen some excerpts from the DVD, “Permaculture Skills” from Ben Falk and Whole Systems Design. The DVD has chapters on a variety of subjects related to Permaculture. From Design tools to specific skills, and philosophy discussions, there is a lot to choose from. We’ll decide what to watch based on the preferences of whomever attends!
Every month, Philly Permaculture screens a documentary, lecture, movie, or clips related to Permaculture, and how we can live more regenerative lives.

Bring some food to share if you’d like. Bring your own plates and utencils, and let’s try to make this a no-waste event! We’ll have plenty of time for a discussion about the film, or about whatever else is happening in Philly related to Permaculture and regenerative living!

Where: Repair the World 4029 Market Street Philadelphia
When: 7PM – 9PM, Tuesday February 16th, 2016

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/854487667997536/

Film Contents: https://www.permaskills.net/content/

DVD 1
1.01 Whole Systems Design PDC Introduction [08:51]
1.02 Whole Systems Design research farm II site visit [16:55]
1.03 Defining permaculture [13:26]
1.04 Contour lines with laser level & A-frame [07:47]
1.05 The Design Process: Goals articulation [12:16]
1.06 Extension with offsets and triangulation [09:34]
1.07 A discussion on ethics and principles [10:33]
1.08 Designing for zones 4 & 5 [11:50]
1.09 Being poor and living rich [05:27]

DVD 2
2.01 Plant propagation fundamentals [10:25]
2.02 The design process: Site analysis and assessment [15:26]
2.03 Grafting fundamentals [15:59]
2.04 Pond design principles [05:49]
2.05 Soil science basics [22:18]
2.06 Introduction to scything [06:57]
2.07 Introduction to wood carving [08:07]
2.08 Succession walk and observation [08:37]
2.09 Tree planting fundamentals [05:27 ]
2.10 Gardening with hand tools [07:41]
2.11 Introduction to keyline design [12:39]

DVD 3
3.01 Homestead site visit [31:45]
3.02 Introduction to herbal medicine – part I [05:54]
3.03 Food forest fundamentals [08:45]
3.04 The Whole Systems Design business [10:52]
3.05 Homestead infrastructure [12:49]
3.06 Introduction to herbal medicine – part II [12:24]
3.07 Handy rope knots [05:32]
3.08 Seed saving and stratification [06:19]
3.09 Dry stack stone construction [11:44]
3.10 Wood splitting basics [03:33]
3.11 Uncommon fruits for permaculture designs [08:41]

DVD 4
4.01 Introduction to wild foraging [13:41]
4.02 Green woodworking fundamentals [10:15]
4.03 Log inoculation for shitake mushroom cultivation [7:36]
4.04 Approaches to forest management [12:32]
4.05 Plant propagation fundamentals part II [12:45]
4.06 Woody plant identification [12:00]
4.07 Basic knife sharpening [08:36]
4.08 Client site consult and design implementation [28:29]

On Sunday Jan 31st, Scott Mann of The Permaculture Podcast joins us at Repair the World (4029 Market St Philadelphia, PA) to facilitate a permaculture round-table discussion that will be recorded for an episode of his podcast. Following the round table we invite you to join us for a potluck dinner.

Panelists will include:
Robyn Mello from the Philadelphia Orchard Project
Kirtrina Baxter from the Garden Justice Legal Initiative at the Public Interest Law Center
Paul Glover, local activist and founder of the Philadelphia Orchard Project
Nate Kleinman from the Experimental Farm Network
Melissa Miles, local permaculture instructor / practitioner

Audience members will have the opportunity to ask the panelists questions and connect with members of the local permaculture community.

When: Sunday Jan 31st, 3PM – 8:30PM

Where: Repair the World, 4029 Market St Philadelphia, PA

RSVP to dirkmcgurk@gmail.com

$5 Suggested Donation to support Scott’s travel expenses.

https://www.facebook.com/events/899778736766095/

Update: Here’s the link to watch the film.  It’s available until Jan 28th!  http://m.video.pbs.org/video/2365635287/

This month, we’re screening Michael Pollan’s new PBS special, In Defense of Food. Based on Pollan’s book by the same name, “In Defense of Food shows us how, despite the daunting dietary landscape Americans confront in the modern supermarket, we can escape the Western diet and, by doing so, most of the chronic diseases that diet causes. We can relearn which foods are healthy, develop simple ways to moderate our appetites, and return eating to its proper context — out of the car and back to the table. Michael Pollan’s bracing and eloquent manifesto shows us how we can start making thoughtful food choices that will enrich our lives, enlarge our sense of what it means to be healthy, and bring pleasure back to eating.”

Every month, Philly Permaculture screens a documentary, lecture, movie, or clips related to Permaculture, and how we can live more regenerative lives.

Bring some food to share if you’d like. Bring your own plates and utencils, and let’s try to make this a no-waste event! The film is about 2 hours, so we’ll start right at 7PM. Following the movie, we’ll have time for a discussion about the film, or about whatever else is happening in Philly related to Permaculture and regenerative living!

When: Tuesday Jan 19th, 7PM – 9:30PM

Where: Repair the World, 4029 Market St Philadelphia, PA

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1007697855943706/