113: Penny Livingston on Urban Permaculture.
Looking at the science of natural systems in landscape design..
Penny is internationally recognized as a prominent permaculture teacher, designer, and speaker. She holds a MS in Eco-Social Regeneration and a Diploma in Permaculture Design. Penny has been studying the Hermetic Tradition of alchemy and herbal medicine making in Europe and the United States for 4 years.
Penny has been teaching internationally and working professionally in the land management, regenerative design, and permaculture development field for 25 years and has extensive experience in all phases of ecologically sound design and construction as well as the use of natural non-toxic building materials.
She specializes in site planning and the design of resource-rich landscapes integrating – rainwater collection, edible and medicinal planting, spring development, pond and water systems, habitat development and watershed restoration for homes, co-housing communities, businesses, and diverse yield perennial farms.
In today’s podcast you will hear an interview with an international permaculture educator. As she shares her story, you will likely be inspired to try some new things in your landscape space or at the very least find some opportunities to take an in person permaculture education course near you.
Listen in to hear about:
- Her background in landscape and textile design
- The day she found her permaculture class and how it opened up doors for her
- Learning from Bill Mollison in his Permaculture Design Course
- Why she straddled conventional landscaping and permaculture for years and how she moved over to just one
- How she tackled the slug problem on her property using stacking functions
- Cob houses and the connections from her pond, her soil, some grapes, and some ducks.
- Her food forest diversity and the myriad of edible varieties in her space
- Using a tool that everyone has to filter her water on her property
- How a simple change many years ago now helps feed her streams in California, despite being in a drought
- The animal diversity that has developed due to her plant diversity she has developed on her property
- A great description of a swale and how to create one despite, in because of, clay soils
- Her definition of permaculture and how exciting it is
- How to get started in permaculture by finding a reputable immersion course near you
- The importance of in-person PDC courses
- Some of the benefits and aspects of PDC that are present in domestic and international courses
As well as:
- Why she does not like the word failure
- How her common world garden is her biggest success
- Her advice on taking a permaculture class and finding your path to being useful in the world
- Some of the upcoming classes and teacher training courses she is involved with
Some Books Penny Recommends:
The Permaculture Designer’s manual – The manual for PDC courses.
The Farm on the Roof: What Brooklyn Grange Taught Us About Entrepreneurship, Community, and Growing a Sustainable Business
Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer
Food and the City: Urban Agriculture and the New Food Revolution
How to Reach Penny:
*Disclosure:
Some of the links in our podcast show notes and blog posts are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, we will earn a nominal commission at no cost to you. We offer links to items recommended by our podcast guests and guest writers as a service to our audience and these items are not selected because of the commission we receive from your purchases. We know the decision is yours, and whether you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
