food not lawns

Permaculture Womens Guild

One of the many things that I connect with in permaculture, is that ‘edges are where the action is’. I have spent my whole life living on the edge, never quite fitting in. Is it possible that this could be the right place to settle? Learn to feel good, unleash my creativity and achieve more impact than if I jumped either way? By Gudrun Cartwright This is both an exciting and a terrifying prospect. If the potential is so huge, living my own truth by learning to harness energy from surfing edges feels right. It is so easy to stay safe,…

Permaculture Womens Guild

Writing makes my stomach hurt. By Laura Bee I love writing. I’ve always wanted to be a writer. And I’m good at it. A few weeks ago, I landed a writing gig as an Editorial Intern for the Permaculture Women’s Guild. And with that gig came a flood of opportunities to publish my writing in a community of women whom I respect and admire. But those women also intimidate me, and a familiar anxiety is creeping in about sharing my work. I have found great comfort and understanding in being open about this anxiety. For the most part, when I share…

Permaculture Womens Guild

Urban land access can be difficult but there are ways to get past this barrier.

Permaculture Womens Guild

Urban permaculture is possible even without owning private property or large amounts of land.

Permaculture Womens Guild

By Heather Jo Flores “Contact with the soil reminds us that we are an integral part of nature, rather than feeling shut out and excluded. The simple acts of growing and eating our own food, recreating habitats in which nature’s diversity thrives, and taking steps to live more simply are practical ways of living which connect us to an awareness of Nature’s seamless whole. Permaculture is a spiritual reconnection as well as an ecological strategy.” — Maddy Harland. What is permaculture? Strictly speaking, “Permaculture” is a combination of the words “permanent” and “agriculture,” spliced together, and used to describe a methodology for…

Permaculture Womens Guild

An easy, circular permaculture design process for gardens, community projects, creative work, and so much more. By Heather Jo Flores (excerpted and fully revised from my 2006 book, Food Not Lawns, How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden and Your Neighborhood into a Community.) Whether we realize it or not, all of us are designers; for good or ill, much of what we do is design work. And all design is ecological design in that it either hurts or helps nature, whether it was intended to or not. As gardeners, whether forging paths, building beds, or pruning trees, we are…

Permaculture Womens Guild

Translation: Essential steps towards the survival of the human species by Heather Jo Flores Here are ten top strategies for saving our water and ourselves. They are in no particular order of importance — we’ll need to do them all, and more, if we are to reverse the tide of scarcity, pollution, and corporate control that threatens us today. 1. Eat Organic Food and Support Local Organic Agriculture. Organic methods don’t use harsh toxins that pollute the water. Organic farms and gardens emphasize mulch and other soil stewardship practices, which means less erosion and/or salination of the soil, and less runoff and damage…