Suburban Permaculture w/ Janet Barocco and Richard Heinberg
Peak Moment 100: Tour Janet and Richard’s quarter acre for an example of what’s possible in suburbia. Their front yard of edible plants also provides habitat for birds and insects. The backyard radiates out from an herb and kitchen garden to vegetable beds and containers; 25 fruit and nut trees; and a restful Zen garden. Near a future pond is a “three sisters” spiral of corn, beans and squashes. Check out their rainwater catchment barrels system, solar ovens, grid-tied photovoltaics with backup batteries, a low-energy house, solar-heated garden room, and a comfortable “summer palace” of natural & salvaged materials. [www.richardheinberg.com] Looking for a specific topic in our Peak Moment library? Visit www.peakmoment.tv/conversations and click a tag or do a search. Subscribe to our email newsletter. Join the dialogue on Janaia’s Journal at www.peakmoment.tv/journal.
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Temperate Permaculture Strategies - Pt1
Tagged with: catchment • Gardening • Permaculture • rainwater • suburbia • sustainability
Filed under: Permaculture
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what evidence do you have to suggest that peak oil is a hoax?
and, seriously, do NOT underestimate the value of establishing community, regardless of their ideology.
Imagine the expanse of the suburbs if all city dwellers would move to locations where they can have a garden.
I’m not saying it’s an obstacle to sustainable living, but i imagine it may present a bit of a problem in the not to distant future.
For city dwellers, there are pocket parks, median strips, abandoned or unused lots — and rooftops! Probalby not enough to feed everyone in a city, but a lot of folks.
Nicely done, wonderful use of the land you have available. Are honey bees abundant in your area? Thank you for sharing your experience and plant choices.
the only question i have is how many people around this couple are doing the same to prepare? It is great that they are leading the way, but in the decline phase won’t the people who are hungry around them who can not afford their own food just walk over and take theirs? Richard did mention that the artichoke gets poached from time to time by people walking by…
I really appreciate what you are doing. I am planning an “edible estate” for my home in NJ. It will include the use of waste water from my koi pond to fertilise the plants!!
Take a look at Richard’s most recent MuseLetter on Resilient Communities at GlobalPublicMedia (.) com/museletter_192_resilient_communities. He suggests that we can’t do it all alone. He and Janet are early “pioneers”, getting their systems working, so many more people can learn from them and come up to speed quickly as the challenges deepen.
Yes folks. That’s it. Get local. Big cities are energy-wasters. Don’t drive with the car for dozens of miles just for some crappy job. Make tele-working. And grow your own stuff. But anyway, just ask people from the 3rd world. They know how to survive in an effective and efficient way.
There is also the possibility of local collectivism;common land whose work & produce is shared by those who participate;Such systems worked effectively in europe for many centuries until the enclosure acts forced people into the cities & factories.
Cities could produce a good chunk of their own food if they were designed to do so. Think how much vertical space is wasted in heavily urbanized environments.
Every skyscraper we build could easily be designed as a giant winter greenhouse to grow food all year ’round. I’m not saying that it would make cities self sustaining but it certainly could help a great deal.
hanging gardens can DOUBLE your space! =-)
OHH that dryer rules!!!!!!
Hemp is the future for bio fuel
This is wonderful and inspiring, thank you!
Awesome. We are doing this right now in our city. We have lots of fruit trees. Everyone needs to check their city for perks. Our city allows us 5 free trees a year and edible trees count!
Does the city give you free fruit trees? Where do you live? How enlightened – to plant fruit (and nut) trees throughout our suburbs and cities!
I live in Riverside, CA. We get one free up to $25 and 4 more up to $25 will be reimbursed to you on you utility bill. It is awesome. The program is called Green Riverside.
MIGHTY AWESOME vid! 5 stars and faved! Many thanx for sharin’! = )
Very gentle & positive, as ever. 3 sisters companion plantings like the Inca’s – who plant tropical crops at high altitudes by digging down a terraced circular pit, using solar gain make a micro-climate, above which the winds could howl! Inside , they planted a diversity of crops – very clever!
Thanks – lovely to see Richard so positive: if we all did the same, growing our own food, minimising our consumption his lectures would become redundant – and the earth could begin to heal herself.
i hope they cover-protect their plants from the chemtrail spraying
This video is so inspirational. This video illustrates so clearly why Ethanol is NOT a solution to our energy problems. They are using 16 square feet of their quarter acre to raise energy crops. The energy they produce will show that that 16 square feet are wasting energy compared to growing tomatoes in the same space.
friggin awesome this is how to live
Heinberg does it right. Look how well he lives on a small lot, walkable to town, gardens, healthy etc…he could probably live in a mcmansion but doesn’t….
@CandianBear When they come over he probobly will be handing out advice to grow their own. If they just take his veggies thell starve when the garden is empty…He is far to valuable to do away with!
lol @ all the birds telling their friends about the habitat. awesome.