The Elysium Delusion

...x things on earth, let’s all get the hell out–it’s the ultimate form of suburban flight. NASA’s 1970s era version of Elysium The heyday of space colonization futurism was the 1970s. But space station fantasies have reappeared in popular culture recently. At the end of the recently released movie Elysium [spoiler alert] the evil French speaking space colonists (who look like Armani clad Santa Barbarans) have their computer reset by Matt Damon who,...

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Help! Small birds are eating us out of house and home!

...aps we should have left it at that? ( I suspect we’re not going to win any permaculture awards for our feeder.) Bird people, help! What are your thoughts on feeders? Is it okay to leave the feeder empty sometimes? Does that encourage foraging, or is it just not very nice to be random about the filling? Is there a cheaper alternative to Nyjer ™ seed that finches like? Perhaps something that doesn’t come from Africa? (argh!) Buck watching finches, t...

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Sources for Interesting Perennial Crops

...ote that this list of nurseries covers the entire US, not just California. Permaculture Activist plant sources The website is somewhat of a graphic design nightmare, but if you’re looking for unusual edible perennials, this would be the place to start. Hop Roots – where to get them… Hoptacular! A list of hops nurseries from the Oregon State Hops Commision. Also note that the USDA maintains a huge collection of fruit trees, nut trees and many other...

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The Sami Way

...ami hut. Kuhmunen speaking eloquently about what can only be called arctic permaculture, life in touch with the cycles of life and the importance of context specific design. And speaking of context, the smoke of the fire rising up through a hole in the roof. The dirt floor is insulated with a layer of burnt twigs, followed by moose skins and a top layer of reindeer fur. It works. It was bitter cold outside and toasty in the hut. Kuhmunen and grand...

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