Last month on Zoom, I spoke with the Duke of Permaculture, Paul Wheaton. When Paul had made his book, Building a Better World in Your Backyard, available to my readers to download back in August, two thousand of you took him up on it (n.b. the giveaway has ended). If you liked the book, please leave a review at Goodreads. You can read my post about the book here.
Zoom discussion with Paul Wheaton
You’ll find loads of information on permaculture, homesteading, organic gardening and more at permies.com, which Paul founded. This week, I plan to bury a few pieces of a tree trunk in a raised bed as I dip my toe into hugelkultur.
I’m so surprised you’re still advertising for this book. I bought it based on your previous review and thought it was terrible. It didn’t go into enough detail on anything to be useful and was at times completely misleading. (Yes, native plants make sense if you don’t have complete tunnel vision about carbon and care about rebuilding habitat.)
Hi Ginger,
I’m so sorry you didn’t like the book. I wouldn’t say I’m advertising the book. I don’t get any sort of compensation for writing about it. People had asked me if I’d post the Zoom discussion, hence this post. The book is more of an overview of permaculture and other practical ideas, with footnotes on where to to to delve further on the permies website.
~ Anne Marie
This was great! I really loved the discussion on intentional communities and going pooless. It took me a few weeks to go entirely poo-less (I just use and apple cider vinegar rinse). Using cocoa powder as a dry shampoo helped with the transition phase. Going deodorant-less took a lot longer (I transitioned while pregnant at home, because I didn’t want the toxins from deodorants while pregnant). I haven’t used deodorant or shampoo for 7 years now!
Thanks for making this video public–I really enjoyed watching it and seeing so many solutions discussed!
I’m surprised that you didn’t like the book, GInger. I thought it did a great job of covering many ways to be more ecological. I thought it went into a lot of detail about a lot of important ways to live well and be easy on the environment. Heating your house, avoiding toxins, gardening strategies, financial ideas and energy are all included. I’ve heard from many people who loved the book and just one who didn’t like it. They were hoping for a book that would tell you which plants to put in your garden. This is not that kind of book.
I enjoyed the book very much. Thanks for suggesting it.
good video.
I bought the book last year and have purchased enough copies for my children, as I enjoyed the ideas brought forth by Paul. There is enough detail to get started on some of the ideas.
I’m on a journey to self-reliance late in life, building an off-grid home this year in the country. I’ll be looking to get some ideas from you in the future.