Host Geoff Lawton & guests discuss how to fight back against ecological collapse not with fear or hostility, but with design, community, and purpose. This podcast explores permaculture design solutions for every climate and at every scale. Real stories. Real designs. Real hope.
Discover Permaculture - The Podcast
Claim This Podcastby Discover Permaculture
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23 episodes
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Podcast Overview
Host Geoff Lawton & guests discuss how to fight back against ecological collapse not with fear or hostility, but with design, community, and purpose. This podcast explores permaculture design solutions for every climate and at every scale. Real stories. Real designs. Real hope.
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Publishing Since
12/10/2025
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Recent Episodes
May 16, 2026
How to Set Up Permaculture Community Groups
<p>Local community may be one of the most overlooked forms of resilience we have. In this episode, Geoff, Eric, Ben and Sam discuss how permaculture community groups can help people share skills, grow food locally, support each other through uncertainty and create practical systems that improve everyday life. From portable food forests and school projects through to local governance, youth engagement and resilient local economies, this conversation explores why rebuilding community might be one of the most important things we can do right now.</p> <p>Permaculture Community Group Startup Kit: <a href="https://www.permaculturefairoaks.org/pfo_startup-kit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.permaculturefairoaks.org/pfo_startup-kit/</a></p> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/IsSsgoyQMq8?si=_Gu4SRh7YKJJ9S8Y" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Watch the video episode here.</a></p> <p><strong> Key Takeaways:</strong></p> <p>00:00:24 - 00:05:26: Geoff introduces the idea of local permaculture groups as practical support networks built around food, skills and community resilience.</p> <p>00:05:26 - 00:10:52: Eric shares how starting a local permaculture group transformed an empty urban lot into a growing community food forest project in Sacramento.</p> <p>00:10:52 - 00:13:38: The conversation explores how permaculture projects can reconnect young people with meaningful work, food growing and community participation.</p> <p>00:15:47 - 00:18:30: Sam explains why he originally dismissed gardening as too small-scale before realizing community-based permaculture could drive broader systemic change.</p> <p>00:19:26 - 00:22:00: Eric discusses the challenge of engaging people and why demonstration sites and practical examples matter more than theory alone.</p> <p>00:22:00 - 00:23:35: A discussion on topographic mapping, swales and how practical design tools help people better understand landscapes and water systems.</p> <p>00:24:21 - 00:26:16: Geoff talks about food security, reducing dependence on fragile systems and why local knowledge matters more than ever.</p> <p>00:30:01 - 00:32:29: Geoff explains why permaculture focuses on feeding local communities locally rather than relying on fragile global supply chains.</p> <p>00:33:20 - 00:37:27: Practical discussion about setting up permaculture groups, local education systems, workshops and community-based learning.</p> <p>00:39:15 - 00:40:18: Sam explains why resilience comes from shared skills and local cooperation rather than trying to become completely self-sufficient alone.</p> <p>00:48:01 - 00:55:47: Sam breaks down the community meeting model he used in the Blue Mountains to organize people, prioritize issues and create local action plans.</p> <p>00:56:21 - 00:58:07: Geoff shares plans for rebuilding Permaculture Byron and explains how listeners can start their own local groups using the startup kit.</p>
May 3, 2026
Preparing For Hard Times
<p>What happens when fragile supply chains break down? In this episode Geoff and the crew discuss survival gardens, water security, edible weeds, medicinal plants, and practical ways to prepare for uncertain times. </p> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/gGG0mFglWjI?si=qawe_c2TmRsmqZ64" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Watch the video episode here.</a></p> <p>🎓 Explore Geoff's online courses: <a href="https://www.discoverpermaculture.com">https://www.discoverpermaculture.com </a></p> <p><strong>Key Takeaways:</strong></p> <p>00:00:15 - 00:03:28: Why modern supply chains are fragile and how permaculture creates food security</p> <p>00:03:28 - 00:04:24: Survival gardens and the power of perennial food systems - Isabell Shipard's books: <a href="https://herbs-to-use.com">https://herbs-to-use.com </a></p> <p>00:04:24 - 00:05:58: Medicinal plants, foraging, and using plant ID apps</p> <p>00:06:36 - 00:08:20: Jerusalem artichokes, edible weeds, and survival foods hiding in plain sight</p> <p>00:09:24 - 00:10:51: Lessons from Covid and how permaculture builds resilience during crises</p> <p>00:11:36 - 00:12:41: Geoff’s favorite survival crops: taro, cassava, yam, and chaya</p> <p>00:12:41 - 00:14:29: Sprouts and microgreens as emergency nutrition systems</p> <p>00:14:02 - 00:14:29: Action Step #1: Start sprouting seeds this week</p> <p>00:15:05 - 00:16:23: Feeding 60 students with sprouts during supply shortages in Jordan</p> <p>00:16:23 - 00:19:25: Comfrey, moringa, turmeric, and other survival superplants</p> <p>00:19:25 - 00:20:36: Sterile comfrey varieties and how they spread</p> <p>00:21:06 - 00:23:05: Long-term food storage strategies and preserving seeds</p> <p>00:24:00 - 00:24:28: Action Step #2: Plant comfrey or moringa</p> <p>00:25:12 - 00:26:38: How moringa seeds can clean dirty water naturally</p> <p>00:27:01 - 00:27:30: Action Step #3: Learn and eat an edible weed</p> <p>00:28:24 - 00:30:09: Why water systems are vulnerable in modern society</p> <p>00:30:22 - 00:32:01: Simple rainwater harvesting explained</p> <p>00:32:01 - 00:33:57: First flush diverters, algae biofilms, and rainwater tanks</p> <p>00:33:58 - 00:36:13: Rainwater vs municipal water systems</p> <p>00:39:53 - 00:41:05: Action Step #4: Set up a rain barrel and store water</p> <p>00:42:25 - 00:43:33: Doulton ceramic filters and gravity-fed water systems</p> <p>00:43:44 - 00:46:59: Reed beds, gray water, and using plants to clean water naturally</p> <p>00:46:59 - 00:48:57: Final survival garden checklist and practical preparedness steps</p>
April 19, 2026
Is Aid Designed to Solve Problems or Manage Them?
<p>In this episode, Geoff and the team unpack the hidden realities of the global aid industry—sharing firsthand stories from refugee camps, war zones, and on-the-ground permaculture projects. From inefficiency and dependency to real solutions that build self-reliance, this conversation challenges the system and explores what actually works. At its core, this episode asks a powerful question: Can we design aid that makes itself unnecessary?</p> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/8Q-mYlgS_Fs?si=qGEEMS5fieeMfk8z" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Watch the video episode here.</a></p> <p><strong>Key Takeaways</strong></p> <p>00:00 – 01:01: Is aid solving problems… or managing them?</p> <p>01:01 – 03:03: Aid as a business model reveals how funding structures and salaries can prioritize continuity over real solutions.</p> <p>03:03 – 05:19: Firsthand experiences suggesting some projects may support hidden economic agendas.</p> <p>05:19 – 08:21: Bureaucracy and overhead can leave only a small fraction of funding reaching people on the ground.</p> <p>08:21 – 10:05: Can aid ever create independence? questions why successful outcomes are rarely scaled or shared to empower communities long-term.</p> <p>10:05 – 12:56: A rare success story demonstrates how directing most funds to the ground can create farms, businesses, and lasting impact.</p> <p>12:56 – 15:13: Why most aid fails long-term highlights the limits of single-solution projects compared to whole-system design thinking.</p> <p>15:13 – 17:50: The well problem (and the real solution) shows why recharging landscapes beats endlessly digging deeper wells.</p> <p>17:50 – 20:17: The goal: make aid redundant emphasizes teaching skills and building systems that remove the need for outside help.</p> <p>20:17 – 22:00: How strategy must shift depending on whether people are temporary or settled.</p> <p>22:00 – 25:10: A powerful refugee camp transformation shares how education and food systems created real hope and engagement.</p> <p>25:10 – 26:26: How politics and authority can dismantle successful projects overnight.</p> <p>26:26 – 29:24: Lasting change comes when people understand, value, and take ownership of systems.</p> <p>29:24 – 32:00: Hw compost and water systems can become income streams and resilience tools.</p> <p>32:00 – 36:26: Dependency vs real economies contrasts conventional aid with permaculture systems that create independence and local economies.</p> <p>36:26 – 40:01: Why smaller, localized efforts are often more effective than large institutions.</p> <p>40:01 – 45:13: The ethics and psychology of aid work dives into burnout, disillusionment, and the emotional weight of working in crisis zones.</p> <p>45:13 – 48:17: What it really takes to make an impact highlights patience, persistence, and the long timeline required for meaningful change.</p> <p>48:17 – 50:03: The hardest lesson: you may achieve very little (at first) reframes success as simply showing up and staying consistent.</p> <p>50:03 – 53:29: Low-tech solutions win explains why simple, maintainable systems outperform complex, high-tech interventions.</p> <p>53:29 – 59:08: How aid changes your worldview reflects on resilience, lost skills, and the contrast between modern and traditional knowledge.</p> <p>59:08 – 01:00:25: Climate instability and fragile systems highlights how global systems are becoming increasingly vulnerable.</p> <p>01:00:25 – 01:02:08: If imports stopped tomorrow… what happens? challenges us to consider how dependent our regions really are.</p> <p>01:02:08 – 01:03:40: Permaculture thinking is essential in an increasingly unstable world.</p>
23 total episodes available
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