Recommended Resources
Permaculture Design Course
Before the course starts, we recommend the following reading.
Gaia’s Garden, by Toby Hemenway. This is our course textbook.
Permaculture Design; A Step-by-Step Guide, by Aranya. Also highly recommended to support your classwork and beyond.
Downloadable 16-page summary taken from David Holmgren’s book, Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability (FREE)
In Praise of the Weekend Design Course, Toby Hemenway and Jude Hobbs
Permaculture Solutions for Climate Change, Starhawk, Blog 2014
The Practice of Salon, Hazel Ward
Conflict and Change in the Era of economic Decline, Richard Heinberg 2012
General Resources. Enjoy!
Articles
Here are a few articles you might not find referenced in usual places.
Welcome to the Great Unraveling. 50 dense pages of excellent analysis from the Carbon Institute on our current global situation and what to do. Released 2023.
A Guide to Multi-functional Hedgerows. Classic and oriented to Oregon. Free downloadable 4 page brochure from OSU by Jude Hobbes.
Farmscaping with Insectary Plants, Robert L. Bugg
How Your Garen & Yard Can Weather our Changing Climate, Carol Deppe, 2011
The Lost Forest Gardens of Europe, Max Pachall, 2020
How One Town put Politics Aside to Save Itself from Fire, Grist Magazine on Ashland Forest Resilience, 2021
Energy & Permaculture, David Homgren, 1994
Humor which will prepare you to laugh at the end of the world.
Globalize Liberation. A strategy article for activists on how to create social change. By George Lakey
Permaculture as a Development Tool for 3rd World Aid
To Build Community, an Economy of Gifts, by Charles Eisenstein
Economic Growth-A Primer, by Erik Lindberg, 2017, resilience.org. The growth economy demystified and suggestions on what is necessary to persist on the planet.
Bill Mollison, Time Scout, by Permaculture Institute, a short remembrance that gives you an idea of the man and his work.
Permaculture, Politics and Solutions Thinking, Angelo Eliades explains the political underpinnings of permaculture and ways to think about our relation to politics.
Speaking of Nature, Robin Wall Kimmerer discusses how language creates the connection or disconnection from nature.
The Serviceberry; an Economy of Abundance, Robin Wall Kimmerer on reciprocity.
Deep Adaptation, Jem Bendell. Link to read or listen to the 2018 paper that has spawned a movement.
Podcasts & Blogs
The Permaculture Podcast with Scott Mann; a series of audio interviews online.
Earth Repair Radio, with Andrew Millison
Ecolonomic Action Team, a series a webinars oriented on business ventures within regenerative agriculture. You can watch them for free when each first comes out by signing up for their email list. Their Sustainable Master Class can be watched free on youtube.
Deep Adaptation Forum, Jem Bendell and friends
Magazines
Permaculture Design (formerly known as the Permaculture Activist), US journal with articles written by our colleagues
Permaculture Drylands Magazine, Archive of articles 1986-1997
Oil Drum’s archives for discussions of suburbia, economics and powerdown strategies.
Resurgence & Ecologist, online.
Resilience, news page related to the Post Carbon Institute
Permaculture, the UK magazine featuring international efforts and DIY tips.
Communities Magazine, free downloads; life in cooperative culture
Kosmos Journal, Journal for Global Transformation, free online
References
The Future is Abundant, Species Index, by Shery Litwin
Practical Plants, Open source listing of 7,500 plants with uses and characteristics. Haven’t explored this much so send me any feedback.
Insectary Matrix , Kate Burroughs
AIM Resource List, green building organizations
Seed Savers Exchange, heirloom seed bank
Ashland Area Specialty Map Collection
How to Share:300 Guides to help your community, Shareable
Videos
How Permaculture Can Save Humanity and the Earth, and
Redesigning Civilization with Permaculture with Toby Hemenway
How to green the world’s deserts and reverse climate change, TED talk, with Allan Savory
Heiko’s World of Permaculture Plants: Soil Building Methodologies
Hugelkutur-quickie view
Soil & erosion with Larry Korn
Synergistic Garden; natural farming, deep mulch & many tips for vegetable production, with Emilia Hazelip
Andrew Millsion Videos collection, youtube channel
Permaculture Masterclass with Geoff Lawton
No Such Thing as Waste, fun music video
A new Story of the People, TED Talk with Charles Eisenstein
Charles Eisenstein videos collection
The Interconnectedness of Nature, understand the return of the salmon with Dr. David Suzuki
Drought Proofing Farms, from Oregon State University with Andrew Millison. This a whole series of videos that constitute a module in the online course available free.
Robin Wall Kimmerer, author talk Jackson County Library 2022
BOOKS
We’ve tried to keep this list to the ones we think are must valuable.
Botany in Day, The Patterns Method of Plant Identification, Thomas J. Elpel
Braiding Sweet Grass; Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer
Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties, Carol Deppe
The City Forest: the keyline plan for the human environment revolution, P.A. Yeomans (download)
The Cob Builder’s Handbook, Becky Bee
The Dawn of Everything; a new history of humanity, by David Graeber and David Wengrow
Designing and Maintaining Your Edible Landscape–Naturally, Robert Kourik
Ecovillages, Lessons for Sustainable Community, Karen Litfin
Edible Forest Gardens, Vols 1 & 2,Dave Jacke
Four Season Harvest, Eliot Coleman
Future Scenarios, How Communities Can Adapt to Peak Oil and Climate Change, David Holmgren
Gaia’s Garden, Toby Hemenway
The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community, David Korten
Holy Shit; Managing Manure to Save Mankind, Gene Logsdon
Just Enough; lessons from Japan for sustainable living, architecture, and design, by Azby Brown
Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West, by Michael Moore
Ministry of the Future, and all other books of delightful fiction by Kim Stanley Robinson
Mycelium Running; How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World, Paul Stamets
Natural Remodelling, Carole Venolia & Kelly Lerner
Oak; the Frame of Civilization, William Bryant Logan
Pacific Coast Tree Finder: A Pocket Manual for Identifying Pacific Coast Trees
Permaculture: A Designer’s Manual, by Bill Mollison
Permaculture Design; A Step-by-Step Guide, Aranya
Permaculture Design Companion; A Practical Workbook for Integrating People & Places, by Jasmine Dale
The Permaculture Handbook; Garden Farming for Town and Country, Peter Bane
Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability, David Holmgren
Practical Permaculture, Jessi Bloom and Dave Boehnlein
Rainwater Harvesting Vols. 1 & 2, Brad Lancaster
Sacred Economics, Charles Eisenstein
Sand Talk; How Indigenous Thinking can Save the World, Tyson Yunkaporta
The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling, Daniel Chiras
Teaming with Microbes; the Organic Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web, Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis
Tending the Wild, Kat Anderson
Through the Eyes of a Stranger, Will Bonsall, utopian fiction
The Transition Handbook, Rob Hopkins
Urban Homesteading; Heirloom Skills for Sustainable Living, Rachel Kaplan
Water for Every Farm, P.A. Yeomans
Wild Edible Plants of Western North American, Donald Kirk
Wild Fermentation; the Flavor, Nutrition and Craft of Live-Culture Foods, Sandor Katz
