The Slow Money Alliance is an NGO that seeks to restore local food systems and local economies, “to promote the transition from an economy based on extraction and consumption to an economy based on preservation and restoration.” Here are just a few of the principles of Slow Money:
III. We must invest as if [...]

One of my favorite local shops is The Beverage People, in Santa Rosa. With harvest season getting underway here in Sonoma County, you might want to check them out for ideas on what to do with some of your bounty.
The store is known for its stock of supplies for home wine and beer makers…you [...]

Common Circle provides eco-tourism that combines bicycling, visits to sustainable communities and farms, participation in service projects at the destinations, and even permaculture training.

Upcoming trips include bicycle tours in Oregon and Hawaii. From their web site:
By participating in a Common Circle Experience you can:

Be a part of an incredible traveling community of [...]

Darren Doherty, a well-known permaculture designer and educator from Australia (check out his bio on RDI’s site), has a real treasure trove of information posted on the PIcasa photo sharing site…an entire online portfolio of design, plans and templates since 1993.
Here’s a helpful listing of photo albums by topic from Doherty’s Australia Felix Permaculture home [...]

From National Geographic News comes this interesting story and photo gallery: Fog Catchers Bring Water to Parched Villages.

Conservationists and biologists Kai Tiedemann and Anne Lummerich designed the fog catchers to help poor Peruvians who have settled on unclaimed land in the steep slopes around Lima. If the residents plant trees upslope and stay [...]

Update! Here are resources for the projects shown today at Copperfield’s:

Worm Bins and Aerated Compost Tea
Making Seed Balls
Getting Started With Chickens

Have fun!
I’ll be at Copperfield’s Bookstore in Santa Rosa tomorrow (Saturday) to talk about backyard chickens and help people make seedballs! We might even brew some aerated compost tea…

We’ll be bringing our 3-week old [...]

Herb Spirals are a quintessential permaculture project, demonstrating how many elements are combined in an intelligent way to work together. The herb spiral works because different herbs prefer different combinations of humidity and sunlight. The spiral, raising in the center, provides these microclimates in a compact functional space that makes a beautiful addition [...]

Veggie Trader is a nifty site that helps you swap all kinds of produce (not just veggies!) with others in your area.
The concept is simple – just create an account, post what you have (veggies, fruit, nuts, seeds, starts, or other goodies), and indicate what you’d like to trade for. And you can [...]