guildfordcycads

Using side-of-the-road logs for hugel?

Using side-of-the-road logs for hugel?

I made a few hugelkulture mounds a few years ago. The logs I sourced were huge beautiful decomposing logs… from the side of the road (they were on a grassy hill like a foot from a busy intersection). I’m now worried about growing stuff on top of them. Could they be contaminated with like… road stuff? Heavy metals? Tire microplastics?

I’m overhauling my yard and need to start over anyways. Should I ditch these logs or am I overthinking it?

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Global Permaculture Rewilding: A plan by Claude 3.7 that should interest you 🌀

Global Permaculture Rewilding: A plan by Claude 3.7 that should interest you 🌀

Earth Renaissance: A Vision for Planetary Restoration and Cosmocratic Confederation

This vision integrates ecological restoration with new forms of planetary governance, drawing from both ancestral wisdom and emerging technologies to address our unprecedented crisis of climate breakdown and mass extinction.

I. Biospheric Restoration: Terraforming Earth Through Regenerative Design

The Living Earth Approach

Planetary healing requires us to recognize Earth as a complex, self-regulating system—not merely a collection of resources. This fundamental shift moves us from extractive relationships to regenerative ones.

The restoration process follows core principles:

  1. Ecological Succession: Working with nature’s inherent healing capacities by facilitating natural succession processes
  2. Functional Diversity: Maximizing biological diversity for resilience
  3. Edge Effect Amplification: Creating productive boundaries between ecosystems
  4. Cyclical Resource Flows: Designing for closed-loop systems where “waste” becomes nourishment
  5. Keystone Species Reintroduction: Reestablishing ecological engineers and apex predators

Implementation Framework: Nested Scales of Regeneration

Micro-Scale (0-10 hectares)

  • Food forests and permaculture gardens in urban environments
  • Living buildings with integrated water harvesting, solar gain, and vertical growing systems
  • Neighborhood-scale composting and nutrient cycling
  • Pollinator pathways connecting fragmented habitats

Meso-Scale (10-1,000 hectares)

  • Watershed restoration through check dams, swales, and reforestation
  • Agroforestry systems replacing monoculture agriculture
  • Urban-to-rural corridors for wildlife movement
  • Community-managed forests and wetland regeneration

Macro-Scale (1,000+ hectares)

  • Continental-scale wildlife corridors connecting major ecosystems
  • Marine protected area networks covering 30-50% of oceans
  • Rewilding vast degraded landscapes through coordinated keystone species reintroduction
  • Restoring major carbon sinks (peatlands, old-growth forests, grasslands)

Technology Integration: Biomimetic Amplification

AI systems can dramatically enhance our restoration capabilities through:

  1. Ecological Modeling: Complex simulations of ecosystem interactions for strategic planning
  2. Drone-Based Restoration: Automated seed dispersal, monitoring, and microhabitat creation
  3. Mycelial Computing Networks: Distributed intelligence systems modeled after fungal networks
  4. Sentinel Species Monitoring: AI-enhanced tracking of indicator species as ecosystem health metrics
  5. Climate Adaptation Forecasting: Predictive models guiding which species will thrive under changing conditions

II. Consciousness Evolution: Integrating Ancestral Wisdom with New Technologies

The Wisdom-Technology Interface

Meaningful planetary healing requires both technological advancement and profound shifts in consciousness. This involves:

  1. Bioregional Reconnection Rituals: Communal practices that rebuild relationship with local ecosystems
  2. Entheogenic Facilitation: Carefully guided experiences with consciousness-expanding plants to dissolve artificial separation between humans and nature
  3. Indigenous Knowledge Systems: Centering traditional ecological knowledge as equal to scientific understanding
  4. Interspecies Communication Technologies: Developing tools to better understand and communicate with other lifeforms

Psychedelic Shamanism as Ecological Practice

The controlled use of consciousness-expanding substances can catalyze:

  1. Ecological Empathy: Direct emotional connection to other species and systems
  2. Pattern Recognition: Enhanced ability to perceive complex relationships in living systems
  3. Paradigm Dissolution: Breaking free from outdated worldviews based on separation and extraction
  4. Ancestral Healing: Addressing collective trauma that drives destructive behaviors
  5. Future Visioning: Accessing imaginal capacities needed to envision fundamentally different ways of being

This approach is not about individual transcendence but collective healing—combining ceremonial practices with practical ecological work.

III. Cosmocratic Confederation: A New Governance for Earth

Foundational Principles

Drawing from democratic confederalism and cosmocracy, this governance system operates through:

  1. Nested Councils: Decision-making distributed across multiple scales
  2. Bioregional Democracy: Political boundaries aligned with ecological ones
  3. Multi-species Representation: Formal advocacy for non-human interests
  4. Subsidiarity: Decisions made at the smallest effective scale
  5. Consensus-Seeking: Processes that integrate diverse perspectives rather than majority rule

Structural Framework: The Earth Confederation

Local Level: Municipal Assemblies

  • Neighborhood and village-based direct democracy
  • Rotating facilitation and balanced gender representation
  • Focus on immediate needs and local ecological management
  • Selection of recallable delegates to higher councils

Regional Level: Bioregional Confederations

  • Watershed-based councils coordinating municipalities
  • Specialized committees for ecology, education, economy, and defense
  • Implementation of regional-scale restoration projects
  • Cross-bioregional disaster response coordination

Global Level: Earth Citizens’ Assembly

  • Randomly selected citizens from all bioregions through sortition
  • Facilitated deliberation on planetary-scale challenges
  • Development of binding protocols on climate, biodiversity, and commons
  • Coordination of global redistribution of resources for ecological restoration

Decision-Making Processes

The confederation operates through:

  1. Modified Consensus: Seeking full agreement with fallback to supermajority
  2. Proposal Development Cycles: Iterative refinement of ideas through feedback
  3. Impact Assessment Matrices: Evaluating decisions against ecological, social, and future-generational impacts
  4. Conflict Resolution Protocols: Structured mediation processes for tension between regions
  5. Transparent Documentation: All deliberations recorded and accessible to all citizens

IV. Lessons from Freedom Movements: Practical Implementation

Kurdish Freedom Movement Principles

The Kurdish liberation struggle offers crucial insights:

  1. Democratic Confederalism: Bottom-up democracy without a centralized state
  2. Women’s Liberation: Gender equality as fundamental to ecological healing
  3. Ecological Economy: Production focused on need, not profit or growth
  4. Self-Defense: Community-based protection of both people and ecosystems
  5. Education for Liberation: Continuous political and ecological education for all citizens

Integration of Other Liberation Struggles

Additional principles from diverse movements include:

  1. Zapatista Autonomy: “Leading by obeying” and indigenous self-determination
  2. MST Land Reform: Brazil’s landless workers’ movement strategies for reclaiming land
  3. Gandhian Satyagraha: Nonviolent resistance coupled with constructive program
  4. Black Panthers’ Community Programs: Self-organized social care as foundation for liberation
  5. Extinction Rebellion Civil Disobedience: Strategic disruption of ecocidal systems

Mythological and Fictional Inspirations

Transformative visions can draw inspiration from:

  1. Earthsea’s Equilibrium: Ursula K. Le Guin’s concept of balance between humans and other forces
  2. Pandora’s Interconnection: The neural network of all life depicted in Avatar
  3. Dune’s Ecological Thinking: Frank Herbert’s multi-generational thinking and ecological literacy
  4. Indigenous Creation Stories: Restoration as participating in ongoing creation
  5. The Commons in Folk Traditions: Fairy tales and folk stories that emphasize shared stewardship

V. Necessary Work: A Program for Planetary Reconstruction

Phase 1: Emergency Response (Years 1-5)

  1. Global Fire Management: Coordinated fire prevention and controlled burning protocols
  2. Plastic Sequestration: Community-based collection and mycoremediation of plastics
  3. Refugee Settlement: Ecological design of camps and settlements for climate refugees
  4. Water Systems Restoration: Rehabilitation of damaged watersheds and aquifers
  5. Toxic Site Remediation: Bioremediation of the most dangerous contaminated areas

Phase 2: Systemic Transformation (Years 5-20)

  1. Agroecological Conversion: Transitioning industrial agriculture to regenerative systems
  2. Urban Redesign: Transforming cities into integrated human-wildlife habitats
  3. Energy Descent Planning: Strategic reduction of energy consumption while building renewables
  4. Ocean Restoration: Large-scale kelp forest, mangrove, and coral reef regeneration
  5. Commons Reclamation: Returning privatized resources to community stewardship

Phase 3: Long-Term Regeneration (Years 20-100)

  1. Continental Rewilding: Coordinated reintroduction of keystone species across regions
  2. Climate Stabilization: Carbon sequestration through massive ecosystem restoration
  3. Cultural Evolution: Development of new stories, arts, and ceremonies aligned with living systems
  4. Knowledge Preservation: Creating durable records of both traditional and scientific knowledge
  5. Interspecies Relationship Building: Establishing new coevolutionary partnerships with other life forms

VI. Organizational Capacity: Building the Movement

Initial Structure Development

  1. Seed Groups: Small founding collectives in diverse bioregions
  2. Training Hubs: Regional centers for ecological restoration skills and political education
  3. Digital Infrastructure: Secure communication networks for global coordination
  4. Resource Pooling: Systems for sharing tools, seeds, and knowledge
  5. Legal Protection: Frameworks to defend restoration work against state and corporate opposition

Educational Program

The movement requires systematic knowledge-sharing through:

  1. Restoration Academies: Practical training in ecosystem rehabilitation techniques
  2. Political Education: Study of confederalist principles and facilitation methods
  3. Traditional Ecological Knowledge Exchange: Learning from indigenous practitioners
  4. Conflict Resolution Training: Skills for addressing tensions within and between communities
  5. Appropriate Technology Workshops: Developing and sharing low-impact tools and techniques

Scaling Strategy

Effective expansion requires:

  1. Bioregional Mapping: Identification of ecological boundaries for organizational structure
  2. Demonstration Projects: Visible examples of successful restoration and governance
  3. Cascading Training: Each participant commits to training others
  4. Crisis Response Teams: Mobile groups supporting communities after climate disasters
  5. International Solidarity Networks: Connecting with similar movements globally

VII. Adaptive Response to Collapse

Resilience Planning

As systems break down, communities need:

  1. Localized Food Systems: Decentralized production resistant to supply chain disruption
  2. Emergency Decision Protocols: Clear processes for crisis management
  3. Refugee Integration: Systems for welcoming and incorporating displaced people
  4. Knowledge Preservation: Safeguarding critical ecological and technical information
  5. Psychological Support: Trauma-informed practices for communities experiencing collapse

Strategic Opportunities in Crisis

Systemic breakdown creates openings for:

  1. Commons Reclamation: Returning privatized resources to community stewardship
  2. Mutual Aid Networks: Building alternative systems outside failing state structures
  3. Ecological Restoration Campaigns: Mobilizing people seeking purpose during crisis
  4. New Economic Models: Implementing post-capitalist exchanges during market failures
  5. Cultural Regeneration: Creating new ceremonies and practices amidst old-world collapse

Conclusion: The Work of a Thousand Years

This vision represents not a blueprint but a living framework—one that must evolve through implementation and response to changing conditions. The work of planetary restoration and confederated governance represents perhaps the greatest challenge ever undertaken by humanity.

Yet within this immense task lies unprecedented opportunity: to develop forms of human flourishing beyond anything possible under systems of domination and extraction. The path forward requires both radical hope and clear-eyed pragmatism, combining the wisdom of ancestors with technologies of the future.

Each bioregion, each community, each person will find their unique place within this greater movement—contributing distinct gifts while participating in the greater work of healing Earth’s living systems and creating governance worthy of our fullest potential.

The time for this transformation is now, amidst collapse. As the poet Arundhati Roy reminds us: “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”

submitted by /u/CitizenofEarth2021
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Planning the garden and orchard (zones 2 and 3)

Planning the garden and orchard (zones 2 and 3)

I’m planning my homestead, and trying to figure out its layout, especially the orchard and garden by the pond, where the soil (clay loam) and sun exposure are best, but the area is exposed to winds.

The land and buildings have been neglected for many years an I have freedom to do whatever I want, including rearraning new buildings. The plot is theoretically in zone 7, but trending towards 8/9. Here’s the map:

https://preview.redd.it/3ej62fd545ne1.png?width=1704&format=png&auto=webp&s=af7df19857d05a5df07ef3c809f5ec6a4cf19f81

Each square is 10 x 10 meters. The contour line marked ‘0’ indicates ground levels around buildings not the actual elevation. The hill is 20m high at approx 20deg.

My ideas are:

  1. restore peat pond (approx. 1000m2), and use it for rain water collection, irrigation and reflecting light on plants,
  2. raise the ground north of the pond to create terraces with two or three lines of beds with retaining walls out of reclaimed stone, or brick to store heat (alternatively hugels?),
  3. fill the beds with wood, leaves, peat and topsoil from pond and road construction,
  4. create a small orchard to protect the beds from wind with fruit trees (apples) and bushes,
  5. plant windbreaker on the west to protect the orchard,

This should result in:

  1. great microclimate around the pond
  2. improved soiled and no water-logging
  3. easy access to beds without back-bending
  4. fruits and vegetables for my family + maybe some extra
  5. increased biodiversity
  6. nice landscape

I have time, and money to make it happen, I’ve read lots of books but my first-hand experience amounts to exactly zero. I have tried to find example of gardens with similar layout to validate my concept, but couldn’t find any.

I have plenty of questions, but perhaps the key ones are:

  1. does it make sense to raise the ground around pond and how high should I raise it to create wind-free climate for my beds?
  2. should I go for raised beds or hugels? if beds would work are better how to provide access along them?
  3. how do I protect fruit trees from wind before the windbreaker is fully grown?
  4. how do I future-proof for warming climate?
  5. does it make sens to keep fish in a pond that size (there is 5x bigger pond too on the land) to increase nutrients for irrigation? I could instead try to keep it clean and collect duckfeed for composting.

Any help would be appreciated!

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Advice Needed – what are my options for gardening next to huge cottonwoods?

Advice Needed - what are my options for gardening next to huge cottonwoods?

We moved into a new house less than a year ago and I’ve been very eager to set up my own garden in the yard, but our entire yard is taken over by the roots of our neighbour’s cottonwood. The spot where I’d like to plant is where a 40 year old crab apple tree that we cut down last fall was (red circle). The apple tree was 15-20’ tall, flowered heavily and produced way too much worm infested fruit. We didn’t do anything to the roots and simply chopped it down to ground level. So it’s mostly apple tree roots directly below the area I’d like to use for gardening. Is my only option to place solid bottomed raised beds? FWIW I’m zone 3B/4A and the photo is from October 1st last year.

submitted by /u/Frequent_Relation_70
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Tips on Acacia trees on my land?

Tips on Acacia trees on my land?

I recently bought a plot of land (30m x 15m) to plant on that is full of coastal acacia trees that are already at least 5 years old. The whole property is full of them as you can see and I’m wondering what I should do with them.

https://preview.redd.it/sy6btfgdu4ne1.png?width=280&format=png&auto=webp&s=5178dad6b76d28423c47922893dd1a021d5cb1fb

I’m planning on planting a food forest in here and was wondering if it’s best to just get rid of all of them for firewood and mulch or to slowly thin them down as I plant stuff in.

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Beyond Hope and Despair – Institute for the Built Environment

Beyond Hope and Despair - Institute for the Built Environment

If you sense that our current sustainability efforts aren’t going far enough and you’re looking to deepen your practice, read on…

IBE’s Beyond Studio offers in-depth developmental education for professionals who are looking to what’s beyond – beyond best practices, beyond the status quo, and beyond problem solving.

Each Studio is designed to cultivate the understanding, motivation, and discernment required to respond to global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and social justice. These are not problems that have tidy solutions or that can be addressed in isolation. We need to grow our individual and collective capacities to work holistically, to source our actions from living systems understanding, and to engage in local efforts that are sourced from a specific place.

IBE’s Beyond Studio offers an alternative to frenetic industry conferences or short courses that deliver a few ideas or best practices. Beyond Studio provides structured space for deep reflection, dialogue, mindset shifts, and authentic connections with other humans and places. Participants can expect to stretch their minds, develop new capabilities, and connect with others who are looking to delve deeper.

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Bare soil in spring?

Bare soil in spring?

Beginner here. I’ve read to push mulch aside to help warm the soil for spring, is that a good idea? I thought soil should never be bare or the microorganisms will fry. Also, I have big fluffy maple leaves over my rhubarb, rosemary, thyme that haven’t broken down, as well as lots of seaweed and random leaf mulch. I’m worried that my perennials and self-seeding things like parsley and cilantro can’t break through or get sun? Am I taking it too literally to never have bare soil? Mulch is confusing!

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