Hello World

Discussion in 'Introduce Yourself Here' started by DesertDog, Aug 2, 2016.

  1. DesertDog

    DesertDog New Member

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    desertdog here. nice to meet you all. i live in zurich, switzerland, grew up in south central los angeles and altadena, california. my dad lives in kona on the big island of hawai'i, so i do know a bit about the Island too. i am a reformed IT-specialist and project manager turned elementary teacher and right now teaching juvenile delinquents in a correctional institution near zurich. i have two gardens, one of which i use more for composting experiments. i have been all over west africa and have a small plot of land in the casamance, senegal, as well as, friends with properties in mallorca, sardinia, zimbabwe. these friends want to enlist my service for their projects large and small and i'm chomping at the bit - trying to achieve escape velocity as it were. i know a fair amount about pd but haven't pursued certification (yet).
    i'm mostly interested in mediterranean and subsaharan strategies. sepp holzer in neighboring austria is fine, but after being here for some 35 years, i can't imagine staying all that much longer.
    in addition to the cultivar side of permaculture, i see a real need to promote (bio-)diversity in the make-up of the communities we are often alluding to. if we were half as far with our culture conflict techniques as we are with ecological design, things would be well on their way to hunky dory. since i have taught quite some courses addressing this, i am eager to find a way to combine them. all tips appreciated. wrote too much - thanks for reading.
     
  2. 9anda1f

    9anda1f Administrator Staff Member

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    Greetings DD and welcome,
    Great intro, totally agree with promoting diversity/bio-diversity including within the soil itself. So many soils (often merely dead "dirt" after big ag gets hold of it) have minimal micro-life remaining, which is key to plant health. Elaine Ingham's "Soil Food Web" course was a real eye opener for me and is proving invaluable in rehabilitating our semi-arid block. Providing the environment for the below-ground micro-organisms is a crucial task here and includes techniques that also slow the evaporation of moisture from the soil.
    Are you planning to head to your place in Senegal soon?
     

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