Interview on Permaculture Tonight with Matt Powers

During the Gift Ecology Pilgrimage, this guy Matt Powers wanted to meet me to interview me for his podcast "Permaculture Tonight". We met at the Sebastopol Permaculture Skills Center, and did an impromptu interview, you can hear the Japanese pilgrimage crew chowing in the back.  

I don't always know what I'm talking about, but every once in a while I'll manage to say something meaningful. These interviews help me organize my thoughts a bit. I also get to feel uneasy about some of the things I said (thats now public!). 

Episode 7 - Kai Sawyer on Zone Zero & Japanese Urban Permaculture

June 10th, 2015

Talking with Kai Sawyer about zone 0, ourselves, our emotional, spiritual, physical states. Before we even embrace Permaculture we need to be ready - Zone 0 needs to be fertile or at least open for enrichment. Kai Sawyer is leading the urban permaculture movement in Japan. He recently organized over 30 authors and crowfunded an urban permaculture book especially for Japan. 

Kai Sawyer's TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn6FUwzzo_0 

Kai's blog & book: http://livingpermaculture.blogspot.com/

Matt Powers, author of The Permaculture Student, has been teaching in private & public schools in various roles for almost a decade. Matt has a BA in British & American Literature from New York University as well as a MA in Education from National University. He retains his English & History California teaching credentials as well as a permaculture design certification from Geoff Lawton’s online permaculture design course. Matt has worked one on one with some of permaculture’s greatest educators in the process of creating The Permaculture Student and now in his podcast Permaculture Tonight - such as Geoff Lawton, Rosemary Morrow, & Elaine Ingham.

Vision Statement for Permaculture Life School (Sebastopol, CA) – 

“For the past four years I’ve been working at an award-winning charter high school and speaking at conferences teaching teachers about what the future of school will look like and how they can prepare their students for that future. I focused on student choice, problem solving, critical thinking and pattern literacy, but it always fell short of my expectations. When I wrote The Permaculture Student, I realized that permaculture was the backbone of what education should be globally and later I realized: not just curriculum is needed but a new kind of K-12 school.” – Matt

Visit the Indiegogo Campaign for the Permaculture Life School

Japanese Urban Permaculture Guidebook is published!!!!

本が遂にできました〜！！！

東京アーバンパーマカルチャーのブログに

今から詳細を書く予定。

FINALLY

Tokyo Urban Permaculture's first book is out!!!

!WoW!

This experiment in permaculture designing an urban permaculture book was an amazing success. The design challenge was how to make a Japanese urban permaculture book without actually writing it! And how to design a situation where people would share their gifts freely, and receive joy from it. This book was a way to put my experiences from permaculture, nonviolent communication, and gift economics to practice. I don't fully understand how it all happened but now there is an amazing book, crowd-sourced, crowd-funded, and exceptionally beautiful. A glorified zine!

Over 20 professional editors, writers, and illustrators were involved in this project, many who gifted their work, and about 380 people funded this project. It is a 400 person book project. And, while the book is self-published, my friends at MM books are leveraging their social capital to place our books at sympathetic (empathetic?) stores! Not only that, we are asking the stores to buy the books from us, meaning before its on the shelves, we've already sold them! I don't even know who is involved and doing what anymore. Its a project that keeps giving. And isn't that the world we want to live in? To plant seeds and harvest abundance? Thats the world I want to live in.

I hope this will revolutionize the Japanese permaculture movement, and transform the urban cultural landscape. The party continues....

PS If you want to learn about my ideas on gift economy and giftivism click here

PPS I'm doing an impromptu book release party in the Bay Area at the beginning of February 2015. I'm bringing about 15 copies.

(R)evolution

 Picture from my first book publishing party at a straw-bale temple

that will be one of the many examples for Japanese urban permaculture.

Here are some samples from the book.

*there are a total of 184 pages.....Wow!

Illustration by fellow Bullocks intern Paul Kearsley from Terra Phoenix Design

Below is what I wrote on 11/11/2014 in the midst of the crowd-funding campaign for my/our book. It gives some context about what this was all about. 

Hi all,
this is one of my most exciting projects that I have embarked on. A crowd-sourced, crowd-funded, gift economy style urban permaculture book. The main goal was to create a book through permaculture design about urban permaculture and cultural change. As co-existence revolutionary (my title in Japanese), I'm really trying to find ways to inspire people to live compassionately and creatively so that we can care for all beings. I want to present it attractively, I want it to be oozing with FUN, and I want people to know that its happening!!!

The chapters are EDIBLE, DIY, EDGE, GIFT, STOP. These are the hot topics of my work and what I see in the sphere of global activism. From guerrilla seed planting to burning man to meditation flash mobs. All the fun but deeply meaningful sprouts of hope that I see all over the world. I want to share it far and wide, and I'm starting with Japanese in urban contexts. Its such an untapped resource!

If you want to support me to make this book happen, we are currently trying to raise 2,000,000 yen, roughly $20,000, to self-publish. We reached our first goal of 1,500,000 yen a couple of weeks ago (woohoo!), but realized that the total cost is closer to 2,000,000 yen (thats why it says we are beyond 100% of our goal). Just a week left to go!!!

The crowd-funding site unfortunately has no easy way for non-Japanese contributions so if you want to support me, please send me a donation via paypal. If you would like to contribute to the  and receive a book, please send me $35+ and your address! I'll send it by mid-Febuary.

TOKYO URBAN PERMACULTURE BOOK PROJECT

-over 30 people involved, most are professional gifting their time and skills
-includes all the solutions that I'm spreading, permaculture, mindfulness, Nonviolent Communication, gift economy, and political activism
-conversations with leading activists in each of those fields in Japan
-we will self-publish with the support of crowd-funders to make this a people's project and keep the gifts flowing. 

Book Intro 

(the actual book is in Japanese)

This book is an invitation to change the world that we live in. It was not created to merely be a consumable product, but designed as a tool to inspire compassionate action.  I want you to join me, and the millions of people around the world, who are dedicating their lives to practicing compassion for all beings. Our goal is to co-create a future where all people and all life matters—a world that is ecologically sustainable, socially just, and spiritually fulfilling.  I want each reader to know that you are invited on this exciting adventure, and that your diverse gifts are essential for this movement of love to flourish. And, we’re going to have fun!

The following pages are a collection of “seeds” with an enormous amount of potential to grow. In order to unleash that potential, the seeds need to planted, the sprouts to be watered, and the fruits to be celebrated. It’s all experimental and if things don’t go exactly as expected, let’s harvest the learning! This process of cultivating our consciousness is at the heart of our (r)evolution.  

CROWDFUNDING FOR MY 
URBAN PERMACULTURE BOOK

official site for the crowd funding in Japanese
https://motion-gallery.net/projects/TUPcrowdfunding


*click above to see sample pages

GIFTS for support (aka perks)
500 yen : electronic updates

3000 yen : + The Book

5000 yen : + a special message thanks card

10,000 yen : + select seed pack and invitation to the publishing party (Jan 2015)!

30,000 yen : + your name in the book as honorary supporters

50,000 yen : + personal 1h workshop / consultation via Skype (permaculture, NVC, gift economy)

150,000 yen : + full workshop or presentation (*venue and transportation costs must be provided)
  and 5 recommended book set

300,000 yen : + Tomohiko Murakami's limited edition designer book case

最近のTUPワークショップ Pictures from recent TUP workshops

日本語は下から。

Below are scenes from my recent Tokyo Urban Permaculture workshops that I did in Harajuku, Tokyo. Harajuku is the youth fashion center of Japan and it is quite fascinating to people watch. It is bizarre ultra-consumer culture at its finest. If you google harajuku fashion you might get what I mean.

Both the workshops featured below were in "alternative" stores selling fashion. The first store, Kagure, has a natural and craftsman theme, the second, Beams, is a collectors toy and pop art store that is part of one of the biggest "conscious" fashion corporation. The Beams event was a hosted by a really cool alternative magazine in Japan called Spectator. They really push the edge of Japanese taboo subjects like drugs, justice system, consumer culture, etc.

I don't really explain much about permaculture. Instead, I focus on having fun, playing, sharing, moving, presenting about creative ways to transform environment and culture, and community-building. The bulk of the presentation is about City Repair. I've been pretty liberal about how I use the term "permaculture", and I think more about the permaculture "movement" rather than the strict design methodology; The permanent culture side or what I refer to as social permaculture. 

One of the challenges in Japan is that people who have heard of permaculture either think of herb spirals, a new type of farming, or about a utopian life on a good sized piece of property outside the city, thereby reducing it to a herb spiral cult or the new back-to-the-land movement. So, what about urban population and what about designing invisible structures that govern us? In some ways I'm attempting to redefine permaculture in Japan, while also using it as a way to brand my activism. 

At the end of the workshops, I invite everybody to say at least one word to me before leaving, and support me with a donation if they want to (no suggested donation so I get anywhere from 0 ~ 3000 yen). If its up to me, I end with a potluck which is the highlight. People really cook amazing things, and that is where people really start to organically mingle, and I can focus on eating!  

As you can tell from the pictures, I make an effort to look like a weird cult leader. 

It all started at the Bullocks....

こんなワークショップを東京で繰り広げているよ。

なによりこの怪しい光景が最高。

何教？

下は原宿のカグレでアーバンパーマカルチャーWS(第二回）

因に次はカグレでミミズコンポスト作りを計画中。

みんごーみんごー

まずは他人と遊びながら友達になろう作戦。

これがまた格別！

感謝、シェアしたいもの、悩みなどを共有して、

お互いの話を聞きあう。

これが普段の生活だったらいいよね。

最後にはフリーハグ

モロッコーの衣装で勝手な事を話し続ける共生革命家

実は人前で話すのが苦手だったり。

日本語も怪しい

ドネーションを受け取りながら

参加者一人一人と話し合う貴重な時間。

「あなたも今日から共生革命家」

とは言っていないけど密かに思っている。

必要なのはLove!と行動力

 

WSの最後にはみんなによる持ち寄りパーティー

ものすごく充実してLoveたっぷりだった。

Beautiful! 人間の美しさが輝くイベント。

時間がなくって食べ物だけ置いて帰った人も（涙）

何も知らずに食べに来ただけの人も

ここで色んな繋がりができて

たった二時間の間に他人から友達に変身！

持ちより程すごいコミュニティー作りの行事はないと思う。

作って、シェアすることの素晴らしさ。

どんどん広めて行こう！

「俺はここにいるんだ！」アピール？
目立ち過ぎやな。
手広げんでも十分目立ってるわ。
なんかPhotoshopで付け足された様な感じもするし。

みんな楽しいそうに参加してくれて、

笑いと笑顔がいっぱいだった。

大感謝！

コミュニティって最高。

次はSpectator（雑誌）とBeamsが主催してくれたTUP WS

(Beamsのブログより）

	11 June 2012 『Spectator展』ソーヤー海さんのワークショップ KEY WORD:EVENT / EXHIBITION
	6646 Tokyo Urban Permaculture

先週6/9に行われた『Spectator展』ソーヤー海さんのワークショップの模様です。

ソーヤー海さん！！

「ミンゴ・ミンゴ」

まずは打ち解ける為にみんなで踊りました。

ここからはスライドを使ってのアーバンパーマカルチャー入門スタート！

みなさん真剣な面持ちで聞き入っていました。

そしてお絵描きタイム。
こんな町を作りたい！こんな町に住んでみたい！というイメージをグループになって描いてもらいました。

話を聞く前はパーマカルチャー？と難しいイメージがあったのですが、ソーヤー海さんの説明は非常にわかりやすく、そして何より楽しかったです。

そんなソーヤー海さんによるアーバンパーマカルチャー入門が掲載されている「Spectator」最新号は絶賛好評発売中です！！
（今後のソーヤー海さんの活動はコチラをチェックです！）

バックナンバーもごく少量ですが置いてます！

関連書籍の読書コーナーもありますのでご来店の際はゆっくりしていって下さい。（紅茶も用意してます！）

今週は新しいお店、One Kitchen（四谷）でWSだよ〜

Occupy Wall Street visuals オキュパイ映像と画像

ずっと載せようと思ってたオキュパイ関係の映像と画像。
日本にも飛び火したオキュパイ運動は
現在の民主主義活動の中で一番可能性を感じます。
多様性、分散型、直接民主主義と言う要素は
とっても現代社会の権力者に立ち向かう為に
必要な形だと思います。
メディアでは把握しにくい運動ですが、
内容はとっても確りしている物です。
下の映像だけでも見てください。

My permaculture has gone offline. Lo siento. I've been focusing permaculture energy on workshops but I have a backlog of stuff, mainly pictures from Bullocks and City Repair, and some social permaculture ideas. I'll make sure to do it at some point.

In the mean time, lets take a break from nukes and explore my other fascination, the occupy movement. I mainly wanted to share a youtube and a poster that I enjoyed.

1. Occupy Wall Street Consensus video

I've been showing this at my urban permaculture weekend workshops. Maybe as subtle brainwashing: don't be so obedient and occupy something! The official reason I show the clip though, is because I believe the ability to effectively facilitate groups of people  is essential to get things done well. Especially when we are talking about community.

In my experience, good facilitation produces amazing results. Poor facilitation produces immediate disasters or future time bombs. Most people and organisations I've engaged with do not seem to know the art of facilitation. Why would they? Authority figures making decisions is our dominant cultural paradigm. We are also used to two sided arguments, left/right, liberal/conservative, America/unAmerica, Demoblicans/Republicrats, good/bad etc. These two cultural practices help those in power keep their power, and make it difficult for communities to organise and become autonomous. 

I could go on and on as facilitation has done wonders for me, but I'll just get to the video.
More on facilitation to come.
*the video is in English with Japanese subtitles.

オキュパイ運動で行われているコンセンサスと
ファシリテーションのプロセス。
本当にすごいです。
場所と人さえいれば似た様なワークショップを
行いたいと思っています。
因にコンセンサスの語源は一緒に感じる
という意味をルーツとしています。

OCCUPY WALL-STREET "Consensus" video by Meekrat Collective

2. Occupy poster from Visual Economics. I love visuals. 

http://visualeconomics.creditloan.com/occupy-wall-street/