Sporulate Learning Farm

At the Permaculture Voices Conference , I hosted a session featuring five basic Dialogue & Deliberation tools and a World Cafe dialogue session. Around 50 participants wrote and drew on tablecloths throughout the conversation series.

Our session questions were : How are permaculturalists currently engaging with other permaculturalists? What is the work being done WITHIN the permaculture community? How are permaculturalists currently engaging with the general public or public policy? What is the work being done BEYOND the permaculture community? How can permaculturalists bring this work to the public in a bigger way? What is the work that CAN or SHOULD be done BEYOND the permaculture community?

To follow up, I created a google doc with full written tablecloth text and a word cloud (see photo), photos of the tablecloths, my playshop description and powerpoint slides, and my open feedback for the conference : https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BwISdpI2fOcDMmx2aHIwRTl6U0E&usp=drive_web . A word cloud enlarges frequently used words, so you can visualize basic patterns that emerge from a written text. ( free word cloud site worditout.com )

Blog post with session photos and deeper reflections coming soon :)

Interesting NPR report (with great audio) about mycology and climate change research. One PhD student at Ecology Evolution and Behavior at UT Austin is asking how mycorrhizal fungi populations affect (and are affected by) the Carbon cycle at a global scale.

How a Common Fungus Is Protecting the Earth from a Climate Change Nightmare There is more carbon dioxide stored in the ground than in the air around us. If those all that greenhouse gas escapes, it could be catastrophic for the earth. Now, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin thinks he’s found the key that keeps much of it locked away. It's research that could…

As a young farmer who has other jobs beyond Sporulate Learning Farm, this list really resonates with me!

10 Practical Tips for the New, Aspiring Farmer! This year’s Nevada County Sustainable Food & Farm Conference brought together the tried and true of sustainable agriculture, alongside the newest wave of young agrarians, ready to get their han...

Have you ever wondered what fungi sound like hooked up to electromagnetic sensors? Check out this rad art/science project "mycophone" !