Q&A With New York Permaculture Exchange

Not only does a tree produce in Brooklyn , but you could happen a whole food forest there , as well . AtThe Old Stone House — a 1699 Dutch farmhouse and the sound off - off site to the Revolutionary War — Claudia Joseph , with the help of pupil , apprentices and unpaid worker , is at work growing an eatable landscape painting using permaculture principles . As a permaculture instructor , adviser and community of interests nurseryman , she ’s passionate about bring food to the people , and in 1998 , she founded theNew York Permaculture Exchange , which facilitates the detached exchange of melodic theme , materials and labor related to permaculture . Urban Farmcaught up with this busy woman to pick up more about her persona in the growing permaculture crusade in New York City .

Permaculture, the term derived from the concept “permanent agriculture,” is described differently by different people. What is your working definition?

Claudia Joseph : Permaculture coalesce the knowledge of many specialized field to develop new problem - solving techniques in the excogitation of whole systems . This work involves make beneficial relationships , connective and redundancies while rely heavily on one ’s powers of observation , intuition and imagination . Bill Mollison , an Australian battleground biologist regarded as the “ Father of Permaculture , ” believe permaculture is base on care of the earth , guardianship of people and sharing the nimiety . Care of the earth intend care of all hold up and non - surviving thing : soil , specie , aura , forest , micro - habits , animals and water .

In the past few years, permaculture design has become quite trendy, but you began training in and practicing it in the 1990s when it was much less on the map, especially New York City. How did you get your start?

CJ : In the 1990s , I was living in the Bay area ; permaculture was already big in California . I dispatch permaculture breeding at The Permaculture Institute USA , plant by Bill Mollison and Occidental Arts and Ecology Center . After becoming endorse in Permaculture Design , I taught at Merritt College ( Oakland , CA ) , Berkeley Ecology Center and Oakland Botanical Demonstration Gardens . I established the East Bay Permaculture Exchange in 1998 , my own permaculture design business . Many the great unwashed in the Bay area became interested in set up permaculture gardens in the aftermath of Y2 K , preparing for the possibility that the event might make food shortages .

You relocated to Park Slope, Brooklyn, in 2004. How did you connect with and become part of the permaculture movement in your new community?

CJ : In part , I was in the right-hand position at the correct time . I volunteer at The Garden of Union , a communally operate garden founded in the mid-1970s , The garden works in partnership with the Park Slope Food Coop , one of the largest food coops in the U.S. I eventually assist progress and pull off a 14 - long ton compost organisation .

I used to take the air around the neighborhood with my vernal daughter , and we live near the Old Stone House , a Revolutionary full stop historic internet site surrounded by a park and playground . I hear they ’d hired a new music director , and there was money that had been raised to do restoration on the gardens . I went and address to the director , and she shared my vision of create garden shaped bypermaculture principlesthat advert to the Dutch Colonial geological period during which site was created . I was hire as the Director of Environmental Education .

How has the Park Slope community worked with you to transform the gardens at the Old Stone House and the middle school adjacent to the park?

CJ : Eight garden area at The Old Stone House and two areas at the adjacent Middle School 51 have been shape by permaculture principles and cooperatively installed with grownup student , middle - school pupil and volunteers . stem of self - trust and environmental stewardship are mull in plantings for food , practice of medicine , guile stuff , wildlife support and H2O catchment .

What are some of the challenges you encounter as director of the OSH gardens?

CJ : There are so many on-going challenges in an urban garden setting , from multitude picking heyday and then just throwing them on the ground , to dogs that are let to run in the garden and trample beds , to tike who are not supervised , to a recent increase in the crumb population in the surface area . I endeavor to relate with the people who come to the green in promise of teach them . I take up a caregiver and tyke gardening programme , designed to get caregivers and kid involved in the garden to learn about , help plant , and maintain the food and medicative plants .

What do you find rewarding in your work, and what do you hope for in the future?

CJ : It is so enjoyable to observe and speak with the visitors to the garden . I meet citizenry from many different culture and see how they connect with plants they recognize from their childhoods that were used by their home members either for food or medication . I share as many plant and cum as possible with people that inspect .

The New York Permaculture Exchange host two outreach result a year to facilitate further connection between those who portion out interests in permaculture , urban gardening and related acquirement — a Seed Celebration and Share in February and a Skill Share in October , which includes tours of the Old Stone House garden .

A main end for the future tense is get more volunteers to work on - site . I am getting older , and I feel that if I was n’t there supervising and coordinating everything , it might not continue to mature .

article-post