Since millennia before the early states of Mesopotamia, farming has been a complexity-destroying process. In this episode, we’ll hear from Felipe Pasini about an agricultural approach called Syntropic Farming that reverses this process, facilitating greater ecological complexity while providing for human needs.
#16 Li An Phoa; Singing Hearts and Drinkable Rivers
In this second episode in the Water, Life, Climate, and Civilization Series, I’m grateful to be able to share this inspiring conversation with Li An Phoa, creator of the Drinkable Rivers movement. Li An is a scientist, activist, and river walker, working to mobilize watersheds to engage in citizen science and work together towards the return of drinkability to their river. Li An explains that such properties of a river can emerge when all the relationships along it’s banks and in the watershed that feeds it are healthy. She also reminds us of the important role our own singing hearts play in the web of relationships, connecting us to each other and the living world around us. Continue reading “#16 Li An Phoa; Singing Hearts and Drinkable Rivers”
#15 Professor Millan; The Second Leg of Climate Change
“Water begets water, soil is the womb, and vegetation is the midwife.” -Professor Millan Millan
In this episode we learn about what Professor Millan Millan calls “the second leg of human-induced climate change”: how our land use changes lead to major disruptions of weather and climate patterns, independently of changes due to warming from carbon emissions. Continue reading “#15 Professor Millan; The Second Leg of Climate Change”
#14 Prelude to the Water, Life, Climate, and Civilization Series
In this prelude to the upcoming series dealing with the interrelated processes of Water, Life, Climate, and Civilization, we take a look at the historical and mythological roots of civilization’s discord, and set the tone for the series with a new song and some poignant clips from the next three episodes that remind us of the dynamic complexity we are interconnected with.
From renowned meteorologist, Professor Millan Millan, we’ll learn how our land use has been disrupting weather and climate since long before it was accelerated by the industrial revolution, and how land use change can bring about meteorological healing. From scientist and inspiring activist Li An Phoa we’ll hear about her Drinkable Rivers project, and her mission to awaken folks to the awareness that Drinkable Rivers are a result of all the relationships and processes in a watershed being intact and healthy, including our own singing hearts. Finally, we’ll hear from farmer and journalist Felipe Pasini about an agricultural approach called Syntropic Farming, which increases rather than reduces complexity on a landscape.
Here’s a link to my new song in this episode, called Waves.
And here are it’s chords and lyrics.
Homegrown Resilience Webinar
Here’s the Youtube link for the Homegrown Resilience Webinar:
In this panel webinar, we discuss what makes local food systems more resilient than large scale industrial food systems, and get into some practical advice on growing food at home. We learn some basics of urban gardening, establishing a nursery for veggies and perennials, setting up a few types of drip irrigation, and some easy ways to begin growing mushrooms at home.
Links and resources shared in the webinar:
#13 Natural Building at Quail Springs, There’s Music in the Walls
In this episode, we visit Quail Springs in the Cuyama Valley of Southern California, a place and community dear to my heart. We’ll hear useful knowledge about building with natural materials, and learn of exciting recent developments in the international legalization of cob construction.
This episode also contains alot of folk music, including quite a few songs from the soulful Cuyama Mama Jan Smith. There was even a surprise acoustic performance by the talented bluegrass band,
Hot Buttered Rum (HBR). Feel free to have hoe-down dance party, and if you’d like to hear even more, Nat from HBR welcomed me to share the whole recording of their set with you. Here it is, including all their jams with Jan Smith and Andrew Clinard.
And here’s a few more of Jan’s songs that were in the episode: Bring It On, The Well, Beauty
You can support the important ongoing cob testing work at Quail Springs here.
You can find out more about the Cob Research Institute and their work getting cob into building codes here.
You can hear more from the musicians in this episode at the following links:
Hot Buttered Rum: hotbutteredrum.net
They are currently doing an indigogo campaign for a musical project they just recorded in Rwanda and Zambia. You can support here.
Jan Smith: facebook.com/jansmithmusic/
Andrew Clinard: therealjohngary.com/
Alice Bradley: Alice’s Soundcloud
And again, thank you to Peia for allowing me to use her song The Old Ways Restored for the introduction, and for her important work in the world. You can find her music and tour dates at peiasong.com/
Welcome to Muse Ecology, where we hear some of the voices and grooves of people and place as we make our way back to harmony. In a time of rising dissonance it is important that we share the stories of the reharmonization process that is also happening, so that we can live more into that narrative together. We hear from scientists, musicians, ecologists, thinkers and doers, often all in the same person. Through their voices, and sometimes their music, we explore some of the key complexities of this time on Earth as we all ask together how we might reintegrate with the song of life.
It’s been a while since our last episode release, but we will soon begin releasing the fire series, exploring our evolving relationship with that keystone element.
Any financial support is much appreciated. You can find the donate button on the sidebar to the right or click here to give a one time or recurring donation. You can subscribe to the email notification list that’s also over there on the right of the screen or subscribe through your podcast service to hear about new episodes when they are released.
And most importantly, thanks for listening, and sharing if you are inspired to.
Cheers!
-Timothy Sexauer, creator of the Muse Ecology Podcast
#12 Grandma Aggie, Voice for the Voiceless
In this episode, we hear the voice of Grandmother Agnes Baker Pilgrim. As we mourn her passing, her light lives on in so many of us water babies.
These recordings of Grandma Aggie are from this past year: a panel at the Global Earth Repair Conference in Washington state, a prescribed fire training exchange in Ashland, Oregon, and finally at her 95th birthday gathering a couple months before she passed. I hope these words bless you like they’ve blessed me, and help remind us to be a voice for the voiceless.
If you can support her family financially, it would be much appreciated, especially for her daughter Nadine, a great grandmother herself, who has taken care of Grandma Aggie for years. You can donate directly to help Nadine at the following paypal link:
If you would like to make a tax deductable donation, you can do it through the Grandmother’s Empowerment Project paypal link below, and specify “Support for Nadine” in the comment:
https://www.paypal.me/grandmothers
And again, thank you to Peia for allowing me to use her song The Old Ways Restored for the introduction, and for her important work in the world.
#11 David Bronner and the All-One Legacy
In spring 2018 I visited the headquarters of the Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap Company in Vista, California, where the Bronner family carries on the legacy of 5 generations of traditional soapmaking and the quirky and passionate All-One vision of Emmanuel Bronner (Dr. Bronner). You are probably familiar with their colorful liquid soap bottles covered with words exuberantly enumerating what Dr. Bronner called the Moral ABC’s.
The Bronner Family still uses their castillian soap product as a platform for world healing. I met with David Bronner, Emmanuel’s grandson, intending to discuss the new Continue reading “#11 David Bronner and the All-One Legacy”
#10 Worth a Dam and the Tale of the Martinez Beaver
While later this year there will be an in depth Muse Ecology series on the beaver, in this episode we hear one one the more inspiring beaver stories I’ve come across: the tale of the Martinez Beaver. When the beaver moved in to downtown Martinez, CA, the city originally intended to exterminate them, but thanks to community involvement, the Martinez Beaver became protected and celebrated as a cultural icon. In this episode, we hear this story from beaver advocate and founder and president of Worth a Dam, Heidi Perryman.
Important Announcement: If you are anywhere near Martinez tomorrow (Saturday, June 29th), it’s the 12th annual Martinez Beaver Festival! Warning: beaver enthusiasm is highly contagious!
Continue reading “#10 Worth a Dam and the Tale of the Martinez Beaver”