Hello hello!
Winter is here again which means the physical work on the cabin is dormant, along with the land. That doesn’t mean the inspiration and research stops though. I’d like to share some of my recent inspirations with you quickly.
If you have any favorite permaculture books, videos or podcasts, please share them in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.
1% For The Planet
Inspired by my partner, I joined 1% For The Planet as an individual member this year. You may have heard of companies like Patagonia, Sunski, Jones Snowboards, and Kleen Kanteen pledging to donate one percent of their profits to environmental issues. You might see a little 1% sticker on their products sometimes. That’s all done through this organization.
An individual member takes the same pledge. I can donate any combination of money and volunteer time. So I’ll donate 1% of my income to organizations I believe in and my time as a volunteer this spring and summer.
I’ve chosen to financially support POW and the Lakota People’s Law Project with monthly donations. That aligns my values with my money and I feel good about that.
This summer I plan to volunteer doing trailbuilding, which is a skill I’ve wanted to learn so I can build quality trails throughout my land. I found Colorado Mountain Club and the Continential Divide Trail Coalition which both work in my area of Colorado.
You can search for non-profits in the 1%FTP official directory and volunteer, even without becoming a member. Consider joining if you want to make a small impact in this crazy world though.
Spirit of the Peaks
Speaking of POW and the Lakota People’s Law Project, this movie has finally been released online! I’ve tried to catch a screening in person for the past year and now you can finally watch it on an internet near you.
This film features Connor Ryan, a Lakota professional skier from Boulder. He tells his story of naviating his culture, finding his roots and approaching the mountains in a good way. He wrote and co-directed the film and it is beautiful.
Check it out if you’ve ever wondered how to be a good steward to the indigenous lands we are all guests on, have wanted to approach outdoor activities the right way or just love ski films with epic shots of deep backcountry powder.
Reading the Forested Landscape
By Tom Wessels / Goodreads / Bookshop.org
Imagine reading land like a page in a book. This well-illustrated story shares a bunch of meticulously researched patterns to look for while walking in the woods. It teaches you the skills to weave those patterns into a historical narritive.
You don’t have to live in New England to make use of this wisdom. Patterns like the presense of stumps, stone walls and divits can help logically build an understanding of the history of the land.
My land has stone walls around it’s permiter and other hints that are constantly forming my understanding if its history. The tools in this book are instrumental in building that story.
If you can’t find a copy, I recently found a Youtube series of him walking around the woods of New Hampshire and sharing his knowledge. It’s truly remarkable to see him walk across a bump in the ground and conclude that this land used to be intensive crops, was hit by a major storm in the 1930s and turned into pasture before being abandoned in the 1980s. 🤯
Zip Lines & Tree Forts
OK, at the very bottom of my list of priorities, we’ve got tree forts and zip lines. I was inspired by watching this video from a series I enjoy that shows off alternative homes and lifestyles.
Besides an amazing treehouse with a bike elevator and a netted sleeping loft, this guy built a two-way zip line system off his patio, down the hill and then back to his patio. The video should link to it but it starts at 32:50 if you don’t want to watch the whole thing.
It got me searching how to build a zip line and plotting how I could add it off my own future patio, down the big hill. It could even connect multiple tree forts across the middle layer of woods.
I mocked up this childhood-dream-come-true! The zip line could go from the cabin into a garden observatory platform. Then it connects to a hidden tree fort deeper in the woods. You can also get to the tree fort by dropping off the zip line between the orchard and the cabin. It’s highlighted in orange there. Pure dreams.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed at least one of these resources. If you’ve got anything to share, please let me know in the comments!
Until the Spring,
Lucas