Post-Peak Movements and Long-Term Sustainability.

When one seriously meditates on the process of industrial collapse, they can see that after a post-collapse age of scrap runs its course and all plastics, above-ground metals and such have deteriorated beyond usefulness, the only sort of lifestyle that's sustainable in the long term is one that does not depend on ANY industrially-derived materials. That basically leaves us with materials like stone, bone, wood, hide, leaves, stems, fur, sinew, crude glass, relatively minute quantities of bog iron, bark, etc. This is something that should always be kept in mind by people in movements like Transition Towns or any other post-peak groups. All of these post-peak movements should take this information seriously and respond accordingly. Time to build our skills.

Contact Jason at 313-258-1401 or newcultureearthskills (at) gmail (dot) com for more info or to make plans.

Gift Economy & Bartering.

What is the gift economy? Wikipedia says:

In the social sciences, a gift economy (or gift culture) is a society where valuable goods and services are regularly given without any explicit agreement for immediate or future rewards (i.e. no formal quid pro quo exists). Ideally, simultaneous or recurring giving serves to circulate and redistribute valuables within the community. The organization of a gift economy stands in contrast to a barter economy or a market economy. Informal custom governs exchanges, rather than an explicit exchange of goods or services for money or some other commodity.

What is barter? Wikipedia says:

Bartering is a medium in which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods and/or services without a common unit of exchange (without the use of money). It can be bilateral or multilateral, and usually exists parallel to monetary systems in most developed countries, though to a very limited extent. Barter usually replaces money as the method of exchange in times of monetary crisis, when the currency is unstable and devalued by hyperinflation. Bartering is still common in the present, usually used within the Internet on sites like Craigslist.

I really like the idea of offering my services in both ways, especially in times like these.

Contact Jason at 313-258-1401 or newcultureearthskills (at) gmail (dot) com for more info or to make plans.

Sour Dock Cordage.

Sour dock. Curly dock. Same plant. Good for eating. Seeds, leaves.

I have done some experiments with dried stem fibers and found that it makes pretty good cordage!

I can walk you through it if you like.

Contact Jason at 313-258-1401 or newcultureearthskills (at) gmail (dot) com for more info or to make plans.

Apocalypse.

It means "unveiling."

The collapse of industrial civilization will bring out the worst in some and the best in others.

Remember that this collapse is to be encouraged for the sake of the living natural world, which happens to include us humans.

Are you serious about building new culture?

Think again about the importance of being able to thrive without the assistance of industrial civilization as it becomes progressively dysfunctional and eventually ceases to be.

Be encouraged and go get 'em.

Contact Jason at 313-258-1401 or newcultureearthskills (at) gmail (dot) com for more info or to make plans.

Keeping a Wild Plant Area in Your Yard.

We have a wild plant area in the space where the garden used to be. It started a couple of years ago when my interest in wild edible, medicinal & useful plants outgrew my interest in domestic horticulture. It's still fenced off, but I just let it go. I was more excited to see what undomesticated species would naturally spring up than I was to re-plant and maintain a garden. A few things have stuck around from garden days. Raspberries, a couple of peas, oregano, dill.

So, what wild plants have shown up?

Burdock, wild lettuce(s), wild carrot, daisy fleabane, chicory, curly dock, dandelions, spearmint, peppermint, ground ivy, peppergrass, violets, yellow sweet clover, red clover, wintercress, prunella, lady's thumb, plantain, bladder campion, goldenrod, bull thistle, some other stuff I don't know about yet...

All these plants are great for food, drink, maintaining good health, improving bad health, fiber/cordage, shelter & more.

What else does my wild patch do?

It provides habitat for birds, bees and other critters (such wonderful company). It lets me see how different plants develop and interact thoughout their life cycles. It makes it easy for me learn new wild plants and become more familiar with old ones right here at home. It gives me lots of good stuff with no investment on my part!

Try it. Pull up some of that grass and let the land go nuts, or let a portion of your garden go wild. Fence it off if you like. A makeshift fence like mine will do. Introduce plants from other wild areas by transplanting them directly, collecting seeds & cuttings or by adding a mess of soil from some other wild area which is bound to have some interesting seed in it. Get a wild plant guide, find some pages online to help you identify your plants or hire me.

You'll begin to look at landscapes in a whole different way as you become more familiar with the plants in your patch. Fun times.

Contact Jason at 313-258-1401 or newcultureearthskills (at) gmail (dot) com for more info or to make plans.

Prunella Tea.

I cut it and hung it upside down to dry in the sun for two days. I cut the dried plants directly over my press pot, poured in boiling water, steeped for a few minutes, added honey and enjoyed!

Prunella is good for lots of things.

Contact Jason at 313-258-1401 or newcultureearthskills (at) gmail (dot) com for more info or to make plans.