Join The Permaculture Vine free Skool community for connection and learning: https://www.skool.com/vine-permaculture-7207/about
In this episode of the Permaculture Vine podcast, host Cormac Harkin chats with Looby Macnamara, renowned permaculture teacher, author, and co-founder of Applewood Permaculture Centre. Looby shares her inspiring journey from discovering permaculture as a student to becoming one of the UK’s most influential teachers, authors, and cultural change facilitators.
We explore her pioneering work on People and Permaculture, the development of the Design Web, and her latest book Design Adventures. Looby also introduces Cultural Emergence, a framework for creating thriving, regenerative cultures that go far beyond gardening and land-based design. This conversation is packed with wisdom for anyone seeking to apply permaculture to their lives, communities, and the wider world.
Key Takeaways
- How Looby discovered permaculture and her path to becoming a teacher.
- The importance of teaching styles, collaboration, and community in permaculture learning.
- Looby’s journey in writing People and Permaculture, Seven Ways to Think Differently, and Design Adventures.
- The origins and purpose of Cultural Emergence.
- Practical advice for finding and caring for land with permaculture principles.
- Why permaculture is more than gardening—it’s a way of redesigning our culture.
Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
01:05 – Looby’s first encounter with permaculture
02:39 – Discovering community, creativity, and fun in permaculture
06:00 – Becoming a permaculture teacher
10:00 – Teacher training and empowering new educators
12:39 – Developing Applewood Permaculture Centre
20:00 – Advice for finding land with permaculture principles
24:28 – Looby’s book writing journey
26:00 – People and Permaculture & the Design Web
27:22 – Seven Ways to Think Differently
28:26 – From Social Permaculture to Cultural Emergence
30:00 – Design Adventures and designing as an ongoing practice
33:28 – Designing for people and culture
35:00 – Making permaculture mainstream and accessible
39:02 – Why permaculture is more than gardening
40:00 – Cultural Emergence and shifting culture
44:04 – Strengthening networks and collective wisdom
46:02 – Final reflections and invitation to start your own design adventure