Curt's Ponderings From The Bioshelter

  Today, Cindee and I are out putting down pilings for the greenhouse we are building.   A greenhouse has always been a part of our permaculture design for this property.   Alaska has such a short growing season that a greenhouse is a must for anyone, who wishes to enjoy crops like tomatoes, peppers or cucumbers.   Besides, we get so much sun on our southwest-facing slope, it would be a real shame to waste it. Since our home has always been an experimental home, we decided our greenhouse needed to be an experimental design, as well.   And since our home is now the Alaskan Ecoescape Permaculture Learning Center , we decided the greenhouse needed be built largely according to permaculture design principles.    The result has been a lot of hard work.   This is especially true, since we will build the walls of locally harvested clay, straw and sand.   We will be offering a class on clay-straw building this weekend (June 1-2) and every...

 For me, this blog is an exercise in practical theology.   Practical theology attempts to address the most burning issues present in the world by connect the eternal wisdom and guidance contained in the Christian faith with the best societal thinking available regarding the issue at hand.   It is my opinion that the biggest issue of our day is the unsustainability of our current way of life.   Our best scientists have shown that if we do not make drastic changes in human life now, the future looks bleak. I believe that the principles of permaculture fit well with the principles and values of the Christian faith.   This blog tries to make that connection, and tries to challenge and inspire others to learn about Christianity and permaculture as inspiration and guides. The Solarium in our Bioshelter Home We have converted our home into a Permaculture Learning Center Still, I have not always found the connections easy.   For instance, a woman in ...

This winter Cindee and I (mostly Cindee) have been planning our main permaculture project for the summer: a greenhouse constructed with clay-straw construction.   On June 1 and 2 we will be offering a hands-on workshop on clay-straw construction, with local clay-straw builder, Lasse Holmes, teaching the class.   Since he will be using our building site to teach his class, the class will also give us guidance, and hands-on instruction when we begin the clay-straw part of the construction. The Construction Site Before the Greenhouse When we talk about projects like this, some people tell us it all sounds terribly romantic...and...I suppose it is.  But the romance gives way to the practical once we immerse ourselves in the research, the networking and the labor it takes to make it all happen.  For instance, using clay-straw to build has meant that we have already had to invest ourselves in finding and harvesting  (that is, digging and hauling) the clay an...

  One of the things that I love about permaculture is that it works.   For instance plants that are cultivated in partnership with other species make the land even more fruitful than single crop production, without using chemical fertilizers or pesticides.   An example of this is the three sisters: squash, corn and   beans allows one plant (beans) to draw nutrients up into the surrounding soil and feeding its neighbor plants, another (squash) to cover the ground and keep away weeds and invasive plants, another (corn) to provide a tall stalk, and yet another (beans again) climbs the stalk.   In this way all have just what they need to flourish because they grow in proper relationship with one another. There is also a practical side to any healthy spirituality.   The Wisdom literature of the Old Testament (Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes), for instance, has a goal of showing that life is good—that is, practical—for people who follow the way of the ...

“In him we live and move and have our being.”   (Acts 2:18) I once had a poster that shared a piece of wisdom that in necessary for a healthy spiritual life.   The poster depicted a kindly face on a poster with this statement at the bottom: I have two pieces of good news: There is a Savior, And it is not you! I have always appreciated this piece of wisdom.   Although God gives meaningful purpose to our lives, we do need to remember that we can only do our part, and that we should not entertain the notion that we need to be in control of how things turn out.   It is a trap to begin believing that we should be in control of things that are beyond our control. This is something Cindee and I are trying to live out at our home and in our lives.   Like all human beings, we need to live better on the planet than we have if we are to be a part of the healing of our damaged planet.   We are trying to grow or collect more of our own food, to l...

  When I walk in the hills around my house every evening, I am moved to an ever deeper awareness of the beauty of the relationships that make our world function.   The glaciers melt and provide the water for the river in the valley. The salmon spawn in the rivers, providing food for bears and Eagles, which leave the uneaten parts in the forests to decay and fertilize the soil.   The plants flourish in amazing abundance, nourished by the soil as well as the fungi and other micro-organisms that are necessary to upload nutrients for the benefit of the plants.   The humans in this region have set aside this land as a state park, where only certain areas are to be used for human habitation and the rest is a nature preserve.   All of it is about relationships, in which what one creature does affects all others, resulting in a complex, and marvelous ecosystem. The amazingly relational nature of God's creation offers a window on the nature of Christ's birt...

  For Christians the Christmas season traditionally runs all the way through the celebration of the arrival of the magi on January 6.   I have been using these days since Christmas to reflect more on Jesus and what his birth has meant for humanity and for all creation.   As this Christmas week has passed I have collected an amazing mixture of impressions.   I have enjoyed family gatherings, I have listened to the ongoing news of political brinksmanship, I have walked in these December evenings and marveled at their beauty, and I have learned of people struggling with things like the after-effects of storms and the grief and fear of the Newtown shootings. Through all of this I have wondered about the import of Jesus, born among us on that first Christmas.   I have been thinking about how to understand the difference it makes in our day-to-day lives that Jesus was born. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a well-known 20 th century theologian, pointed ou...