Inner City Farmer

Get used to hearing the names Nocera and Kanan. They could become the next Watson and Crick. In the July 31 edition of Science magazine it was revealed that Daniel Nocera, the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy at MIT, and Matthew Kanan, a postdoctoral fellow in Nocera’s lab, have created a process that makes it possible to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases, using only the sun’s energy. In the second step of this process the oxygen and hydrogen are recombined inside a fuel cell, creating carbon-free electricity capable of powering houses and cars.

Exactly how this gets done is a little beyond me. I’m just a farmer after all. But for those interested in reading more about this amazing discovery you should check out this article from MIT’s website.

Unfortunately, this technology is still a few years away from actually getting implemented, which, I guess, explains why it’s not on the front page of every newspaper in the country. Meanwhile, the demand to open up our country’s coasts to offshore drilling continues by those too short-sighted to realize the folly of such a plan, further proof that we are the dumbest animal on the planet. The answer to the world’s energy problem was right there in the sky this whole time, but none of us had the brains or vision to simply look up.

It has come to my attention through the Austin Permaculture Guild’s listserv that Masanobu Fukuoka, the pioneer of natural farming in Japan, died at his home in Iyo, Ehime Prefecture on Saturday. He was 95.

“I, as one of millions, will cherish and spread his memory as far and wide and well as I can for as long as I can,” Dick Pierce wrote in a recent email. “I know that people we teach will teach others, and others… so that the flame will grow, not wither. Truth is eternal. He humbly spoke the truth to all that would listen. In his passing, let us pray and work toward the day when all will listen.”

I take solace in these words because I know that, despite the fact that I will never learn directly from the man, I still have a chance to learn from those who learned from him. Fukuoka only entered my consciousness for the first time a month or two ago, but I now have a feeling that he’ll ever leave it.

Last evening, I attended an Intro to Permaculture and Sustainability talk at Habitat Suites, an extremely green hotel just up the road from my house. The discussion was led by Dick Pierce, the head of the Austin Permaculture Guild, and it was exactly what I needed to hear right now.

While I have been working in relative isolation, there is a vibrant community of permaculture enthusiasts in Central Texas, and they are more than happy to share all the knowledge they’ve collected over the years. I can’t tell you how enjoyable it was to sit in a room full of people who shared the same enthusiasm about creating a sustainable society from the ground up. In fact, the discussion was so inspiring I am planning on attending the Guild’s 10-day permaculture design course that starts in late September.

If I am unable to attend the workshop at Esalen, any money that gets donated to this project (and I’ve already received a donation; muchas gracias!) will go towards paying my entry fee into this design course. If I only attend this course and not the one at Esalen, I will hardly be upset. In fact, it makes sense that I learn how to farm my urban plot from people who live right here in Austin, people who understand the seasons and the soil.

In a recent job interview—that’s right; you heard me correctly, unfortunately—the woman grilling me from behind her desk asked me what I would do if I could do anything. I didn’t hesitate before telling her that I would run my farm full-time, turning it into a more productive operation and, perhaps, a demonstration site. Needless to say, I didn’t get the job. (Was I really supposed to say that I wanted to program computers all day long?)

This is the great conundrum of the Inner City Farm. In my effort to extricate myself from the clutches of the greater market economy, I often become completely dependent on that economy. For example, photovoltaics. I would like nothing more than to slap some solar panels on the roof of my house so that I could generate my own energy and not have to rely on Austin Energy, but solar panels are freakin’ expensive!

Here’s another example. I would love to attend the workshop on urban permaculture being held at the renowned Esalen Institute in three weeks (and featured in the flyer above). It’s right up my alley. I’m sure I would learn a ton about urban sustainability and could share that information with those who follow this blog, but like solar panels the workshop requires a hefty investment. Esalen ain’t cheap.

To keep the dream alive, I added a DONATE button to this site today. It’s over there by the cheesy ads (which, if you click on them a hundred times a day, would help me keep my chickens in feed). I figure if everyone who reads this blog donated between $10 and $20 I could attend the workshop. The fee for the workshop ranges between $535 and $1,120, depending upon your accommodations. I would be happy to sleep on the floor just like the hippies who made the place famous in the ‘60s did. If I’m able to raise the money in the next ten days or so, I promise to write about the workshop every day I’m there. If not, no biggie. There will be other conferences (In fact there’s one in Austin this fall).

I just heard about and signed up for an Earthen Plaster workshop hosted by the good folks at Design Build Live. It’s such great timing for me because I am eager to start plastering the inside of the new room I made using cob, but my plastering skills are a little rough. I’m looking forward to learning more about the art from Tempe Sikora, who specializes in natural plaster as well as custom European faux finishing. There is still room in the workshop, which is being held Saturday August 23 from 9-5 in a house in East Austin. For more information, contact Gayle Borst at gayle@designbuildlive.org.