I have talked about permies before when I mentioned the permaculture playing cards. Today, I would like to talk briefly about the site. It was created by Paul Wheaton as a way to explore new ideas that go beyond organic. Permaculture is the primary focus, but it spreads into many aspects of our world. By far, the largest activity happens on the forum.
Perhaps the best feature is the one rarely brought up. Civility is a major requirement there. Flame wars are not allowed and in fact even criticisms of another person’s idea are frowned upon unless they are set up in a constructive way that says nothing about the character of the person, but only points out a potential flaw in the philosophy. It might not sound like much, but it is so painfully rare in so many places that it makes the site feel like an oasis at times.
Beyond that, they discuss all sorts of things and regularly post very useful information. On a weekly basis for a large chunk of the year they have guest posters. During those times, you can post to a specific forum and receive answers from experts and authors. At the end of the week, authors have four copies of their latest book given away to those who chose to participate. Heck, even without always winning, there have been a few books I never knew about that I was exposed to through the site and are now part of my wishlist. Honestly, the books are icing though, because being able to ask questions of people who’ve spent so much time researching a focused topic is extremely valuable.
If you didn’t already check them out when I did the posting about the playing cards, go check them out now. The site has interesting articles, useful videos and of course the active forums I mentioned above. Within the forum, you can also gain access to a huge number of podcasts done by Paul. Some are spontaneous, others are interviews. There’s a lot there for anyone interested in the outdoors, nature and permaculture.
