We're going to use the magic of radio to fly around to garden roof tops in Brooklyn USA, a permaculture fruit farm in Quebec, Canada, and small acres restored in Nottingham UK. Buckle up.
All interviews by Alex Smith for Radio Ecoshock
Film clip from of permaculture orchardist Stefan Sobkowiak by Olivier Asselin of possible.org (with permission)
Occasional music by Alex Smith
On the rooftops of Brooklyn New York, the Brooklyn Grange raises local food and hopes in America's largest city. Anastasia Cole Plakias is the Vice President and a Founding Partner of Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm.
Olivier Asselin is a film-maker and free- lance photographer, recently back from years in Africa. Now in the Canadian province of Quebec, he set out to make a film about permaculture. That sounds simple enough, but along the way, Olivier discovered it's a big task with many fertile directions.
Courtesy of film-maker Olivier Asselin we'll hear the audio from his first short film on the permaculture orchard founded by Stefan Sobkowiak in southern Quebec, Canada. It's turned the whole idea of monoculture orchards on into a natural fountain of many fruits.
Rob Carlyle built a low-energy house. With partner Jill, they are refashioning an overgrown woodland into gardens suitable not just for humans, but for all the creatures. His blog at sustainablegarden.blogspot was named one of the ten best garden blogs by Ecologist magazine. Radio Ecoshock investigates.