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127: Survival and Beyond…

In today’s podcast, Sam Coffman is interviewed by Ed Corcoran from Survival and Beyond.  Sam and Ed discuss general survival topics such as:

sustainable survival

  • The concept of “civilization” and how we have lost touch with who we are as humans
  • The idea behind The Human Path as a school
  • The importance of the topic of community as part of any realistic survival training
  • Herbal medicine and its place in a post-disaster or remote setting
  • Modern medicine as compared to herbal or natural medicine
  • Wilderness vs. Urban survival and cummunity sustainability
  • Speculation on what might be most likely looming in our future as a species
  • What role does our culture play in forming our perception of reality?

Find out what's going on at The Human Path!Our class calendar

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#122: How Do I Get Started?

In today's podcast, Sam Coffman discusses the entire structure of classes and programs at The Human Path.

urban survival

He addresses many of the questions that people have about how the program is structured at The Human Path, to include:

  • What are the differences between core classes and peripheral or elective classes?
  • What are the 4 paths or specialties that a person can follow within the core curriculum?
  • What specific things do students learn in each of the specialties?
  • What makes The Human Path so different from other survival schools?
  • How does learning these skills make a difference in day-to-day life?
  • What is the difference between Urban and Primitive tracks of instruction?
  • What are the "Four A's" of survival that are a part of the core curriculum?
  • How does a student move up from level 1 to level 2 in a specialty?
  • How are concepts like teamwork, leadership and community taught as part of the classes?

The next Urban Core Basic class is January 25 - 27th, 2013.

Check out the Winter 2013 schedule for the next 2-3 months!

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#121: The Human Path in 2013

In this podcast, Sam Coffman discusses The Human Path growth, classes and real-world action during 2012, as well as the direction for 2013 and beyond.

Human Path training intensives

Sam answers questions such as:

  • What kinds of learning experiences were developed throughout 2012 and what can we look forward to in 2013?
  • How has the breadth of the curriculum has been defined over the past few years at The Human Path? What exactly does that breadth of information include?
  • How have The Human Path instructors evolved with the school?
  • Why is it necessary to implement testing and selection procedures for higher level classes and real-world teams?  What might that testing procedure look like, and at what point in the different levels will we see it?
  • As we focus in the 4 areas of our curriculum delivery - Lecture, Hands-on, Scenario and Real-world missions – how does this all merge to create an ideal learning and even life-changing environment?
  • How did Nicaragua figure into learning experience during 2012, and what's next?
  • What can we expect to see in 2013 in regards to real-world missions and new classes?

Our new calendar for 2013 is up online here.

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Urban Guerrilla Gardening

In today's podcast, Sam Coffman discusses a recent news story in which a woman's medicinal and food garden were destroyed by an HOA and the city.

urban guerrilla garden

He covers topics such as:

  • How can we prepare our own medicinal gardens to avoid falling prey to this kind of ignorance?
  • What are some of the different types of urban camouflage gardening (Guerilla Gardening)?
  • What are the different height levels and how can we create a medicinal garden in the front yard that uses this to help fit the garden in with HOA and municipal idiot-regulations?
  • What are some very good medicinal plants that grow as ground cover and can replace a yard?
  • What are some very good medicinal plants that are high ground cover, low-herbaceous level?
  • What are some good medicinal herbaceous plants and how can we fit that into our yard in a way that doesn't stand out?
  • What is the concept behind forest gardening and how can that help us be more prepared?
  • What is the advantage of using local plants?

To learn more about using medicinal plants that you can grow, as well as harvest locally in the wild, sign up for the next Herbology Level 1 class here

Related Items:

More information about the incident discussed in this podcast about the mowed-down garden, news report

Companion Article, 'On Your Side of the Fence'

Upcoming class in Austin, TX: 'Cooking With Wild Edibles', July 26th

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117: The Rabbit and The Herb, Part 2

Today's podcast with Sam Coffman and Rick Worden of Rise and Shine Rabbitry, wraps up their discussion about healing herbs and food for rabbits.  For those of you raising rabbits, Sam and Rick get into details on specific herbs and health issues with rabbits, such as:

rabbitry for sustainable food

  • herbs to stimulate appetite and milk production in rabbits
  • what is wool-block and how can you easily prevent it with simple herbs
  • what is the best tonic herb for rabbits
  • garlic as a treatment for pinworms or roundworms and a clever way to give it to rabbits that don't like it
  • the difference in life-span between a wild and domesticated rabbit
  • what is a great uterine tonic herb for pregnant doe later in her gestation?
  • rosemary, catnip and some geranium: how they work as a natural pest control on the cages
  • how you can use canned 100% pumpkin to ease gut blockages
  • how to keep rabbits cool in high summer heat

Learn more about herbs for humans at the next herbology level 1 class here.

Also, check out our earlier podcast on rabbitry and creating your own sustainable meat food source, Episode #100, The Self Sustaining Food.

Episode # 116: The Rabbit and The Herb (part one).

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116: The Rabbit and The Herb

In today's podcast Sam Coffman talks with Rick Worden of Rise and Shine Rabbitry, about healing herbs and food for rabbits.  For those of you raising rabbits, Sam and Rick get into details on specific herbs and health issues with rabbits, such as:

self sustaining food source

  • Nutrients that are important for rabbits to give them a more natural diet
  • Immune boosting with apple cider vinegar, and how this helps keep them from getting sick
  • How to use echinacea and what it does for them
  • Dried or fresh, which is better?
  • Ear mite treatment using natural oils and herbs
  • Eye washes for rabbit eye infections
  • How normal "rabbit feed" can cause gastric problems in the rabbits
  • Herbs to help rabbit digestion and counteract some of the problems called by pellets
  • Grasses vs. pellets: How do you prepare grasses and herbs for their diet?
  • Herbs for rabbit diarrhea and to improve digestive issues

Learn more about herbs for humans at the next herbology level 1 class here.

Also, check out our earlier podcast on rabbitry and creating your own sustainable meat food source, Episode #100, The Self Sustaining Food.

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111: The Forest Garden In Your Midst

In today's podcast, Sam Coffman talks about forest gardening.

forest garden

Forest gardening is a great way to grow both food and medicine in a space and labor-efficient environment.  Sam talks about:

  • Why a forest garden is a great idea for preppers
  • What are the different layers of a forest garden?
  • How can you get started on a forest garden even if you don't have any canopy trees?
  • How much room does a forest garden take up?
  • What are the advantages of food and medicine grown in a forest garden?
  • What are some of the examples of food and medicine that Sam has growing in his own forest garden?

To learn more about plant medicine, make sure you are on the mailing list for notification as our herbology level 1 online class comes out over the next few weeks...

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108: Permaculture Gardening

In today's podcast, Sam Coffman speaks with Jessica Enzo of the Permaculture Education Center about Permaculture Design Certification (PDC) and permaculture education in general. They talk about:

permaculture gardening

  • The advantages of taking a PDC online vs. on-site
  • What to look for when finding a PDC course to take
  • How much to expect to spend on a PDC course.
  • How does permaculture fit into preparedness and the "prepper" lifestyle?
  • What are some ways that a person can get started on their own with permaculture concepts aroung the house and garden?
  • What are the underlying fundamentals of permaculture, and why is it important?
  • How can a person get started with the Permaculture Education Center if they want to get their PDC online?  How long does it take?

You can check out more about online permaculture design certification by going to the Permaculture Education Center website

You can also sign up to learn about growing, wildcrafting and using medicinal plants by attending the Herbology Level 1 class at The Human Path here: online registration

The Online Permaculture Education Center's mission is to provide Permaculture education while promoting and demonstrating sustainable living techniques to the world.

Main Instructors: Alan Enzo, Ph.D., M.B.A.

Alan and Jessica EnzoDr. Enzo (also known as "Enzo") is an award-winning researcher and international consultant in Ecological Economics and Ecological Design (Permaculture). He is a registered Instructor and Consultant with the Permaculture Research Institute in Australia. He earned a Ph.D. in Management (specialization in Ecological Economics), and an M.B.A. in Sustainable Business from Tennessee State University. He is passionate about sustainable systems research, alternative local economic systems, natural building, organic food production, and helping students and clients start their own small green businesses.

Jessica Enzo, B.A.

Jessica Enzo is a Permaculture co-teacher and consultant, and is also a certified Health Coach specializing in Integrative Nutrition. Jessica has a love of natural landscapes and an eye for patterns and appropriate design. Her passion and desire is to demonstrate and share her love of Permaculture and its amazing principles with as many people as possible.

The Enzo's are currently working to create a Permaculture Demonstration site and Education Center in Asheville, North Carolina. Alan and Jessica are respected teachers and consultants in the region, and are best known for designing the new Permaculture Demonstration site at the Mother Earth News Ecovillage near Asheville, N.C. This famous ecovillage was one of the first established in the United States. In addition to teaching and consulting, the Enzo's work with other Permaculture and Sustainability professionals to help re-localize economic activity and organic food production, while creating a network of small local green businesses in the Southern Appalachian Mountains Bioregion (Katuah).

In 2011, Alan and Jessica Enzo, Tom Brody, Ian Booth, Galen Hull, Raoul Russell, and several other leading Permaculture teachers created a new online PDC curriculum and started PermacultureEducation.com. The site is now managed by the Ecological Education Association - a collective of local Permaculture teachers and consultants in Southeast U.S.

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107: Hunter/Gathering In The City

Each day, grocery stores throw out thousands of pounds of fresh and useable produce, meat and food staples.  These items are not spoiled, they are often times not damaged, and might be tossed just because there is too much overstock.   Today, Sam Coffman talks with a Human Path Facebook follower, who watched a video trailer we posted, 'Dive',  about 2 months ago and decided to try her hand at dumpster diving to help her family through a rough financial spot.  She was shocked at the amount of waste with perfectly good food being thrown away and now her family eats healthier than ever.

good food salvaged

Sam and listener Zoe discuss:

  • what led her family to try dumpster diving and the negative stigma that they had to overcome in order to try it out
  • the movie 'Dive' that changed their attitude about the practice of dumpster diving
  • the volume of fresh organic food being thrown away and the great variety of high-end healthy food
  • how they share with friends and neighbors when they collect more than they need
  • how they were able to stock up for their family of 5 for a full year after 2 months of dumpster diving
  • store dumpsters may often be full (and locked) even though stores claim to donate everything to charities and shelters
  • the dangers to note and precautions that divers must take before going out
  • the best times to go and where
  • the idea of a co-op for divers to share and distribute collected food to make sure perfectly good food doesn't just got tossed
  • making extra cash by selling cast-off items
  • dumpster diving as a growing and thriving sub-culture, sometimes called 'freegans'
  • learning about food safety

long term food storage

Waste and over-consumption are a huge problem with our country's landfills being packed with things that can either be consumed, re-used or re-purposed.  When thousands of pounds of good food are being thrown out, natural resources continue to be depleted.

Learn how to sharpen your urban awareness and survival skills. See how to be a part of the eco-solution and not part of the problem.

Upcoming Urban Core Basic courses begin in May. Online registration and details.

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105: From Grain Silo To Green Home

Sam Coffman continues his discussion on eco-building with Kelly Hart of greenhomebuilding.com, discussing the creative and novel use of unexpected salvage items to build environmentally smart homes.  These materials are both environmentally friendly, re-use existing materials to cut down on waste and are very affordable and simple to construct.

grain silo house

Sam and Kelly go over:

  • using grain bins, railroad box cars and school buses as alternative house structures and how well they work
  • how living in a smaller home makes a person more eco-conscious and less consumer-oriented
  • using passive solar cooling, heating and lighting by utilizing a sensitive design
  • building underground to use less energy
  • green rooftops and earth berms to create the same effect
  • methods of renewable energy
  • benefits of using natural and local building materials
  • growing and storing food in naturally cooled environments

Check out the first half of this podcast: Episode #104: Dumpter Diving For A House

kelly Hart Kelly Hart is the founder and host of www.greenhomebuilding.com , www.dreamgreenhomes.com and www.earthbagbuilding.com, and has been involved with green building concepts for much of his life. Kelly spent many years as a professional remodeler, during which time he became acquainted with many of the pitfalls of conventional construction.
Kelly is knowledgeable about both simple design concepts and more complex technological aspects of home building that enhance sustainable living. He has even designed and built a solar-electric car that he drove around his neighborhood. Kelly, and his wife Zana, lived for many years in an earthbag/papercrete home that he designed and built.
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