in Lismore, NSW. Australia.

The owner turns to me and asks “Who are all these people?” I whisper to her while loading the video camera that these people are all Permaculture Interns from around the world. Canada, the United States and Europe.  They’ve all descended on her little country town to get first hand experience with Permaculture and what Geoff  Lawton has to teach.

Geoff will kill me for saying this, but I like to have a bit of fun with him. “He’s a bit of a Guru!” I murmur to her. Her face lights up. She’s impressed. “Geoff I am so honored to have you here.” she tells him.

We are filming The Urban Permaculture DVD and there are many ways you can do this instructional video. What I was most keen not to do – is turn this video into a home renovation show. The kind you see on television.

I am always keen to try and find the thinking behind the process. I want the viewer to look into the mind of Geoff Lawton and for an hour and half  – figure out whats going on in there. The way he designs a Permaculture system and the reasons why he places a feature in a particular spot. If this video will be of any use to a student or teachers, it must explain why he does things in a particular way and the reasoning behind it all.

So here we are looking at a suburban backyard and small city spaces. We’re here to find out how much realistic design you can do in the average backyard. Today’s shoot is a long one. Geoff has placed an ad in the local paper offering a free consultancy.

The local paper picked up the story and wrote an article about Geoff and Permaculture and now his phone is ringing off the hook.

“I think we got 18 calls today.” grins Geoff, “This could be a business for someone.”

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