Host Geoff Lawton and guests Sam, Eric, and Ben sit down to unpack the evolution of the Greening the Desert project, Jordan — from the early days of dust, salt, and heat to the cool, shaded food forest it became. Together they share field stories, design insights, and the lessons learned while turning a degraded desert site into a living demonstration of regeneration. It’s a roundtable tour through one of the most iconic permaculture projects ever built.

Watch the video episode here.

Key Takeaways:

00:00 – 03:12: The project begins in the hardest conditions: Conflict, heat and barren soil set the stage for a bold restoration experiment.

03:12 – 07:10: Evaporation is the real enemy in drylands: Shade, wind buffering and hardy pioneers must come first.

07:10 – 12:20: From spiky pioneers to cooperative legumes: Mesquite held the line early, but gentler support species took over as soil improved.

12:20 – 15:24: Water scarcity shapes every design decision: Swales, mapping and strict budgeting kept the system alive with only hours of weekly water.

15:24 – 18:21: A 70-hectare project reveals costly surveying mistakes: Swales accidentally built uphill had to be torn out and rebuilt.

18:21 – 21:11: A plastic bottle becomes the ultimate teaching tool: Geoff uses simple props to show how contour and water movement actually work.

21:11 – 24:01: Eric arrives in 2009 to a Mars-like landscape: Harsh climate, cultural shock and nearby conflict defined his first days.

24:01 – 27:01: Reality challenges the media narrative: Eric finds Jordan welcoming, safe and nothing like he’d been told.

27:01 – 28:31: Hardship resets Eric’s understanding of difficulty: The desert strips away excuses and sharpens purpose.

28:31 – 33:24: Sam’s journey leads to a thriving 2019 site: He arrives to find the project lush, stable and full of students.

33:24 – 36:00: Proof deserts everywhere can be restored: If this site healed, better landscapes can rebound even faster.

36:00 – 40:32: A 'peace army' replaces the military approach: They contrast permaculture’s healing work with systems that fail to make lasting change.

40:32 – 47:27: Ben’s military experience fuels his restoration drive: War showed him the cost of destruction and the need for repair.

47:27 – 50:48: Aid agencies often miss the point: Sam sees operations focused on extraction rather than regeneration.

50:48 – 53:12: Forest systems beat vegetable beds in the long game: True resilience comes from canopy, soil life and structure.

53:12 – 56:46: ‘Invasives’ become vital allies in dead landscapes: Fast pioneers rebuild soil where delicate natives can’t survive yet.

56:46 – 01:00:25: You can’t recreate past ecosystems on degraded land: Regeneration needs a forward path, not nostalgia.

01:02:23 – 01:04:21: Spain’s Almería shows the industrial opposite: A sea of plastic greenhouses reveals the cost of synthetic agriculture.

01:04:21 – 01:05:30: Reed beds close the loop with elegance: Wastewater becomes irrigation and inspires nearby villages.

This episode takes a hard look at politics, power, and why the world feels so upside down right now. Host Geoff Lawton and the team jump from America’s political gridlock to the bold changes happening in Burkina Faso—and what it teaches us about leadership, resources, and real community empowerment. Instead of getting lost in the chaos, the crew keeps circling back to a simple truth: local action beats political promises every time. When people organise, grow food, and build resilient communities, they create real change—no matter what’s happening on the world stage. If you’re tired of the noise and want a grounded path forward, this conversation will get you thinking (and hopefully planting).

Watch the video episode here.

Key Takeaways:

00:00:00 – 00:03:13: Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré redirects resources to citizens, focusing on trees, food security, free housing—a stark contrast to Western politics.

00:04:17 – 00:07:27: Leaders who try to nationalize resources or challenge global banking systems often face resistance or assassination; debt is used to trap nations and individuals alike.

00:09:21 – 00:10:57: True freedom means liberation from unpayable debt—politicians, left or right, rarely deliver real change.

00:21:22 – 00:22:46: Bill Mollison once said: “Don’t enter a corrupt system to change it—you’ll be corrupted.” Instead, imagine a Permaculture People’s Party with no intention of being elected, only to share its manifesto.

00:23:06 – 00:24:50: Disaster capitalism uses crises to pass pre-written laws and strip freedoms, as seen after 9/11.

00:28:19 – 00:29:14: Companies like Palantir push predictive policing and social credit systems, raising concerns about surveillance and control.

00:31:00 – 00:32:30: Permaculture is a simple, grounded solution to overwhelming global chaos—millions of small local actions could transform the world.

00:44:14 – 00:46:37: Information overload and political tribalism keep people divided; pattern recognition and honesty are key to breaking free. 00:56:11 –

00:57:40: Like forests after fire, collapse can open the way for regeneration—real power is local, patterned, and rooted in permaculture systems. 01:02:40 –

01:03:24: We already have the information we need to act; the task now is to inform, connect, and build alternatives together.

In this episode, host Geoff Lawton and guests Ben, Eric, and Sam explore what it really means to be responsible — for ourselves, our communities, and the Earth. They unpack how modern systems have stripped away our sense of agency and why permaculture offers a pathway back to empowerment. From personal energy audits to the illusion of technological choice, this episode challenges you to rethink your role in shaping the future. If you’ve ever felt powerless about the state of the world, this conversation will remind you how much power you still hold.

Watch the video episode here.

Key Takeaways:

00:00:30 – 00:00:53: Responsibility is the ability to respond—it’s about how we meet challenges head-on.

00:01:46 – 00:02:17: Carbon credits aren’t a solution; designing our own systems of provision is.

00:02:49 – 00:03:14: The prime directive of permaculture is taking responsibility for our own needs first.

00:29:10 – 00:29:52: Nature doesn’t have a design problem—humans do. We can be as positive as we are destructive.

00:30:50 – 00:31:19: “It’s no measure of health to be well adapted to a profoundly sick society.”

00:52:14 – 00:52:41: Moments of crisis often spark the realization that there is another way—and permaculture offers that way forward.