There’s something deeply comforting about planting food that doesn’t ask you to start over every year. You plant something once, tend it well, and it returns — stronger, deeper rooted, more generous with each passing season. This is the quiet magic of a perennial food forest. At Shades of Green Permaculture, we often tell clients […]

At its core, a closed-loop ecosystem is about designing systems where resources are reused, regenerated, and kept in circulation—rather than discarded. When it comes to organic material, keeping it onsite is one of the most impactful ways to reduce waste, lower emissions, and build healthier environments. A closed-loop ecosystem mimics natural cycles. In nature, nothing […]

One of the reasons I love fall is because of the sumac growing wild all around the city. Every year when those cones turn deep crimson, we’re reminded just how much abundance lives quietly in our landscapes, parks, and backyards. Sumac tea is one of the simplest homegrown rituals you can try—no fancy tools, no […]

Every fall, the same question rustles through our neighborhoods as the wind blows the first of those colorful changing leaves: What do we do with all these leaves? It’s a good question — and one worth pausing over. Because the way we answer it says a lot about how we see ourselves in relation to […]

When we think about building resilient landscapes, we often focus on soil health, water systems, and planting strategies. But one of the most powerful elements of a thriving ecosystem is community, and family is the closest community we have. When I had Zephyr 8 years ago, I was excited for the time when she’d be […]