Ben Lazar, caretaker of the Gaia Garden in Podlesie, teacher and permaculture designer, MA in Philosophy at the Jagiellonian University / environmental ethicist in the Deep Ecology movement, publisher of PermaKultura.Edu.Pl textbooks, author of Ekopowiasteki. Originally from Cieszyn Silesia (on the Czech-Slovak border), educated in horticulture (attended the Horticultural Technical School in Bielsko-Biała) and raised on a farm/horticulture farm, graduate of philosophy at the Jagiellonian University, who after graduation worked as a journalist and editor, among others, in the cultural weekly Przekrój. At the age of 34, he went abroad to Italy, where he became interested in permaculture (agricoltura sinergica) and natural construction, which became a turning point for him, allowing him to integrate his humanistic higher education with his rural, simple origins, giving rise to a new passion and life practice. He developed his knowledge of permaculture and designing ecological habitats and gardens during a six-month stay in Indonesia on the island of Java; observing life and farming in a different climate (in the tropics) makes it easier to grasp the flexible principles governing nature. After returning to Poland, he began educational activities, organizing traveling permaculture design workshops on friendly farms throughout Poland, at the same time animating the grassroots permaculture movement and initiating the online Permaculture Map. Using his editorial experience, he also founded a publishing house devoted to broadly understood environmental ethics, thanks to which several basic permaculture textbooks have been published in Polish, including "Introduction to Permaculture" by Bill Mollison and "Gaia's Garden" by Toby Hemenway. Ben currently runs a 6-hectare garden (Gaia's Garden in Podlesie) in his native Cieszyn Silesia; the land inherited from long-standing fruit tree nurseries is being reclaimed/regenerated and partially returned to nature as a reserve for field birds, frogs and other small creatures; the activities focus on increasing biodiversity and with it the productivity of the garden, which is run as a so-called forest garden (food forest). The garden also includes a minimalist habitat, built in accordance with the recommendations of so-called natural construction, which is healthy for the environment and people; the habitat is the basis for eco-educational workshops organised in the garden: plant propagation and tree care, water management and retention systems, closing the matter cycle (advanced composting) and, above all, general permaculture design and living in harmony with nature - including one's own. In this respect, deep ecology workshops are organised in the garden in the form of a week-long, resetting retreat with elements of hortitherapy and working on oneself (a healthy worldview). If you want to learn more about Ben's work, visit his FB profiles: Ben Lazar / ben.amin.lzr Gaia's Garden in Podlesie / ogrodgaipodlesie PermaKultura.Edu.Pl / permakulturaedu Eco-Fairytales / ekopowiastkibenlazar We also invite you to visit Ben's websites: https://permakultura.edu.pl/ https://wydawnictwo.permakultura.edu.pl/ https://mapa.permakultura.edu.pl/ __________________________ Message from the author: I make these kinds of films myself, completely independently. This film was presented WITHOUT commercial breaks because the current model of sharing revenue from ads with creators on YouTube does not allow me to continue making high-quality films in an economically sustainable way. I have no sponsors, no support from institutions, or the government. And I do not want to sell anything. So I conclude that the only way to continue this kind of creative work in today's world is with the support of the audience. So thank you to everyone who supports my work! - Jonathan Ramsey 🔥 If you value what I do and would like me to continue making videos like this, please consider supporting the channel with a small donation via: 🙌 Patonite.pl - https://patronite.pl/RamseyUnited ☕️ Buy me a coffee! - https://buycoffee.to/ramseyunited 👉 Join my fan club on YouTube - / @ramseyunited 💰 PayPal: [email protected] 💪 You can click "Thanks" under the video! 🏦 Bank transfer details: Producer: Ramsey United account number: PL 41 1160 2202 0000 0004 5268 3449 Transfer title: Donation for the documentary film Millenium Bank SWIFT code: BIGBPLPW 🎥 Production Ramsey United, 2024. ＠ / ramseyunitedproductions ＠ / ramsey_united_pl #garden #permaculture #farming