Kent County’s Permaculture Institute on the Road

You may remember Justinian Dispenza from his November Spy interview describing his job as the official videographer for Talbot County’s tally of the  presidential election returns.

We caught up with Justinian this week hoping to find out about his Eastern Shore Permaculture Institute and some of the new classes and videos he has been offering this winter.

We were in for surprise. Justin answered the call, but he was a long way from his home in Galena. 

In fact, he and his sister Laurel were somewhere near Roswell, New Mexico. Camping. Camping, as in sub-zero sleeping bags, a tent, and Coleman stove.

Postponing our discussion about permaculture for another day, we watched as Dispenza offered a FaceTime glimpse of the western landscape and its strange February emptiness. 

“It’s winter, snow and Covid in Maryland, so we decided to change the scenery. The Permaculture Institute is in good hands and videography slows down in the winter months, so why not?” Dispenza offered.

Sometimes driving through the night, the intrepid campers use off-season state parks as their campsites, varying their destination points according to the day’s calling.

Dispenza’s interest in wilderness survival and living skills gives him a unique perspective on each environment they encounter. In New Mexico, for instance, he discovered a plant that can be woven into strong rope. 

The Spy thought it would be fun to follow their exploration for a few episodes and allow our readers to have a vicarious moment of warmer climates and a different horizon line. Who knows where they will pop up next, but be sure they will keep us updated. 

The Eastern Shore Permaculture Institute is a resource for education and empowerment, taking back our food system.  We focus on teaching courses on sustainable gardening, mushroom growing, soap making, wilderness survival and living skills, and ecologically friendly building practices. 

This video is approximately three minutes in length. for more information about the Eastern Shore Permaculture Institute, see their Facebook page here.