Topics covered : Housing, shelter, self-building, self-sufficiency, security, agency, sustainability, consumerism, capitalism, convenience, our reliance on systems, power cuts, extreme weather, energy, practical skills, DIY, community, climate change, preparedness and taking back control.
Harrison Gardner is an eco-builder, author and broadcaster who lives in Co. Clare with his wife Erin and their two daughters, Inari (6) and Islita (3).
Having spent more than 15 years designing and building conventional, sustainable and off-grid homes around the world, Harrison's work now centres on helping people develop the skills and confidence to become more capable and self-sufficient.
He is the co-founder of Common Knowledge, a non-profit social enterprise based in the Burren that teaches practical skills for sustainable living, from building and DIY to growing food, making furniture and mending clothes.
His latest book, Heat, Shelter, Water, Food: How to Be Ready for the Unexpected, looks at the basic systems we rely on every day and asks a simple but increasingly important question: what happens when those systems stop working?
From storms and power cuts to food and water security, this conversation is ultimately about knowledge, skills and agency, and why becoming a little more capable can help us feel a lot more secure.
Harrison also authored Build Your Own and Our Homes and presents RTÉ's Build Your Own Home.
Find out more about Harrison and his work:
And if this conversation resonated with you, you might also enjoy these episodes from the Ready to Be Real archive:
Mark Boyle: The Moneyless Man
Kenneth Keavey of Green Earth Organics: The True Cost of Cheap Food
Raeeka Yassaie: Climate in Crisis
You'll find all three in the Ready to Be Real archive wherever you get your podcasts.
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