Episode-2158- Jeff Reiland on Permaculture Landscaping in the Suburbs

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Jeff Reiland has worked in Commercial Agriculture and Biotechnology over 20 years striving to “feed the world” but now he is a Designer of Healthy & Productive Landscapes that Enable Resilient Communities. Jeff’s business, Abundant Design LLC, and personal lifestyle both center around living in harmony with the environment.

Growing up in rural Iowa he spent a lot of time outside on and around his family’s acreage, where he helped his dad and mom build their home. Scholarships and summer construction jobs helped him pay for college where he got his degree in Biology and Environmental Studies. Following college he did GPS field mapping and soil sampling, but after his company closed that part of the business he worked on a landscaping crew and dabbled in starting his own landscape company.

Job security and expectations drew him back to science, livestock and companion animal vaccine production and research, then to genetically modified crop research and testing. Interest in survival topics following Y2K led him eventually to the Survival Podcast, where Jack and then Diego Footer of Permaculture Voices inspired him to begin his entrepreneurial journey. Jeff is in the MSB and a PermaEthos Founding Member where he took his PDC.

Abundant Design strives for beautiful and productive landscapes, that will actually improve the quality of our waters, fertility of our soil, and the health of our planet.

He runs a local meetup for permaculture, teaches classes at a learning farm and volunteers at a local community orchard. He joins us today to discuss permaculture landscaping in the suburbs.

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I think it mostly comes from being romanticized into the concept that for profit equals bad and a complete and total lack of understanding about legal entities. A total ignorance of reality and a belief that people will just give you money.

What is the purpose of a non profit? It is NOT to provide service to people who pay for said service. Rather it is to collect money that is donated in a tax deductible manner from one group and then to provide services to another group.

If that is not the purpose of your group, if your entire model is not based on that, a non profit is not what you should be. Any decision like this should be discussed with a TAX ATTORNEY and a CPA, BOTH OF THEM. What we have are 20 somethings with no fucking clue about business setting up legal entities that place requirements and limitations upon said businesses with zero understanding of said same, but they can say “we are a non profit”.

In the context you describe, one would build a successful for profit business, then set up a second entity and donate money to it from the profitable entity to work the system and give back to the community, redirecting tax dollars to do so in a more effective manner than the state spends them. They would also have an independent board, have NO SAY directly on how the non profit operates, etc. They might found it then walk the hell away with it in good hands, then donate their own profits to it.

Sort of like oh I don’t know Citizens Assisting Citizens.

In the words of Mark Sheppard “a non profit without a successful for profit entity attached to it is nothing but a professional begging association”.

Comments

Episode-2158- Jeff Reiland on Permaculture Landscaping in the Suburbs — 6 Comments

Ed on February 2, 2018 at 9:16 am said:

Good work , independence equals isolation in rural community.
Ed on February 2, 2018 at 10:01 am said:

Where is the link to
Jeff Reiland on Permaculture Landscaping in the Suburbs ?
I know you stated that you would post it.

This appears to be a shortcoming to most all of your programs as the followup links just do not exist.

You always say you are going to post the links and I have not been able to find them. Where should I look?
- Modern Survival on February 2, 2018 at 10:56 am said:
  
  What link are you talking about?
Linda on February 2, 2018 at 11:26 am said:

Your comments on the prevalence of nonprofits were interesting to me, since I’m just now working with a new group of fiber (wool) producers. I think the reason that so many permaculturists see a nonprofit as an attractive option is that they intend to build their business on education: create more permaculture designers. Education is one of the allowed purposes for 501.c.3 status. I too laughed at the characterization of nonprofits as more honest, until I realized that this might actually mean more accountable, and that is an element in 501.c.3 status. Of course, 501.c.3s run the gamut of very financially accountable to submitting tax forms that have little relationship to how they really run, although I think that most smaller ones try to run honestly because it’s the safer option. The 501.c.3 status is also perceived as offering a tax deduction to donors, though that may change (or not).
But like anything else, people really need to consider if this is really the best structure. There are other kinds of tax exemptions that might be useful, e.g. 501.c.5(agriculture) and 501.c.6 (business). I think Jack would say, get an expert to sort it out based on the specific purpose & strcture of what you want to do.
- Modern Survival on February 2, 2018 at 11:50 am said:
  
  I think it mostly comes from being romanticized into the concept that for profit equals bad and a complete and total lack of understanding about legal entities. A total ignorance of reality and a belief that people will just give you money.
  
  What is the purpose of a non profit? It is NOT to provide service to people who pay for said service. Rather it is to collect money that is donated in a tax deductible manner from one group and then to provide services to another group.
  
  If that is not the purpose of your group, if your entire model is not based on that, a non profit is not what you should be. Any decision like this should be discussed with a TAX ATTORNEY and a CPA, BOTH OF THEM. What we have are 20 somethings with no fucking clue about business setting up legal entities that place requirements and limitations upon said businesses with zero understanding of said same, but they can say “we are a non profit”.
  
  In the context you describe, one would build a successful for profit business, then set up a second entity and donate money to it from the profitable entity to work the system and give back to the community, redirecting tax dollars to do so in a more effective manner than the state spends them. They would also have an independent board, have NO SAY directly on how the non profit operates, etc. They might found it then walk the hell away with it in good hands, then donate their own profits to it.
  
  Sort of like oh I don’t know Citizens Assisting Citizens.
  
  In the words of Mark Sheppard “a non profit without a successful for profit entity attached to it is nothing but a professional begging association”.
Linda on February 2, 2018 at 3:32 pm said:

So right. The romantic view really drives everything for some people, and ignorance of reality is rife. There are, of course, some good purposes that can be accomplished only by “begging.” But businesses fulfill their purposes, including good ones, by making money. On that, Curtis Stone has made some good comments about “putting your ideology in your back pocket” that apply (or should).