Learn about strategic and sustainable solutions!
October 2019
Permaculture Design Class at Pearlstone
Over two-weeks in August/September 2019, Pearlstone hosted and facilitated a permaculture design class, taught by Dave Boehnlein , author of Practical Permaculture. Not sure what Permaculture is? Neither was Joan, until she immersed in the 100-hour training! Permaculture is a set of design principles centered on systems thinking, simulating, or directly utilizing the patterns and resilient features observed in natural ecosystems. According to permaculture founder Bill Mollison , permaculture is:

a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature;
of protracted and thoughtful observation
rather than protracted and thoughtless labor; and
of looking at plants and animals in all their functions,
rather than treating any area as a single product system.
Above, students of Pearlstone's Permaculture Design Course harvesting, end-of-season flowers, bagging onions, and composting meal scraps; and on the steps of the Baltimore Museum of Art during urban permaculture class.
Drawdown: Top Global Climate Solutions
Project Drawdown is a world-class research organization that reviews, analyses, and identifies the most viable global climate solutions , and shares these findings with the world. To the right is the list of the Top Ten Global Climate Solutions.
  1. Refrigerant management
  2. Wind turbines (onshore)
  3. Reduced food waste
  4. Plant-rich diet
  5. Tropical forests
  6. Educating girls
  7. Family planning
  8. Solar farms
  9. Silvopasture
  10. Rooftop solar
Clean Energy in Your State
America produces over 40 times more solar than it did in 2009, enough to power more than nine million average American homes.
Clean energy leadership is distributed across the United States, in states with different economic and demographic makeups. Click on the map above to see how your state ranks on its progress to maximize clean energy technology.
  • Solar energy: California, Arizona, North Carolina, Nevada and Texas have seen the greatest total increases in solar energy generation since 2009.
  • Wind energy: Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa and Illinois experienced the greatest total increases in wind energy generation from 2009 to 2018.
  • Energy efficiency: Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, Michigan and California saw the greatest increases in the share of electricity saved through efficiency measures.
  • Electric vehicles: California, New York, Washington, Florida and Texas have seen the most electric vehicles (EVs) sold.
  • Energy storage: California, Illinois, Texas, West Virginia and Hawaii lead the nation in additions to battery storage since 2009.
About Plisko Sustainable Solutions
Joan and Marc Plisko
Joan Plisko, PhD, President
Marc Plisko, CIH, Vice President
The mission of Plisko Sustainable Solutions, LLC is to catalyze positive health, environmental, and social change through improved customer performance, economic savings, and enhanced social awareness.