What would you and your family do in a doomsday scenario? Rupert Faust and I explore permaculture as a solution to modern fragility: how to own your own production, feed your family, and build a parallel society that can actually scale. We talk about the tradeoffs between real estate and Bitcoin, what happens when “shit hits the fan”, and why the future might look like citadels instead of cities. Rupert Faust is the founder of the Grounded Permaculture Action Party.
Instagram: @grounded.permaculture
The Natural Capitalist Podcast
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TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 – Introducing Rupert Faust
0:29 – What is Permaculture?
2:41 – What is the Problem? Consumption vs Production
5:59 – Real Estate When “Shit Hits the Fan”
16:09 – Owning the Output of Your Own Production
17:53 – A Day in the Life
21:11 – Why Do People Invest in a Permaculture Community?
36:53 – Building a Citadel
37:29 – Leveraging Bitcoin and Real Estate
42:51 – Bitcoin vs Real Estate as a Store of Value
47:36 – Bitcoin and the “Doomsday Scenario”
50:25 – Scaling Community
54:46 – How to Connect with Rupert Faust
Bitcoin, Permaculture, and Preparedness: Investing in Regenerative Infrastructure.
This episode explores the convergence of Bitcoin, permaculture, and systemic preparedness through the lens of Robert’s lived experience and investment model. Permaculture, defined as “permanent culture,” originated in 1970s Australia and integrates food, housing, community, and economic systems, drawing heavily from indigenous and ancestral wisdom. Originally a response to inflation, resource scarcity, and ecological degradation post-gold standard, permaculture emphasizes pattern recognition and self-sustaining design. Robert connects this deeply with Bitcoin, describing fiat systems as consumption-driven and disembodied from physical reality—permaculture and Bitcoin both represent an effort to realign with truth, energy, and tangible outcomes.
Robert shares his personal journey from sensing cultural dysfunction to anchoring in real assets. COVID lockdowns in Melbourne intensified his inquiry into food, shelter, and community sovereignty. Renting a property aligned with his values, Robert began developing it as a regenerative living hub, now operating as Grounded Permaculture, a not-for-profit generating ~$470,000 in annual revenue. The model centers on rental rather than ownership, enabling flexible living while decoupling use from capital burden. Their company structure allows shareholders to invest in land collectively, receive returns via leasing, and retain liquidity with a 20% Bitcoin reserve.
The “hits-the-fan” protocol adds resilience: shareholders can temporarily relocate during crises, with annual “fire drill” bootcamps simulating such scenarios. This model is both a shelter option and an investment in regenerative land stewardship. The vision scales across multiple sites, such as a beef farm on the Sunshine Coast, under a single asset-holding company. It blends yield-bearing rural land, long-term ecological productivity, and optional residency with Bitcoin-backed liquidity. The system is philosophically decentralized yet economically structured—designed to hedge against hyperinflation, state overreach, or supply-chain fragility, while offering holistic wealth and community connection grounded in physical utility.
