Permaculture

  Copied from www.holmgren.com.au

Permaculture began as an agriculture zone theory in Australia. It has since evolved into a framework for thinking about all aspects of society. I first became aware of the subject at a talk given at the Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Fair in Kempton, Pa. several years ago.

What caught my fancy was the Permaculture flower shown above.

 

I began researching various areas as indicated on the chart. In some areas there were slim pickin’s. It seems the theory has outpaced the research. That’s as it should be. Now there are areas that challenge our imaginations and beg for solutions.

I thought about taking a Permaculture Design Course, but the idea seems to have been franchised and it costs big bucks to take the course.

Fortunately, there is a wealth of information available for free on the web. As I searched, I came across a web page, www.tv.naturalnews.com that has videos on a variety of permaculture subjects. There is a series of fourteen videos by Goeff Lawton that provide a pretty good overview of the design theory for agriculture.

Finally, I found a site where I could get free ebooks about permaculture, www.green-shopping.co.uk. They also sell books about permaculture, if you want to round out your library.

There is also a free booklet titled, The Essence of Permaculture by Dave Holmgren, one of the founders of the Permaculture movement, on his site listed above or at www.permacultureprinciples.com.

In this book, David Holmgren lists the Design Principles of Permaculture. They are:

1. Observe and interact

a. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

2. Catch and store energy

a. Make hay while the sun shines

3. Obtain a yield

a. You can’t work on an empty stomach

4. Apply self-regulation and accept feedback

a. The sins of the fathers are visited on the children unto the seventh generation

5. Use and value renewable resources and services

a. Let nature take its course

6. Produce no waste

a. Waste not, want not

7. Design from patterns to details

a. Can’t see the forest for the trees

8. Integrate rather than segregate

a. Many hands make light work

9. Use small and slow solutions

a. Slow and steady wins the race

10. Use and value diversity

a. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

11. Use edges and value the marginal

a. Don’t think you are on the right track, just because it is well beaten

12. Creatively use and respond to change

a. Vision is not seeing things as they are, but as they will be

If you download the book and want to print it, make sure your printer is in landscape mode.

If reviewing this topic stimulates your thinking about using the permaculture principles in a non-agricultural way, or if you are involved in a current project, let me know. I would love to hear of your ideas, experiences and plans.

Missing post?

I would have sworn that I posted entries since the last one listed.  I must be getting senile.

I've been reading some survivalist posts.  When I was an active backpacker many years ago, survival meant staying alive if a disaster struck while in the wilderness.  Today, survival means many different things.

Some people are worried abut natural disasters, like Katrina, Fujiwara, or Three Mile Island.  Others are worried about an economic collapse.  Some think the the end of the world as we know it will happen, as the government fails and we are thrown into anarchy.

Whatever the reason, people are hunkering down and setting up survival conditions in their homes.  This may not be a bad thing, as one person noted.  When he was laid off, his family had six months of food to live on.

People are also starting to think about self sufficiency, learning new homesteading skills and growing their own food, even setting up chicken coops.

Many years ago, I had read that rural poor live better than urban poor, because they can grow some food and keep some "free range" chickens.

A few people are starting to look at urban survival.  There are articles on growing food on your windowsill and how to repair worn clothing.

I think this may be a healthy trend, but one that may not last as the recession fades.