Non agriculture zones

Before I jump into this week’s topic, I want to tell you about an online course that I signed up for, An Introduction to the U.S. Food System: Perspectives from Public Health, offered by Coursera, www.coursera.org. This is a free course that lasts six weeks. It just started, so I think you can still get into it. Based on the first week’s lessons, it looks pretty comprehensive.

OK. Back to the regularly scheduled program.

Permaculture Zones

The basic concept of permaculture was agricultural zones.

Zone 0

The house, or home center. Here permaculture principles would be applied in terms of aiming to reduce energy and water needs, harnessing natural resources such as sunlight, and generally creating a harmonious, sustainable environment in which to live and work. Zone 0 is an informal designation, which is not specifically defined in Bill Mollison's book.

Zone 1

The zone nearest to the house, the location for those elements in the system that require frequent attention, or that need to be visited often, such as salad crops, herb plants, soft fruit like strawberries or raspberries, greenhouse and cold frames, propagation area, worm compost bin for kitchen waste, etc. Raised beds are often used in zone 1 in urban areas.

Zone 2

This area is used for siting perennial plants that require less frequent maintenance, such as occasional weed control or pruning, including currant bushes and orchards, pumpkins, sweet potato, etc. This would also be a good place for beehives, larger scale composting bins, and so on.

Zone 3

The area where main-crops are grown, both for domestic use and for trade purposes. After establishment, care and maintenance required are fairly minimal (provided mulches and similar things are used), such as watering or weed control maybe once a week.

Zone 4

A semi-wild area. This zone is mainly used for forage and collecting wild food as well as production of timber for construction or firewood.

Zone 5

A wilderness area. There is no human intervention in zone 5 apart from the observation of natural ecosystems and cycles.

Copied from Wikipedia

If we do an analogy with our social involvement (this includes politics, charity, etc.) it would be something like this.

Zone 1 – Immediate family

Zone 2 – Neighborhood

Zone 3 – Community (town, borough, township, city)

Zone 4 – County or Parish

Zone 5 – Regional area

Zone 6 – State or Province

Zone 7 – Country

Zone 8 – World

If you have limited resources, take care of things in the above order.

With respect to the environment:

• Plant your own garden, create your own reserves
• Trade surpluses with your neighbors, Help develop community gardens, support community programs and institutions, participate in Earth Day activities
• In Berks County, you can support Hawk Mountain, Nolde Forest, The Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Association
• Regionally, get involved with the Penn-Pemaculture group.
• Petition your state legislators to support the programs you think are important, join and participate in the state Sierra Club programs
• Write your Federal Congressman to voice your opinions about social, financial, and environmental programs
• Volunteer for international programs according to your beliefs and your resources.

 But it shouldn’t be limited to environmental issues only. Consider these activities

•  Be creative - paint, write, cook, brew, invent
• Join neighborhood watch
• Support your local library and museums
• Participate in county and state events
• Vote, Write your congressman about your views
• Learn about the world. Keep abreast of the news. Support global activities that you can afford and are consistent with your beliefs.

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.

Deadline

The day is almost done and I almost forgot my new year resolution.  Short term memory is the second thing to go.  What is the first?  I forget. (old Laugh-in joke).

Anyway, I brewed the barleywine and it is in the fermenter cooking away.  Fermenting that is.  There is no heat applied.

Last night we had a party to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the Berks County Homebrew Club.  I've only been a member for 1.5 years.  Whenever you join a group, there is a period where you feel like the newbie.  In a blink of an eye, you are one of the old guard.  So it goes.

When I get into a new activity, I do a ton of research.  I download articles and read books and magazines and make a lot of mistakes through trial and error.

After a while it becomes old hat.  Sometimes it takes a few years.  Other times it takes decades.  Is it that I become jaded or does something else seem more exciting?

Let me know what you think.

Hello world!

Poor blog, I've been neglecting you. 

Well my New Year Resolution is to blog more.  I'm going to try and do a weekly blog.  I may invite guest bloggers to add their two cents.

Our weather is crazy.  Cold and snow one day and mild and dry the next.  Instead of global warming, we are experiencing global schizophrenia.

I've expanded my brewing setup and will be able to do full five gallon boils, instead of two gallon partials that I have been doing.  I also got 4 Corney kegs, so the bottling chore is lessened.  I'm still not diligent, however.  I have several batches of wine and beer ready to be kegged or bottled and I feel too lazy to do it.  I'm also committed to contributing five gallons of barleywine to the Berks County Homebrew Barrel Project.  Lets get cracking!

I better save some news for next week, if I remember to log on.

Jury Duty

Today, I went to Philadelphia for jury duty.  Boring!  I was one of 55 chosen as a tentative juror.  That field was winnowed down to 16.  I did not make the cut.  Now I'm exempt for the next two years.  Whoopee!

I spent the day from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, mostly sitting around.  I couldn't even get interested in any of the three books I took with me.  I learned that juries are now down to eight members from the twelve of my youth.  That is because it costs too much to use twelve jurors.  Don't you feel better now that your tax dollars are being saved?

Jurors get paid $40 per day for their efforts.  Wow!  We did get 55 cents per mile for the commute.  Since I live 58 miles away, that was a nice return.

Anyway, now I can proudly say that I have discharged my civic duty.

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.

Northern Wisdom

Northern Wisdom
by Eoghan Odinsson


I recently had the chance to review a book, Northern Wisdom, by Eoghan Odinsson. It’s subtitled, The Havamal, Tao of the North, but it is more a code of conduct than a philosophy. In this sense, it has more in common with The Code of the Bushido or The Prince by Machiavelli.

It’s a good read and I highly recommend it. With the permission of the author, I’ve listed a few excerpts from the book along with my comments.

Modernized Verse 38

Keep your weapons and tools close,
a man should not be without them.
You never know when you leave home,
what difficulties you may face.

Old Verse 38

Away from his arms in the open field
a man should fare not a foot;
For never he knows when the need for a spear
Shall arise on the distant road.

My Comment: Many people carry an EDC (Everyday Carry Bag) with emergency supplies in case a disaster happens while they are out and about. Be prepared for any emergency.



Modernized Verse 40

Many people work very hard to acquire things,
and then forget to enjoy all that they've worked for.
Take pleasure in what you've earned,
while you're still alive to do it.

Old Verse 40

If wealth a man has won for himself,
Let him never suffer in need;
Oft he saves for a foe what he plans for a friend,
For much goes worse than we wish.

My Comment: Don’t starve yourself now (Physically, mentally, or emotionally) to survive a possible future. You can’t take it with you. I once saw a bumper sticker on an RV that said, I’m spending my kid’s inheritance.



Modernized Verse 60

It's important for men to know how to plan,
how much wood to keep you warm in the winter,
how much money to save for emergencies.

Old Verse 60

Of seasoned shingles and strips of bark
For the thatch let one know his need,
And how much of wood he must have for a month,
Or in half a year he will use.

My Comment: We’ve seen how natural disasters can disrupt our plans. Be prepared to tough out a bad situation.



Modernized Verse 76

Everything and everyone dies,
you too will one day die.
But I know one thing that never dies,
fame and a good reputation for one who has earned it.

Old Verse 76

Cattle die, and kinsmen die,
And so one dies one's self;
But a noble name will never die,
If good renown one gets.

My Comment: Be true to your beliefs. Physical survival means little, if you are morally compromised.



Modernized Verse 116

Listen to me Loddfafnir,
and pay attention to what I have to say,
it's advice you will surely use.
If you are planning a long journey,
ensure you have enough food.

Old Verse 116

I rede thee, Loddfafnir!
and hear thou my rede,
Profit thou hast if thou hearest,
Great thy gain if thou learnest:
If o'er mountains or gulfs thou fain wouldst go,
Look well to thy food for the way.

My Comment: How well would you survive if the food delivery system were disrupted?

As I’ve said before, there is a lot of good advice in the book. I was glad that the original translation was included, as I had differing views of how to interpret some of the passages. The author agreed with some of my observations, but said that a teacher at Reykjavik University in Iceland made the final call.

The beauty of reading these old documents is that you can interpret them according to your own experience and incorporate them into your own world view.

You can get the book from http://www.amazon.com/, both as a Kindle ebook and as a paperback.