| Permaculture
Design and Chickenshack - Course
details here
Call Steve on 0845 456 5312 for details of the Chickenshack
course 10-23rd May 2008
Permaculture
is a common sense and practical approach to sustainability,
integrating together themes like organic growing, local
resources, waste minimisation, energy efficiency, community
action, ethical trading and taking responsibility for
your own environment.
At
the heart of permaculture design and practice is a fundamental
set of ‘core values’ or ethics which remain
constant whatever a person's situation, whether they
are creating systems for town planning or trade; whether
the land they care for is only a windowbox or an entire
forest. These 'ethics' are often summarised as;
* Earthcare – recognising that the Earth is the
source of all life (and is possibly itself a living
entity- see Gaia theory) and that we recognise and respect
that the Earth is our valuable home and we are a part
of the Earth, not apart from it.
* Peoplecare – supporting and helping each other
to change to ways of living that are not harming ourselves
or the planet, and to develop healthy societies.
* Fairshare (or placing limits on consumption) - ensuring
that the Earth's limited resources are utilised in ways
that are equitable and wise.
It is a design process with sustainability at its heart,
concentrating on learning from nature, developing ideas
from observations, turning patterns into principles
and applying those principles to achieve robust, productive
and sustainable outcomes. It is an internationally recognised
curriculum, delivered via the 72hr
design course.
Like nature, permaculture unfurls in a gradual rolling
process, driven by simple common sense. We have had
the privilege to work on this site for since 1994 and
these pages are the log of that experience.
Permaculture's
appeal is that is a very positive and deliberate approach
to problem solving, it carries an infectious yet challenging
message that has won many converts the world over.
Permaculture's
essential message is this: The bad news is, whilst
development has brought many material benefits it has
also brought the planetary system to the brink of collapse.
Huge and devastating environmental and social damage
has been done to the planet and ourselves in the name
of progress, But... There is good news: nature
is incredibly adaptable, dynamic and robust. By conscious
application of permaculture principles those same forces
of destruction can be channelled into bringing about
positive susainable outcomes.
If
you want to learn more about permaculture there is a
UK national
association, and an excellent magazine,
and some great examples of projects like this
one in Reading.
Permaculture
is an approach that invites us to study and learn from
nature; natural systems are robust, diverse and productive.
Nature recycles absolutely everything, creates no waste
and is 100% powered from renewable energy. Nature is
super efficient, has set unbendable rules, yet is fluid
and responsive to any new opportunity.
The
proposition is that if only we could distil the essence
of natural design, so that we can apply its rules to
any designed system, then surely any system thus created
will inherit the dynamic, robust and most importantly,
sustainable qualities of natural systems.
Permaculture
helps you penetrate nature's own pattern language, and
gives you the tools, concepts, skills and ideas of how
to tackle big complex problems. From a model for gardens,
farms and homes comes a design approach that can be
applied to business, to learning, to life.
Holmgren's
12 design principles
These
restatements of the principles of permaculture appear
in David Holmgren's Permaculture: Principles and Pathways
Beyond Sustainability
1. Observe and interact - By taking the time to engage
with nature we can design solutions that suit our particular
situation.
2. Catch and store energy - By developing systems that
collect resources when they are abundant, we can use
them in times of need.
3. Obtain a yield - Ensure that you are getting truly
useful rewards as part of the work that you are doing.
4. Apply self-regulation and accept feedback - We need
to discourage inappropriate activity to ensure that
systems can continue to function well.
5. Use and value renewable resources and services -
Make the best use of natures abundance to reduce our
consumptive behaviour and dependence on non-renewable
resources.
6. Produce no waste - By valuing and making use of all
the resources that are available to us, nothing goes
to waste.
7. Design from patterns to details - By stepping back,
we can observe patterns in nature and society. These
can form the backbone of our designs, with the details
filled in as we go.
8. Integrate rather than segregate - By putting the
right things in the right place, relationships develop
between those things and they work together to support
each other.
9. Use small and slow solutions - Small and slow systems
are easier to maintain than big ones, making better
use of local resources and produce more sustainable
outcomes.
10. Use and value diversity - Diversity reduces vulnerability
to a variety of threats and takes advantage of the unique
nature of the environment in which it resides.
11. Use edges and value the marginal - The interface
between things is where the most interesting events
take place. These are often the most valuable, diverse
and productive elements in the system.
12. Creatively use and respond to change - We can have
a positive impact on inevitable change by carefully
observing, and then intervening at the right time.
Come
on our course;
2 weeks in late May that gaurentee you an unforgettable,
possibly life changing experience! I am posting more
information about it all the time, so make sure you
come back, but its never too early to book your place,
there are only 16 places in total and the clock is ticking.......
Permaculture is empowering, positive and all about solutions
15
years working to a permaculture design at Brynllwyn
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