2006 April | Permaculture Research Institute of Australia

Thursday 18th May — Permaculture Noosa Monthly General Meeting
All welcome
Venue: Cooroy RSL Hall, Maple Street Cooroy
Time: 7.00 pm (market stalls) Meeting starts 7.30 pm
Topic: Drought Proofing Your Property” presentation by Geoff Lawton plus Questions and Answers
Admission: Free

Friday 19th May - Drought Proofing Your Property - Efficient Water Management for landholders; Catching, storing and moving water for optimum production in all climates featuring a Google Earth presentation of international projects.
Venue: Nambour State High School Technology Centre, Coronation Ave (Cnr Carroll St) Nambour. Access is via the service road outside the Nambour State Primary School and driveway next to the gatehouse)
Time: 7.00 pm
Tickets: $5.00 ($3.00 for concessions and members of local Permaculture Groups)
Refreshments available

Tuesday 23rd May - “The Oil Crisis. What can we do about it?’” - Permaculture solutions for the world’s suburban populations to help avoid the consequences of Peak Oil and the Energy Descent. A screening of the documentary ‘End of Suburbia’ will be followed by a presentation of solutions by Geoff Lawton.
Venue: Lecture Theatre 1, (K Building), University of the Sunshine Coast Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Drive
Time: 7.00 pm
Admission: Free or donation

Just a quick one. Here’s our project site in North Vietnam at Simacai near the Chinese border working with Mong people!

Compost microorganisms not only convert organic material into humus, but they also degrade toxic chemicals into simpler, benign, organic molecules. These chemicals include gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, oil, grease, wood preservatives, PCBs, coal gasification wastes, refinery wastes, insecticides, herbicides, TNT, and other explosives. (59)

In one experiment in which compost piles were laced with insecticides and herbicides, the insecticide (carbofuran) was completely degraded, and the herbicide (triazine) was 98.6% degraded after 50 days of composting. Soil contaminated with diesel fuel and gasoline was composted, and after 70 days in the compost pile, the total petroleum hydrocarbons were reduced approximately 93%.60 Soil contaminated with Dicamba herbicide at a level of 3,000 parts per million showed no detectable levels of the toxic contaminant after only 50 days of composting. In the absence of composting, this biodegradation process normally takes years.

The Permaculture Research Institute (PRI) – Australia and The Centre for Human Ecology Studies of Highlands (CHESH), Vietnam agree to set up a Memoradum of Understanding as follows…

Responsibilities of The Permaculture Research Institute

• Provide qualified teachers to organise education, demonstration and research sites based on permaculture design principles
• Select, promote and support local permaculture teachers
• Organise and arrange in conjunction with CHESH the exchange and internship of Australian and international students to Vietnam and other countries involved in the permaculture network with the aim of allowing students to gain experience in the following areas:
  • On the ground - implementation, establishment and maintenance of project
  • Administration - office procedure, media and communication
  • Education - curriculum and course teaching
• Organise and arrange in conjunction with CHESH the exchange and internship of Vietnamese students to Australia and other countries involved in the permaculture network with the aim of allowing students to gain experience in the areas described above
• Ensure all students are holders of the accredited permaculture design certificate as recognised by Bill Mollison’s Permaculture Institute of Australia
• Ensure all teachers are accredited with Bill Mollison’s Permaculture Institute of Australia
• Facilitate the exchange of relevant research information to and from both institutes
• Facilitate translation of relevant permaculture text and curricula

It’s official! The Permaculture Research Institute Vietnam is form signed and sealed a full working exchange agreement. It’s going to be a great two way arrangement!

See the rest of the article for more pics!

June 17 L.A.
June 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 - Programs in Minnesota
June 24 L.A.
June 25, 26 - rest in Santa Barbara
June 27 - L.A. talk with Next Aid.
June 28 - Evening talk at City College Santa Barbara
June 28, 29 - Two day workshop Santa Barbara City College - Sustainable Aid, Santa Barbara
July 1 - Part of design course with Larry Santoyo in Santa Barbara
July 2 - morning at design course
July 3,4,5 - Portland part of permaculture design course with Toby Hemenway
July 6 - San Francisco
July 7, 8, 9 - Permaculture design course in San Franscisco
July 9 - Evening travels with Penny Livingston in Bolinas
July 10 - Evening Lecture New School Santa Rosa
July 10, 11, 12, 13 - Bolinas with Penny Livingston (rest and some teaching)
July 13 - L.A

It’s called Local Solutions to the Energy Dilemma, or as one of the Speakers, Jon G. Howe put it : ‘I believe this conference will be the Mother of All Peak Oil Events and the Woodstock of Sustainability Gatherings’.

It’s taking place in NYC April 27-29. See my earlier post for the full rundown. I can promise it will be an important event.

I have a project opportunity for anyone interested in volunteering in Ecuador.

The area (hinterland of Atacames) is south of Esmeraldas in a distance education school. Kids come there for 2 weeks in every 3 and spend the other week on their farm. There is a regular teacher and farm hand and around 12 students at most.

This just in, from Jakob Jespersen:

I am working in the Jalaidh River watershed in the Siwalik Range of Nepal. The upper watershed is in a bad stage and flashfloods are frequent and fields and houses downstream are frequently flooded. The Siwalik in our watershed i primarily sand and gravel though there are also clay areas.

The area is uplifted by approx 10 mm per year. the whole upper catchment area is around 38 km2. The area is carved up by streams and in most of the area the slopes are too steep to walk and climb on. The bottom of the steam beds are cooler and wetter and especially the east west running ones have a markedly different micro climate form the area in general.

Combine travel, study and a great cultural experience in Ecuador at Rio Muchacho Organic Farm. The course is a full month of hands on, and classroom learning, it covers permaculture and other organic methods; natural farming, biodynamics etc.

Courses May, August and November. The farm is a working model of a combination of these methods.

To find out more about this unique opportunity: www.riomuchacho.com or info@riomuchacho.com