Convert Your Eco-Unfriendly Swimming Pool into a Biologically Active and Attractive Fish Farm!
Animal Forage, Aquaculture, Biological Cleaning, Fish, Food Plants - Perennial, Food Shortages, Natural Swimming, Plant Systems, Urban Projects — by Craig Mackintosh July 21, 2009
Could converting swimming pools into fish ponds be another way to increase food security as we head out onto peak oil’s downhill slope?
A Permaculture fish pond in development
Swimming pools get a bad rap in enviro-circles, and for good reason. They cost a great deal to construct – using a lot of CO2 intensive materials in the process – they waste huge amounts of water and energy for maintenance, use chemicals to keep them clear and ’safe’, and they take up a lot of space that could be utilised for more productive purposes (like growing veggies!). Many people also just find them a lot of work to look after, which is especially annoying when their usage is often only seasonal at best.
But, what if you’re already lumbered with a pool and are trying to make the best of the situation? Maybe it came with your property, or hindsight has kicked in after you’ve shelled out thousands to install something you almost never use…. What then?
Comments (13)GM Crops – Failure to Yield Report
Economics, Food Shortages, GMOs — by Craig Mackintosh July 20, 2009
Seeking a technological food fix for world hunger may be… the most commercially malevolent wild goose chase of the new century. – Dr Richard Horton, editor of the British medical journal, The Lancet
 Failure to Yield (PDF) |
Some companies know how to make money out of any situation of great demand. Monsanto, and other biotech industries, are certainly among these. As of 2009, more than one billion people – almost a sixth of the world’s population – are going hungry every day. As we’re heading towards a head count of around 9.2 billion people by 2050, Monsanto is boldly standing forward, claiming that it has the answers to a growing food crisis that will otherwise get worse by the year. Monsanto has an advertising campaign running – promising more food, health and prosperity. They’re promising miracles through modern biotechnology. But, does it stand up to scientific scrutiny?
Comments (1)Ringo Rides India – Mumbai Mirror Picks Up Story
Aid Projects — by Craig Mackintosh
Do you remember we introduced Ringo’s plans to travel India by Royal Enfield preaching the Pemaculture message as he rides? Well, he’s well on his way now, and the Mumbai Mirror has picked up on our Ringo’s travels:
Right, so this Aussie wants us to stop eating noodles and become a farmer? “No, mate!” he retorts. “But you can at least use open spaces such as the roof of your building or your balcony to nurture herbs and edible plants. Also, with the amount of rainfall you guys get each monsoon, try harvesting a miniscule amount of it and you can make a difference to your community,” he explains. Ringo has macro-level ideas too. “Permaculture can thrive only with the support of governments and businesses. Through creative design, Mumbai’s lakes can become intensive aquaculture systems,” he tells us. It might be impossible to make our megacity self-sufficient, but all Ringo is proposing is that with some technology and infrastructure, we can minimise the food and water woes of Mumbai’s millions. – Mumbai Mirror (click to read full article)
Ringo tells me he’ll be sending a more personal update shortly, so stay tuned….
Comments (7)Life at Zaytuna – Permaculture Noosa Monthly Meeting
Social Gatherings — by Craig Mackintosh July 18, 2009
The Cooroy Memorial Hall
Geoff was asked to speak at Permaculture Noosa’s monthly meeting, so we went along on Thursday night. The Noosa group is one of the most active in the world, and has had a special place in Geoff’s heart since he founded it in the mid 1980s.
The meeting was held in the Cooroy Memorial Hall – and with over 200 people in attendance it was a great turnout.
Comments (0)Permaculture Food Gardening Course – July 2009
Courses/Workshops, Economics, Food Shortages — by Craig Mackintosh
Geoff discusses soil structure and biology with students
Gardening is increasingly popular now as food and job security are becoming real issues, and learning from highly experienced Permaculturists is a great way to save yourself a lot of time and frustration! Our latest weekend Permaculture Food Gardening Course is underway. We have 12 students on this great two-day educational excursion – a course that aims for a 50/50 mix of class time and outdoor instruction and practice.
Comments (3)Introduction to Permaculture Design – the DVD Trailer
Courses/Workshops, DVDs/Books, Developments — by Craig Mackintosh July 17, 2009
We know a considerable amount of people have been in anticipation of this DVD – a highly watchable intro to Permaculture design principles and practise. It is the culmination of a great many hours of careful labour for award-winning video editor, animator and avid Permaculturist, Frank Gapinski. With it, we target two kinds of people: the Permaculture beginner wanting to get a grip on what Permaculture is all about from somebody who really knows his stuff, as well as the keen Permaculturist who wants to share his/her enthusiasm with friends, family and colleagues in an easy to digest form. The DVD encapsulates some of the most significant aspects of Permaculture – leaving the viewer feeling more confident about how to capably wield the design tools Permaculture utilises.
The narrator, Geoff Lawton, one of Bill Mollison’s earliest students, is one of the most respected and experienced Permaculturists today – having worked and taught in dozens of countries over the last twenty five years – and yet fully understands how to engage audiences and transmit information to people at all levels. This, combined with Frank’s expert visual wizardy, will leave viewers wanting to start their own Permaculture journey, pronto.
We had initially pre-announced this DVD several months ago, under the title ‘Permaculture for Beginners’, but after working it through the title ‘Introduction to Permaculture Design’ seemed more apt. We anticipate this will become a highly contagious tool to help spread the Permaculture message. Watch the trailer below, and keep an eye on this site for its not-too-distant release (due September).
Introduction to Permaculture Design – The Trailer
Comments (13)Life at Zaytuna: Surveying for Mullumbimby Community Gardens
Community Projects, Surveying, Swales, Water Harvesting — by Craig Mackintosh July 15, 2009
Geoff Lawton and Jennette Martin (Community Gardens Coordinator)
check the site plan before starting to survey
Today we headed east to "the biggest little town in Australia" (I don’t know how they came to take that name, but I’m sure one of our readers can enlighten us). Mullumbimby (or just ‘Mullum’ to the locals, or ‘Mumblebum’ if they’re feeling chipper), with a population of only 3,129, is a pretty little village in Byron Shire – close to the famous surfing town of Byron Bay.
Comments (4)The Roots of Change – in Ourselves, or Government and Industry?
Alternatives to Political Systems, Consumerism, Economics, Ethical Investment, Financial Management, Society — by Craig Mackintosh July 13, 2009
 “The American Frankenstein” |
I could very much relate to an article I read today, albeit with some reservations:
WOULD ANY SANE PERSON think dumpster diving would have stopped Hitler, or that composting would have ended slavery or brought about the eight-hour workday, or that chopping wood and carrying water would have gotten people out of Tsarist prisons, or that dancing naked around a fire would have helped put in place the Voting Rights Act of 1957 or the Civil Rights Act of 1964? Then why now, with all the world at stake, do so many people retreat into these entirely personal “solutions”?
Part of the problem is that we’ve been victims of a campaign of systematic misdirection. Consumer culture and the capitalist mindset have taught us to substitute acts of personal consumption (or enlightenment) for organized political resistance. An Inconvenient Truth helped raise consciousness about global warming. But did you notice that all of the solutions presented had to do with personal consumption—changing light bulbs, inflating tires, driving half as much—and had nothing to do with shifting power away from corporations, or stopping the growth economy that is destroying the planet? Even if every person in the United States did everything the movie suggested, U.S. carbon emissions would fall by only 22 percent. Scientific consensus is that emissions must be reduced by at least 75 percent worldwide. – Orion Magazine
I have heard so many people tell me that the way to change the world is for us each to change our own lifestyles. It’s all "in the simple things we do every day" they say. Take shorter showers, change your lightbulbs, keep a garden. While many pass responsibility for our present condition on politicians and faceless corporations, these lay the blame squarely at our own feet as individuals.
What is the average concerned consumer meant to do (after determining, once and for all, to stop calling himself a consumer!) – should he concentrate on only his own actions, or should he concentrate on changing the system, or both?
Comments (14)Permablitz Hysteria – Bring it On!
Community Projects, Urban Projects — by Craig Mackintosh July 12, 2009
A resurgent community spirit combined with modern Permaculture techniques is systematically transforming Australia’s back yards into edible landscapes – so why not the world?
I haven’t watched television for a really, really long time, so can’t be sure if it’s still the case, but I do remember that, for the ladies at least, shows featuring average looking people getting drop-dead gorgeous ‘makeovers’ by professional make-up artists were once pretty popular. Transfer the thought of a facial renovation over to a backyard transformation, and you get Backyard Blitz, a popular Australian television show that ran from 2000 – 2007. Now, some more eco-savvy people – like Melbourne’s Dan Palmer and some South American friends he met by chance one evening – took this concept a little further…. The result being to take useless, high maintenance, no- or low-yield cookie cutter back yards and turn them into high yield, low maintenance edible landscapes, all in one day! The name for the concept ultimately, and logically, came to be: Permablitz!
So, how would you like to see a small army of people arrive at your house one morning, not to make trouble, but to get busy turning your back yard into an aesthetic and edible oasis? And, no, don’t worry, they won’t charge you a cent! All you need to do is spend a couple of fun and educational weekends being part of this same small army – and then it’s your turn to have your yard transformed as well!
Comments (8)Our Moral Dilemma: Because We Don’t Live on an Inflatable Earth
Alternatives to Political Systems, Consumerism, Economics, Global Dimming, Global Warming/Climate Change, Society — by Craig Mackintosh July 11, 2009
The Group of Eight members have just decreed we should limit global average temperatures to no more than 2°C above what they were in the year 1900. Is it enough? And, more importantly, do we really care?
 If only it was this easy… |
If the G8’s decision were made in 2002 it would have been cause for great celebration. But, this is 2009. The time lag of political response to impending catastrophe is almost as long, or so it feels at least, as the time lag of climate change itself (see also here, here, here and here if you’re not familiar with the ‘long tail’ of greenhouse gas emissions). This latter time lag – which tells us we have yet to feel the full effects of emissions we’ve released over the last few decades – should strongly impact (i.e. shorten) the former time lag, in that politicians should be feeling the heat by way of a fire lit under their buttocks.
Comments (6)Life at Zaytuna – June 2009 PDC Comes to Close
Courses/Workshops — by Craig Mackintosh July 10, 2009
June 2009 PDC students (back two rows) and PRI interns (front row)
Click for larger view
Calm and quiet is descending once more upon the little village of Zaytuna Farm.
Sniff….
Comments (2)Carbon Offsetting – Is it Cheating?
Comedy Break, Consumerism, Economics, Global Warming/Climate Change — by Craig Mackintosh July 8, 2009
A couple of years ago I discovered a site called cheatneutral.com. I thought I’d share it with you today in case you haven’t come across it already.
At cheatneutral.com, you’re encouraged to reduce incidences of cheating on your partner, but if you cannot (for reasons beyond your control), you can offset your cheating by investing in a single celibate person, or a monogamous couple.
Comments (10)Life at Zaytuna – PRI Australia and PRI Canada Students’ Video-Conference
Courses/Workshops — by Craig Mackintosh July 7, 2009
Our entire current PDC class just got off a video conference call with their counterparts in Canada – another class doing a PDC on the other side of the globe, under the tutelage of Jesse Lemieux on Denman Island, British Columbia, Canada. (Jesse is just establishing PRI Canada, a partner organisation to PRI Australia and PRI USA.)
The two classes chatted for about twenty or so minutes, sharing info about which countries the various students represent as well as respective course experiences, and more. It was a great way to give students a taste of the global scope of Permaculture work.
This method of communication is also an excellent tool for more experienced consultants like Geoff to assist newer workers that are working on international projects and who need a little advice – particularly in combination with technologies like Google earth, which allows excellent site views for much of the world (including the ability to overlay contour maps, etc.).
Comments (1)Rich Nations Buying Up Land in Poor Countries at Escalating Rate
Consumerism, Deforestation, Economics, Food Shortages, News — by Craig Mackintosh
As concerns over food security – and maintaining a lavish lifestyle – deepen, people in poor nations are seeing their land whittled away as it gets sold to wealthy nation states and corporations.
The era of cheap food is over….
Some of us have followed the news on the recent coup d’état in Madagascar. Since January 2009 over 170 people were killed in protests before President Ravalomanana resigned as President. (Andry Rajoelina, former mayor of the capital, Antananarivo, had already declared himself the country’s leader a month earlier.) But, did you know that the actions of the South Korean car manufacturer, Daewoo, were a major rallying point for the drama?
Because of the food crisis of 2008, Daewoo negotiated to ‘develop’ 1.3 million hectares (3.2 million acres) of land on Madagascar – equivalent to almost half of the country’s arable land(!) – so they can grow corn and palm oil to send back to Korea. Much of this land is yet ‘undeveloped’, which means it is still biodiverse rich rainforest…. And, what’s more, locals in Madagascar will get nothing in return but a few new job openings from the multinational.
Comments (3)Life at Zaytuna – PDC Students Given Design Brief
Courses/Workshops, Land — by Craig Mackintosh July 6, 2009
Yasaman surveys with the laser level
We’re halfway through our latest Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course, and the students appear to be learning a lot as well as having a lot of fun along the way.
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