Life at Zaytuna – Permaculture Ag Bicycle 1.0
Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, Retrofitting, Village Development — by Patrick Blampied March 18, 2010
by Patrick Blampied, who is currently interning with the Permaculture Research Institute
Since the main shed was moved up to the top of the property we’ve been running up and down in the ute more often.
Most Australian farmer use a petrol powered Ag bike to do these smaller trips but on a Permaculture farm where you don’t travel a lot of steep slopes because of the swales a pedal powered bicycle would be perfect, not to mention more environmentally friendly.
Geoff knows I like playing with bikes so he asked me if I would be able to design a bike to get us around the property. The design brief goes like this:
Comments (0)Urban Design Patterns in Melbourne
Biological Cleaning, Land, Retrofitting, Society, Urban Projects, Water Harvesting — by Dan Palmer July 4, 2009
by Dan Palmer, Very Edible Gardens
As more and more people become aware of the many reasons to provide for more of their needs at home, we are finding more and more demand for permaculture design consultancies. We are currently doing two or three in Melbourne each week, and in this article I wanted to share some of the general patterns that are emerging as we go along.
To paint a picture of the average design brief we’re faced with, though the client group is diverse, including younger couples, older couples, single house owners, and young families, almost all our clients ask for some combination of the following:
- Intensive vegie gardens for salad green and kitchen herbs
- Larger vegie gardens for tomatoes, potatoes, corn etc (or the option of adding this in future)
- Water tanks to catch, store and redistribute rain water
- Fruit trees
- Chickens
- An open area for socialising / pets / children
- Simple greywater reuse systems
- Some natives
Research From the Field
Aid Projects, Demonstration Sites, Retrofitting, Trees, Urban Projects — by Eric Seider February 20, 2009
Field Research Article: Case No. 02192009
Location: Jordan Valley Permaculture Project
Subject: Using Drip Irrigation On Mulched Trees
Observations:
Checking drippers that are buried under mulch on over 100 trees creates feelings in oneself that are not appropriate to express on such an esteemed scientific venue.
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Retrofitting Tips
Building, Energy Systems, Retrofitting — by Susanna Carpi July 14, 2008
Reprinted from ‘Earth-User’s Guide to Permaculture’
Most of us are stuck with the house we live in. What can we do to improve it? Here is a checklist of ways to retrofit a home and some good ideas to make life more comfortable.
TOO HOT IN SUMMER
Insulate ceiling
Pergola and vines
Deciduous trees
Shady verandahs
Breezeways/corridors
Solar fans
Cool air tunnels
Deciduous creepers
Shadehouse with plants
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