Each Step is the Way – Part I
Biological Cleaning, Compost, Conservation, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, Food Forests, Food Plants - Annual, Food Plants - Perennial, Land, Rehabilitation, Swales, Trees, Waste Systems & Recycling, Waste Water, Water Harvesting — by David Perkins
Editor’s Note: David Perkins recently sat his PDC with Geoff Lawton and Darren Doherty, and has been very busy since….
Recent developments at Kailash-Akhara, Adi Yoga Retreat Center, Phu Rua, Loei, Thailand.
By David Perkins (Dharmadeva) – Farm Manager and resident permaculture designer and educator at Kailash-Akhara.
This report provides an overview of many aspects of creating a retreat center and living sustainably using the principles of permaculture. Short monthly updates will be given to keep our wider community informed.
Training Hall & Papaya
Posted on: May 1, 2009
Taking the Tragedy Out of Wildfires with Permaculture Design
Biological Cleaning, Community Projects, Conservation, Global Warming/Climate Change, Land, Plant Systems, Regional Water Cycle, Storm Water, Trees, Urban Projects, Waste Systems & Recycling, Waste Water, Water Harvesting — by Craig Mackintosh
Recent wildfires in Australia shocked the nation, and the world – killing more than 200 people, untold creatures, buildings and other property. Indeed, entire towns were razed to the ground. In the following podcast, Geoff Lawton (talking while on the road – in his true multitasking style) talks about how Permaculture can tackle this issue head on, by designing appropriate Permaculture systems around settlements that would passively and perpetually protect people and property from the kind of horrific devastation we witnessed last month.
In comparison to the cost in life and property that these fires bring, such systems would be extremely cost-effective, and if done thoughtfully could also be used to bring other benefits – beyond fire protection – to local populations, wildlife and the environment. These concepts should be urged upon your local political representative for their consideration, and not just in Australia. Climate change is causing many normally wet regions to begin to dry out and already dry areas to dry out even more – so we can expect the frequency and intensity of fires to escalate in coming years.
You can listen to the clip in its entirety here (17 min, 15.4mb MP3). To download the file, simply right-click on the link and choose ‘Save Link As’ (Firefox) or ‘Save Target As’ (Internet Explorer).
Comments (0)Posted on: March 21, 2009
Street Orchards for Community Security
Biological Cleaning, Community Projects, Conservation, Food Forests, Food Plants - Perennial, Land, Potable Water, Regional Water Cycle, Rehabilitation, Roads, Soil Conservation, Storm Water, Trees, Urban Projects, Village Development, Waste Systems & Recycling, Waste Water, Water Contaminaton, Water Harvesting — by Brad Lancaster
© Brad Lancaster, www.HarvestingRainwater.com
 Fig. 24.The heat island effect. An excessively wide, exposed, solar-oven-like residential street in Tucson, Arizona absorbs the sun’s heat during the day like a battery, then radiates it out at night. This local warming effect has raised summer temperatures in Tucson by 6°F (3°C) since the 1940s, which contributes to global warming since the higher temperatures result in people using air conditioners more, which are powered by electricity generated through the burning of coal. Note that no shade trees are planted in the public right-of-way along the street, leaving street and sidewalk baked. All runoff is drained off site leaving the development dehydrated. Reproduced with permission from “Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume 1" |
My view of public streets was radically changed when I heard ecovillage designer Max Lindigger tell a story of an insightful walk he took with his grandfather. “Look there,” said his grandfather, pointing to condominiums being built on the once forested slopes above his village in the Swiss Alps. “That’s where we grew and gathered food during the war. The forests were common land, a reserve of community resources. What commons remain? Where will we grow and gather our food in the next catastrophe?”
I then looked at my Sonoran desert city of Tucson, Arizona and asked myself, “Where are my community’s forests, our commons? Where would we get our food in times of need?”
Comments (5)Posted on: January 19, 2009
Design with Energy in Mind
Building, Energy Systems, Waste Systems & Recycling, Waste Water — by Robyn Francis
Permaculture designer, Robyn Francis (see also) looks at a variety of design strategies for using energy responsibly and sustainably.
The practical ‘down-to-earth’ farmer, gardener and layperson will often find the theories surrounding ecology and energy very heavy going, if not downright confusing. What I would like to do is offer some practical perspectives on how we can use resources responsibly.
Energy, in a holistic sense, involves much more than electricity and the use of fossil fuels, although these are certainly central to the energy issue. In permaculture design, energy and resource management are virtually synonymous and it is often difficult, if not impossible, to separate the two.
Comments (0)Posted on: November 18, 2008
Vuon – Ao – Chuong – The Traditional Vietnamese Farm
Aquaculture, Eco-Villages, Fish, Food Forests, Land, Livestock, Plant Systems, Village Development, Waste Systems & Recycling — by Nguyen Van Man
by Nguyen Van Man
VAC is an acronym formed from the three Vietnamese words Vuon, garden or orchard, Ao, fish pond, and Chuong, pigsty or poultry shed. It refers to a form of domestic agriculture in which food gardening, fish rearing and animal husbandry are wholly integrated, and stems from farming methods developed in the Red River delta of Vietnam.
The VAC system is a highly intensive method of small scale farming that makes optimal use of land, water and solar energy, achieving high economic efficiency for low capital investment. Plants are used for food, fibre, and fuel, and always products are passed into the production cycle. Developed from age old production agricultural practices, VAC farming now takes place in many regions of Vietnam, with models varying according to the terrain and the climate.
Comments (2)Posted on: October 4, 2008
Sites Unseen
Building, Land, Waste Systems & Recycling — by Mark Worthington
Making use of resources from a building site
The lifecycle of a building site can supply the observant designer with loads
of resources. Be it your own site or one nearby, there are plenty of available
materials otherwise destined for landfill.
Before work starts, designate specific areas to stockpile materials choosing
places where they won’t have to be moved until needed.
After surveyors peg the site, collect seedlings, rocks and logs before clearing
begins. Offer to do the initial clearing and stockpile resources. The bobcat
operator can be a great ally if you give instructions to keep the piles in
order on site or transport material to your place, saving a trip to the dump.
