Life at Zaytuna – June 2009 PDC Begins
Courses/Workshops, News — by Craig Mackintosh
A lily blooms on the dam. Photos copyright © Craig Mackintosh
In between classes, students get to enjoy the beautiful environs at Zaytuna.
What better way to stimulate the mind on the topic at hand: how to work with nature.
This year we’re running less courses than usual, only because we hope to soon concentrate on the construction of several new straw bale student cabins that will improve facilities and enlarge capacity for subsequent courses. But, our scheduled June Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) Course has just got underway and is off to a great start.
Comments (0)Posted on: June 30, 2009
Monsanto Runs Into Wall. Yes!!
Consumerism, Food Shortages, GMOs, Health & Disease, News — by Craig Mackintosh
 Say NO to Monsanto, GMOs, and the patenting of life |
The frustration about this company – Monsanto – and others like it has been running higher and higher over the last few years. (The free flow of information on the internet is a wonderful thing in this regard – corporate-bought media is no longer our only news option….) I think it may well be the most hated corporation on the web and on popular user-driven sites like Digg and Reddit. I would personally take great pleasure in seeing their buildings worldwide bulldozed and their fields razed – leaving behind only stone statue memorials that celebrate the greed and stupidity of man.
Today, however, I can share a beacon of hope. Read on!
Comments (8)Posted on: June 27, 2009
Update on Shell Lawsuit
News, Society, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Water Contaminaton — by Craig Mackintosh
I know many of you will be wondering what happened in the Wiwa vs. Shell case I wrote about recently, as they were scheduled for a June 3 pre-trial conference, and that date has now long passed.
Well, Shell kept delaying and there were no reasons given. Now, however, we see what was going on behind the scenes – Shell was deliberating over an out of court settlement of 15.5 million dollars, which the plaintiffs ultimately accepted.
Comments (2)Posted on: June 16, 2009
Southern Baja – Unique and Universal Water Challenges
Conservation, Courses/Workshops, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education Centres, News, Water Harvesting — by Andrew Jones
The Baja Peninsula forms an unusual geographic feature – running about 800 miles as the crow flies from the Mexico/California border at Tijuana down to the holiday and fishing port of Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip.
Comments (0)Posted on: June 6, 2009
The Video Shell Doesn’t Want You to See
Consumerism, Economics, News, Society, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Water Contaminaton, peak oil — by Craig Mackintosh
Photo credit: Ed Kashi
The video below was originally displayed on wiwavshell.org – the website for the plaintiffs filing a law suit against the oil giant Royal Dutch Shell – but was removed by court order after legal motions were filed by the multinational. Thanks to YouTube, however, the video has a new lease of life and has at time of typing been viewed over 65,000 times since being uploaded two weeks ago. It’s a decent introduction to the atrocities committed by the corporation in collusion with the Nigerian government and its military, spotlighting their determined efforts to put down a peaceful and popular movement by the citizens of Nigeria against the violent, corporate control and destruction of their lives, land and resources.
Comments (3)Posted on: June 4, 2009
Following up on PRI USA’s First PDC on Molokai
Courses/Workshops, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education Centres, News — by Jill Ross
by Jill Ross, Co-host/Lunch Lady
Yes, it’s official! April 11th, on the beautiful island of Molokai, the Permaculture Research Institute USA completed its first Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course. With the enthusiasm of a student himself, instructor Andrew Jones passed out certificates to 13 budding permaculturists.
PDC students, instructor and convenors
Posted on: June 1, 2009
The ‘Sustainable (R)evolution’ Book Project
Aid Projects, Alternatives to Political Systems, Bio-regional Organisations, Commercial Farm Projects, Community Projects, DVDs/Books, Demonstration Sites, Eco-Villages, Education Centres, News, People Systems, Urban Projects, Village Development — by Craig Mackintosh
Have you ever wished, when explaining to someone about permaculture, you had a visual, easily accessible book that demonstrated what it is all about, and what the world could look like if permaculture design systems became mainstream thinking?
We’ll – we’re making that book.
The Permaculture Research Institute is getting behind a project that would see the creation of a large format book that profiles, with creative writing and quality photographs, some of the many successful Permaculture projects underway around the world. The purpose of this page is to solicit your help with the same.
The final version is unlikely to look like this, but it gives you an idea….
Posted on: May 7, 2009
Earth Policy Institute Press Teleconference – How Food Shortages Could Bring Down Civilization
Conferences, Consumerism, Economics, Food Shortages, Global Warming/Climate Change, News, Population, Presentations/Demonstrations, Society, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Water Contaminaton — by Earth Policy Institute
Teleconference: Thursday, April 23, 11:00 AM EDT
Environmental Analyst Lester Brown: How Food Shortages Could Bring Down Civilization
Washington, DC — On Thursday, April 23, 2009, at 11 a.m. EDT, environmental analyst Lester Brown will discuss how food shortages could be the weak link that brings down civilization. In an article featured in the May issue of Scientific American, Brown reveals that the biggest threat to global political stability is the potential for food crises in poor countries to cause government collapse. Those crises are brought on by rising demand and ever worsening environmental degradation.
Comments (0)Posted on: April 21, 2009
Obama’s Organic Example Sets Cat Amongst Corporate Pigeons
Biodiversity, Demonstration Sites, Developments, GMOs, News, Soil Erosion & Contamination — by Craig Mackintosh
Recently I shared how Michelle Obama was planning to plant a garden on the White House lawn – thrilling the many people that lobbied for them to do exactly that. Later we learned that, as we dearly hoped, the garden would be organic.
On top of this, the First Lady also named chef Sam Kass to head the White House Food Initiative. Mr Kass happens to have a good understanding of what we and our children should be ingesting. This is all great press for chemical-free agriculture and food.
But…
Comments (0)Posted on: April 17, 2009
Calling for Volunteers for IPC9 and the Permaculture Centre, Malawi, Africa
Conferences, Courses/Workshops, Developments, News, Presentations/Demonstrations, Project Positions, Social Gatherings — by Craig Mackintosh
The ninth International Permaculture Conference (IPC) and Convergence is inching closer. Previous conferences have been held in Australia, USA, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Nepal, Croatia and Brazil. This time it will run from November 2-6 in Malawi, Africa (Kumbali Village, Lilongwe), and will include site tours of Permaculture projects in Malawi, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The theme for IPC9 is "Plan Africa – Food & Empowerment".
There are a few volunteer positions for this event that need filling. If you’ll be free during this period and would like to help make the IPC9 a success for the people of Africa and the wider international community by getting constructively involved in this exciting work, please click here (PDF) to read about these interesting posts and to find out how to apply.
Comments (2)Posted on:
Food Forests Across America Campaign Hits the Airwaves
Consumerism, Food Forests, Food Shortages, News, Presentations/Demonstrations — by Craig Mackintosh
Food Forests Across America: it’s more than just a wonderful concept – it’s a campaign. If you missed our recent post on this, do check it out.
Eric’s latest news is that tomorrow – Monday April 6th at 8pm Pacific Standard Time – the campaign will hit the airwaves by way of a one and a half hour call-in talkback show on Visionary Culture Radio with Laura Fox. Special guests on the show include:
- Erik Ohlsen – Founder & Director – Permaculture Earth Artisans
- Ethan Roland – Founder & Director – AppleSeed Permaculture
- Marisha Auerbach – Founder & Director – Herb ‘n Wisdom
- Max Meyers – Director – Mendocino Ecological Learning Center
- Jay Ma – Co-Founder, Director of Programs & Development – Living Mandala
- John Valenzuela – Veteran Permaculture Designer, Educator & Consultant
You have the opportunity to call in and get involved in the discussion, or just listen in online. Click here for full details on how to do so.
Comments (0)Posted on: April 6, 2009
PRI Training Centre Development Plans Approved
Aid Projects, Courses/Workshops, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education Centres, News — by Craig Mackintosh
 Zaytuna Farm |
Good news people! We’ve just received local council approval on our development plans, which means we can move forward with our intention to improve the facilities and increase the capacity of our Permaculture training facility at PRI headquarters at Zaytuna Farm, close to The Channon village, in Northern NSW, Australia.
Up until now, accommodation for courses has been camping only, and facilities have been somewhat rudimentary. Once this development is complete we’ll have improved facilities for the campsite and five straw bale cabins as well!
I’ll put the design plans below so you can check ‘em out.
Comments (6)Posted on: April 4, 2009
Michelle Obama Begins Kitchen Garden on White House Lawn
Alternatives to Political Systems, Consumerism, Demonstration Sites, Economics, Food Shortages, News, Urban Projects — by Craig Mackintosh
Here’s a little more on arguably the best news to come out of politics this year:
And, word around the campfire is that the garden will be organic. You can see a garden plan here. It’s not exactly a food forest, but it’s a great start! Congratulations to all who lobbied the Obamas on this issue. Here’s hoping this little garden will bring the intended results – inspiring millions to do the same.
Comments (2)Posted on: March 26, 2009
Vote for Change!
DVDs/Books, Developments, News — by Craig Mackintosh
Dear Reader
If you’d like to do something tangible to work against the kind of madness outlined in the preceding post, then please click here to vote for positive change.
If we receive enough votes we’ll secure additional funding to enable a small team of writers and photographers (including myself) and a videographer to do the following:
- Create a book profiling successful Permaculture projects worldwide
- Create a documentary of the same
- Create a website and organisation to promote Permaculture and the above book and documentary
The results of this work can help inspire a whole generation of citizens (and hopefully politicians) with the potential found in harnessing the synergies of biological systems to solve a myriad environmental and social problems.
Note: Feel free to add your comments to the page you’ll arrive to via the ‘click here’ link above – but whatever you do, click on the voting button at far right of the screen. This needs to be done now, as the competition ends today (we only found out about it today, so forgive the short notice). You’ll be asked to sign up, but it literally only takes a few seconds to do so. Thanks in advance for promoting this worthy endeavour.
Sincerely
Craig
Editor/Photojournalist
Posted on: March 19, 2009
Prince Charles Gets Up Close and Personal With Permaculture
News — by Craig Mackintosh
HRH Prince Charles is famously organic. Since the early 1980s he has been an avid environmentalist, culminating in the early 1990s with his launching his own brand of organic products (Duchy Originals). Amongst his outspoken opinions he is adamant that GMOs, industrial agriculture and corporate control of our food supply will only end in disaster.
Amongst other noble endeavours, Prince Charles has taken a keen interested in helping the people of the Amazon forest, and after hearing about the work of the Instituto Permacultura da Amazonia (IPA), he secretly arranged a site visit under heavy security conditions.
You can click here to see a pic of the Prince standing next to world renowned Permaculturist, Ali Sharrif (left), and Carlos Miller (right), an amazing permaculturist who had previously been IPA’s director.
Go Prince Charles!!
Now, if we can just get Obama, Putin, Brown, Hu Jintao, Nicolas Sarkozy, and a bunch more to start checking out our work, things could start moving!
Thanks to Wesley Roe of the Santa Barbara Permaculture Network for the heads up on this story.
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