Joe Jenkins Helps Handle Humanure in Haiti
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Compost, Rehabilitation, Waste Systems & Recycling — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor March 31, 2011
Joe Jenkins isn’t afraid of nutrients, in whatever form they may come. He’s a champion of turning waste from being a problem to being a solution instead; a resource, in point of fact. Many of you will be familiar with his Humanure Handbook. If not, you should!
Perhaps few places in the world are in need of nutrient cycling solutions as urgently as Haiti.
Below is a three-part video series covering the work of Joe and others to help restore some sanity to sanitation in the beleaguered island nation.
Humanure Compost Training in Haiti — Part I
Sea Water Farming
Aquaculture, Community Projects, Fish, Food Plants - Annual, Food Plants - Perennial, Land, Plant Systems — by Oyvind Holmstad March 30, 2011
The two videos below are much about scaling up mangrove systems for sustainable sea water farming, done in a true permaculture spirit from which both people and nature benefit. Sadly this is in stark contrast to industrial aquaculture, where they throw cheap energy on unsustainable systems to maximize profit.
Today mangroves are disappearing fast. Thirty-five percent of mangrove ecosystems disappeared between 1980 and 2000, according to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. Shrimp farms have been a primary cause of mangrove loss, as well as urbanization and agriculture. This is why the message from The Seawater Foundation is of such an importance, as they show how to change and provide hope for the future.
Greening Eritrea — Part 1
Observations and Interactions at the Jordan Valley Permaculture Project (aka ‘Greening the Desert – the Sequel’)
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Compost, Conservation, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Earth Banks, Education Centres, Food Forests, Food Plants - Annual, Food Plants - Perennial, Irrigation, Land, Plant Systems, Project Positions, Rehabilitation, Salination, Structure, Swales, Terraces, Urban Projects, Water Harvesting — by Christian Douglas
Is it any wonder with daily reminders of the widening disparity between exponential population growth and water and food scarcity, so many of us begin to question the possibility of long term sustainable human habitation on the planet? Being a constant witness to damage caused by modern agricultural practices — motivated and driven largely by corporate greed — is proof enough that our ineffective systems have to change and come back into balance. My recent post in Jordan opened my eyes to this reality more than ever before.
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Permaculture Taking Off in Hawaii
Biodiversity, Community Projects, Deforestation, Land, Plant Systems, Regional Water Cycle, Soil Erosion & Contamination, Swales, Village Development, Water Contaminaton & Loss — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor March 28, 2011
The Permaculture Research Institute USA has partnered with Sust`ainable Molokai to embark on the bold mission of permeating the Hawaiian Islands with permaculture goodness. Traditional Hawaiian agricultural systems, before the arrival of Europeans, were ingenious and sustainable. Indeed, their ahupua`a systems, known as high island ‘Ohana’ systems to permaculturists, are one of the few truly sustainable agricultural systems ever known — an awesome legacy that should instill pride and purpose in modern-day islanders. Unfortunately, the last century, in particular, is seeing multiple major threats to the island state’s unique ecology — soil erosion, biodiversity loss, and Hawaii has become Big Biotech’s GMO test capital of the world (see video at very bottom of post).
But permaculturists are fighting back, as you’ll see:
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The Sacred Suenos Andean Regeneration Project, Ecuador
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Education Centres, Project Positions, Village Development — by Isaac Harkness March 25, 2011
Some days, says Yves, it’s like this, “dammit, the donkey just stepped on my foot and the goats ate my broccoli, but damn, look at that sunset!” Not too long ago, I had the opportunity to volunteer on Yves’ and Jen’s Sacred Suenos project. It is located on a mountainside near Vilcabamba in southern Ecuador. Using permaculture principles and methods as the overarching guiding force, they are regenerating the land. Oh, and by the way, it’s being done on the budget of a local farmer, and it’s a two-hour walk from the nearest road.
Comments (6)Sutures in the City
Community Projects, Eco-Villages, Economics, Food Forests, Food Plants - Annual, People Systems, Plant Systems, Society, Urban Projects, Village Development — by Adrian Buckley March 22, 2011
This article’s about where, I think, the best place to invest our energy toward creating positive change lies in repairing community and the planet. We all have the power to be just as positive an influence on this planet as we are the negative element many environmentalists make us out to be. The thing is, the power of being positive is truly empowering; feeling negative is totally disempowering. Read on and learn about the case for making positive impact, and a strategy for doing so. This article starts off pretty stark, but I promise, you’ll reach the end of this post hopefully as charged as I am writing it!
Permaculture in Public Spaces
Alternatives to Political Systems, Aquaculture, Biological Cleaning, Community Projects, Conservation, Courses/Workshops, Land, People Systems, Village Development — by Lindsay Dailey March 19, 2011
Lake County, California, is a rural area on the edge of the San Francisco Bay Area. Though it’s surrounded by extremely wealthy areas, Lake County is unique; it is one of the least densely populated counties in the state of California, with one of the highest rates of poverty and unemployment. The agricultural industries that once thrived in the area are mostly gone, and most people struggle to earn a livelihood.
Leave it to the permaculturalists to find opportunity in this seemingly barren edge! And there is indeed permaculture activity on the rise, in the most unlikely of places… the county government.
Comments (1)Haiti Earthship Community Design Proposal
Aid Projects, Building, Community Projects, Waste Systems & Recycling — by William Redwine March 17, 2011
Michael Reynolds has been doing some great things with his Earthship Movement. One example is that after the earthquake hit Haiti, he and his colleagues went to help the people by building environmentally sound, affordable, disaster-proof dwellings. With the experience of working in Haiti they have come up with a brilliant design for one of the ways they can really help Haitians — being that it has been over a year now and still over a million people are living in tents and malaria and cholera are now prevalent. This design is loosely based on permaculture principles as all Earthship Biotecture is.
If you are in a donating mood this is the project you should donate to. It is actually getting things done on the ground in Haiti and really helping the Haitian people help themselves, unlike many of the initiatives there.
You can keep up with Earthship’s progress at their YouTube channel which is updated often with videos of ongoing projects.
Comments (1)Permaculture in One of the Most Densely Populated Cities in the World
Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Society, Urban Projects, Village Development — by Anton Lo March 16, 2011
Why Hong Kong Could Prove Pivotal for the Future of Sustainability
Hong Kong skyline
Photo by Felipe Diez
Seeing permaculture practiced in Hong Kong is extremely exciting because of what Hong Kong’s location, culture, and history mean for getting permaculture out to the world. The city had, until recently, the busiest port in the world (since superseded by Shanghai). It is a great travel hub in Asia for not only businessmen but also thousands of other travelers passing through each day. Those who stay can get a taste of the tremendous crowds in Hong Kong’s metropolitan areas, where some of the highest population densities in the world make for an experience that is both exhilarating and exhausting. Taking a short ferry ride to outlying islands or heading into the new territories, on the other hand, yields lush greenery that feels a world apart from the densely built environs of the city, for not only is Hong Kong a meeting point for the East and the West, it is also the concrete world where man interfaces with the natural world. We’ve all heard the cliché about the juxtaposition of east and west, old and new. However, Hong Kong does it in a way that’s convincing, where one does not have to win out over the other, and where both seem comfortable coexisting.
Comments (6)O-Farm Community Gardens, Hong Kong
Community Projects, Food Shortages, People Systems, Social Gatherings, Society, Urban Projects, Village Development — by Geoff Lawton March 10, 2011
O-Farm Hong Kong is championed by PDC graduate Yip Tsz Shing. It is a wonderful community garden where very small spaces, just a few metres (8 square metres on average), are rented by Hong Kong residents.
Some may travel up to an hour and a half each way to come and garden fresh organic food and have social interaction with other community gardeners.
Comments (2)Wa`a Moloka`i: Island-Sized Food Security Through a 21st Century Living Canoe
Community Projects, Courses/Workshops, Food Plants - Annual, Food Plants - Perennial, Medicinal Plants, Plant Systems, Seeds, Swales — by Nichole Ross March 9, 2011
Original Atrwork by Anthony Dohanos of Pahoa, Hawaii
Food security and canoes go hand-in-hand in Hawaii. When the Hawaiian Islands were first settled around 750 A.D., and for many generations after that, Polynesian voyagers stocked their massive double-hauled canoes with specific crops necessary for colonization. While a wide variety of plants and trees were already growing when early settlers arrived, the food plants that we have come to know as “traditional” were not. Vine cuttings, root stock, crowns, sprouts, slips, shoots and seeds all had to be carefully prepared, packed and loaded into canoes for long journeys across the unforgiving Pacific Ocean if settlers were to be able to survive on the new land.
Comments (3)National Permaculture Day – Sunday May 1st, 2011
Community Projects, Conferences, Courses/Workshops, Presentations/Demonstrations, Social Gatherings — by Penny Pyett March 5, 2011
Dear Permies
Australia’s National Permaculture Day (NPD) this year will be Sunday May 1st . (Although some events will start on Sat of that weekend.) It is definitely off to a great start as we, Permaculture Sydney North, (PSN) were successful in receiving a grant for $19,715 for the day, from the Commonwealth Govt Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry. The "Community Action Grant" is to promote sustainable agriculture in both urban and rural environments, conserving bio-diversity and the environment. The grant is for promotion and publicity of the event — production of materials, a short you-tube promo video etc, and a small contribution to administration and co-ordination of the big day. This in and of itself was a big achievement.
Comments (5)ACTED Looking for Permaculture Manager for Pakistan Relief
Aid Projects, Community Projects, Global Warming/Climate Change, Project Positions — by ACTED March 4, 2011
© ACTED 2010
Contract: Fixed Term
Duration: 10 months
Starting Date: ASAP
Location: Sindh, Pakistan
Background on ACTED
ACTED is an independent international, private, non-partisan and non-profit organization that operates according to principles of strict neutrality, political and religious impartiality, and non discrimination.
ACTED was created in 1993 to support populations affected by the conflict in Afghanistan. Based in Paris, France, ACTED now operates in 28 countries worldwide, with over 200 international and 3000 national staff. ACTED has a 62 million € budget for over 240 projects spanning 8 sectors of intervention; including emergency relief, food security, health promotion, economic development, education & training, microfinance, local governance & institutional support, and cultural promotion.
Comments (3)The Ancient Taberna in a Future World
Biodiversity, Building, Community Projects, Consumerism, Eco-Villages, Economics, Markets & Outlets, People Systems, Social Gatherings, Society, Village Development — by Oyvind Holmstad
Ladakh, India
All photographs © Craig Mackintosh
A taberna (plural tabernae) was a single room shop covered by a barrel vault within great indoor markets of ancient Rome. Each taberna had a window above it to let light into a wooden attic for storage and had a wide doorway. A famous example is the Markets of Trajan in Rome, Italy built in the early 1st century by Apollodorus of Damascus.
According to the Cambridge Ancient History, a taberna was a “retail unit" within the Roman Empire and furthermore was where many economic activities and many service industries were provided, including the sale of cooked food, wine and bread. – Wikipedia
Some people claim that the Markets of Trajan was the world’s first shopping mall. But there is a difference to today’s malls. Trajan’s Market was beautiful and it offered ingenious personal services and variety, something which is rare today. I’ve yet to see a beautiful shopping mall built in the era of consumerism. Those few nice examples are all reused train stations and so on, from a lost time. No, the Trajan Market was not at all like today’s ’supermarkets’ — it was a superb market!
Comments (1)Help Us Give You What You Want
Aid Projects, Commercial Farm Projects, Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education Centres, Ethical Investment, Networking Sites, People Systems, Social Gatherings, Society, Urban Projects, Village Development — by Craig Mackintosh PRI Editor March 3, 2011
Do you really understand what the Worldwide Permaculture Network is all about?
The WPN represents many months of work. Now is your chance to pitch in a little, and directly benefit with improved functionality and more capabilities. |
In a world seemingly gone mad, permaculture is reinvigorating countless individuals worldwide – giving them hope by giving them tools (knowledge) to equip them to live free, secure, healthy and happy. The Worldwide Permaculture Network (WPN) is an outgrowth of this trend. Indeed, the WPN itself becomes a giant toolbox, where all the members’ knowledge can be shared amongst each other!!
Scenario(s): Imagine if you’re living in, say, a residential urban home, and are looking at ways to increase your resiliency and sustainability. Then, imagine if you could search a database of thousands of like-minded souls, filtering the results to constrain them to just people in similar circumstances as your own – i.e. ‘urban’, ‘residential’.
Then, why not drop in a climate zone filter to get even more relevant results?
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