permaculture

[" Mike Smith auhicmds@ibmmail.com LISTENV - HICNET" <auhice4c@ibmmail.com>]

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Hi,
My name is Mike Smith and I am the editor of several environment newsletters
in Australia (full list of other functions at end of this message).  The






purpose of this document is to introduce myself, ask a whole lot of questions
that I am desperate for answers on and find out if people are aware of the
Permaculture concept and if there is any interest in setting up a list for
this topic.  Permaculture is described below in more detail.

I am new to the net, and I only have EMail access.  This makes it hard to find
out about discussion lists, so I don't know of any Permaculture lists that may
exist already, so:

Q1.  Does anybody know of any Permaculture lists.  If so please reply to
     <auhicmds@ibmmail.com>

I am in the process of finding out about lists on topics that relate to
Permaculture which is a very wide field.  Instead of trying to give an
exhaustive list of subject areas, here are some fields I am interested in:

    The Environment          Ecology                   Sustainable Agriculture
    Community Building       Project Finance           Ongoing Projects
    Community Aid            Sustainability            Self-help
    Community Forestry       Bio-regionalism           LETS
    Organics                 Healthy Cities            Alternative Economics
    Enviro Ethics            Agric. History            Urban Planning
    Waste Management         Recycling                 Energy
    Enviro Education         Water Purification        Economic Regionalism
    Population Growth        Landscape Architec        Town Planning
    Enviro Investment        Food Production           Enviro Contamination
    Green Business           Legislative Inititives

If you can post this message on an appropriate forum or discussion list I will
be grateful.
__________________________
Permaculture - What is it?

The sad reality is that we are in danger of perishing from our own stupidity
and lack of personal responsibility to life.  If we become extinct because of
factors beyond our control, then we can at least die with pride in ourselves,
but to create a mess in which we perish by our own inaction makes nonsense of
our claims to consciousness and morality.

Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is the concious design and maintenance of
agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and
resilience of natural ecosystems.  It is the harmonious integration of
landscape and people providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material
and non-material needs in an ecologically sustainable way.  The concept can be
applied to a balcony garden, an urban backyard, community gardens or even
broadacre farming.

The philosophy behind permaculture is one of working with, rather than against
nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather that protracted and
thoughtless action; of looking at systems in all their functions, rather than
asking only one yield of them; and of allowing systems to demonstrate their
own evolutions.

The permaculture movement has no central structure, but rather a strong sense
of shared work.  Everybody is free to act as an individual, to form a small
group, or to work within any other organisation.  We cooperate with many other
groups with diverse beliefs.  Our approach includes good practices from many
disciplines and systems, and offers them as an integrated whole.

The concept was first developed in 1974 by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in






Tasmania, Australia.  There are now groups in over eighty countries connected
by an association based upon education, sharing information and providing
tangible assistance.  Many books have been published on this subject, ranging
in size and detail from the main text "Designer's Manual" (576 pages), to 
small
booklets.

Enlightened self-interest leads us to evolve ethics of sustainable and
sensible behaviour.  These then are the ethics expressed in permaculture.
Having evolved ethics, we can devise ways to apply them to our lives,
economies, gardens, land and nature.  This is what permaculture is about: the
mechanisms of mature ethical behaviour, or how to act to sustain the earth.

Q3.  Are people interested in a Net Permaculture Journal.  Something you can
     subscribe to or which might be sent out to existing lists on a regular
     basis?  Please reply to <auhicmds@ibmmail.com>

I offered to start one up last year but committments made this impossible.  My
apologies to those who expressed interest.

Q4.  Would anybody be interested in colaborating on a project to produce a
     Network Permaculture Journal.  Perhaps by forming an international
     editorial group to work on it.  Please reply to <auhicmds@ibmmail.com>


Regards,

Mike SMith

My Hat Collection:
   Convenor, Permaculture ACT (PACT) - ACT=Australian Capital Territory
   Editor, The Mulch (Monthly Journal of Permaculture ACT), hardcopy
   Editor, Net Permaculture Newsletter (??? project being initiated???)
   Treasurer, Australian Centre for Ecologically Sustainable Systems (ACESS)
   National E-Mail Administrator, Health Insurance Commission, Australia

You can contact me on:
   Internet........auhicmds@ibmmail.com
   X.400...........G=Mike S=Smith P=ausgovhic A=ibmx400 C=au
   Snail Mail......10/6 Antis St, Phillip  ACT  2606, Australia
   Pager...........+ 61 6 269 0425
   Voice...........+ 61 6 203 6040
   Home............+ 61 6 285 2786
_____________________________________________________________________________
       If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem
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