permaculture

["Claude Genest" <genest@together.net>]

Hi Jeff,

In response to getting a new thread going - Thanks for the idea of working
through the chapters within this forum -

I'm really hoping for some good 'ol dirt-under-the-nails type stuff from
this group.

E.G. There was recently a post in which the author describes someone's Pc
house and yard - I got more inspiration from that simple description.... How
I'd love to hear how other places are set-up and how they're operating.

-  how people have fared putting their greenhouses next to their houses and
adding chickens to the mix ?

- How long can a chicken tractor till a 1/4 acre yard before too much poop
builds up?

- Ain't it HARD to bring in them veggies reliably and abundantly enough to
call yourself self-suffcient !?! ( LEt alone "permanent" !)

AY-Ya-YAi !!

The practical nuts and bolts of beginning a design.

If we build it, they will come.

If we design our places right, we can give our culture a PLACE to establish
itself in a permanently edyfying way.

How do other single families implement designs - Is it working? How have the
design strategies begun to exert THEIR influence on the dynamics of the
family ?


I keep reading how PC's a way of seeing the landscape and "knowing" what to
do....
Well, I surely would appreciate help on aquiring that ability.

Some of the talk  in this group is too damn high-Fallutin' for a college
graduate, computer-literate, urban-refugee like me ;-) !!

Are there others out there who are getting dirty in the backyard and making
valuable mistakes with their plantings and crops ?!

Or is this forum to be reseved for the philosophers ?!

Claude in Vermont.

-----Original Message-----
From: Larry London <london@metalab.unc.edu>
To: permaculture <permaculture@franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Date: Wednesday, May 26, 1999 7:37 PM
Subject: [ecopath] Pc Design Manual - Overview (fwd)


>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Tue, 25 May 1999 07:57:02 -0700
>From: Jeff Owens <kowens@teleport.com>
>Reply-To: ecopath@csf.colorado.edu
>
>Pc Design Manual - Overview
>
>This may be the first post of a journey through the
>Permaculture Design manual.  If interest isn't indicated
>i'll drop it and move on to other things.  I don't want the
>role of teacher, so this is a discussion not a course.  If
>someone wants to assume the teacher role that is OK with
>me, but they will need to be a graduate of a Pc design
>course.
>
>The Pc manual is divided into fourteen chapters as follows:
>
> 1. Introduction
> 2. Concepts and Themes in Design
> 3. methods of Design
> 4. Pattern Understanding
> 5. Climatic Factors
> 6. Trees and their Energy Transactions
> 7. Water
> 8. Soils
> 9. Earthworking and Earth Resources
> 10. The Humid Tropics
> 11. Dryland strategies
> 12. Humid cool to cold climates
> 13. Aquaculture
> 14. Strategies of an Alternate global Nation
>
>My feeling is that some areas are abbreviated and need expansion.
>These areas include:  Cultural tools, Urban techniques,
>Transitional tools for difficult situations, and ideas about
>Pc education that fit sustainability.  Also the Pc definition and
>handling of ethics could be made less confusing.  The idea of
>expanding Pc is consistent with its loose definition (and philosophy?)
>so i view the Design Manual as a starting point.  Others may view
>it as a bible.
>
>The Preface to the Manual says: The word "permaculture" can be used
>by anybody adhering to the ethics and principles expressed herein.
>The only  restriction on the use is that of teaching; only
>graduates of a Permaculture Institute can teach "permaculture", and they
>adhere to agreed-on curriculae developed by the college of Graduates
>of the institutes of Permaculture.
>
>What i find interesting about the Preface is that it defines Pc
>in terms of natural ecosystems and ignores the role of culture.
>The word "permaculture" is called a contraction of Permanent and
>Agriculture.  Since the date on my book is 1988 i assume the data
>is now a little out of date.  Another book which goes into design
>is the "Earth User's Guide to Permaculture" and it says:
>
>  Today, there are many definitions of permaculture.  The
>  early definitions dealt with permanence; later
>  definitions concentrate on sustainable human settlements.
>
>I'm not sure exactly what this quote is saying, but soon after
>the word "community" was used and this leads me to believe they
>are acknowledging the role of culture/community in sustainability.
>My bias is that culture should be about half of a Pc Design manual
>and its absence is a huge hole.
>
>The preface also acknowledges the role of David Holmgren in helping
>develop the initial ideas behind Pc.  This is interesting because
>Holmgren sometimes gives a different viewpoint and the
>Design Manual seems to be all Mollisons creation.
>
>Comments on the contents?  Other areas which are ignored by the
>Design Manual?  Thoughts about the difference between a course
>and a discussion?
>
>jeff
>
>
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