permaculture

["John Schinnerer" <john@eco-living.net>]

Aloha,

> So, for instance, with the thread on Community Gardens, we are on a course
> of talking about "permaculture" community gardens. What does "permaculture
> community garden" mean? For those who are long-term involved in Pc it
> probably has sets of elements that show fair congruence, but for someone who
> hasn't become known to us we don't have much idea about what it means for
> them and they probably don't have much idea about what it means for us.

My first thought, which I don't know that I'm fond of but it might bear
considering, sprang from your (half?) joking reference to something like
"...our community garden scores 86.5 on the PC garden scale..."

I've snagged this basic idea straight from ratings systems such as "built
green" and LEEDS, but of course we can do it better... ;-)

There could be created a list of items that would have (possibly varying)
point scores.  The items would relate permaculture ethics, principles, tools,
techniques, methods and strategies to actual community garden systems.  A
community garden could use this list (with accompanying examples and
descriptons for those newer to PC than others) to assess their community
garden in relation to PC.

And of course they would end up with some kind of numerical score...which
would best be combined with a written/visual assessment/description, including
where they scored most and least, to round out the picture.

Other thoughts...???



John Schinnerer - MA, Whole Systems Design
------------------------------------------
- Eco-Living -
Cultural & Ecological Designing
People - Place - Learning - Integration
john@eco-living.net
http://eco-living.net