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permaculture - [permaculture] Where is the Focus on Energy and Housing as Permaculture Designers in temperate climates? - Is not NA & UK in a major energy transition away from Gas?

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  • From: Harold Waldock <haroldw@alternatives.com>
  • To: "Permaculture@Lists. Ibiblio. Org" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Where is the Focus on Energy and Housing as Permaculture Designers in temperate climates? - Is not NA & UK in a major energy transition away from Gas?
  • Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2003 21:18:00 -0700


I am concerned that discussion on this list revel too much in trivialities:

The largest percent of English speaking permaculture people (90%?) of all
English speaking people - the audience of this list live in cold & cool and
warm temperate (Mediterranean) climates: NA, Europe, Southern Australia
(where most Australians live), NZ and SA.

For Temperate climates, Bill Mollison in the Global Gardener Video said,
(paraphrase), "50% of PC (in temperate climates) is about housing." Yet I
hear very little about this on this list.

In the Permaculture Design Manual Bill writes that the first action and
priority in the design of the land is for energy production for temperate
locations. Yet in terms of discussion I find little directly covering that
on this list.

Bill Mollison and David Holmgren emphasise that energy design is key to PC
design and that once our energy design is well worked out then other issues
are easier.

Finally, the Energy Transition that started with the California Energy
Crisis has not gone away in NA. The UK does not relish getting gas from
Russia or oil from the Middle East. Last year and this year there was a
decline in natural gas production and I learnt about it in February. There
is no expected increase in nat. gas supply NA ever even with Alaska &
Mackenzie pipelines, African Imports because by the time the pipelines and
LNG terminals are built (7+ years) the domestic production will be down a
whole bunch and can't be made up by these relatively small gas sources - the
decline is steady 2% a year from a large quantity. It is quite a shock to
learn that it happened 10 years earlier than estimated. I was not quite
ready for this.

Alberta is going to cut 2% of its gas production for a net drop of as much
as 4%. Only 2 basins of 7 are increasing production and all are mature
except the Atlantic Offshore production. Canada is decreasing production.
While high oil prices encourage high gas prices there are lots of consumers
who can't switch to oil. Oil prices will dip in the future until the Middle
East has another war as Iraq comes goes back into production. Here in BC
Canada our gas prices have increased by 100% in 3 years and will have to
match the wholesale increases over 5 years of 300%+ in the next few years as
the long term low price supply contracts end. Here in BC we also have 21%
increase over 3 years in electrical rates starting next year. (Californians
might sniff at current rates of CN$0.0577/kwhr in BC) But this is Canada
where it is often cold and dark - (1st fall frost date in Saskatchewan
August 1st) Cheap energy is ending here.

This transition is not an easy thing to do, creates much dislocation and
unemployment along the way. What are we working on in this list to remedy
this? What discussions are we having? Are we focussing on what we know
about the culture? How will we as PCers become mainstream if we don't care
for our neighbour's greatest needs?

In terms of our urban culture edible/ecological landscaping is quite a low
priority for most. Food is low on the list of expenditures in Canada. At
6-7% of household budget, food in Canada is the lowest percentage cost in
the world. High is housing, heating, energy and transport.
In terms of good community economic development food is not a major issue.
If I host a talk on permaculture and gardens 14 come. If I talk about
housing 55 will come and pack the room. Housing is the issue here. And the
single biggest on going expense of housing is heating and power. These
priorities are quite different than sub tropical Australia where
Permaculture has deep roots and a is well thought out for the situations
there. There the fuel costs are double NA and food costs double than NA.
So the issues for NA (and UK which is having their first gas production
decline this year) are quite different. Bill wrote and spoke that our
priorities must be of the people we work for as each people and place have
different priorities. However, the same PC principles can be applied across
all systems. In other words, we must make an analysis and bring relevant
solutions to the culture, place and times. We can't copy Australian PC
exactly.

Members of this list! Wake up! High heating fuel costs and winter is coming
and it will be a cold one for some if we don't get out there with solutions
for the problems of today.

I'm saying there are many jobs waiting in energy efficiency and energy
production. What are PC Designers doing about it? Are we offering and
delivering solutions that people need? Is the integration we do accurate?
Is it the right mix?

I propose that people on this list get on to the fundamental topics of
permaculture. The hard design questions of Energy and Housing among a
handful of others.

Harold Waldock
Vancouver Permaculture Network
Yarrow Ecovillage Cooperative Society
haroldw@alternatives.com





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