permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

John Schinnerer wrote:

> Aloha,
>
>
> > It seems to me that the correct way of formulating 
> > this would be to say "permaculture is a total 
> > concept that can use natural agriculture, 
> > terramechanics, terraforming,

Could someone repost the above reply in this thread; somehow I did not 
receive my copy.

I am in complete agreement with having permaculture represent an umbrella
discipline for all agriculture, landscape architecture, design, maintenance 
and contracting,
al of horticulture, gardening of any kind, terraforming, and any aspects of 
construction that deals with
the Earth's crust, energy use and conservation as well as renewable energy 
systems.

> I'm curious what y'all mean with the word "terraforming."

Terraforming
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Artist's conception of a terraformed Mars in three stages of development. 
(credit: Michael Carroll)
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Artist's conception of a terraformed Mars in three stages of development. 
(credit: Michael Carroll)

Terraforming (literally, "Earth-shaping") is the process of modifying a planet, moon or other body to a more habitable 
atmosphere, temperature or ecology. It is a type of planetary engineering. The term is sometimes used very broadly as a 
synonym for planetary engineering in general; see that article for related information. This article primarily focuses 
on the modification of atmospheric and thermal conditions.

The concepts of terraforming are rooted both in science fiction, and actual science. The term first appeared in a 
science-fiction novel, Seetee Shock (1949) by Jack Williamson, but the actual concept pre-dates this work. Olaf 
Stapledon's Last and First Men (1930) provides an example in fiction in which Venus is modified, after a long and 
destructive war with the original inhabitants, who naturally object to the process.

Since space exploration is in its infancy, a good deal of terraforming remains speculative. Based on what we know of our 
own world it seems possible to affect the environment in a deliberate way in order to change it, however the feasibility 
of creating an unconstrained planetary biosphere that mimics Earth on another planet has yet to be verified.

Mars is considered by many to be the most likely candidate for terraformation. Much study has gone into the possibility 
of heating the planet and altering its atmosphere. NASA has even hosted debates on the subject. However, a host of 
obstacles stand between the present and an active terraforming effort on Mars or any other world. The long timescales 
and practicality of terraforming are the subject of debate. Other unanswered questions relate to the ethics, logistics, 
economics, politics and methodology of altering the environment of an extraterrestrial world.

Still it seems appropriate to use the term "terraforming" in reference to large scale land forming or reclamation 
projects like the Sahara Project, maybe the reclaiming of the Florida Everglades. Soon it will involve terraforming to 
reclaim the USA from the ravages of pollution and chemical, diversity impoverished, monocrop & GMO - based agriculture.

> The contexts I know the word from (speculative fiction) put it IMO out 
> of synch with both ethics and design principles of permaculture.
>
> What would be some examples of "terraforming" as you intend it to be 
> understood?

Food gardens on the Moon in climate-controlled environments, closed ecosystems. I wonder if lifeforms giving off 
bioluminescence could be cultivated in some special environment (maybe a waste recycling facility) to provide a source 
of light for plant cultivation. OK, maybe this will be a GMO lifeform like the luminescent green pigs recently in the 
news - maybe some fungus or grubworm.

> Or do you just mean "earthworks" in the typical permaculture sense?

Earthworks and soil improvement through installation of well designed 
permaculture systems that lend themselves to
performing this function.