permaculture

[Wesley Roe and Santa Barbara Permaculture Network <lakinroe@silcom.com>]

Declan Kennedy about Bill Mollison/facbook translated from German 
I am mourning my friend bill mollison.
One of the most important approaches to networking environmental measures - 
from the individual house or smaller settlements to the planning of entire 
regions - we learned enough - my wife margrit Kennedy and I-1981, and brought 
him a year later from Australia to Europe. This approach is called " 
Permaculture " (approximately " Duration-culture ", from the mating of the 
English words permanent agriculture) and transmits the principles closed 
ecological cycles in nature on the planning of human settlements. This was 
the initial spark for us by Bill Mollison, the 1981 of us, at the instigation 
of rudolf doer, had invited to Berlin. Bill Mollison had this ecological 
concept in the 70 s, along with David Holmgren in Australia, and was 
developed by his lectures since the early 80 s, more and more followers in 
the world for it.

After about ten years 1982-92 very closely with bill mollison worked 
together, had our paths began in the early 90 s, but the joy was great, as we 
are at the beginning of June 2005 In the historic town of montovun in istria, 
at the 7. International Permaculture meeting once again able to see. I had 
along with some other participants at the meeting just sepp holzers 
permaculture project in Austria and was visited with you about ljubljana to 
istria. Although I bill now for almost 24 years knew and sepp holzer just one 
day, surprised me the resemblance and at the same time, the contrast between 
these two men. Similar to the " Agri-Rebels " as a creative practitioners, in 
her " gardening with nature ", in your discerning bull calf, their tell joy 
and her charisma, men who are innovative, far-sighted and practically at the 
same time, as long as the problems Have dedicated themselves to you, until 
you saw for your respective klimagebiet lasting environmental solutions were 
found. The contrast was for me in the concentration on his project at holzer 
that just was 64 years old, while mollison despite his old age, with 78 still 
the same global openness with which he had over the decades, the we Always 
knew back on new projects had gotten involved.

I would like to now, however, my friendship with bill mollison, of me - 
especially at the beginning - very generous to share his experience, has a 
man for a friend, and teacher was an uncomfortable visionary in Canada in 
1982 One of the largest and most successful permaculture meetings in North 
America, founded the motto: "think globally - act locally".
Born In 1928 in Australia, he lived from his 15. To 28. Years of age, alone 
in the Australian Bush, and worked as a trapper, lumberjack, fishermen and 
bauer - often together or in close neighborly relationship with the 
indigenous Australians - the Australian indigenous people. From that time he 
had a wealth of stories, all of you, to which he told, enthusiastic. From the 
kängeruh-hunting, in which the aborigines with the animals contact recordings 
and you have given your appreciation, as well as the need for you to kill, to 
an animal to the hunter, feet. Or from the history with the black swans, the 
bill was watching and then came to him, and in a circle around him into 
action. Always there were stories, the man and nature in the deep contact and 
harmony with each other, showed something in our western civilization barely 
exists.

After Bill found out that this civilization the territories of the 
Aborigines, more and more destroyed, he began - in order to stop this 
development-1955 to study again. While still a student, he was a researcher 
and teacher and began as an environmentalist to participate actively in the 
environmental policy of his country. He prevented dam projects, fought for 
the expulsion of nature conservation reserves and stepped on the side of the 
aboriginal people for their rights.

As an optimist, he wanted to restore the garden of Eden - for everyone. He 
tried beyond the basics for a concept, which is to create not only was open 
for new information, but also the knowledge about sustainable, organic 
techniques from all parts of the world was able to integrate.


During the campaign against the dam on the Franklin River in Tasmania in the 
70 s - he was a lecturer at the university in hobart - he met his later 
co-Author David Holmgren. They started to discuss why the agriculture of the 
aborigines had survived the times and why the modern agriculture only a 
relatively short-term fad would be about what you learn from the aboriginal 
people and we could be their concepts with new technology and new scientific 
findings Get in line. They began to experiment, to design and to write. With 
the help of the Japanese-speaking Aussie Dope Dealer, Andrew Jeeves 
integrated you the ideas of Masanobu Fukuoka (the one-Straw Revolution, 
1975), they took over the key line concept of Ken Yeomans (water for every 
farm, 1954) and f. H. Kings Observations of the highly productive 
agricultural concepts of Asia (from farmers of forty centuries - permanent 
agriculture in China, Korea and Japan, 1911). It did not create the concept 
for a permanent country -, water and forestry, which she called 
"Permaculture" ( Permanent Agriculture).


There is no dogma permaculture or fixed borders has but rather a series of 
basic principles which are applicable to everything, he found always new and 
more friends like the architects Ian and lecki ord in Melbourne, the engineer 
and farmer Max Lindegger (designer of Crystal Waters, Permaculture Village, 
Queensland), or Sonja Wall Man (with their productive wall greenhouse in the 
vicinity of Boston, Massachusetts, USA) and many other people in Australia, 
Europe and North America. The Permaculture-Design System He has defined and 
integrated with strands and make links between the separate sciences and 
areas of classical university departments made it.

Now (2016) have over thousands of independent permaculture associations - in 
almost all languages - all over the world. Now - more than 40 years later - 
it serves people - with sustainable agriculture, reforestation, 
Bio-Architecture, environmental education and regional economics and the 
search for a integrationskonzept. Bill's commitment and enthusiasm advanced 
continuously the multidisciplinary quality of the concept and made it to a 
permaculture system, but not always. For me is the most beautiful definition, 
which comes from bill mollison, " Permaculture is a dance with nature - in 
which the nature leads."


The first book of bill mollison and David Holmgren Permaculture One (1978) 
was soon thereafter by Bill's permaculture two (1979) and both had 1985 each 
with a circulation of over 100 000 copies. The two books are on my reason in 
German, Portuguese, French and Italian and there have been translated into 
the early-to mid-80 s. They are based than manuals very heavily on the 
experiences in Tasmania and for other climates are only partially 
transferable. Spanish and French translations followed later by the 
cooperation with Emilia Hazelip, soon to be the most well-known permaculture 
teacher on both sides of the pyennéen.

However, the principles are as good as transferable and innovative, that you 
sometimes established concepts of the agriculture and forestry, the 
settlement water, urban planning and architecture on the head. They are 
building on the experience in draft holistic ways of life in different 
cultures and countries on and take little consideration on modern recipes or 
conventions. For us, and many other messengers you and he is also a new 
lifestyle.

At the first visit in Germany, at the invitation of the students of the 
faculty of architecture and the British council - both of which I was able to 
secure the support of his journey and his lecture fee - should be to finance 
bill at the beginning of may 1981 except in Berlin also lectures in various 
cities in West - Germany, organized by Rudolf Dornach, keep. Due to 
exceptional circumstances were the rest of the lectures (PERSCH 
ING-Deployment-protests Germany far) has been cancelled and bill stayed a 
whole week - yes 10 days - with us in Berlin-Schlachtensee to guest. He told 
us every day from morning to evening of his projects and projects in 
Australia. And since we're both the theme "Ecology" - I'm in the university 
as a professor of infrastructure in the city - construction and my wife 
(Margrit) in the context of their work for the International Exhibition (IBA) 
Berlin 1987-as the main task, heard And we look forward to your attention. 
Our questions showed bill that, in 1981, we in Europe were very similar 
problems. From the forests to the climate change, from the poisoning of food 
to the water wasting what Australia, everything was covered, as well as for 
us to find. The most important to us, but was with him that we were able to 
discuss solutions, which also changed slightly to be working with us.

It was not only fun but also terrifying when bill facts and details about the 
global ecological situation we called, until then very fragmented only knew. 
But his unusual solutions convinced us both. He started with his statements 
at 9 O ' clock in the morning and I heard at midnight. We had such a thing as 
a concentrated private 72-Hour Permaculture Designer course - with many 
practical examples, drawings and graphics. The costs were modest: 2 Packs of 
cigarettes and a bottle of Irish whiskey per day.

We started in 6 by 12 metres large garden and in the woods around the 
schlachtensee plants, sometimes to observe and to pick in the garden. Margrit 
was a vegetarian. In the evening we had with bill - the avid meat eaters was 
- go to a restaurant to lamb or for him to order a steak. In the " Paris bar 
" in the kantstrasse in Berlin-Charlottenburg, where he was - as always - a 
German wine order wanted to him, and the waiter said, slightly embarrassed 
that they serve only french wine. He called a " Hardy Wallbanger " (Orange 
juice With vodka). Because even the waiter had to laugh. Such cultural 
contrast-situations loved bill and somehow she has produced everywhere.

We have several times with him to kreuzberg in the rehabilitation of the 
international architecture exhibition areas dangers, where we both with 
different groups in the hausbesetzerszene worked. Even though he doesn't 
generally cities suffer and no good reason for their survival could find, he 
had immediately creative solutions for the people, who are ready, which is a 
city-farm or you can build your herbs and vegetables and even wanted to draw 
(1981). What energy saving and grey So, water recycling in kreuzberg were 
some interesting models also for to see him, and so it was time for the 
beginning of a years of intense exchange of ecological knowledge of national 
borders and continents.
In the early 80 s, tried to bill a kind of "Permaculture-Bible" to write. 
About half of his designer s' manuals (1988) is brilliant, especially the 
chapter on patterns (pattern) and design (Draft). There is hardly any other 
book which is the " Multidisciplinary design for life ' so thoroughly 
treated. Other chapter in the designer s' manual let things in your tended to 
be desired. It was only in 2009 by Margaret Woods and marlis ortner in 
Austria translated into German and moved.

Another book: Introduction to permaculture, what bill together with reny 
slash wrote and illustrated by Andrew Jeeves, was published in 1991 and 
explains permaculture for the first time in a generally understandable kind 
and systematic approach. It also offers practical experience of many 
permaculture-activists in Australia and other countries. But above all it is 
the result of the research carried out by bill mollison and reny slash, in 
the 90 s with the Australian Permaculture Institute to new south Wales, and 
were moved there with their work of Marilyn Wade were supported. Also other 
numerous helpers there experiments with plants, buildings and technical 
infrastructure, while bill on lecture-travel around the world was on the way.
Margrit and I have with the help of many other professionals, permaculture 
one and two in the second edition edited. A very good successful article with 
coloured pictures is in the Basel Newspaper (no. 40, p. 10-15) published in 
1984 and contains what we ourselves in the environmental planning and 
building developed and that what we are and from bill mollison David Holmgren 
to have learned. We thank both still for their ideas, their perseverance and 
commitment.

it was bill and reny, which is the first European Permaculture Design course 
in jagdschloss glienicke with me as an assistant in the summer of 1982, had 
offered. Because he was held in English, there were 24 participants from 7 
COUNTRIES IN EUROPE AND 2 interested parties from Brazil. Antja - our then 
21-Year-old daughter - has the course not only but also participated in the 
evening, 2-hour repetitorien for the German and Austrian participants. It 
wasn't for you, just the Australian / Tasmanian accent of Bill's English to 
understand, particularly because he's half the time by his tobacco pipe 
articulated.

Since then, 7 participants of this course a three-quarters of a year and hit 
every Saturday at the design concepts, so we worked together in wetz hausen 
at pig furth the first held in German 2-Week Permaculture Design course (PDC 
= Permaculture Decign Course) could hold.
After that, I started my new career as a " Mr. Permaculture Europe " (East 
and west) the I with chubby chaser sons ' full support. Except in Germany and 
Brazil 1982, I have up to 1991 the first and / or two permaculture design 
courses in Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Croatia, the Netherlands, 
Norway, Austria, Poland, Russia, Scotland, Switzerland, Slovakia and 
Slovenia. Each of these courses was of Gaia Trust (Hildur & Ross Jackson, 
even students and joy of bill) in Denmark.

1993 were the books of bill mollison over ferment and 1996 another entitled 
travel in dreams the successes of the first books does not happen again. But 
the international permaculture movement has now grown - on the basis of the 
first books and one of many co-Author / inside revised two to three-week 
designer course. In Europe is the transfer of the concept on northern 
climates in full swing. She met - in part - on sharp criticism of science and 
practice because of their unusual theses and methods.

I have so much of bill mollison learned and were so enthusiastic about the 
permaculture-vision that I - as well as many other people, who in the 80 s 
and early 90 s with this vision had come in contact with - a own permaculture 
- project wanted to achieve. That is why we have our home in Berlin and our 
two bodies, I abandoned my professorship at the technical university of 
Berlin and margrit your job at the international exhibition, and we have to 
build a ab1985 ecological community involved in lower saxony - the steyerberg 
lebensgarten. We've got in there in a settlement which has been built in 1939 
and renovated two houses on 2.6 hectares of land in the vicinity and a whole 
series of Permaculture-experiments carried out. Temporarily, I headed the 
permaculture institute for Europe in life garden. Bill Mollison was so 
begistert lebensgarten approaches from each year that he at least einal in 
steyerberg came by - and this is more than 11 years - and always brought a 
new impulse. As a whole has the thinking in permaculture-Categories Now and I 
am glad and grateful that I relatively early 1981 with this concept and bill 
mollison came into contact, and that I had the chance to spread it and For 
our climate zones to try out.


While the work of my wife margrit since the late 80 s, more and more on the 
introduction of sustainable geldsysteme has shifted, and you with your book 
"money without interest rates and inflation" nowadays a galeon figure of the 
money has become reform movement was This work both for you as well as for 
mollison and me always a part of our implementation of the 
permaculture-concept. How to create a lasting culture, if it is not a 
permanent money system? Just the last few months with the crash on the 
international financial markets and in the global economy - the now even the 
most pressing environmental problems overshadowed - shows how strong economy 
and ecology interwoven. In the permaculture "Bible", has bill also a chapter 
on the monetary system, which is fitted to a large extent on mar grits work 
to build up.

Still smoked and he drank too much and became so sick that he's a couple of 
times on his travels together is broken - and yet he is 88 years old. It 
continued more and more to him that he had to see how the ecological 
situation in the world has been getting worse and worse, and in spite of the 
ever-increasing permaculture movement on this general trend was nothing to 
change. Bill has been depressed for a while, what he himself ignored. He felt 
by many allies abandoned in the last 110 years, because they were when he 
abandons. In the meantime, however, he had recovered, and his sharp critical 
attitude which sometimes threatening in cynicism, andall found again. In 
between, you could have him back in its original joie de vivre. In Istria in 
June 2005 he came to start with his sarcastic jokes among the younger people 
in the permaculture movement who didn't know it yet, not very good at - but 
with his many stories, jokes and living here soon, he found his Rightful 
place as a co-Founder, distributors and grandfather of permaculture - then he 
has been for several days celebrated by all those present. All of us, he will 
be sorely missed.
Steyerberg, 25.09.2016