richsoil.com Austin Permaculture Guild The Permaculture Concept (1989 The word permaculture, coined by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren during the 1970s, is a portmanteau of permanent agriculture as well as permanent culture. Through a series of publications, Mollison, Holmgren and their associates documented an approach to designing human settlements, in particular the development of perennial agricultural systems that mimic the structure and interrelationship found in natural ecologies. Permaculture design principles extend from the position that "The only ethical decision is to take responsibility for our own existence and that of our children" (Mollison, 1990). While originating as an agro-ecological design theory, permaculture has developed a large international following of individuals who have received training through intensive two week long 'permaculture design courses'.
Bats: Useful Permaculture Animals Bats: Useful Permaculture Animals In North American culture, bats are portrayed as scary creatures. Fortunately for me, I learned at a very young age that bats eat mosquitoes; and since learning this, I have always viewed bats as friends. Insect Control About 70% of the more than 1,000 species of bats in the world are insectivorous.1 They assist us in controlling biting insects, but their use in insect control is much broader than this. Recent research from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama shows that bats are vital in controlling plant-eating insects. Forest Expansion and Maintenance In the tropics of the Americas, bats can assist in reafforestation. The fruit bats of India tend to maintain forests. It is also worth mentioning here that many bats are pollinators, with some plants even evolving flowers suitable to bat pollination.6 Attracting Bats A Few Words of Caution Despite this, there is no need to go running in terror at the site of a bat. Footnotes
Introduction to Permaculture - 40 hours of Free video lectures Permaculture means 'permanent culture,' (or 'permanent agriculture') and ...'is the conscious design and maintenance of cultivated ecosystems that have the diversity, stability, and resilience of a natural ecosystem.' (Bill Mollison) This course will explore, through lectures, discussions, field trips, and required projects, a design/thinking methodology that seeks to profide for our physical needs, food, water, shelter, energy, etc., while doing so in an environmentally friendly, sustainable manner. Download all lectures for Free here: Watch online all lectures for Free here: See also: Introduction to Permaculture - 18 part webinar with Bill Wilson of Midwest Permaculture - This is an 18 part 90 minute intro to permaculture webinar with Bill Wilson of Midwest Permaculture in Illinois. Documentary Films - Permaculture / Organic FarmingEbooks - Permaculture & Forest Gardening Free Documentary Films ArchiveFree Full Ebooks Archive
Open Source Permaculture – help to build the most comprehensive free resource for Permaculture education Talk, Uncategorized — By Irena Efremovska on 04/09/2012 17:37 Sophia Novack, the force behind Permaculture Media Blog and Permaculture Directory ‘What does your backyard look like right now?’ – asks Sophia Novack, a documentary film student passionate about creating a more sustainable world. It has the potential to become a thriving edible garden, but only if you’ve got the right resources. If you had expert support at your fingertips, and free resources to teach you how to grow a sustainable backyard garden, why wouldn’t you? That’s what the Open Source Permaculture Project is all about. With Open Source Permaculture, you could have just the support you need to make that garden a reality. Permaculture is a school of design rooted in ecological ethics and principles. Photo by Southernpixel AlbyOpen Source Permaculture intends to become the most comprehensive multimedia resource of free, quality materials for Permaculture education. Why the Open Source Permaculture Project? PS.
Permaculture Now! - Favorite Videos Favorite Permaculture Videos Geoff Lawton Greening the Desert Geoff Lawton turns dry desert near the Dead Sea into a food producing green landscape using water harvesting. Permaculture Water Harvesting Geoff Lawton founding Director of the Permaculture Research Institute talks about Permaculture Water Harvesting techniques, swales and sillways. David Holmgren on the Endurance of Suburbia David Holmgren speaks of his vision of a radically retrofitted, food producing suburbia. Homegrown Revolution Radical Change Taking Root A family living in Pasadena, CA shows how it is possible to grow your food in the middle of the city. Permaculture in Austria Austria's Sepp Holzer transformed a fir farm into a commercially viable, ecologically sound farm. Sheet mulch garden This is a quick video on how to sheet mulch a garden bed.
More Parklets Popping Up Around San Francisco Payton Chung's flickr page/viaDeepistan National Parklet When I last wrote about parklets in July of 2011, there were fourteen parklets in San Francisco. The city now claims 31 parklets and counting, with 39 in various stages of review. There has been a large demand for parklets in San Francisco, as evident by the amount of applications that the City Planning Department’s Pavement to Parks program has received during its three issuances for request for proposals. How it Began The idea for parklets sprouted in 2005 out of PARKing Day, the annual fall day when residents reclaim a parking space for the day, by rolling out Astroturf, chairs, tables and plants to create a temporary park. The Pluses of Parklets A parklet’s diminutive size allows it to be built much more quickly, cheaply and with less red tape than a traditional park while still providing some public outdoor space. Research in Support of Parklets Concerns about loss of parking spots Concerns about noise and loitering Public Use
Larry Korn - Permaculture and Natural Farming Educator, Consultant, Editor and Author Permaculture shows us the path to a backyard revolution (NaturalNews) People nowadays are feeling like their lives are spinning out of control. They worry about being able to provide the necessities for their families as food and fuel prices soar and out of control inflation looms on the horizon. Many are almost totally disconnected from nature and that which sustains them. There is a rapidly growing and revolutionary worldwide movement of citizens taking steps that lead them out of dependence on the system and to a life of healthy re-connection and nourishment. There are many definitions for the holistic design system known as permaculture and the word itself derives from the combinations of permanent culture and permanent agriculture. The provision of food, shelter, water, energy and waste management are contained within permaculture design. Permaculture is the first design system in history to be based upon ethics. From these ethics the twelve Permaculture Principles have been further developed by David Holmgren.