tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59559006317386324972024-03-14T06:17:34.155+00:00Telling the World about Permaculture. From the Permaculture Association.This space gives people who are passionate about permaculture the opportunity to tell others about the stories that inspire and move them.Permaculture Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06736548537309980971noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-5396403984194192072015-08-26T18:57:00.000+01:002015-08-26T19:01:21.334+01:00The Green Gathering <div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: right;">
<i>By Phil Moore of Permaculture People</i></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">A festival is a funny thing. A celebration, an escape, an alternative, a way of life. Many things rolled up into a musically charged programme of fun, frolics and serious chats. Often in a field. </span><br />
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What struck me about the Green Gathering was its commitment. Appropriately billed as a 'gathering', and free from the dictates of advertising, the Green Gathering felt like a genuine attempt at saying, "Oi! Another world is possible and look-y right here!". A world where we think about where our shit goes (check their <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/green-gathering-compost-loo-revolution#/story" target="_blank">Indiegogo compost loo crowdfunder</a>)<wbr></wbr>, where we can say no to things as well create spaces where differences in opinion can be heard respectfully; where consumerism isn't the barometer of modern living, and where the exchange of ideas, foods, crafts and skills are celebrated and shared.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SaRtulDnhNo/Vd38Two0XoI/AAAAAAAAAVA/DR0wB0kAktM/s1600/windmill%2B%2526%2Bold%2Bbuilding.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SaRtulDnhNo/Vd38Two0XoI/AAAAAAAAAVA/DR0wB0kAktM/s640/windmill%2B%2526%2Bold%2Bbuilding.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Windmills and blue skies</td></tr>
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Occupying a temporary space next to Chepstow raceourse with the shell of the 18th century Piercefield House lurching from one side and views toward Severn Bridge and into the folds of the green Wye Valley at the other, the Green Gathering is set at a striking location. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jc-t12I1n44/Vd35r91mjmI/AAAAAAAAAUE/motnPGpOq18/s1600/Permaculture%2BZone%2Bsign.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jc-t12I1n44/Vd35r91mjmI/AAAAAAAAAUE/motnPGpOq18/s400/Permaculture%2BZone%2Bsign.JPG" width="400" /></a>Composed of different 'Zones' we were crewing at the Permaculture Zone which was to be our home for the next five days. We managed the info stall tent letting people know what was going on. The vivacious Mike Feingold held introductions to Permaculture, author and permaculture teacher Caroline Aitken shared her knowledge & passion for food preservation; Biochar Ed spoke of the wonders of pyrolysis, beekeeping introduction, chickens, composting, a solar power workshop and so much more took place. It was also a great chance to meet many faces - new and old.<br />
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A mini-festival within a festival the energy and diversity of the workshops was testament to the giddying array of what the Green Gathering had to offer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YjsNZ9o8b3w/Vd38zdEkfbI/AAAAAAAAAVI/2Ce5QjUZOQY/s1600/seed%2Bbomb%2Bmaking.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YjsNZ9o8b3w/Vd38zdEkfbI/AAAAAAAAAVI/2Ce5QjUZOQY/s640/seed%2Bbomb%2Bmaking.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seed bomb making workshop</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b0mz_W64xxY/Vd36LGSxfmI/AAAAAAAAAUM/sDTkxqe-LJY/s1600/recycling%2Bsolar%2Bpower%2Bwindmilll%2Bold%2Bbuilding%2Bview.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b0mz_W64xxY/Vd36LGSxfmI/AAAAAAAAAUM/sDTkxqe-LJY/s400/recycling%2Bsolar%2Bpower%2Bwindmilll%2Bold%2Bbuilding%2Bview.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Recycling solar power windmill</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DvvvoKwz1f0/Vd36Xrye-TI/AAAAAAAAAUU/oVhWY6XsdYA/s1600/mike%2Bfeingold%2Bpainted%2Bup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DvvvoKwz1f0/Vd36Xrye-TI/AAAAAAAAAUU/oVhWY6XsdYA/s400/mike%2Bfeingold%2Bpainted%2Bup.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike Feingold and paint</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uvFVGVd8ra4/Vd36ulptQlI/AAAAAAAAAUc/E4gvX9pHFUQ/s1600/Caroline%2BAitken%2Bworkshops.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uvFVGVd8ra4/Vd36ulptQlI/AAAAAAAAAUc/E4gvX9pHFUQ/s400/Caroline%2BAitken%2Bworkshops.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caroline Aitken workshops</td></tr>
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In the wider reaches of the fields music bounced and echoed around the hillside depressions that formed natural amphitheatres. The greats Seize the Day and Martha Tilston played alongside newcomers and regulars.<br />
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Walking from the Tipi Circle to the Healing Field through to the Faerie Glade and on to the campaign area, the ease with which different ideas sat side by side made for a refreshingly relaxed yet stimulating festival that was also child friendly.<br />
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All the energy and drama poured into a specific place for a set amount of time resulted in a beautiful world of music, muck & magic, politics, fancy dress and blowing bubbles where all hues of humans and tastes gathered and jiggled their wants and wares. </div>
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Powered by the Sun yet motivated by people the Green Gathering isn't just an event. It's an idea. A long standing festival in the peculiarly British tradition of celebrating stuff in a field, the Green Gathering has a rich, and tumultuous, <a href="http://www.greengathering.org.uk/festival/history" target="_blank">history</a>. Such gatherings are fantastic opportunities to delve deeper in the ideas and practical workings of how to lead a low-impact lifestyle with having fun at the same time. I would heartily recommend it as a place to feed your soul and colour your imagination.<br />
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For more about the Green Gathering: <a href="http://www.greengathering.org.uk/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.greengathering.org.<wbr></wbr>uk</a></div>
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Nicola Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06610283939435621545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-24257125663425162512015-08-11T18:00:00.000+01:002015-08-12T16:52:54.237+01:00Reflections of a new permaculture diploma tutor<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">by Jo Holleran<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 48px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Background</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
grew up in the country and have fond memories of childhood days running
free with my Gran on her smallholding and on the small farm where we
lived. My nuclear family was displaced from the rural life by a
compulsory purchase order in the 1970s and we found ourselves plunged
into city living. Looking back, I seem to have spent much of my adult
life trying to work a way back to where I started out!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
think I first heard about permaculture in the late 1980s and from this
point my interest in the subject and generally getting closer to nature
began to develop.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In
2003, redundancy provided the opportunity for a major lifestyle change
and I relocated to North Yorkshire, embarking on an exciting new career
in horticulture and subsequently specialising in organic techniques and
edible gardens.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
attended a Permaculture Design Course at Hollybush in Leeds. This
inspired and better equipped me to re-design my life, with a first
livelihood project, ‘Envy Home & Garden’ providing eco-cleaning,
organic garden maintenance and permaculture design services in the
Nidderdale area.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In
2008, my husband and I headed for Central Portugal in search of a more
self-reliant life in the hills. There, we spent a year renovating a
mountain vineyard and olive grove, developing a gravity-fed irrigation
system, some low-impact shelter and creating designs for the land.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Since
2009, I have continued designing and practicing with garden scale sites
in the UK, with an aim of taking permaculture to the mainstream,
expanding the ‘edge.’ I have also worked as a Lecturer at a land based
college, produced land designs for a 2 hectare site in Tuscany and
provided business development input to an emerging green business.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
Diploma was a hugely moving and life-changing experience for me and
even after ten design cycles, I felt that I was just becoming fluent and
gaining momentum. I wanted to remain connected with all the amazing
people sharing this journey, to grow and develop as a designer and to
share the skills and experience that I have gained so far.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s
really important to me that that I continue to improve the standard of
my own design work. I felt that I would learn massively from other
tutors and also that becoming a tutor myself would continue to hold me
to account.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
have been working as a diploma tutor since my accreditation in 2013 and
am currently available to provide tutorials at my place in France, at
permaculture gatherings in the UK, or in Milton Keynes or North
Yorkshire, where they tie in with my trips back.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Here are some of my reflections on this new journey so far:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333300; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: What’s going well?</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: -36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
feel well supported. In depth training is available at Registration and
Assessment levels. I really enjoyed the registration level training and
am booked on the assessment level training in April. The training
courses have been developed by senior tutors and are further supported
by videos and a tutor manual. This means there is always something to
refer to if I’m unsure of anything and additionally, CPD (Continuous
Professional Development) events are held regularly.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As
a new tutor I have had ‘assessment of practice’ and feedback from more
experienced tutors for the tutorial events I have supported so far. This
has been a real help in ensuring that I am on the right track.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In
many ways, the tutor pathway mirrors that of the diploma and so I am
part of a tutor guild. We currently meet every six weeks over Skype and
provide each other with peer support and feedback.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I also have access to the wider tutor network and can raise questions and share experiences via email when I need to.</span></span></div>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333300; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: What challenges have you faced so far?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Becoming
a tutor does require a financial investment, to cover the costs of the
training programme. This is something that I needed to think quite
seriously about. However, I have been able to spread the costs over time
as I have progressed through my pathway. To an extent, they have also
been offset as I have started to earn an income from my tutor
activities.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There
are a number of ways that I can influence the number of apprentices
that I support, and so my income. These include: developing a website;
writing articles; teaching on permaculture courses; publishing designs;
attending permaculture events. I have built many of these things into my
tutor pathway.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333300; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: What are your long term visions and goals as a tutor?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
have a vision of tutoring being an integral part of my life and being
one of a number of ‘right-livelihood’ income streams that enable me to
sustain a more self-reliant and ecologically balanced lifestyle as long
as I live. </span></span></div>
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<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: -36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’m
really looking forward to supporting and learning from my apprentices
and especially I’m looking forward to witnessing their accreditation
events.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333300; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: What are your next achievable steps?</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
assessment level training and tutor CPD event in Leeds is a significant
milestone in April. I’m also intending to take opportunities to shadow
other more experienced tutors to learn from how they work with
apprentices. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My
tutor pathway is inter-linked with my permaculture designs and I shall
be continuing with my site development and self-integration projects in
France.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I have been working on my website over the winter and am looking forward to launching it in the near future.</span></span>
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</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jo Holleran</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Permaculture Practitioner, Designer and Diploma Tutor</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 18pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:tanjholleran@live.co.uk" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">tanjholleran@live.co.uk</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Find out more about the <a href="http://www.permaculture.org.uk/diploma" target="_blank">Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design</a>. </span></span></div>
Permaculture Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06736548537309980971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-39519318481607390402015-07-09T13:44:00.003+01:002015-07-09T13:48:38.376+01:00Harvesting Fertility with the Scythe<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here at Dyfed Permaculture Farm Trust,
as in any garden or small holding, some areas need to have higher
fertility then others e.g. to enable growing of hungrier crops. One
way we achieve this is to move fertility from areas were it is not
needed (paths, tracks) or even actively not wanted (wild flower hay
meadows) to those were it is more useful (annual veg beds, forest
gardens).
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The scythe allows us to collect mulch
material from many areas and use it to improve soil and fertility in
the gardens. There are many types of mulch that we collect, each
useful in different ways. Lawn clippings and clippings from
frequently cut paths are fine and generally weed free as the grasses
do not get to seed before cutting. They make a good mulch around
small, newly established plants such as these parsnips.
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Longer grass and weeds are mown from
less frequently used paths, tracks and garden edges. They are more
useful around more established plants, such as brassica and squash
family.
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sometimes the mowings don't even have
to be moved – by mowing anticlockwise around a fruit tree the
mowings will naturally fall in a ready made mulch “doughnut”.
Comfrey can be grown around fruit bushes and fruit trees, then mown
down and left in place. Paths can be mown into the edges of beds to
mulch and create a neat finish.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sometimes mulch collection can double
as weed control. We scythe areas of bracken in late summer / early
autumn, removing the cut material to winter mulch garden beds. If
left on the field, bracken is self mulching. Removing the material
allows competitive grasses to establish and exposes the bracken to
penetrating frost which can weaken the plants.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The scythe is also involved in hay
making on the Trust's wild flower hay meadows. To maintain the
fields in a low fertility state that benefits the wild flowers over
the grasses, the fields need to be cut annually in mid summer and
the arisings removed. Some of this is made into hay for winter animal
feed. Hay also makes excellent mulch material for no-dig potatoes. We
have successfully used mowings from the hay fields in thick (several
feet) layers to establish and maintain developing forest garden
areas, either fresh or as hay, something worth noting if you are
establishing or managing an area of wild flower meadow but have no
need to make hay.</span></div>
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<img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HC8btCHkGKM/VZ5riIcDAFI/AAAAAAAAAqw/vRtvGBF9zyo/s640/mowing%2Bhay%2Band%2Bcow.JPG" width="640" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now we have more livestock more of our
hay will be processed through them before the fertility arrives where
it is wanted. The ducks forage around the farm, the goats eat grass,
browse and hay then both are housed overnight on comfy beds of old
hay. In the winter, fertility from the cow will be similarly
collected. Once composted, soiled bedding is a valuable addition to
the system.
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For more information on how we manage a permaculture small holding by hand, see <a href="http://www.scythecymru.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.scythecymru.co.uk</a></span></div>
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</span>Nicola Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06610283939435621545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-11571772735056793882015-07-02T14:46:00.000+01:002015-07-09T14:03:52.746+01:00Permaculture at the Derbyshire Ecocentre Summer Fair<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>By Permaculture Ambassador and member Mike Hutchinson</i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FPSxhVuGGFg/VZUvKZ5LylI/AAAAAAAAAQE/AP6qHGG3zw4/s1600/MikeMAtt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FPSxhVuGGFg/VZUvKZ5LylI/AAAAAAAAAQE/AP6qHGG3zw4/s640/MikeMAtt.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Mike Hutchinson and Matt Rawlson sharing permaculture with attendees at Derbyshire Eco Centre Summer Fair!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">"There is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." So said John Ruskin. Although I've always suspected that Ruskin made this observation from the comfort of a warm, dry drawing room, the idea does square nicely with permaculture ideas. And on the day of the Derbyshire Ecocentre’s Summer Fair, the weather was, well ... different.<br /><br />We had been allocated a plot, between a stall letting people experience dry stone walling and a young man who was a tree surgeon but who also made some really lovely products from green wood. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br />Once our gazebo was up and leaflets secured inside A4 plastic sleeves, we were all set up. The rain crept in around the edges but we soon forgot about it. My colleague for the day, Matt Rawlston, had made the short journey from Mansfield with a selection of tools he’d made, using old and discarded items. These included his magnificent ‘cargo’ bike; a long-wheelbase version with a flat wooden platform at the rear and a range of 'safety' axes.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Use
and value renewable resources and services: new tools from old</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Matt's collection of items, many finished in a bright yellow, drew people to the stand. The safety axes in particular, intrigued people and following quick demonstrations all agreed that they were a very good idea. (The axes are made by reducing the length of old bolsters, then sharpening the blade. The handle fits into a ready-made hole in a log. Chopping is essentially reversed, with wood placed onto the blade then tapped down with a hammer, thus keeping fingers nicely out of the way.)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ku7_h2HXT58/VZUxw5A7VVI/AAAAAAAAAQo/hVX6eZgduqM/s1600/derby3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ku7_h2HXT58/VZUxw5A7VVI/AAAAAAAAAQo/hVX6eZgduqM/s640/derby3.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Matt talks to attendees about his safety axes.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Describing how these once discarded tools had been given a new lease of life then led easily into a discussion of permaculture in a broader sense. Some visitors had heard of permaculture; others hadn't. Whatever the level of knowledge, we had some interesting conversations ranging from the ethical principles via no-till gardening, composting and soil structure to forest gardens.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z0ocTU_nqok/VZUxnst0qyI/AAAAAAAAAQg/SI5r6ashaaM/s1600/DERBY4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z0ocTU_nqok/VZUxnst0qyI/AAAAAAAAAQg/SI5r6ashaaM/s640/DERBY4.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Display with cargo bike, safety axes, three sisters pot and broadfork.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Although still in their early stages of growth, the trio of plants I'd taken along in a pot - corn, beans and squash - let us illustrate how applying permaculture design means we can get so much more out of the individual elements. Perhaps the 'three sisters' combination doesn't always work out as well in Britain as in the Americas, but it makes an interesting talking point. People really do get the idea of how permaculture design gives you increased resilience.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0FNQZ3pfdTs/VZUv72FPwtI/AAAAAAAAAQM/UNImgDwvSYA/s400/rocketstove.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0FNQZ3pfdTs/VZUv72FPwtI/AAAAAAAAAQM/UNImgDwvSYA/s400/rocketstove.JPG" width="300" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Example of the very fuel efficient jet stove.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">The
other aspect of my 'three sisters' was that they were in a 'wicking'
pot. Okay, this wasn’t the best of days to show a pot that has a built
in reservoir but the idea was easy to get across - and given the
rainfall, I could demonstrate the drainage holes easily.<br /><br />Matt had
also brought two jet stoves with him that he'd made from recycled steel
fence posts. Given the weather it would have been great to have had one
lit, but for safety reasons this obviously wasn't possible. People were
genuinely interested in the stoves and we were able to discuss their
benefits, including how the spread of efficient rocket stoves in the
Global South can improve people's health.<br /><br />After the samba band
stopped and the last visitors had left we took the gazebo down and
packed everything away. Overall, it had been a good day, which seemed to
pass quite quickly - always a good sign, I think. And despite the rain,
which was now falling harder again, and despite its obvious effect on
visitor numbers, we agreed that it had been successful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">A decent number
of people had stopped to look at the stand and we'd been able to talk
about permaculture. And had John Ruskin visited the Ecocentre on
Saturday, I think he would have definitely stopped at the permaculture
stand - whatever the weather.</span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Share the benefits of permaculture </span></h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">If you, like Matt and Mike, would like to share the benefits of permaculture with your local community, find out how you can get involved <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/get-involved">here</a>.<br /><br />There are many ways of helping to spread the word about permaculture, whether it be by <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/join/gift-membership">giving a gift membership</a> to a friend, signing up to hear about opportunities via '<a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/civicrm/profile/create?gid=69&reset=1">Ambassador Alerts</a>', starting a local permaculture group, or writing <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/ambassador">a blog post</a> about how you apply permaculture to your everyday life. We'd love to hear from you, so get in touch!</span>Nicola Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06610283939435621545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-55677436088162105722015-07-02T14:44:00.001+01:002015-07-02T15:31:00.925+01:00Permaculture people at Green Gathering<div style="text-align: left;">
<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; }A:link { }</style>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="en-US"><i> By Permaculture Association member </i></span><i>Phil Moore of Permaculture People</i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m_t-5RkGggo/VZU5prXlbxI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/TDfuG87HFkQ/s1600/Phil-and-Lauren-Permaculture-People-for-Web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m_t-5RkGggo/VZU5prXlbxI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/TDfuG87HFkQ/s640/Phil-and-Lauren-Permaculture-People-for-Web.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Meet </span>Phil Moore and Lauren Simpson at Green Gathering this year.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Permaculture
means many things to many people. This is part of the genius of a
systems approach to life rooted in an ethical framework that
encompasses many ideas and skills not unique to it. As a design
system what Permaculture brings, in Patrick Whitefield</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">’</span><span lang="en-US">s
words, </span><span lang="en-US">“</span><span lang="en-US">[is]
the element of design, a way of putting components together for their
maximum benefit.</span><span lang="en-US">”</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Lauren,
my partner and I, wanted to explore these</span></span><span style="font-size: small;">
idea</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">s
so in 2012 we decided to go to the Americas to escape</span></span><span style="font-size: small;">
London, </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">break</span></span><span style="font-size: small;">
o</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">ut
of routines and begin to imagine new possibilities in our lives.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We
spent </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">a
total of two years on the road: one year in Central America and one
year in South America. Travelling overland we sought out permaculture
projects and land based, ecological practices to learn, see, and
participate in permaculture. You can read about our time <a href="http://permaculturepeople.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Nearing
the end of our travels in the Americas we decided to </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="fr-FR">continue
our explorations </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">to
see what the scene was like back home. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Returning
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">home
in the spring of 2014 we hitchhiked across the UK visiting over</span></span><span style="font-size: small;">
40 sites.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We
were welcomed with warmth and open arms as we emailed people
introducing ourselves as students of permaculture seeking to learn
more. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">“<span lang="en-US">Observation
is a form of intervention</span>” <span lang="en-US">said
Chris Dixon, writer and permaculture practitioner, as we sat in the
warm June breeze in Wales listening to him discuss </span>regeneration,
planning permission, <span lang="en-US">and
permaculture whilst sipping on our handpicked herbal tea. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">We
were given a five hour tour of Deano Martin</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="fr-FR">’</span>s
<span lang="en-US">site
in Lincolnshire. Deano</span><span lang="fr-FR">’</span><span lang="sv-SE">s
passion, understanding</span><span lang="en-US">,
and breadth of reading was apparent as we asked him question after
question</span>.<span lang="en-US">
His work ethic clearly apparent too. As he told us</span>,
“<span lang="en-US">You
learn by doing and when it</span><span lang="fr-FR">’</span><span lang="fr-FR">s
done</span><span lang="en-US">.</span>”</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">In
August we stayed a few nights with Graham and Nancy of the Red Shed
in Coldstream, just over the border in Scotland. Marvelling at their
abundant, productive forest garden we interviewed Graham for a short
film about the UK</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="fr-FR">’</span><span lang="en-US">s
oldest established forest garden which you can see <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ickryyOZ-7k" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">We
met the unassuming and kind hearted Rod Everett at Backsbottom Farm,
that was passed on </span></span><span style="font-size: small;">to</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
Rod by his father. Set in a beautiful valley in North Lancashire, the
river Roeburn runs through 250 acres of wild flower meadows, ancient
semi-natural woodland, pasture fields and fell land with swales. We
travelled to Ed Tyler</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="fr-FR">’</span><span lang="en-US">s
smallholding on the south-</span><span lang="nl-NL">west</span><span lang="en-US">
coast of Scotland and discussed bioregioning; learnt about f</span><span lang="es-ES">orest
</span><span lang="en-US">g</span>arden<span lang="en-US">
design</span>
<span lang="en-US">at
</span>Martin
Crawford<span lang="fr-FR">’</span><span lang="en-US">s
2.1 acre demonstration site on the beautiful Dartington Estate in
Devon; we spent a week volunteering with Pat of Ourganics in Dorset,
inspired by her humility and fearlessness; and learnt of the
properties of Biochar at Ed Revill</span><span lang="fr-FR">’</span>s
<span lang="en-US">p</span>ermaculture<span lang="en-US">/agro-ecology
based market garden in Swansea.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We
have been inspired, humbled and amazed at the diversity and range of
permaculture projects across the UK, many of which are <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/people-projects-places" target="_blank">PermacultureAssociation LAND projects. </a></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">We
documented our travels <a href="http://permaculturepeopleuk.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">in our blog</a> and soon realised that more and
more people wanted to hear about our travels.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
</span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">This
is one of the main reasons why we</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">’</span><span lang="en-US">ll
be at this year</span><span lang="en-US">’</span><span lang="en-US">s
<a href="http://greengathering.org.uk/" target="_blank">Green Gathering</a> - the off-grid family renewable community sustainable
festival in Chepstow from August 13th-16th</span>.<span lang="en-US">
</span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">We</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">’</span><span lang="en-US">ll
be in the <a href="http://permacultureambassadors.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/the-history-of-permaculture-zone-at.html" target="_blank">Permaculture <span style="font-size: small;">Zone</span></a> helping set up and tat down but also to
regale wanderers and wonderers with tales of our UK permaculture
peregrinations. Story and travelling go hand in hand and we want to
share with others the ideas, places and projects we had the good
fortune of visiting. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">————</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div lang="en-US" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Permaculture
people are Phil Moore and Lauren Simpson. They tweet at @permapeople.
Any questions email permapeople@gmail.com</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">They
are currently producing a series of short online films called </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">‘</span><a href="http://www.permaculture.co.uk/videos/living-land-part-1-forest-gardening" target="_blank"><span lang="en-US">Living with the Land</span></a><span lang="en-US">’</span><span lang="en-US">.
Collaborating with <a href="http://www.permaculture.co.uk/videos/living-land-part-1-forest-gardening" target="_blank">Permaculture Magazine</a> and working in association
with the <a href="http://www.permaculture.org.uk/" target="_blank">Permaculture Association</a> the films are a celebration of UK
based practices showcasing some of the best examples of permaculture
in the lead up to the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/link%20https://ipcuk.events" target="_blank">12th International Permaculture Convergence</a> taking place in London, this September<span style="font-size: small;">.</span> </span></span></span></div>
Nicola Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06610283939435621545noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-51084849411069519342015-06-16T14:29:00.000+01:002015-08-12T16:53:41.008+01:00The history of the Permaculture Zone at Green Gathering - and what's in store this year!<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>By Permaculture Association member and Permaculture Zone Coordinator Tammi Dallaston</i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dDhY552WzMQ/VZU-ix3WXoI/AAAAAAAAARI/8tviedv3_4A/s1600/permaculturezone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dDhY552WzMQ/VZU-ix3WXoI/AAAAAAAAARI/8tviedv3_4A/s640/permaculturezone.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Green Gathering's Permaculture Zone - a place to learn, get involved, and meet new friends!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />From its roots at Lower Pertwood Farm in the late 1990s, <a href="http://www.greengathering.org.uk/permaculture/">the permaculture area at the Green Gathering</a> (formerly Big Green Gathering) has always sought out and linked permaculture practitioners in the UK and beyond.<br /><br /><br />Our original gardens were designed by Patrick Whitefield, Ken Fern (Plants for a Future), Helen and Jim Morris-Ridout (Copper Beech designs), and Tammi Dallaston (Made in Mach), and tended by many many volunteers over the years. Since the festival moved to Somerset, and latterly Chepstow, the permaculture area has relied on temporary displays, engaging speakers and a diversity of practical workshops.<br /><br /><br />At our new home in Chepstow, the permaculture area is billed as a temporary intentional community. We eat together, organise our days together, freely ask for and offer help, and showcase an inclusive way of life that can be possible with the three permaculture tenets: earth care, people care and fair shares.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This year the Permaculture Area will incorporate a <b>Green Parenting</b> space, <b>Forest School</b>, Willing Workers On Organic Farms (<a href="http://www.wwoof.org.uk/latest-news/wwoof-get-discounted-tickets-green-gathering" target="_blank"><b>WWOOF</b></a>) stall, <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/" target="_blank"><b>Permaculture Association</b></a> and <a href="http://www.ipcuk.events/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>International Permaculture Convergence</b></a> info, <b>Patrick Whitefield Memorial</b>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/304408969717795/?ref=ts&fref=ts" target="_blank"><b>Organic Tannery</b></a><b>, </b>free<b> Seed Swap</b>,<span style="color: #333333;"> <span style="color: black;">wood-powered thermo-electric and solar <b>phone charging, </b>and a<b> fireside space</b> for conversation, singing and plotting…</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>PLUS workshops</b>, to include:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Introduction to Permaculture:</b> by <b>Mike Feingold</b>; meet him on <span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxPGXgoaIw0" target="_blank">youtube</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Ecovillage Living: </b>a daily workshop discussing ecovillage living, Welsh planning law, designing your dream home/community, and life in the <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.lammas.org.uk/" target="_blank">Lammas ecovillage</a>, by <b>Tao and Hoppi Wimbush</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Growing for Preserving:</b> see <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://permacultureplate.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">permacultureplate.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.co.uk</a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Dynamic Woodland Management:</b> using Permaculture Principles, with <b>Stephen Watts</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">...and <a href="http://www.greengathering.org.uk/permaculture/" target="_blank">much much more.</a></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Not yet a member? <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/permaculture-association/join" target="_blank">Join today!</a></span></div>
Nicola Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06610283939435621545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-57642850572845769132015-06-11T19:34:00.000+01:002015-06-12T12:28:22.379+01:00Teaching holistically and making the most of your experiences<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">by Wenderlynn Bagnall</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My journey as a Permaculture designer and educator has taken many directions. There have been times however when I have questioned the direction I was taking, leaving me wondering not just if I was capable of becoming a designer but more importantly whether being a Permaculture teacher was for me. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the last couple of years I have seen and felt myself evolve into an imaginal cell, becoming part of the wings of change.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had hoped that attending the <a href="http://www.friland.org/?page_id=2058">Permaculture Educators Course (PEC) in Friland,</a> Denmark would give me the answers I needed.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0YIKf4gHcEA/VXlwr2gTtpI/AAAAAAAAAo8/QHahjNIabik/s1600/Friland%2B%25282%2529crop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="289" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0YIKf4gHcEA/VXlwr2gTtpI/AAAAAAAAAo8/QHahjNIabik/s640/Friland%2B%25282%2529crop.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Friland</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being a <a href="http://www.permaculture.org.uk/join" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">member</a> of the Permaculture Association offers numerous opportunities. For me, one of these was applying for funding to attend the Permaculture Educators Course. I'd completely forgotten about it when I received an email in March to say I'd got the funding. I was very excited: it was a great opportunity to develop my skills as a permaculture practitioner. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once I had settled down from the excitement, I started to panic. The gremlins were here! Some of these gremlins have been with me since school. I was anxious about stepping out of my comfort zone and leaving behind what was familiar to me but... I wanted to experience what was on the other side of this fear. So I began to ignore the voices in my head. Every day I did something towards my trip to Denmark, always imagining myself doing the things I was afraid of. It began to get easier. I booked my flight and made a list of things I needed. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
With the support of my husband Iain and his understanding of my fears, I was ready to step off the edge and journey into the unknown.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
For me the PEC was more than a course about how to teach holistically, it was a discovery of where I've been, who am I and what comes next. It was also a good exercise in helping me deal with my severe anxiety.<br />
<br />
I hoped that by using the <a href="http://www.fivewaystowellbeing.org/">5 ways to wellbeing</a> I could make the most of this experience and put some of my gremlins to rest. </div>
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<b>1 .</b> Connect: "Connect with the people around you... Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them." </div>
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I feel this is quite appropriate within Permaculture and... for me it was especially relevant to the PEC. I found bonds that were like family and created friendships that now reach all corners of the earth. The internal community within the group was paralleled with the intentional community of Friland. I took valuable lessons away with me on what's important in building community. This was helpful as a facilitator to the North Devon Permaculture Network which I initiated as one of my diploma projects. There is now a Facebook group dedicated to PEC 2015, (Permaculture Educators 2015). We can now stay connected, building and maintaining the new relationships made. </div>
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<b>2 .</b> Be Active: "Go for a walk or run. Step outside. Cycle. Play a game. Garden. Dance....." </div>
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Games, activities and being outside were an important part of how we learned and had down time. From a limbo dancing to a morning walk on the beach, the course was filled with opportunities to be active and spend some time with nature. On the final night, we were celebrating our achievements not only on the course but of the work we are all doing to spread Permaculture around the world. </div>
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As children we learn to use play as a way of communicating and developing who we become in later life. As adults play is just as important. It helps us to relax, learn and connect with others as well as reconnect to the child within ourselves. </div>
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<b>3. </b>Take Notice: ".....Remark on the unusual..... savour the moment....reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you." </div>
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<a href="http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=da&u=http://www.friland.org/&prev=search">Friland</a> was indeed an unusual place. The community was filled with 'artists', people who had used their creativity to construct their own homes. Some had used <a href="https://www.patternlanguage.com/leveltwo/ca.htm">Christopher Alexander's pattern language</a> for the basis of their designs. </div>
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I was amazed at how completely 'free' it felt to see people being able to express themselves in the architecture of their homes. I enjoyed every moment walking round Friland, from gates made with bikes, to houses built inside a green house. </div>
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My walks in the mornings and evenings with 'my house mate', Norah, gave the opportunity to take in the surroundings of where we were staying. We were lucky enough to be able to view Friland from afar. We saw it in its glory at sunrise and sunset and one on special occasion we shared seeing a deer together. I did indeed take notice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PgBetiwrOF8/VXlwsjlI1CI/AAAAAAAAApI/wGygpASUXxU/s1600/Bike%2Bgate%2Bcropped.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="614" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PgBetiwrOF8/VXlwsjlI1CI/AAAAAAAAApI/wGygpASUXxU/s640/Bike%2Bgate%2Bcropped.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A gate made from a bicycle. "Remark on the unusual"</span></td></tr>
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<b>4. </b>Keep Learning: "Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course...... learning new things will make you more confident........." </div>
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The diversity of cultures of the participants added an edge to my experience. Learning how to facilitate with someone, regardless of the language they spoke, wasn't a barrier. From learning the Theory of Learning to sharing different teaching styles and techniques, the course showed us how to use Permaculture to deliver an holistic approach to teaching. Cat and Andy, (whom I've collectively now named Candy), facilitated a structured, yet fun, creative approach to their delivery. From planning a course to untangling human knots, we were guided each session towards becoming Permaculture Educators. </div>
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A couple of phrases stuck out for me during the course:</div>
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"If a student participates from the beginning then they will participate all the way through," </div>
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and,<br />
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"Just do it!" </div>
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I knew I wanted this course to mean something so I reminded myself of the former whenever I felt a little 'shy'. I wanted to 'learn' as much as I possibly could, not only about being a Permaculture teacher but about myself. I did indeed rediscover that I was more than capable of being a teacher, it being something I have wanted to do since my children were small. I found my confidence again. Both phrases are not only good for the course but great mantras for getting you through life and towards your goals. </div>
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<b>5.</b> Give: "Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile. Volunteer your time......" </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_QDyAROI5Vc/VXlwsNwsdkI/AAAAAAAAApM/IIWjC9r5uYQ/s1600/Morning%2Bon%2Bthe%2Bbeach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_QDyAROI5Vc/VXlwsNwsdkI/AAAAAAAAApM/IIWjC9r5uYQ/s400/Morning%2Bon%2Bthe%2Bbeach.JPG" width="382" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A morning on the beach</span></td></tr>
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A great ending to my time in Denmark and the PEC was the opportunity to share my knowledge with Danish people outside of the course. Emilia, a course participant, shared her <a href="https://www.couchsurfing.com/">couchsurfing</a> hosts with Flo and myself. Before the course we had decided to extend our stay in Denmark to experience the culture of Aarhus. </div>
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The hosts were keen to have us share our Permaculture knowledge with them. So in exchange for their songs and accommodation, (and as if by commission), we not only gave them some garden design advice and Permaculture resource information but we showed them our PEC presentations. They seemed to absorb our skills and knowledge with glee. Our time with them ended with an exchange of gratitude and seeds. </div>
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For me there were many aspects of learning during my time in Denmark. I learned that by truly facing my fears I can overcome them and discover what I'm capable of. I learned to trust Flo and Emilia with their nomadic travelling experience; thanks guys for guiding me through Aarhus. </div>
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I learned that we CAN change our life story any time. Our negative experiences don't have to hold us prisoner. Most of all I've learned that I can be the best Permaculture teacher I want to be. </div>
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Being a member of the <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/">Permaculture Association</a> gave me the opportunity to attend this course. I'm sure at some stage, I would have found the answers to my questions, but I'm glad that it was through the PEC 2015 that I received them. My advice to anyone who wants to have the same opportunity is.... "just do it!", <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/permaculture-association/join">join the Permaculture Association</a></div>
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Permaculture Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06736548537309980971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-39401100533675738822015-06-09T19:52:00.000+01:002015-06-11T17:46:12.096+01:00News from Nepal<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; }A:link { }</style>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">by <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/user/chris-evans" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chris Evans</a>, Himalayan Permaculture Centre</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9N00Bvol4xs/VXm5sTowIAI/AAAAAAAAAps/u32AV6FG3co/s1600/damage%2Bin%2Bthe%2Barea%2B-%2Bneighbours2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9N00Bvol4xs/VXm5sTowIAI/AAAAAAAAAps/u32AV6FG3co/s400/damage%2Bin%2Bthe%2Barea%2B-%2Bneighbours2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Damage to neighbours of Sunrise Farm</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">You will all have heard about the
massive earthquakes that hit Nepal on 25<sup>th</sup> April and again
on 12<sup>th</sup> May. It’s sobering to think that as
permaculturalists we strive to design resilience into our systems,
but here’s Gaia showing us that no matter what we do there’s very
little to prepare for the forces of nature that rent herself apart. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nearly 10,000 dead (they still haven’t reached some villages and
recovered all the bodies) and up to half a million homes destroyed
and needing to be rebuilt. The emphasis is still on relief as I write
this, and providing shelter the
priority, </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">with the monsoon rains looming.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Firstly and
thankfully no one from the </span><a href="http://www.himalayanpermaculture.com/">Himalayan Permaculture Centre</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (HPC) or indeed any of the permaculture-related initiatives have been hurt.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For HPC the loss has been of Sunrise
Farm in Kathmandu which was damaged in the first earthquake and more
so in the second, and will have to be pulled down. The livestock shed
was also demolished and the various land demonstrations on the
Resource Centre (RC) – the only functioning organic
farm/permaculture demonstration and training centre in Kathmandu –
were trashed when hundreds of people sought open space away from
buildings (who can blame them?), and the farm – because it is a
farm – had the only space around.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t8UfvnK0VyU/VXm4_Wl2KgI/AAAAAAAAApg/xzAXOJ47Dis/s1600/refugees%2Bon%2Bfarm%2Bland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t8UfvnK0VyU/VXm4_Wl2KgI/AAAAAAAAApg/xzAXOJ47Dis/s640/refugees%2Bon%2Bfarm%2Bland.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Refugees on the farm</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Despite the priority for relief that is
still current, thoughts are turning to reconstruction and not only
about earthquake-resilient structures but also how these are
integrated with other aspects of sanitation, energy, food security,
finance and the like. The chance to rebuild in a holistic way
presents itself as an opportunity to rise out of the destruction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>"The chance to rebuild in a holistic way presents itself as an opportunity to rise out of the destruction."</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">To this end various individuals and
organisations are looking for collaboration to plan a permaculture
response.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">If people are interested to support
financially or otherwise, there are 2 places I would recommend:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://kamalafoundation.org/"><b>The
Kamala Foundation</b></a> </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">–</span> headed by Zac Barton, a PDC graduate on
his diploma pathway, coordinating KFs direct relief efforts that have
so far provided food, tarps, bedding, solar lamps & phone
chargers to over 800 households (about 4800 people), and looking to
engage other related groups in a design for long term resilience
planning – see above.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sunrise.farm.98?fref=ts"><b>Sunrise
Farm</b></a> – to rebuild the farm as a functioning demo and
training farm, acting as a Kathmandu Hub for the above initiative. SF
is a partner of and supported by HPC. It has been a working demo farm
for over 20 years, modelling Fukuoka non-till rice, SRI, agroforestry,
bio-intensive no till vegetables, biogas and a host of other
technologies to thousands of visitors, from tourists to remote hill
farmers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">To donate to Sunrise Farm you can go through the Permacultre Association's
website <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/permaculture-association/donate-international-permaculture-projects">here</a>
and pick Himalayan Permaculture Centre.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Both The Kamala Foundation and Himalayan Permaculture Centre/Sunrise Farm have opportunities
for volunteers skilled in building (including architecture),
engineering, healing (in the broadest sense), fundraising,
IT/communications, and of course networking itself.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">There are a host of other places to
donate, most doing good work and some looking to link up with an
integrated approach.</span></div>
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Permaculture Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06736548537309980971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-32675071422814360142015-06-02T10:11:00.000+01:002015-06-02T10:11:23.359+01:00Permaculture Day 2015: In Support of Soil Report - call for more contributions!<div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri;">By Nicola Bell, Membership Coordinator</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TcozVHJgIqM/VWwkdQHOBHI/AAAAAAAAAPM/9pq3YkSh56U/s1600/2015-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TcozVHJgIqM/VWwkdQHOBHI/AAAAAAAAAPM/9pq3YkSh56U/s640/2015-cover.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A huge thank you to those of you who helped more people to hear about the benefits of permaculture on International Permaculture Day! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You were part of <b>200 events and actions in 43 countries </b>- thank you for making them happen!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Please help the <a href="http://www.permacultureday.org/call-for-contributions-to-permaculture-day-2015-report/" target="_blank">International Permaculture Day 2015</a> team to compile photos, videos and stories for the <b>International Permaculture Day 2015:</b><b> In Soil Supporters Report</b> - <a href="http://www.permacultureday.org/call-for-contributions-to-permaculture-day-2015-report/" target="_blank">click here to contribute.</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Some <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/permaculture-association/join" target="_blank">Permaculture Association members</a> have already shared their successes with the network:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="color: #59a183;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/people-projects-places/project/abundant-earth" target="_blank">Abundant Earth</a>, Co Durham:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It may have been freezing cold but around 70 of you came to the
Abundant Earth open day today....Thanks for your effort and your
company! </span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The day coincided with International Permaculture Day.
This year the focus was on soil and Wilf gave tours and talks
throughout the day relating to this topic. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Children ate fairy cakes and bounced on the trampoline, some of them bottle fed the lambs and planted flowers. </span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mark and Vicky brought their biochar demonstration which was incredibly
informative and lots of people now have a biochar sample. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ASU0OvMsZMI/VWhmu7cElqI/AAAAAAAAANw/0SHrOEU5OmU/s1600/mattwoodturn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ASU0OvMsZMI/VWhmu7cElqI/AAAAAAAAANw/0SHrOEU5OmU/s400/mattwoodturn.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Matt giving a wood turning demo at Abundant Earth</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Matt made a beautiful bowl on his pole lathe for all see. Beth tried to weave on the peg loom but it was a bit chilly! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lashings of hot tea was freely available and tasty cakes were for sale;
a percentage of which we will send to the Kathmandu Earthquake fund.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gEFhvHxxzYw/VWhmsdGRvAI/AAAAAAAAANo/e57F7r7_wDA/s1600/markvickyabundantearthbochar11149260_826983870722045_2997255128285168332_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gEFhvHxxzYw/VWhmsdGRvAI/AAAAAAAAANo/e57F7r7_wDA/s400/markvickyabundantearthbochar11149260_826983870722045_2997255128285168332_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mike and Vicky demonstrating bio char at Abundant Earth</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We also sold our eggs, salad and some of west ridings organic compost. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There were a great deal of leaflets and books to browse and there was a dvd playing about permaculture and soil.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our next open day is on Sunday September 6th! Save the date!!!</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/people-projects-places/project/pennerley-permaculture-and-forest-garden-plot" target="_blank">Pennerley Permaculture Project</a>, Shropshire:</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We had 14 people come for a two hour tour of
the plots and forest garden followed by tea, cake and discussion. A good
time was had by all. One person e-mailed after to say, "<i>We just wanted to drop
you a brief note to say a real big thanks for your time and insights on Sunday –
packed full of gems and golden nuggets and very much appreciated.</i>"</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/people-projects-places/project/glengall-wharf-garden" target="_blank">Glengall Wharf Garden</a> & Burgess Park Food Project, Peckham:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Worries about the weather disappeared almost as soon as we
came on site – the afternoon was fresh and glorious. A great turn out of
people, lured by the promise of learning more about soil and how to
manage it meant we got lots done and ate well. <a href="http://burgessparkfoodproject.org.uk/2015/05/04/sunshine-soil-and-pizza-success/" target="_blank">Read more on the blog...</a></span> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aYvKQMgon90/VWhoI9s7aeI/AAAAAAAAAN8/MvII3SP1028/s1600/frogglangallwharf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aYvKQMgon90/VWhoI9s7aeI/AAAAAAAAAN8/MvII3SP1028/s1600/frogglangallwharf.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Searching for frogs at Glengall Wharf, Peckham</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/people-projects-places/project/grange" target="_blank">The Grange</a>, Norfolk</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Over three days we stock fenced over 200 metres of meadow, built a new
plinth base for the yurt, potted on at least 100 courgette and squash
plants, built a rocket stove, weeded the herb garden and cut and
split over a tonne of wood. But it wasn’t all work…on Sunday
night we fired up the cob oven and cooked some delicious pizzas
before watching a film on the projector and each day was punctuated
by wonderful food and conversations.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After three tiring but exhilarating
days our project here seems possible again, at least for a little
while. But it won’t be long before another blitz is needed – and
we will put out the call for help once more!</span></div>
</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OdPY7WR6sVw/VWhs5PGRe0I/AAAAAAAAAOI/SkTSBCm9rW0/s1600/Thegrange1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OdPY7WR6sVw/VWhs5PGRe0I/AAAAAAAAAOI/SkTSBCm9rW0/s400/Thegrange1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tom and Ben putting the finishing touches to some stock fencing at The Grange </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.soilandsoul.org.uk/" rel="nofollow">www.soilandsoul.org.uk</a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f5Rs00DV_dU/VWhs5H5HYpI/AAAAAAAAAOM/WtIc9rNne3M/s1600/Thegrange2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f5Rs00DV_dU/VWhs5H5HYpI/AAAAAAAAAOM/WtIc9rNne3M/s400/Thegrange2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ian making pizza for dinner at The Grange</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="https://wanderingseeds.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/thomas-remiarz/" target="_blank">Tomas Remiarz</a>, Wales</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I
did a workshop on Edible Landscapes at the local "<a href="http://springgreens.org.uk/" target="_blank">Spring Greens</a>"
Festival, with about 20 people. The festival's theme was "the land" and
it also had presentations by Chris and Looby on their new Applewood
project, by Simon Fairlie on land rights, a permaculture stall by Roz
Brown as well as many other stalls and events. 700 people attended -
great success!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YLMHOK6EoQ0/VWhy64EempI/AAAAAAAAAO4/m7LhpBymelg/s1600/springgreens2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YLMHOK6EoQ0/VWhy64EempI/AAAAAAAAAO4/m7LhpBymelg/s400/springgreens2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Beautiful Spring Greens Fair 2015</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/PCforestgarden/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/PCforestgarden/" target="_blank">Mike Pope</a>, Lancashire</b></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The course went really well, lots of positive feed-back,
(thank you for the material you sent). Two of the participants came as a
result of seeing it on the <a href="http://www.permaculture.org.uk/" target="_blank">Permaculture Association website.</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We covered the
meaning and ethics of Permaculture in the morning, ending with a
presentation of an eco-renovation of a terraced house from our friend
<a href="https://ourgreencottage.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Andy Hunt</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The
afternoon was a discussion and videos of the principle of forest
gardening, followed by a trip to our <a href="https://knowledgebase.permaculture.org.uk/practical-solutions/forest-gardens" target="_blank">forest garden</a> (hopefully soon to be
a Land Centre). On the Sunday we had a volunteer session at the garden
which was well attended. We hope to run another similar event in the
autumn. </span></div>
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</blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/people-projects-places/project/offshoots-permaculture-project" target="_blank">Offshoots Permaculture Project</a>, Lancashire</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Victoria Woods and Phill Dewhurst spoke at the Alternatiba event in Todmorden on Sunday 3rd May.</span></div>
<div>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The talk was well attended with over 40 people and standing room only at the venue, Todmorden Town Hall</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The
presentation was an introduction to Permaculture with a focus on soils
and positive solutions and Offshoots Permaculture Project</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For
about 45 minutes we gave out information and answered questions, showed a
short 6 minute film of Offshoots as well as publicised the next local
Permaculture Design course starting Saturday 6th June 2015</span></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you'd like to learn more about permaculture demonstration sites like these, or to find one near you, <a href="http://www.permaculture.org.uk/LAND" target="_blank">check out the LAND network. </a></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Please help the <a href="http://www.permacultureday.org/call-for-contributions-to-permaculture-day-2015-report/" target="_blank">International Permaculture Day organisers</a> by sharing your stories and photos, so that we can celebrate everyone's involvement! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We also have also set up a <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/permaculture-association/sets/72157652744477235" target="_blank">Flickr album</a> to share activities that happened across the network, so feel free to send more to us at the <a href="http://www.permaculture.org.uk/" target="_blank">Permaculture Association.</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you would like to host a talk, course, festival, tea party, seed swap or anything else for <b>International Permaculture Day 2016</b>, please let us know! </span><br />
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Nicola Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06610283939435621545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-86718283243459487022015-05-29T12:31:00.001+01:002015-06-11T13:06:52.770+01:00Is your smart phone a problem or a solution? 7 ways to get the most out of it without it sucking the life out of you.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>by Irene Soler and Hedvig Murra</i>y</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this day and age, we need to be always connected. We need to answer our emails immediately. If you run your own business, you always need to be updating Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to increase likes, followers, tweets etc. At least this is how it can feel. What's more, you can quickly get sucked into a world of cat videos and photos of people’s food, leaving little time for getting out into nature, or having time to see your friends.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We don’t like it, but we know this cycle all too well. Both of us are self employed so we rely on the internet and our phones to run our businesses. Irene works in Brighton as a web designer and she starts her days by listening to a podcast on her phone while eating breakfast, then sitting down to a day at the computer, and then some evening entertainment on Pinterest and Instagram. But as a result she was getting back pain and RSI in her wrist.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hedvig is a permaculture teacher who has set up online platforms for her students, does <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/diploma" target="_blank">diploma</a> tutorials via Skype and writes a <a href="https://hedvigmurray.wordpress.com/author/hedvigmurray/" target="_blank">blog</a> to share her findings. At some point earlier this year, she was waking up and checking her phone first thing in the morning, last thing at night and most of the time in between.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why? Because it can be a great way to connect with the people we are friends with who live in different countries, people from our <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/education/courses" target="_blank">PDC</a>s and other people who inspire us. We can connect with people we have never met, and help them to use permaculture in their lives.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we started working together on <a href="http://www.hippermaculture.com/" target="_blank">HIP Permaculture</a>, we wanted to re-design a new culture of how we could use our phones to do what needs to be done, and free up time to do other things.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So we set about doing a permaculture design on how we use tech in our lives.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="492" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IMgltaZIvp0/VVM1fg3PDLI/AAAAAAAAANA/tQV47XQvh0U/s640/graphic.png" width="640" /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From this, one of the design aims was to limit our access / reduce temptation and we found some things worked really well. Here are our tips:</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Irene’s tips</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Schedule computer free days.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started with Computer Free Fridays. I would still do work by doing things like brainstorming on paper, making physical models, mapping out work plans or meeting up with others.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Take regular breaks.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I have a full day at the computer, I set a timer to ring every 25 minutes (The Pomodoro Technique). This is a reminder to get up, move around and stretch.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. No Facebook / No email.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don’t have a Facebook app on my phone and I don’t check emails either when I’m away from my computer (unless I’m not near a computer for days!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am more productive when I am online these days and I have less issues with my back. I’ve developed new offline ways to work with clients that are both fun and unusual for a web designer. I’ve had great feedback from clients who have found this less daunting than online stuff.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hedvig’s tips</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. Switch off your wifi when not using it.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started doing this when I was living by myself. This is particular helpful as it helped me</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kick the habit of checking my phone all the time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. Switch off notifications on your phone.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you can’t switch off your wifi, you can switch off the distractions. I was constantly distracted by peeps and bings, which interrupted my thinking. Change the settings on Facebook and emails, for example.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Check your emails and social media at set times during the day.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I try and check twice a day. I check when I have time to actually answer the emails, rather than just keeping up with the emails. If you need to, add a note to the bottom of your emails saying ‘I only check my emails x times a day and if there is something urgent call me’.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. Manage social media posts.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For my business social media accounts, I use an app to collect interesting links and then sit down once a week to schedule when I want them to be shared.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The results have been that I am now more efficient and I feel less guilty that I am not answering my emails. I have freed up headspace for other things. I feel like I have gained more time to do things that are really important for my well-being, like going out for regular walks, having time to read in front of the fire and also to meet up with friends.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hedvig Murray and Irene Soler are the founders of <a href="http://www.hippermaculture.com/" target="_blank">HIP Permaculture</a>. They aim to create useful and beautiful products to inspire people to use permaculture.</span></i>Nicola Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06610283939435621545noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-3309656845361880582015-05-12T20:01:00.000+01:002015-05-13T20:14:47.577+01:00Planning a fabulous new permaculture life abroad - people care tips<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">by Jo Holleran, Permaculture Association member</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jo Holleran is a p<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: start;">ermaculture practitioner, designer and <a href="http://www.permaculture.org.uk/diploma" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design</a> tutor. Newly located in Poitou-Charentes, France.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Planning a fabulous new permaculture life abroad? Here are some People Care tips for the transition…<br /><br />Sometimes, wild dreaming reveals a vision of a permaculture paradise in a new country. There is so much potential, perhaps a lush food forest dripping with exotic fruits, an eco-renovation project for a fabulous home, eco-village living with like-minded people, a new cultural experience…<br /><br />Equally, relocating abroad can place great demands on personal resilience. It can be hard going at first, at a time when we have made a break from so much that is familiar. <br /><br />‘Fresh off the boat’ for the second time, these are some of my personal experiences and tips for the transition to an abundant new life abroad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Integrate, don’t segregate</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Make connections before arrival</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It feels so much better to be welcomed to a new home, to see a few familiar faces and to have others to turn to for help and to share the learning with. We can listen to our instincts with new friendships, they transcend any language barriers that may exist.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><br /><b>Keep in touch with the important people in your life</b><br />Our loved ones represent our support structure and our personal guild and we are equally important to them. Staying in touch links and involves family and friends so they can also be part of an exciting new future.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Design for integration</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Successful integration into the local community is important for social fulfilment and is worthy of a design in its own right. There are so many exciting opportunities: attending local events; meeting key community figures; joining hobby groups; taking a language course; meeting the neighbours; chatting and listening in the bakery; volunteering locally; finding work, the list goes on!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />It is good to observe and understand the local ‘grapevine.’ Used wisely, it can be a helpful communication tool.<br /><br /><b>Check-in regularly with your partner</b><br />In times of change, new skills, strengths, anxieties, ideas and priorities emerge as we tackle new things together. Regular check-ins provide the opportunity to re-align with each other.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Health and Wellbeing</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Prioritise a suitable living space</b><br />If we plan to get cold, wet and muddy, it makes sense to plan to get warm, dry and clean again afterwards. Challenging living conditions are an energy drain and can contribute to health problems. The more efficiently we can perform basic functions and the better we are able to feed ourselves, then the more enjoyable the experience and the more time and energy we have available for other activities.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Plan for good health</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />When we are passionate about achieving our goals, it is easy to push ourselves beyond our physical, mental or emotional limits. Working with nature by listening closely to ourselves and keeping a personal observations diary and/or maintenance plan enables realistic goal setting. It can also help to identify the ‘tweak’ points before they become break points.<br /><br />We need to establish our healthcare entitlements in our new country, identify any gaps and work out how to fill them. It is helpful to have a list of emergency numbers and some basic language by or stored in the phone in case of need.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Work/Life Balance</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Set your own pace</b><br />Others may be working to their own agenda causing them to push for quick decisions or actions. We shouldn’t feel embarrassed about slowing things down if that’s what feels right for us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Make time for leisure and hobbies</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Many of us take on hugely demanding projects and it’s really easy to spend every waking moment working on them. We can refer back to our wild dreaming regularly and plan time out in the here and now to pursue our other interests.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Record your progress</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As we look forward the task list can seem quite daunting. However, we can also look behind us to our achievements for encouragement. Recording progress in some way, either privately or within our guilds reminds us that we really are moving towards our vision.<br /><br /><b>Celebrate your achievements</b><br />There are so many different ways to celebrate both our own achievements and those of others, we can be really creative. Personally, I love to celebrate in simple ways, with friends, with food and with a toast.<br /><br /><br />So, here’s to your good health and to your new adventure!</span>Permaculture Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06736548537309980971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-23371525843402300562015-05-12T19:25:00.000+01:002015-05-12T19:25:00.362+01:00Inspiration and insights from a Teacher Training Course<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">by Nenya Milne</span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Permaculture Association bulletin
advertising funded places at European training courses came just at the right time. I
was feeling increasingly stuck for impetus to pursue the many
permaculture projects I had ambitiously hatched in my head. I knew I
needed to improve on my skills to engage with different audiences,
and to gain confidence in the more democratic forms of education
compared to the university framework I was used to. </span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q3TFkfHTdwc/VUn7yexXT2I/AAAAAAAAAnU/FU0d4Qh0aOE/s1600/Nenya%2Bfamily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q3TFkfHTdwc/VUn7yexXT2I/AAAAAAAAAnU/FU0d4Qh0aOE/s1600/Nenya%2Bfamily.jpg" height="280" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nenya and family</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Somehow I had
never seriously considered a teachers’ training course – perhaps
because the scale of investment, both in terms of time and money, was
completely out my reach. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Having already made plans to pack my
two-year old off to granny’s for most of October, the opportunity
to apply for funding for the October Permaculture Educators’ Course
in Denmark was too good to miss. With only a few meaningful questions
to answer, my application was soon on its way. Incredibly, I got the
answer in just three days – and I was going to Friland!</span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I arrived in Denmark feeling slightly
intimidated yet excited about the course, but both emotions soon gave
way to an almost palpable sense of being just where I needed to be. I
made friends with some of our group even before leaving Copenhagen on
a 4 hour bus journey to Friland, which lies about an hour’s drive
north-east of Aarhus. I met the rest during the charming candlelit
dinner at our course venue – a spacious eco-building called The
Raven <i>(Ravnen</i>). Our accommodation was partly in
Friland’s equally amazing and varied family homes, made from wood,
straw bale, or cob, and partly in the ‘normal’ Danish village of
Feldballe across the road from Friland.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Friland is an unusual intentional
community in that it was set up NOT to become a parallel alternative
community, but to demonstrate that you could lead a green, low-impact
life while staying fully integrated with the rest of society.
Friland’s children attend the local school in Feldballe, and the
preconditions for getting a plot to build your own house in Friland
were not being in debt, and having your own (not necessarily
land-based) business. There were also limits imposed on how much you
could sell your house for, to deter anyone with the ambitions of a
would-be developer, and attract people with a long-term commitment to
the community. Many of the houses in Friland were still being built
(and from what I heard the strain of self-build proved too much for a
couple of families), and it was in no way a postcard picture of an
ideal village – though it did not stop people from wanting to
visit, get involved, or seek to replicate Friland’s experiences
elsewhere. And for good reason, everything that succeeded had
withstood the tests of both time and usefulness, and Friland is a
well-functioning as well as a deeply inspirational place.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In addition to getting insider
perspectives on Friland, staying in family homes meant that we got
the chance of a decent rest during the night (unless paired up with a
snoring roommate…), as well as a daily change of scene and some
space of our own. I even had the benefit of a cat’s company which
was wonderful for relaxation! We were also very well looked after at
the course venue: we were spared cooking and other house work by our
incredibly efficient hosts Jo and Lars and their kitchen helpers
Nicolas and Alison, who also provided wholesome and delicious food
and freshly baked bread, and yes, “Mmmm, garlic..!” </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There was
also time for fun and games, mushrooming in the local woods, gentle
warm-ups to energise us in the mornings, and plenty of socialising in
the evenings. All of this was important given how
intensive the course proved to be, and it was amazing to see how it
was carefully designed to enable maximum learning and retention of
useful information – packed and interactive sessions alternated
with time set aside for reflection and opportunities to practice
teaching in a safe and supportive environment. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We gained useful
insights about how we learn (the process and the different learning
styles), the importance of thorough preparation and timing, of a good
learning environment, and of tailoring the methods and content to
specific learning outcomes. We practised teaching in pairs and giving
feedback to each other, while each of us received useful feedback
from our tutors Andy Goldring and Cat Dolleris, as well as an insight
about how to improve our body language and ‘presence’ from a
fellow trainee Armand, a dance teacher with a keen interest in bodily
awareness.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Although we all had different starting points in terms of
confidence and experience in teaching permaculture, I can safely say
that the course was useful to everyone, but especially the beginners,
and it will continue to bear fruit for many years to come! For
myself, things that seemed insurmountable before suddenly appeared
doable and far less intimidating, and as the ten days of training
progressed, I felt increasingly empowered – as well as grateful and
incredibly moved by the emerging friendships, wisdom, and mutual
support.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our stay in Friland was not without
incident: a couple of days before the course ended, one of the huge
straw piles not far from the venue went up in flames. Speculation
abounded as to whether the moisture that penetrated the bales had led
to such high levels of microbial activity that the straw ignited in
the generated heat (much like an overly hot compost pile), or whether
our group or the bus tour of pensioners that happened to visit
Friland on that day harboured an unconfessed pyromaniac… One thing
was definite according to the firefighters: our quickly improvised
bucket chain helped save the nearby building from catching fire as
well.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tk7aK7J8eKQ/VUOTfdWhcCI/AAAAAAAAAnE/7IFOxRyRUQ0/s1600/IMG_4781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tk7aK7J8eKQ/VUOTfdWhcCI/AAAAAAAAAnE/7IFOxRyRUQ0/s1600/IMG_4781.JPG" height="248" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Discussing the first micro-teach <br />while on a DIY tour of Friland (Photo by Cat Dolleris)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now, almost 6 month later, I still feel
a very strong sense of connection to all my course folk, and I am
looking forward to meeting at least some of them at the September
IPCUK in London. I also feel their support in all I am doing to put
my newly honed skills into practice: since returning from Friland, I
have enrolled in Diploma; ran my first Permaculture Introduction
course, a homemade cosmetics course, and started shadowing an
established teacher’s PDC; helped teach a permaculture practical on
Edinburgh University’s 3rd year biology course; organised a
collective design exercise for a local park; started a project to
create a forest garden in the local school grounds and am now working
on a Forest Gardening course to accompany the project in the autumn.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">About the author:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nenya Milne lives in
Edinburgh with her husband Richard and their son Lawrence. She is a
self-employed gardener and permaculture designer and teacher, enjoys
botanising, gets ridiculously excited about plants (especially
unusual edibles), and is working on involving her local community in
the Inch into food-growing projects.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span>Permaculture Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06736548537309980971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-85916632652810968322015-05-06T15:42:00.000+01:002015-05-06T15:42:00.131+01:00 Networking at The Green Gathering 2015<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 0.45cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hAERz02yePI/VRAYItZI7LI/AAAAAAAAAJo/SNAZqRkTUR4/s1600/greengathering.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hAERz02yePI/VRAYItZI7LI/AAAAAAAAAJo/SNAZqRkTUR4/s1600/greengathering.png" /></a></b></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 0.45cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 0.45cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><b>The
original off grid festival to host IPCUK Permaculture Ambassadors,
Beatfreeks, Reclaim The Power and Patrick Whitefield memorial.</b></span></span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 0.45cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">More
than three decades after the first Green Gathering was held on
Glastonbury's Worthy Farm, this solar and wind powered festival has
forged alliances with a range of social enterprises, campaign groups
and art collectives to create a sustainable event based around social
justice and environmental issues – while retaining the intimate
music stages, traditional crafts and community vibe of festivals
past. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.45cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In
recent years The Green Gathering has hosted the Off Grid College, a
Radical Routes Co-operators' Camp, Transition Towns, and an Occupy
camp. </span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In 2015 festival organisers are working with the Permaculture
Association to raise awareness about the <a href="https://ipcuk.events/" target="_blank">International
Permaculture Convergence</a> to be held in the UK this September. Permaculture Ambassadors will be at The Green Gathering to share
their knowledge of ecological design systems from around the world –
and to dispel the myth that permaculture is only about gardening.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Pioneering
permaculture author <a href="http://www.beatfreeks.com/#beatfreeks" target="_blank">Patrick
Whitefield</a> was instrumental in organising early incarnations of
The Green Gathering. Patrick died recently at his home in Glastonbury
and in recognition of his inspiration, a memorial for Patrick will be
incorporated into this year's festival.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">One
of the UK's top events for families, The Green Gathering won a
<a href="http://www.festivalkidz.com/awards/fk-award-winners-2014/" target="_blank">Festival
Kidz Gold Award</a> in 2014 and <a href="http://www.thespark.co.uk/competitions/win-a-family-pass-for-green-gathering.html" target="_blank">The
Spark Family Award</a> in 2013. With a view to expanding activities
for teens, Green Gathering organisers have recently confirmed a new
collaboration with <a href="http://www.beatfreeks.com/#beatfreeks" target="_blank">Beatfreeks</a>,
an award-winning social enterprise set up to provide platforms for
growth and expression to young people while addressing social issues
and bringing benefit to broader communities. At GG 2015 the
Beatfreeks collective will provide a series of youth-oriented
workshops in poetry, music, dance, enterprise, leadership and media,
culminating in a poetry slam and performance jam on the solar powered
Floating Lotus Stage. </span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Those
attending the Gathering will also have the chance to network with <a href="http://www.nodashforgas.org.uk/" target="_blank">No
Dash for Gas</a> and Reclaim The Power activists who've been
responsible for raising awareness of climate change and fuel poverty,
occupying power stations and organising action camps on the
anti-fracking frontlines of Balcombe and Blackpool.</span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Green
Gathering director Em Weirdigan says:</span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="color: black;">“<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><i>It's
amazing how many people say 'The Green Gathering changed my life'. It
really is a festival beyond hedonism, where you can party then wake
up and hatch plans for a better future with your mates from the night
before. It's a place outside the mainstream where your eyes will be
opened to fairer and more fun ways of living and working, and where
you can learn practical skills to transform your world”.</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Line Up</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></span></h3>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
line-up includes live music from Martha Tilston, The Undercover
Hippy, Seize The Day, Roving Crows, RDF, Dapper Cadavers, The Don
Bradmans, Krankschaft, Tallulah Rendall, Formidable Vegetable Sound
System, Will Tun and the Wasters, Suzy Condrad, Smiley and the
Underclass, and Tori Reed. </span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Spoken
word and open mic venues will see poet and author Salena Godden, the
legendary Artist Taxi Driver, Jazz Gnome Assassins and many more
appearing over the four days of the festival. Bristol's Libby
Lawes/HippyPunk will curate a late night dance venue.</span></span><br />
</div>
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><b>The
Green Gathering will be held 13-16 August 2015, in an Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty in the Welsh borders just 18 miles from
Bristol. </b></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Advance
Winter Tickets £85, Spring Tickets (from April 1st) £95. Youth
Tickets £54 (11-15 years). Children under 11 go free. Tickets from
<a href="http://www.bristolticketshop.co.uk/eventdetails.aspx?e=6835" target="_blank">Bristol
Ticket Shop</a>. </span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Permaculture Association members get a discount to this year's Green Gathering! Please e-mail membership[at]permaculture.org.uk to gain your discount code. <a href="http://www.permaculture.org.uk/join" target="_blank">Not a member yet? Join today.</a></span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">A
</span></span></span><a href="http://www.greengathering.org.uk/?page_id=22" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Green
Gathering Charity</span></span></span></span></a><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
was established in 2013, with a remit to promote education for
sustainability. </span></span></span></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">More
information about The Green Gathering: </span></span></span><a href="http://www.greengathering.org.uk/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">www.greengathering.org.uk</span></a></div>
<div align="LEFT">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
Nicola Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06610283939435621545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-92078797049713563172015-05-01T11:44:00.000+01:002015-05-01T11:44:11.207+01:00Nurturing Your Local Permaculture Network - more...<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; }</style>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">by Nicola Bell, Membership Coordinator </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Welcome to the second in a series of posts aimed at giving support and ideas to help new
local permaculture networks to germinate. For the first, <a href="http://permacultureambassadors.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/nurturing-your-local-permaculture.html" target="_blank">click here</a>!</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jsZKfRPHAc8/VUI_jxSz1FI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/v2kC-WcPcdk/s1600/10689764_10154998182225425_6384171325191951311_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jsZKfRPHAc8/VUI_jxSz1FI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/v2kC-WcPcdk/s1600/10689764_10154998182225425_6384171325191951311_n.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Get more done, working together!</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div style="text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What sort of group are you?</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Permaculture groups vary widely in size and activities across the UK. If you're just starting out as a new permaculture group, it's worth looking at other successful groups across the network, to get an idea of what you could potentially achieve together, or how you would like to evolve. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here are some examples from different regions:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.lampeterpermaculture.org/" target="_blank"><u><b>Lampeter Permaculture Group </b></u></a>- Gather once a month at a members place to help each other with their designs.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.leedspermaculturenetwork.org/" moz-do-not-send="true"><b>Leeds
Permaculture Network</b></a><b> </b>-<b> </b>Monthly socials with excellent and
engaging speakers, preceded by shared food.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://permaculturepicturehouse.co.uk/programme/" moz-do-not-send="true">Permaculture
Picturehouse </a></b><a href="http://permaculturepicturehouse.co.uk/programme/" moz-do-not-send="true"><br /></a></span>
<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm;</style><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">London - Monthly gathering usually for
films, sometimes speakers.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://shropshirepermaculture.org.uk/" moz-do-not-send="true">Shropshire &
Edges Permaculture Network </a></b><a href="http://shropshirepermaculture.org.uk/" moz-do-not-send="true"><br /></a></span>
<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; }</style><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Monthly skill-sharing gathering at a
different home, farm or project. Participants bring ideas,
encouragement and labour. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://www.permaculturehull.org.uk/" target="_blank">Hull Permaculture Group</a></b> - Book swaps, film nights, forest gardening and more! (see below)</span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#%21forum/ne-permaculture-net"><u><b>North
East Permaculture Network </b></u><br />
<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; }A:link { </style></a>Meet up for special events, with very <a href="https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#%21forum/ne-permaculture-net">active
email list</a>.</span></li>
<br />
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b><a href="http://www.londonpermaculture.com/" target="_blank">London Permaculture Network</a> </b></u> - a large network that meet regularly and host many events and activities including the annual <a href="http://www.londonpermaculturefestival.com/" target="_blank">London Permaculture Festival</a>, at Cecil Sharp House.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Please <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6QJ7BWR" target="_blank">let us know more about your group</a> if you would like to be featured here or in future features. Many of these groups have Group Permaculture Association membership, and benefit from listings in the newsletter '<i>Permaculture Works</i>' - <a href="http://www.permaculture.org.uk/join" target="_blank">click here</a> to join as a group member.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Activities to do as a group</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It is sometimes daunting to coordinate a series of events if you're just getting started. Take it easy, why not get to know one
another first, and see how things evolve! Here's Lausanne of the fantastic new <a href="http://www.permaculturehull.org.uk/" target="_blank">Hull Permaculture group</a>:</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"We first thought about forming our Hull Permaculture group after our permaculture design course had come to an end. It was formed as a means for us to keep in touch and continue learning together. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We try to meet up on a monthly basis. During the winter months we usually meet up at a local pub, have a chat, bring books, magazines and questions to share, and have group discussions. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When summer comes around we take advantage of the lighter nights and visit each others sites, projects and allotments. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One of our members, Janet, works for the NHS and has an allotment space set up to nurture positive mental health and well-being, and this has been very inspiring. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We will also organise socials and meals at each other's houses, and one of our members has recently started running a permaculture picturehouse from an outhouse in his garden! </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We are planning visits to other local group events they year, such as <a href="http://www.leedspermaculturenetwork.org/" target="_blank">Leeds Permaculture Network</a>, and we also hope to visit some <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/people-projects-places/land/map" target="_blank">LAND Centres.</a>”</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- Lausanne Tranter, Hull Permaculture Group and Permaculture Association member</span></i></blockquote>
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BCdVPuGgrP4/VUIkcbrtByI/AAAAAAAAAMA/ND1_FraFkb4/s1600/hullpermaculture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Hull Permaculture" border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BCdVPuGgrP4/VUIkcbrtByI/AAAAAAAAAMA/ND1_FraFkb4/s1600/hullpermaculture.jpg" height="268" title="" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Hull Permaculture members: Lausanne Tranter, Tracey Henry and Ashley Forrester at the Constable Street field. P<span style="font-size: small;">hoto</span>: Simon Renilson</span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Some other ideas for activities include:</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Organise a permaculture film evening - you can now watch <a href="http://ykr.be/ofvb5f2yo" target="_blank">'INHABIT - the permaculture perspective'</a> online!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Host a seed swap</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Organise a skill swap</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Invite a guest speaker to come and talk to you</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hold a permaculture coffee morning</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">More examples coming up in the next post! </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Are you part of a regional group? Please <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6QJ7BWR" target="_blank">let us know what you get up to</a>, so we can share with the network.</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Engagement and
gaining new members</span></span></h3>
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As I mentioned in the previous post, <a href="https://twitter.com/Permaculture_UK" target="_blank">twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/PermacultureAssociation" target="_blank">facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/ebulletin" target="_blank">mailing lists</a> are
a great way to encourage others to engage with your activities.
Having a <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/permaculture-association" target="_blank">Flickr page</a> to share your achievements together is another
option - just check out these great active Flickr sites made by Permaculture Association members and tell me you're not inspired!</span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/99210200@N08/" target="_blank">Brighton Permaculture Trust</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/124792022@N05/" target="_blank">Wildheart Permaculture</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ndpc/" target="_blank">North Devon Permaculture</a></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You could also consider getting a website or blog to bring all of
this together, including a calendar of upcoming work days and
socials. '<a href="https://en-gb.wordpress.org/" target="_blank">Wordpress</a>', '<a href="https://www.drupal.org/" target="_blank">Drupal</a>' and '<a href="http://www.joomla.org/" target="_blank">Joomla!</a>' are all free and user
friendly content management platforms that allow you to create
beautiful websites.</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Permaculture Association members can also add their courses and
events listings online, as well as jobs and opportunities. These are
promoted via our monthly <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/ebulletin">ebulletin</a> which goes out to over
7,000 subscribers, so it's well worth it. Find out how to join <a href="http://www.permaculture.org.uk/join">here.</a></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It is <i>as</i> important, if not
more, to get the word out offline. There are those of us who do not have access to the internet, and those who are always out and about and you're more likely to engage away from a screen - you want to make sure everyone gets the invite to learn about permaculture, and benefit from being actively involved in their community. Here are some ideas of locations you could approach to help
promote your activities with simple posters (remember to get
permission first!):</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Allotment noticeboard</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Library</span></div>
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Community Centre</span></li>
<li><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Health Food Shops</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Cafes</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Universities and schools</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Community Centre</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">GP surgery</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Places of worship</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yoga Centre</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="htpp:llwww.permaculture.org.uk/join">If your group chooses to become a Group member</a><a href="http://www.permaculture.org.uk/join" target="_blank"> of the Permaculture Association,</a> you'll benefit from a listing in
'Permaculture Works', which helps new members near you to find you.
</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You should also spread the word to other regional networks who share
your ethos; it's all about working together to bring about positive
change after all! Here are some ideas of organisations who may have regional groups in your
area:</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.transitionnetwork.org/">Transition Network</a></span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.foe.co.uk/">Friends of the Earth</a></span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.greenparty.org.uk/">The Green Party</a></span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://landworkersalliance.org.uk/">The Land Workers Alliance</a></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Let us know who else we could add to this list!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> </i>
</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Need a venue?</span></span></h3>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you're the sort of group that's going to out grow your local cafe or pub as a meet up space, you might want to start looking for a venue to hold monthly socials. A lot of the establishments listed above may also have meeting rooms and break out spaces that you could potentially hire for an evening, so it's worth enquiring. </span></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DXfMrtUOOu4/VUJEgurARSI/AAAAAAAAAMg/Ts6TGQJ-bbc/s1600/cecil-sharp-house-permablitz-march-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DXfMrtUOOu4/VUJEgurARSI/AAAAAAAAAMg/Ts6TGQJ-bbc/s1600/cecil-sharp-house-permablitz-march-2.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Permablitz in action!</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">You may also find that some venues would welcome the addition of a permaculture design. For example, Cecil Sharpe House in London, which hosts the annual London Permaculture Festival, <a href="http://www.permablitzlondon.com/" target="_blank">won an award</a><a href="http://www.permablitzlondon.com/" target="_blank"> </a><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.permablitzlondon.com/" target="_blank">after permablitzlondon transformed the entrance</a> into an edible and wildlife haven!</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you've got a good idea for a possible permaculture group venue space, <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6QJ7BWR" target="_blank">let us know here.</a></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Once you've put the word out about the exciting events and activities
you've got planned, enjoy connecting and enhancing your community
with permaculture! :)</span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><b><br /></b></u></span>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Please help more regional permaculture groups succeed</span></span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We are facilitating the creation of an FAQ with help from our experienced permaculture groups across the network! If this is you, we want to hear from you! <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6QJ7BWR" target="_blank">Please share your experiences</a> of setting up and running up a group, so that more can succeed.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Next time:
More great activities to do as a group, and some social media tips - permaculture style!</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Become a Group Member of the Permaculture Association and get <a href="http://www.permaculture.org.uk/join" target="_blank">your group listed in Permaculture Works here!</a></span></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
Nicola Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06610283939435621545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-39444980066075661492015-04-28T15:41:00.000+01:002015-05-13T18:49:07.035+01:00European Children in Permaculture<div class="" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Children
in Permaculture European Project</b></span></span></div>
<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; }A:link { }</style>
<br />
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This
interview took place between Joe Atkinson and Lusi Alderslowe in
early April 2015, it's about the innovative European children in <span style="font-size: small;">p</span>ermaculture project outlined in <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/join/member-benefits" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Permaculture Works</a> issue 124. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>J:
Who came up with the idea for the project and how??</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">L:
Thanks to your European Permaculture Teachers (EPT) project which
delivered excellent resources and connected people from different
countries in inspirational ways... But, participants recognised that
the EPT did not have any focus on working with children under 12
years. Thus Gaye from Turkey (living in Finland) worked with Rakesh
(from London) to initiate a network of people in Europe who were
dedicated to the vision of creating resources (like curricula,
activities, session plans, handouts, posters etc) for sharing
permaculture with children. Martina (Czech) and Tomi (Slovenia) were
instrumental from when Gaye met them in Slovenia in 2012.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>J:
How did the partnership come together, and who else is involved?</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">L:
When Rakesh and Gaye put the shout-out, 14 organisations applied,
from which we shortlisted and selected a variety which met our
criteria and Erasmus' priorities. In the end we applied to Erasmus
with a partnership of 7 organisations, 5 NGOs from UK (PA), Slovenia,
Italy, Czech Republic, Romania; and a local state school in Scotland
(Gatehouse Primary and Nursery) and an NGO who runs a kindergarten in
Romania. Gaye is strongly involved but doesn't currently have an
organisation so will be included in innovative ways. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In
November 2014, 1-2 representatives from each organisation met in
London in Rakesh's house (and LAND Centre) for a 2 day sociocracy
training course, and to set a good foundation for how we will work
together for the coming months, and hopefully years. This was
followed by a 3 day meeting in which we established the groups
vision, mission and aims, and discussed the activities which we would
like funding for. We also laughed and hugged a lot, making sure that
we had the friendships and trust we needed to create a high quality
application for European funding. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>J:What
challenges did you face while writing the application, and how did
you overcome them?</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">L: At
our meeting in November, we set ourselves the target of completing
the first draft of the application by the end of January, ready to
send to people who could advise on how to tweak it. So after the
meeting, the funding circle had many Skype meetings - And a few!!! At
the end of January, we were still consenting to SMARTE Goals
(Specific, Measurable, Agreed-upon, Realistic, Timebound and Ethical)
and timelines. This was agreed to using consent, but later changed in
fairly minor ways for practical reasons. The deadline for Erasmus was
31<sup>st</sup> March, and we only had a first draft ready one week
before the deadline - and that was a big stretch! - Phew!</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When
we sent the first draft to different people with more experience than
us to comment, they each gave different responses, some of which we
agreed with, and some we didn't! This was definitely a challenge, and
with only a week to go, and an ambition to agree to everything by
consent – this was a combination which was simply impossible!! In
the end many unilateral or bilateral decisions were made, some as
late as 4:30am when we both had to be up again at 7am - to lead a
workshop!!!</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yet,
we got the application completed with all the questions asked – all
84 pages of it agreed and submitted a few hours before the deadline
(at 00:30) - no mean feat!. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>J:
What is the plan?</i></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">L:
We now have a plan A and a plan B depending on whether we get the
funding, but either way we will be developing best practice for
sharing permaculture with kids, and finding ways to share this with
others. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Plan
A (with funding) includes the following 'intellectual outputs':</span></span></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">developing
a website with a database in which practitioners can share their
lesson plans and activities</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">researching
current resources</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">creating
case studies</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">creating
a film about children in permaculture</span></span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">publishing
a manual which includes a tried and tested curriculum with
associated lesson plans, activities, methodological guidelines, and
dissemination strategies. </span></span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Writing
a training course which will be publically available for
permaculture educators to introduce school & kindergarten
teachers to permaculture and our resources, enabling educators
around the world to access the resources. </span></span>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We
will also be meeting face to face annually, running training courses
for permaculture educators, and a pupil exchange to Romania.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Plan
B – we will create a newsletter and continue to link people who are
interested in Children in Permaculture. The first exciting
opportunity for this is at the International Permaculture Convergence
in London (more details below).</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>J:
What happens next?</i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">L: A
few things:</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1) <span style="font-size: small;">W</span>e wait to hear from Erasmus+ and respond to any further questions
they may have. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2) <span style="font-size: small;">W</span>e get really excited about <a href="http://www.ipcuk.events/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">IPCUK</a> in London in September!
Because we will organise a way for permaculture educators who work
with kids from around the world to get together and share their
favourite sessions, and get feedback on it. This is an idea I had
during the meeting in November and lots of people are very excited
about it already – if you are interested, please do get in touch
youngpeople@ipcuk.events and <a href="https://www.ipcuk.events/article/fun-pikes" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">read here for more</a>.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">3)
Newsletter – we will be creating a newsletter and mailing list to
keep folks in touch – again if you are interested, please get in
touch, making it clear that you are interested in the Children in
Permaculture newsletter <a href="mailto:scotland@permaculture.org.uk" target="_blank">scotland@permaculture.org.uk</a> </span></span>
</div>
Permaculture Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06736548537309980971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-91113582522158793452015-04-22T12:02:00.000+01:002015-04-22T12:02:00.095+01:00Reflections on a very successful second Eastern Permaculture Gathering<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">by Lee Jenkins </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /><i><a href="http://www.soilandsoul.org.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lee Jenkins</a>, reflects on a very successful second Eastern Permaculture Gathering, held over the weekend of 10th-12th April at his home in Norfolk.</i><br /><br />The weekend was initially planned as an opportunity for a small celebration on the completion of mine and Ben Margolis' Permaculture <a href="http://www.permaculture.org.uk/diploma" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Diplomas</a>, our accreditation presentations for these, and the launch of Soil and Soul, our permaculture teaching collective.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pBBJ8Wl3bXA/VTbh1zKdSII/AAAAAAAAAmo/qgMUZhLoy0s/s1600/diplomats%2Bben%2Band%2Blee.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pBBJ8Wl3bXA/VTbh1zKdSII/AAAAAAAAAmo/qgMUZhLoy0s/s1600/diplomats%2Bben%2Band%2Blee.JPG" height="268" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">However, over the months that followed interest from local permaculturists, as well as people at both ends of the country grew, organically turning the event into something much more. This led to a coming together of an incredibly diverse group of people of all ages and backgrounds. Ben and I were truly thrilled to welcome everyone to our homes at Walnut Farm in Southburgh and to The Grange at Great Cressingham for the weekend.<br /><br />A grounding opening circle beside the tranquil banks of the water’s edge and underneath the pollarded Oak tree was the perfect beginning to an amazing weekend, but the kids were having none of it! The energy was electrifying from the start and this set the tone for the couple of days to come.<br /><br />More than 80 people came together to witness Ben and I present the culmination of our Diploma pathways and to join in with the variety of fun and interesting workshops and activities. These included an interactive arts project to re-purpose <a href="http://ipcuk.events/umbrella-act" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">old umbrellas</a>, willow weaving, bird box making and a wonderful dance workshop; as well as thought provoking discussions on everything from food, survive and thrive, localising permaculture and many more.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NaHu0tALZyc/VTbZYn3CUMI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/pQvoBsn1zss/s1600/group%2Bcircle%2Beaster%2Bgathering%2B2015%2Bcropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NaHu0tALZyc/VTbZYn3CUMI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/pQvoBsn1zss/s1600/group%2Bcircle%2Beaster%2Bgathering%2B2015%2Bcropped.jpg" height="217" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />A truly fitting transition from day to night in the form of a moving fire ceremony was held </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">in the forest garden</span> early Saturday evening by Bee, singer of the Blue Dawn. Here a space was created for us to give thanks and peace to our ancestors and to our land. A good moment for reflection and appreciation before being lured by the inviting sounds and warmth of the barn for a spirited celebratory cèilidh.<br /><br />With nearly a third of the crowd being kids, the weekend was rich with the buzz and excitement made by many generations all in one place. The incredible and inspiring contributions made by so many people - from the food to signage around the site - is a real example of what we can all do as a connected community. <br /><br />The venue for the event, my home at Walnut Farm, is a 16 acre certified organic smallholding including a two acre forest garden, (which has now kindly been adorned with a magnificent archway, created in a group workshop). </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i9zRu4iz5hg/VTbZYsxsKDI/AAAAAAAAAmU/Fw1wfS1EQNQ/s1600/construction%2Bgroup%2Beaster%2Bgathering%2B2015%2Bcropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i9zRu4iz5hg/VTbZYsxsKDI/AAAAAAAAAmU/Fw1wfS1EQNQ/s1600/construction%2Bgroup%2Beaster%2Bgathering%2B2015%2Bcropped.jpg" height="425" max-height="424" max-width="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">During the weekend the event spread beyond Walnut Farm, with the opportunity for people to have a tour of The Grange, Ben and Sophie's home, their site at Great Cressingham. This ten acre smallholding offers a range of therapeutic retreats and courses leading to qualifications for marginalised groups. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Both sites reflect a wide diversity of permaculture in action and in true permaculture style we managed to stack the extra function of officially becoming the first two registered <a href="http://www.permaculture.org.uk/land" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">LAND Centres</a> (demonstration sites) in Norfolk!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />The origins of how this event came to be makes me reflect on the invaluable role of Hannah Thorogood, as she sowed the seeds with the courses she has led over the last 5 years. The accreditations over the weekend were a culmination of her work too and a clear reflection of the magic she has inspired within us as we both move forward delivering permaculture education and our first full PDC course together as lead tutors.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Further details of Lee and Ben’s work and courses can be found at <a href="http://www.soilandsoul.org.uk/">http://www.soilandsoul.org.uk/</a></span>Permaculture Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06736548537309980971noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-84956242829263187172015-03-31T13:11:00.001+01:002015-04-06T14:56:24.717+01:00International Permaculture Day - Portaferry Permaculture Project Grand Launch Event<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i>with Permaculture Association member Heiko Vermeulen </i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Portaferry Permaculture Project in Northern Ireland are celebrating their Grand launch Event in conjunction with this year's <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/internationalpermacultureday2015" target="_blank">International Permaculture Day!</a> In this post Heiko Vermeulen explains a bit about the project, and why it is being launched during this time of global celebration.</i></span></blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l96PneY9UHY/VRky_8JXf2I/AAAAAAAAAKc/bCwTO_DKHQc/s1600/yurtportaferry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l96PneY9UHY/VRky_8JXf2I/AAAAAAAAAKc/bCwTO_DKHQc/s1600/yurtportaferry.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yurt building at Portaferry</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"There is not much
happening on the Permaculture front so far in Northern Ireland, and
our little one acre plot is an oasis of biodiversity in a desert of
monoculture cattle grazing land. We are close to Strangford Lough,
which is one of the most important maritime habitats on the British
Isles. There are signs of change, with tidal power being utilised, and the Queen's University Marine Biology Institute experimenting
with the production of biofuels from sustainably grown seaweeds.
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I came into
permaculture when I was trying to cultivate an impossibly steep site
in Italy and found it the only sensible way of producing food as well
as preserving the slopes and minimising landslides and floods. We
still now have a thriving food forest in Italy which requires minimal
maintenance and landslides have become much less of a problem, even
though rainfalls can fall in just one day equal to those that fell during the
whole of the winter 2014 in England, which was the wettest on record.
Since seeing what permaculture methods can achieve in the most
extreme situations, it has become almost a religion to me. I did my
PDC with Aranya and Pietro Zuchetti in Italy in 2012.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jL4tXeMFfeg/VRkzMQ0H6MI/AAAAAAAAAKk/ayEWHDUN8LE/s1600/yurtportaferry2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jL4tXeMFfeg/VRkzMQ0H6MI/AAAAAAAAAKk/ayEWHDUN8LE/s1600/yurtportaferry2.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The yurt</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We started the project
in Portaferry last October. The previous owners had some good ideas
and some structures were already in place for us, however they were disorganised and left the place in a mess with
rubble all over the place. So we basically spent the winter making
the place at least half presentable. A date in early May for an
official launch gave us something to aim for and the first good
chance of decent weather, so having it on <a href="http://www.permacultureday.org/" target="_blank">International Permaculture Day</a> was ideal. We've already had a bunch of volunteers giving a
hand, without whom we'd be well behind by now.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kVcGtG4hlUg/VRkzOuA6Q3I/AAAAAAAAAKs/jVxgVHpSc1M/s1600/volunteerportaferry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kVcGtG4hlUg/VRkzOuA6Q3I/AAAAAAAAAKs/jVxgVHpSc1M/s1600/volunteerportaferry.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Volunteers working on site</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H-f3tw17sAk/VRkzodcwpFI/AAAAAAAAAK0/zezwbbrIwX8/s1600/boatplanter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H-f3tw17sAk/VRkzodcwpFI/AAAAAAAAAK0/zezwbbrIwX8/s1600/boatplanter.jpg" height="300" width="400" /> </a></span></td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Boat planter</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The launch event this year features Mark Boyle giving a talk on moneyless living, myself giving an
introductory talk on permaculture with a wild food walk, Tools for
Solidarity, a Belfast based charity giving a talk on recycling old
tools and development in Africa, True Harvest Seeds, a local seed
saving charity, and live music
acts. <i>The event is almost full, so do get in touch in advance to confirm that there is space available. If you're able to volunteer your time to help with preparations, we would really appreciate your help!</i>" </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Heiko is also part of the team organising the <b><a href="http://www.permaculture.ie/" target="_blank">All Ireland Permaculture Gathering</a> this year, 7th - 9th August</b>. This is the first time it has taken place in Northern Ireland. </span></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you haven't yet got your events up on the <a href="http://www.permacultureday.org/" target="_blank">International Permaculture Day website</a> and <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/internationalpermacultureday2015" target="_blank">here,</a> there's still a month to go;<b> help make this year's global celebration reach more people than ever before! </b></span></blockquote>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Nicola Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06610283939435621545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-544516600613092022015-03-30T12:52:00.002+01:002015-03-31T12:51:30.360+01:00Nurturing your local permaculture network<style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; }A:link { }</style>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>by Nicola Bell, Membership Coordinator, The Permaculture Association </i></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uss_AuXcguk/VRk4puyF2uI/AAAAAAAAALE/CKOGTJPr-X0/s1600/network.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uss_AuXcguk/VRk4puyF2uI/AAAAAAAAALE/CKOGTJPr-X0/s1600/network.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eastern Region Network designing a mandala garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Welcome to the first of a series of posts of tips
and advice for setting up and growing a local permaculture group. We want to make
sure that you are able to connect with permaculture happening where <i>you</i>
are, and that your community can benefit from the practical solutions
it offers.<br />
<br />
We aim to develop and FAQ to support emerging groups based on advice given
by existing local networks, so if you have an established group,
<a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/G965723" target="_blank">please contribute your experiences and knowledge here!</a> <br />
<br />
<u><b>Why form a local permaculture group?</b></u><br />
<br />
Permaculture is all about learning how to design homes, communities, businesses and food-systems that promote fairness, well-being, ecosystem health and that have little impact on our planet and it's resources.<br />
<br />
Creating a permaculture network helps to disseminate knowledge and skills relevant to your region, and also provides a way to pool resources together and implement positive changes within your community.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<i>Being a part of the permaculture network has helped me to
understand the tools that are available a lot more - individuals cannot
usually change the world on their own, but communities can, by sharing
knowledge, skills, time, understanding and support. I would not have
contemplated doing the diploma without the support of my fellow
permies. - <b>Ann Laken, Permaculture Association member and Diploma Holder</b></i></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
Permaculture networks and groups come in many different sizes and
shapes, and their activities and profile vary widely. Some meet up
chiefly to share knowledge and support each with their projects and progress on the Diploma in
Applied Permaculture Design, others coordinate local permablitz days,
and some won't meet face to face, but use social media to support
each other and communicate their regional permaculture news. <i>All are
important and strengthen permaculture work in the UK.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<u><b>First Steps</b></u></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
As a first step, it's helpful to know if there is an existing local
network near you, or if not, who is in the area that might like to
start one. Permaculture Association members can contact the office to
connect with other members in their locality, so if you'd like to
know who's close by, just <a href="http://www.permaculture.org.uk/contact" target="_blank">drop me an email</a>. We also list <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/people-projects-places/organisations" target="_blank">Group Members</a> within our members newsletter, which is another great way to find
out what's happening in your region. <a href="http://www.permaculture.org.uk/join" target="_blank">Click here</a> if you'd like to join
and receive '<i>Permaculture Works</i>'. </div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
You may also find that there is a permaculture demonstration site, or
LAND Centre, nearby. Take a look at the <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/people-projects-places/land/map" target="_blank">LAND map</a> to see
which is closest to you. It is worth getting in contact to see if you
can visit your nearest sites; it's a really inspiring way to
engage with local permaculture.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0gUpk_1UB64/VRVCsB8aEII/AAAAAAAAAKA/lilvgRs0ilg/s1600/Apricot%2Bchildren%2Bin%2Borchard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0gUpk_1UB64/VRVCsB8aEII/AAAAAAAAAKA/lilvgRs0ilg/s1600/Apricot%2Bchildren%2Bin%2Borchard.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Children in the orchard - The Apricot Centre, Essex</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
“The Apricot centre is listed as a <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/people-projects-places/project/apricot-centre" target="_blank">LAND centre in Essex</a> and will be
also listed in Devon once the new farm project starts at Huxhams cross
Farm near Totnes. This network of farms and holdings, buildings and
people builds communities, People often tell me how they feel isolated
from other like minded people, especially in areas such as Essex where
we are spread thinly on the ground! The LAND network gives people the
opportunity to see what is going on in any area, give you a call and
visit, they often then give me news from other sites and places they
have visited. Sometimes they come back and volunteer or sign up for a
course. " - <b>Marina O'Connell</b> of <a href="http://www.apricotcentre.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Apricot Centre, Essex</a> </div>
</blockquote>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--fR2O-fLy6g/VRVC9cCutxI/AAAAAAAAAKI/QMPyl9pENMo/s1600/apple%2Bharvest%2B%26%2Bschool%2Bprojects09.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--fR2O-fLy6g/VRVC9cCutxI/AAAAAAAAAKI/QMPyl9pENMo/s1600/apple%2Bharvest%2B%26%2Bschool%2Bprojects09.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apple harvest school project - The Apricot Centre, Essex</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
If you find that a distinct hub of permaculture activity doesn't seem
to have developed near you yet, don't be disheartened - this is a great
opportunity to start something special! We want to help you make it
happen.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
We can help you circulate your ideas about starting a permaculture
group to local members. Once you've reached a consensus about forming
a group, try and come up with a name which represents your region, or
bio-region. <i>Let us know,</i> so that we can signpost others to you.</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<a href="http://shropshirepermaculture.org.uk/contact/" target="_blank">Mailing groups</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/LondonPculture" target="_blank">twitter</a>, <a href="https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/ne-permaculture-net" target="_blank">forums</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Leeds-Permaculture-Network/86631981525" target="_blank">facebook</a>
are all useful/free ways to stay in contact with your group members, engage more
and keeping momentum going. Think about setting one or two of these
up to keep everyone in the loop while you think about the exciting
ways you can work together to enhance your community with
permaculture!
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<b>Next time –
</b><b><b>What sort of group are you? More ways to promoting your group, </b>finding a venue, and some activities to get started!</b><br />
<br />
Did you like this post? Please share<b> :) </b></div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
Nicola Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06610283939435621545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-80331558812883427622015-03-23T18:26:00.000+00:002015-03-24T12:46:46.575+00:00Permaculture everyday: washing the dishes and saving water<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">by Michael Hutchinson<u><br /></u></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I don’t remember why I was having a
blood sample taken but can still recall the moment when the nurse
dropped the tiny glass phial. There was only a very small amount in
it, but suddenly blood seemed to be spattered everywhere. I thought
I’d found myself in an out-take from a slasher movie.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What’s this to do with washing dishes
or permaculture? Well, nothing at all, really. Except that small
things are not to be under-estimated. Small things like washing
dishes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Reduce, reuse, recycle</span></span></h3>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KS80bHlg5ks/VQCDNy-xJbI/AAAAAAAAAkk/fI4rJDINv-g/s1600/washer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KS80bHlg5ks/VQCDNy-xJbI/AAAAAAAAAkk/fI4rJDINv-g/s1600/washer.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thinking about this - and it’s not
something I’ve dwelt at length on, to be honest - the recycling
mantra springs to mind: ‘Reduce, reuse, recycle.’ This chimes
well with the three ethical principles of permaculture, in particular
Earth Care. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And as I was to find out, dish washing can, depending on
how you approach it, touch on five of the design principles as well
(catch and store energy, obtain a yield, use and value renewable
resources and services, produce no waste, use small and slow
solutions).</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It makes sense to start by considering
whether we need to wash the dishes at all. At my home we typically do
wash dishes three times a day: after breakfast; after lunch (if at
home); then again in the evening. We could do this less often but
it's to do with the lack of space in a very small kitchen where a few
dishes can look like a whole pile.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While I haven’t always saved water
all year round, I collect what I think of as run-off through spring,
summer and into the autumn: this is what comes out of the tap before
it's hot enough to use. Adding some rainwater collection to this has
meant that I’ve never had to resort to watering the garden by
deliberately using tap water.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My system for saving water is pretty
basic but works well; water is transferred from the kitchen basin to
a bucket outside the back door, and from there to water butts in the
garden. It takes a little effort, but isn't a big deal; I prefer
low-tech solutions anyway.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But often it's not really necessary to
wash some dishes at all. Or at least not that often. Could that plate
be reused if the crumbs are brushed off? Ditto the bread knife?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Some years ago I shared an office at
the university I worked at, with the writer Marina Lewcyka ; this was
before Marina became a best-selling author with her 'Tractors' novel.
Now I’d never done this myself, but perhaps it was her experience
of being a refugee as a child, or just that Ukrainians are less
wasteful, but Marina would reuse the same tea bag, leaving it in her
mug several times, until it expired through sheer exhaustion. We no
longer share an office since her writing career took off, but I
adopted Marina's approach to tea bags, although using the same one
three times is my record so far.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">"If we had to carry
water, we'd be a lot more careful about how we used it."</span></span></h3>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I was born in a small terrace of
four cottages, my family had only just had mains water supplied.
Before that water was pumped from the well at an end cottage and
carried round to the house. So, in a sense, it's more difficult now,
because all we have to do is turn the tap and out it comes. If we had
to carry water, even across a relatively short distance, we'd be a
lot more careful about how we used it.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G5wmPQmJqng/VQCDMw_U5LI/AAAAAAAAAkU/mc_48m0E1AM/s1600/butt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G5wmPQmJqng/VQCDMw_U5LI/AAAAAAAAAkU/mc_48m0E1AM/s1600/butt.jpg" height="320" width="222" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">While I’m only concerned with
dish washing here, you can - as you already know - reduce the water
flowing from your property into the municipal mains quite seriously
by adopting a few other methods. It’s relatively easy to divert
rain water from down pipes directly into water butts. And soft
permeable surfaces in our gardens and around our homes help water
soak into the ground rather than running off into the drains.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This run-off is a significant amount
and not helped by the loss of gardens and lawns to form hard standing
for cars. It's quite possible to do this with permeable materials but
despite local authority guidelines, too many are still being made
from concrete and other impermeable materials. A survey by the
Wildlife Trust in 2011 found that gardens in London were being
converted to hard surfaces at the rate of 3,000 ha (7,410 acres) a
year. That's the equivalent of two and a half Hyde Parks.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Of course, in permaculture we know
about keeping energy - and water is one form - on our sites for as
long as possible. But what I didn’t know, until I went to a talk on
water gardening last summer given by Dr Nigel Dunnett of Sheffield
University’s Landscape Department, was that if you do this
seriously, it’s possible to get a reduction in your water charge
bill.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I've somewhat blurred reducing and
reusing with my talk of tea bags; reusing something - a tea bag, a
plate - should lead to a reduction in the amount of water we use to
wash with anyway.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But when we have washed dishes, what
then?
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Grey Water</span></span></h3>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Water left from washing dishes is
termed 'grey' water, and can be used to water garden plants. This
does hold traces of food, grease, etc., and the detergent used could
contain a wide range of ingredients, some of which can make plants
more likely to take up heavy metals, for example. Ecological
products, like Ecover, are better, but why not gather some soapwort
and make your own: this is not something I have done yet, but plan to
try later this year.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Grey water is probably best filtered
(sieved?) to remove any larger traces of food and then left for a
day, or so to allow micro-organisms to break down some of the
ingredients and to let any scraps that passed the filtering process
to settle to the bottom. A rough rule of thumb is to only leave this
water for one day in summer, perhaps two in spring and autumn. The
water can poured onto the soil around garden plants: organisms in the
soil continue to breakdown any ingredients further still.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Given the right site, you can always
create a reed bed that filters the grey water before it reaches the
garden. These are typically made of coarse gravel, with smaller 'pea'
gravel above, and then a layer of sand on top of that. It's then
planted with reeds, and will take at least a year before it works
properly; the actual work is done by bacteria living on the roots of
the reeds. Water comes in at the top, via a sieve or filter, to
remove unwanted material, and then out and into the garden.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Reed beds can be fairly small - old
baths have been used to hold them - and a surface area of one square
metre per person is a rough guide. Connecting the outflow from your
kitchen sink to one of these recycles the water and takes the effort
out of the whole process: unfortunately, our neighbours have access
between our house and garden, and so a pipe into the garden isn't
feasible.</span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Missing out one of these daily washings would save 6.8
litres"</span></h4>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-87ucwdXM8U8/VQCDNhFGfzI/AAAAAAAAAkg/Ra3YwDcJSlY/s1600/sink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-87ucwdXM8U8/VQCDNhFGfzI/AAAAAAAAAkg/Ra3YwDcJSlY/s1600/sink.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In a spirit of scientific enquiry, I
decided to measure my dish washing water use. Our boiler is an older
type and it takes a few minutes before the water coming through the
tap is hot enough for washing dishes. This amounted to six pints, or
3.4 litres. Using my dish washing average of three times a day gives
a daily run-off of 10.2 litres; over the course of a year that’s a
significant 3,723 litres.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Being reasonably careful with water
use, I only use about six pints (3.4 litres) of hot water for actual
washing; this is based on dishes for two from supper and breakfast
(two bowls, four mugs, two cups and saucers, two plates, plus odds
and ends). Missing out one of these daily washings would save 6.8
litres (the cold run-off and hot water) per day, adding up to a not
insignificant 2,482 litres per year.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So whether you want to think about it
as reusing or recycling, there are practical, beneficial outcomes to
dish washing in addition to sparkling plates and cutlery. The water
saved from even a simple, everyday activity such as this, can make a
difference. And you don't have to spill blood to do it.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>Permaculture Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06736548537309980971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-75568404226276982772015-03-16T17:21:00.000+00:002015-03-16T17:21:00.277+00:00The ugly fruit, the beautiful beast<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-cdd13e35-09d9-5618-bd3b-804a74c90c81" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">by Shelly Sharon, Canova Creative</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7H0iGEdhmOI/VQB-Ol0UWzI/AAAAAAAAAjg/baF2Xj7de6E/s1600/Missano%2Bfrom%2Bthe%2Brock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7H0iGEdhmOI/VQB-Ol0UWzI/AAAAAAAAAjg/baF2Xj7de6E/s1600/Missano%2Bfrom%2Bthe%2Brock.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
moved to Italy 5 months ago, where I live with my partner up in the
mountains in a very small village, where nature is still wild and there
are still a few of the old generation who live a simple life and
appreciate natural living. </span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
chose to come and live here as my husband and I had a vision to
establish a practice centre, for people to share, learn, and create
connections. As we all know, uprooting one's existence is no easy
process for a human being. </span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As a 'foreigner' there's always the fear of
being left out, of not finding the fertile ground to reroot again. You
become sensitive to the environment, the external and internal
conditions, in a way which doesn't necessarily happen in your home town.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nd44IdyAFBU/VQB-QHV3MpI/AAAAAAAAAjw/PU2kT7wRYqQ/s1600/raddish%2Bvignola%2Bmarket.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nd44IdyAFBU/VQB-QHV3MpI/AAAAAAAAAjw/PU2kT7wRYqQ/s1600/raddish%2Bvignola%2Bmarket.jpeg" height="342" width="400" /></a></span></span></span>One
afternoon we travelled to the closest city to get some shopping and
noticed a market in the centre of town, so we approached to have a look. </span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The first stand sold white radishes and a few other vegetables, and
they all had a bit of an unusual shape. I immediately realised that this
market was run by local people selling their natural products. I was
struck by the suddenness of the realisation of what I was seeing,
because never before had I seen a market selling natural vegetables and
fruit. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
was overwhelmed by a wave of joy, I was so excited and intrigued and
interested. I felt like something inside me had suddenly switched itself
on and was reacting to a much deeper sense inside me. As if my inner
soil had finally been watered to its fullest satisfaction.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
realised also how normal it made me feel as a human being to see and
buy vegetables and fruit which had not gone through the whole cosmetic
rigmarole, that process of 'normalisation' which leaves us all stripped
of our truest characteristics as human beings, copy cuts of the latest
fashion. Being able to buy something which maintains its natural shape
and vitality made me feel that I belonged. A simple sense of belonging
which we are all looking for. Unfortunately nowadays most are looking
for it in the wrong places.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gDgg156di64/VQB-QHmh3uI/AAAAAAAAAj0/aUTTU-FlCxI/s1600/pears%2BMissano.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gDgg156di64/VQB-QHmh3uI/AAAAAAAAAj0/aUTTU-FlCxI/s1600/pears%2BMissano.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
mainstream of what is considered beautiful has robbed us humans of the
sensitivity to react and interact with natural beauty. Funnily enough,
we need celebrities to raise public awareness to the need to embrace
healthy styles of living, to cultivate mindfulness practices in order to
bring us some peace of mind, and learn to dig into ancient wisdom to
find a recipe for genuine happiness. The irony is that as much as it may
be useful for marketing, it is still not carrying the essential message
of diversity - you are still just following another fashion.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Because
diversity lies in all things natural. In the fact that we have over
80,000 different kinds of species on the planet, in the ability to see,
feel and taste things just as they are without being filtered through
layers and layers of marketing filters like in the supermarkets.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><br /><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">All
things conceived and born give rise to a miracle, that upsurge of
creation you cannot control which brings along with it the unknown and
the beauty of living. This miracle is what gives rise to diversity. Even
though we cannot control the next step, since it pertains to the
unknown, nonetheless it is full of the juice of life, sparkling with
nutrients and vitality. It is only as we are judged upon our beauty, how
fast or slow we regain our "normal" shape after giving birth, how fit
we look with the latest fashions, that we ourselves become that ugly
fruit. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When we reject the ugly fruit we reject everything which we haven</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">’</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">t accepted within ourselves. It is a powerful mirror. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As
a teacher of consciousness and a long-term practitioner of yogic and
energy practices, I have met a lot of people over the years, and a lot
of the personal baggage of "the ugly fruit" they carry with them. One of
the most simple exercises I give people is to wake up in the morning
look in the mirror and say to yourself 'I am beautiful'. Do you know how
hard it is for people to do that? Yes, indeed. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7TgCoYI8x0M/VQB-OrgrHDI/AAAAAAAAAjs/QC8H1JCf7cs/s1600/pear%2Btree%2BMissano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7TgCoYI8x0M/VQB-OrgrHDI/AAAAAAAAAjs/QC8H1JCf7cs/s1600/pear%2Btree%2BMissano.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We
don't exercise our freedom of choice, our will power and ability for
unique self-expression if we go blindly to the shop, filling our baskets
with machine-like movements, automatic gestures coming out of our
ego-building inner state.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
rough division between ugly and beautiful is relevant for the one who
has not experienced and embraced the natural diversity. The diversity of
people, of opinions, of flowers and tress, the diversity of life. This
is a source of suffering. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Well<span style="font-size: small;">,</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
choose to indulge in the "ugly" fruits, and to celebrate my feeling of
belonging to this planet, to enjoy the sense of true and simple joy.</span></span></span></div>
Permaculture Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06736548537309980971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-29080594554008700002015-03-09T18:27:00.000+00:002015-03-12T18:29:24.045+00:00One Local Ingredient a Day<div class="wsite-content-title" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #a82e2e; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #a82e2e; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><i>by Graham Wood</i> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back in Feb 2014 I was considering making a veg garden and thought I'd set a goal of including at least one locally produced ingredient in each of our dinners.</span><br />
<div class="paragraph" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><br />So </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">at the end of February 2014 </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>I put out the challenge on our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/42752203739/" target="_blank" title="">Kingsley Village Facebook</a> page... </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <img alt="Picture" src="http://suburbangrow.weebly.com/uploads/4/5/6/7/45671623/2625798_orig.jpg" height="428" style="max-width: 100%; width: auto;" width="640" /> </span></div>
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #8d5024;">"<i>As
the local farmers market season kicks off again and our gardens begin
to wake up after the cold and wet of winter, it offers up s</i><i>ome opportunities for us to think of getting outside in our gardens and planning the planting out of our own vegetables.</i></span> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #8d5024;"><i> What ways can we use to make your family think about where their food comes from? This led me to think - How about setting a goal of including at least one locally produced ingredient in each of our dinners? </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #8d5024;"><i>
I invite you to think about doing something similar. The challenge I
propose is by the beginning of May 2014 to use through the summer
season one locally produced ingredient at least once a day – breakfast,
lunch, or dinner. </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #8d5024;"><i> Do you have anything growing in your gardens right now that you can incorporate into your meals?</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #8d5024;"><i>
Besides locally grown fruits and vegetables, your ingredients could
include local raised meats, eggs, local dairy products, honey, herbs,
home brewed wine, cider or beer, and baked goods – preserved foods from
your garden also count! </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #8d5024;"><i> If you’re lucky enough to already include
at least one local or home grown ingredient in your diet each day, push
yourself further – aim for something local at every meal.</i>"</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></blockquote>
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<div class="paragraph" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
This idea was inspired by the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/transitionnetwork" target="_blank" title="">Transition Network</a> movement which I was aware of even before I became involved with the permaculture movement.</span></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><br />As
well as for my own dinners and resilience, my hope was to raise some interest </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">amongst the residents in our village </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">in the
challenge of promoting both personal
and communal sustainability and resilience, especially to include the
younger ones.</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #8d5024; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<i>The first of my "local produced ingredients", but it still has some growing to do</i> :-) "</span></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">16/03/14</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
To
get started we discussed what veg we would normally buy, and
from that got seeds that we thought it would be possible for us to grow,
and also attempted to work out how many plants of each would be needed
to provide us with veg over the year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
From that it became obvious that we
would need some indoor space for starting seedlings as well as quite a
lot of space for veg beds outside.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
After much negotiation my wife
agreed our conservatory could be used for starting seedlings, but the
garden lawns and flower beds were out of bounds, so the veg beds would
have to go in the very over grown neglected corner of the orchard in our
field.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #8d5024;">"<i>For
my challenge to use one locally produced ingredient at least once a
day ... well so far it's not been every day, but we had home made cider
from our own apples, home brew beer, some of our dried apple rings in a
casserole, and in soups a few bits of herbs and carrot tops sprouted
in a dish on the windowsill</i>."</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">30/03/14</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">As
well as using the usual types of produce in the challenge I wanted to
consider more varied alternatives taking up limited space and low cost options that almost anyone could try. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><br />I wanted to include
aquaponics for both the fish and veg, but had no where to install the
IBC tanks as my wife had ruled out putting them on our patio, so
unfortunately aquaponics had to be shelved until next year. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #8d5024;"><i>"Just
thought I'd update on how I've done on my challenge to date (May
& June) .... Overall not as well as I'd hoped - achieved about 5
days out of 7 ... but still trying...<br /> </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #8d5024;"><i>From
my own produce - Did well on cucumbers, some new potatoes, mint, basil
and dill, but not so well on Swiss chard, raspberries, strawberries,
and red currants (I think the birds and slugs got more than me). </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #8d5024;"><i><br />But have enjoyed my own 2013 batch of cider, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tom.wood.501151" target="_blank" title="">Tom</a>'s ginger beer. <br />We have also made an effort to buy more local produce where possible.<br />So fingers crossed for better results in July & August - with the addition of pea, tomato, pepper, potato, and more soft fruits.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #8d5024;"><i><br />The
challenge I originally proposed was to use through the summer season
one locally produced ingredient at least once a day in breakfast,
lunch, or dinner.</i></span><span style="color: #8d5024;"><i> Anyone else looked at doing something similar?"</i></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">04/07/14</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><br />To
document the progress of all the various types of produce I decided to
photograph the activity and show the produce we were able to use for the
challenge.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Watercress did well on the kitchen windowsill</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #8d5024;"><i>"Well I think we managed it (just) we have used local ingredients almost every day now from April to October.</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #8d5024;"><i>Looking at our apple crop I think we will now be able to go on much longer. </i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #8d5024;"><i>So I'm now planning how we can widen the range of produce for next year."</i></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #403b34; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">04/10/14</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was quite surprised how well some plants did (especially the citrus).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img alt="Picture" src="http://suburbangrow.weebly.com/uploads/4/5/6/7/45671623/2326208.jpg?182" style="max-width: 100%; width: 182px;" /> </a> </span></div>
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</td> <td class="wsite-multicol-col" style="padding: 0 15px; width: 65.860597439545%;"><div class="paragraph" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">I
was very pleased with the veg beds I'd managed to clear and create,
also my experiment with biochar had positive results so that will
definitely be continued.<br /><br />I've now designed and made my own
biochar maker so the supply should be easy and I'm using the "worm tea"
from the worm farm to inoculate it. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
I've also tried to do some food ingredients that anyone could try even if living in a town or city with no access to a garden. The
simplest was probably keeping the tops off carrots and stubs of
celery in a dish,and then using the sprouted greens as addition to
soups.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;">It's now Jan 2015 and I still have a few apples left along with a couple of demijohns of cider we use to supplement our diet. <br /><br />Overall I think the personal challenge was a success, but I'm not sure how many others it actually influenced.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
<i>Graham joined the Permaculture Association in 2014 and is an apprentice on the <a href="http://www.permaculture.org.uk/diploma">Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design</a>.</i><i><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none;"><i>This post originally appeared on <a href="http://suburbangrow.weebly.com/" target="_blank">Graham's new blog.</a></i></span></div>
Permaculture Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06736548537309980971noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-56787396892582626722015-03-03T14:40:00.000+00:002015-03-12T17:55:57.665+00:00Top 7 Reasons to host a Permaculture Day Event this May<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Have you added your event to the <a href="http://www.permacultureday.org/" target="_blank">International Permaculture Day website?</a> Here's why you should!</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NiBT8KX2EZM/VPXFxYRGA8I/AAAAAAAAAJI/tx4lsPYsgok/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NiBT8KX2EZM/VPXFxYRGA8I/AAAAAAAAAJI/tx4lsPYsgok/s1600/3.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Permablitz in the East of England - a great way to make an impact this Permaculuture Day</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr align="left"><td><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u5lX0ZrlRRo/VPXFnRWWdII/AAAAAAAAAJA/nl0VrY9Kn8g/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u5lX0ZrlRRo/VPXFnRWWdII/AAAAAAAAAJA/nl0VrY9Kn8g/s1600/2.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr align="left"><td class="tr-caption"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How about hosting a permaculture coffee morning?</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="cs-el-wrap">
</span></span></ul>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><ol><span style="font-size: large;">
<li>Free listing for your business or work</li>
<li>Get a shout out on Facebook and Twitter</li>
<li>Showcase permaculture in your part of the world</li>
<li>Increase permaculture's visibility and reach</li>
<li>For networking and greater knowledge sharing</li>
<li>Event reports and photos will be included in the annual International Permaculture Day report</li>
<li><b>Be part of something big! </b><a href="http://www.permacultureday.org/" target="_blank">www.permacultureday.org</a></li>
</span></ol>
</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8rj44XXvOZQ/VPXFf4L4YgI/AAAAAAAAAI4/0EOO33zJiv4/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8rj44XXvOZQ/VPXFf4L4YgI/AAAAAAAAAI4/0EOO33zJiv4/s1600/1.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Get together and celebrate permaculture!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="cs-el-wrap">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="cs-el-wrap">You </span>should also make sure your <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/noticeboard/event-listing?tid=990" target="_blank">events</a> and <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/education/international-perm-day" target="_blank">courses</a> are up on the Permaculture Association's site as we will promote these to contacts in your area!</span> </span></span><br />
<span class="cs-el-wrap"><br />
</span>Nicola Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06610283939435621545noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-23126617754216539662015-02-19T11:32:00.001+00:002015-02-19T11:32:48.176+00:00Is it time for a Permaculture World?<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>by Chris Marsh</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ever since hearing about permaculture
25 years ago I’ve wondered how it was going to take off in a big
way and save the world. It turns out that the answer lies in
permaculture ethics: ‘care of the earth’, ‘care of people’
and ‘setting limits to population and consumption’ (or ‘fair
shares’) (Mollison 1-9). Effectively, permaculture is the opposite
to conventional economics, because we have ethics, they have
‘externalities’.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Externalities</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Professors of Economics, Jean Drèze
and Amartya Sen, mention ‘externalities’ as the term economists
use for effects like pollution, overuse of resources and failure to
meet social needs, with the word indicating that market decisions
tend not to take these effects into account unless forced to by law
and public opinion (82, 92). Democratic governments, elected by the
public, make laws and enforce regulations, but public opinion is
fickle and can be manipulated, and governments tend to bow to
economic interests rather than public ones. Economic growth can raise
household incomes and help remove poverty, but Drèze and Sen point
out that India, ‘the world’s largest democracy’, fails to
deliver on what we would call earth care and people care, because the
benefits of growth are not spread fairly (248). Interestingly, the
word ‘externalities’ does not appear in the index of Ha-Joon
Chang’s useful little book, <i>Economics: The User’s Guide</i>.
The effects are mentioned, in a chapter entitled ‘Running Out of
the Planet?: Taking Environmental Sustainability Seriously’, but
the author makes a case for more economic growth being the answer,
especially for developing countries (268-73). What becomes apparent
is that economic growth can benefit or harm people and planet –
because ‘externalities’ don’t really count – so we are faced
with chronic uncertainty. However, another book on economics,
Wolfgang Streek’s <i>Buying Time: The Delayed Crisis of Democratic
Capitalism</i>, suggests that an end to uncertainty is fast
approaching.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>The End of Democratic Capitalism</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For decades there’s been talk of
globalisation bringing about the ‘End of the Nation’, the subject
of a major article a few months ago in <i>New Scientist</i>. Recent
studies by economists and political scientists show how ideologues of
the neoliberal capitalist system advocate the rolling back of the
state, and that state bureaucracies are weakening and national
governments are losing power.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In <i>Buying Time</i>,
Streek examines the crisis history of late capitalism since the 1970s
and concludes that ‘democracy [has split] from capitalism through
the splitting of the economy from democracy’ (5). What has happened
is that governments have switched constituencies, away from voters
towards creditors: ‘from tax state to debt state’ as Streek puts
it (72-5). We can no longer rely on ‘law and public opinion’ to
impose ethical standards on the economy. Streek sets out a political
consequence of the long financial and fiscal crisis as the emergence
of the authoritarian ‘consolidation state’ in Europe (97).
Streek’s suggestion for ‘buying time’ is that national
governments should withdraw from the European Monetary Union in order
to be able to boost their economies by devaluing their currencies; an
interesting scenario, given Greece has recently elected a leftist
anti-austerity party into government, who are at present insisting they want
to keep the euro.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">These changes have
effects locally, nationally and globally. At the start of their term
of office, the leaders of the UK Coalition government presented a
vision of ‘The Big Society’ and a ‘Localism agenda’,
presented as ‘the key to economic, social and political success in
the future’. Hidden in the rhetoric are the key phrases ‘small
government’, ‘a shrinking of the state’ and ‘an ethic of
volunteerism’ (<span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.localism-agenda.com/background" target="_blank">www.localism<span style="color: blue;">-</span>agenda.com/background</a></u></span>
). Responsibilities are devolved (giving local decision makers what
Isaiah Berlin termed ‘negative freedom’), but with ‘austerity’
and cuts funding does not follow. This means that local people are
faced with an enormous challenge: finding solutions to a whole raft
of problems born out of the national and global economic crisis.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Alternative Economics</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are a few enlightened economists
with constructive solutions to the long crisis. In his books
<i>Capitalism Hits the Fan</i>, and <i>Democracy at Work: A Cure for
Capitalism</i> (also his 2011 lecture: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsbfOxUx8ZA">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsbfOxUx8ZA</a>), Richard Wolff sets out his answer to the extreme and deepening
inequalities of global capitalism as ‘Workers Self-Directed
Enterprises’ or producer co-ops. A weakness of Wolff’s proposal
is that it seems to depend on obtaining Federal funding from
taxation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In their scholarly
study <i>A Post-Capitalist Politics</i>, J.K. Gibson-Graham recommend
‘place-based activism’ (5) and they set out the principles of
‘intentional community economies’ with a number of real examples
(165-96). The vision of ‘post-capitalism’ echoes the authors’
earlier feminist critique of the ‘End of Capitalism’. It is
strong on vision and imagination, but with a practical orientation
and an emphasis on diversity. (Sadly one of the authors died in
2010.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lester Brown,
President of the Earth Policy Institute, in his <i>World on the Edge:
How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse</i>, sets out an
alternative ‘Plan B’, an ‘economy for the twenty-first century’
(99-180), and in his final chapter says that such a plan is ‘our
only hope’ (183). He urges readers to get informed, become
politically active and get together to put pressure on their
political representatives. So, like Wolff, Brown relies on a
‘democratic revolution’. Interestingly, Brown describes one form
of popular response which does not require political action at
national or international levels, the ‘Local Food Movement’
(175-8).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Although he is not
a trained economist, I will include Rob Hopkins and the Transition
Movement under the heading ‘alternative economics’, because
Hopkins also has a Plan B, aimed at addressing austerity by
encouraging local entrepreneurship. All these alternatives depend on
local involvement, understanding and good will, acting as the
equivalent of the ‘law and public opinion’ which Drèze and Sen
mention as the guardians of ‘externalities’.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>The Problem is the Solution</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Anyone concerned about the state of the
world today can probably nominate the worst effects or threats in
their estimation. Many will say the Climate Crisis, others the major
Species Extinction event which is underway. I would nominate land
degradation: soil erosion, salinisation, devastated forests,
spreading deserts. I have thought that Bill Mollison, co-founder of
the Permaculture Movement, would also put the land first, given that
the first permaculture ethical principle is ‘earth care’.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If everyone were
gainfully employed in the neoliberal economy with its laissez-faire
market democracy – which disregards ‘externalities’ – there
would be no hope for climate, species or land. But there’s also a
social crisis which could be an opportunity to address the others.
Streek writes about ‘an abandoned underclass’, and ‘diffuse
expectations of socia1 justice still present in sections of the
population’ which may ‘provide an impetus for anarchistic protest
movements’. He refers chillingly to methods developed in the US to
manage this underclass which Europe could adopt. Observing this
situation with permaculture in mind, we would see those people as a
potential resource, available to take part in building ‘intentional
community economies’, to use Gibson-Graham’s phrase, so that ‘the
problem is the solution’. Looked at globally or nationally, this
would appear to be an enormous challenge, but taken one town or
village or city neighbourhood at a time, it is not impossible. The
question now is whether permaculture is ready to take it on. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D0T-7S-OXh4/VNn_SeHxQ0I/AAAAAAAAAgs/5C2YLgAWC60/s1600/streek%2Bdreze%2Bsen%2Bhopkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D0T-7S-OXh4/VNn_SeHxQ0I/AAAAAAAAAgs/5C2YLgAWC60/s1600/streek%2Bdreze%2Bsen%2Bhopkins.jpg" height="201" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Three of the texts referenced in this blog</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>The Trojan Horse</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rob Hopkins has said in an interview
that Transition was ‘designed as a Trojan horse’ to smuggle in
Permaculture, as a way of scaling up ‘a bottom-up, grassroots and
solution-led approach’ which has tended to be ‘niche and fringe’
(Gordon-Farleigh, <span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.stirtoaction.com/interview-rob-hopkins/">www.stirtoaction.com/interview-rob-hopkins/</a></u></span>)
The ‘niche and fringe’ tendency has always bothered me, because I
came to permaculture after spending several years researching and
teaching on land degradation worldwide, and the concept of ‘permanent
agriculture’, already thought out and put into practice by the
founders, promised to be the solution.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I got involved
in permaculture in Britain I found that most of the early adopters
had little or no access to land. They were generally not home owners
with gardens. A few had tiny smallholdings in the Celtic fringes. My
hopes were dashed of bringing permaculture onto the gardens of
England – a potential plot of about a million acres.
‘Permaculture’s not just gardening!’ was the mantra, and people
were applying the design approach to anything and everything. I’m
afraid I was disappointed and critical of all that – but I was
wrong. Permaculture has to prove itself, by taking two directions. Of
course it has to show that the design approach gets results when
applied to agriculture, because food is the No. 1 human need. But it
is also necessary to prove that, given any package of needs and
wants, permaculture design can be employed to find out how best to
achieve it, using the available resources of time, skills and
interests, whether or not land or food is involved. My judgement is
that this has been done. Permaculture has proved itself on both
counts. There have been 25 years (or more) of the ‘niche and
fringe’ and ‘not just gardening’ applications, people
discovering the brilliance and joy of permaculture, where a bunch of
friends in a particular place get together and decide how to live
their lives. They think about what they’ve got between them: some
skills and favourite things to do, access to a bit of land, clear
ideas about what cannot be done without, and so on. Then they draw up
a design and a plan for how to achieve all their needs and desires,
using, as far as possible, only their local resources.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">More recently, the
question of how permaculture ecological design can successfully feed
people in the UK has been answered. Andy Goldring, Permaculture
Association CEO, addressed the 2015 Oxford Real Farming Conference on
‘Initiating Permaculture & Integrating Research’ and
‘addressing the data gap’: amassing the evidence from
permaculture plots and LAND centres. It has been known for some time
that permaculture works to feed people and rebuild communities in
deprived areas and on marginal land. Recently there has been a call
for funding for the republication of a Tropical Permaculture
Guidebook, providing ‘knowledge, techniques and skills that will
reduce the severity of global climate change and provide adaptation
and resilience knowledge and skills to those impacted the most by
climate change and who are the least able to afford expensive
solutions’.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Life in its Completeness</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have mentioned
my disappointment 25 years ago at permaculture being ‘not just
gardening’. I stayed in touch, but I also turned aside to find out
about the rural reconstruction work carried out by Rabindranath
Tagore from the 1890s to 1930s. I heard about Tagore at the same time
as I first heard of permaculture, and I saw parallels between them.
Tagore believed that people should be given the freedom to work
cooperatively towards self-reliance at the local community level. His
focus was on rebuilding village society in India, disrupted by
British rule, with the aim of bringing what he called ‘life in its
completeness’. Tagore regarded the ‘modern age’ as a phase
during which humanity took a wrong turning, led by the West, but
dragging Asia after it. In his last public address ‘Crisis in
Civilization’, Tagore indicated that he foresaw a ‘new chapter in
history after the cataclysm is over’, the ‘cataclysm’ being the
system we live under, which puts profit before planet and people.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In his essay ‘City
and Village’, Tagore’s aims appear very modest. He explained that
rather than think of the whole country, it is best to start in a
small way: ‘If we could free even one village from the shackles of
helplessness and ignorance, an ideal for the whole of India would be
established’. Historian Uma Das Gupta has described Tagore as
‘exhausted and weak’ and clearly in despair in the 1930s, because
those working for him had reorganized the project ‘as a business’,
with profit-making dairy units and cottage industries, to the
detriment of Tagore’s aim of building village self-reliance (376).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tagore, of course,
knew nothing of climate change and peak oil, the drivers of the
Transition movement. He might have felt uneasy about Hopkins’ Plan
B, with its emphasis on local entrepreneurialism. I wonder about
Hopkins’ notion of ‘scaling up’ permaculture from being ‘niche
and fringe’, which might result in spreading the ideas and
practices too thin. Tagore’s vision was to bring ‘life in its
completeness’ in one locality at a time. It is no longer acceptable
to ignore ‘externalities’ such as land degradation, pollution and
waste, species extinctions and social deprivation. Taking
responsibility locally is the only way to ensure ‘ethics’ come
first. The shrinking debt state divorced from democracy, official
approval of a Localism agenda, and permaculture design having proved
its efficacy, means that it is time for permaculture to take off in a
big way and save the world.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Bibliography</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm; text-indent: -0.5cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Berlin, Isaiah, <i>Four Essays on Liberty</i> (London: Oxford
University Press, 1969)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm; text-indent: -0.5cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Brown, Lester, <i>World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and
Economic Collapse</i> (London: Earthscan, 2011)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm; text-indent: -0.5cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Chang, Ha-Joon, <i>Economics: The User’s Guide</i> (London:
Pelican, 2014)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm; text-indent: -0.5cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Das Gupta, Uma, ‘Rabindranath Tagore on Rural Reconstruction: The
Sriniketan Programme, 1921-41’, <i>Indian Historical Review</i>, 4
(1978), 354-78.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm; text-indent: -0.5cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Drèze, Jean and Amartya Sen, <i>An Uncertain Glory: India and its
Contradictions</i> (London: Penguin, 2014)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm; text-indent: -0.5cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gibson-Graham, J.K., <i>A Post-Capitalist Politics</i> (Minneapolis:
University of Minnesota, 2006)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm; text-indent: -0.5cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gordon-Farleigh, <span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.stirtoaction.com/interview-rob-hopkins/">www.stirtoaction.com/interview-rob-hopkins/</a></u></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm; text-indent: -0.5cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hopkins, Rob, <i>The Power of Just Doing Stuff: How local action can
change the world </i>(Cambridge: Green, 2013)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm; text-indent: -0.5cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Localism Agenda, <span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://www.localism-agenda.com/background" target="_blank">www.localism<span style="color: blue;">-</span>agenda.com/background</a></u></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm; text-indent: -0.5cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">MacKenzie, Debora, ‘End of the Nation’, <i>New Scientist</i>, 6
September 2014, pp. 30-7.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm; text-indent: -0.5cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mollison, Bill, <i>Introduction to Permaculture</i> (Tyalgum, NSW:
Tagari, 1991)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm; text-indent: -0.5cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Permaculture Ambassadors Blog, ‘Oxford Real Farming Conference on
“Initiating Permaculture & Integrating Research”’,
<span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="http://permacultureambassadors.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/2015-oxford-real-farming-orfc-conference.html">http://permacultureambassadors.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/2015-oxford-real-farming-orfc-conference.html</a></u></span>;
<span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/our-work/land-project">https://www.permaculture.org.uk/our-work/land-project</a></u></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm; text-indent: -0.5cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Permaculture Guidebook,
<span style="color: blue;"><u><a href="https://www.chuffed.org/project/permacultureguidebook">https://www.chuffed.org/project/permacultureguidebook</a></u></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm; text-indent: -0.5cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Streek, Wolfgang <i>Buying Time: The Delayed Crisis of Democratic
Capitalism</i> (London: Verso, 2014)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm; text-indent: -0.5cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tagore, Rabindranath, ‘City and Village’, in <i>Towards Universal
Man</i> (London: Asia Publishing House, 1961), pp. 302-22.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm; text-indent: -0.5cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">—‘Crisis in Civilization’, in <i>Towards Universal Man</i>
(London: Asia Publishing House, 1961), pp. 353-9.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm; text-indent: -0.5cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wolff,<i> </i>Richard, <i>Capitalism Hits The Fan: The Global
Economic Meltdown and What to Do About It</i> (Northampton, MA, 2013)
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm; text-indent: -0.5cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">— <i>Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism</i> (Chicago:
Haymarket, 2012)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 0.5cm; text-indent: -0.5cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">— 2014 lecture: <span style="color: red;"><u>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsbfOxUx8ZA</u></span>)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Permaculture Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06736548537309980971noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-39191627346588257812015-02-03T20:15:00.001+00:002015-02-24T13:58:00.391+00:00Permaculture's Next Big Step<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><i>by Naomi van der Velden</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">The evolution is upon us! The world around us has changed a lot in the
last forty years, since Bill Mollinson and David Holmgren first described their
permaculture principles. From those
early beginnings our pioneers set out to show the world that change was
possible; to demonstrate that we could create permanent agricultural systems
that were both productive and sustainable. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">It quickly came to encompass the societies that form around food production,
and drew on ideas and demonstrations from other observers of the natural world
such as Sepp Holzer and Masanobu Fukuoka.
Now, it provides inspiration for all aspects of living from renewable
energy and efficient resource use to nurturing societies and guiding self-development. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">As an ecological design system for
sustainable living that helps its practitioners to become more self-reliant, permaculture
is being used to aid us in exploring new directions and stepping up to new
challenges. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N67dUTe5Smw/VOXFP6TxinI/AAAAAAAAAh8/aG6xqSmWBOE/s1600/nepal13%2B087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N67dUTe5Smw/VOXFP6TxinI/AAAAAAAAAh8/aG6xqSmWBOE/s1600/nepal13%2B087.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Our Permaculture Ecosystem has a new
challenge – to better understand itself as a whole system and to explore its
potential. Each of us is a part of that
ecosystem and it seems that our sum can be greater even than our (pretty
amazing!) parts. After many years of
discussions, an agreement was reached at the International Permaculture
Convergence (IPC) in Cuba in 2013 – to actively observe, understand, and (if
needed) design for a greater level of global organisation in permaculture. Uniquely, this is a permaculture design to be
done by everyone, quite a challenge! </span></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Will our wild and passionate growth
continue unabated; spreading roots into new territory, planting new seeds in
fertile ground and fertile minds? Will
we consolidate and grow upwards towards a shared purpose – like a mighty tree -
that cannot go unheeded on the world stage?
Become something that is clearly defined in itself yet hosts and
nurtures many other aspects; one being that supports great diversity? Will we become something else; a new system;
a new society? <b><i>Together</i></b> we will determine what happens next.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">A global consultation is underway. This seeks first to understand the needs and
capacity of permaculture organisations around the world – where are our
strengths? What are the obstacles to
overcome? Where is the permaculture ecosystem heading? Next, the needs and desires of everyone in
permaculture will be considered – we want views from as many people as we
possibly can; from all the countries and regions that permaculture has reached.
Your answers will determine our future – to understand where we share views and
can work together, and where there are regional or individual differences that
need more local consideration. Proposals
developed from these consultations will be showcased at the next IPC in the UK
in September 2015. From there, we hope,
any momentum to change will develop into actions to make both our ecosystem and
the world it exists within better places for all to share.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"></span>More info here: <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/international/next-big-step" target="_blank">www.permaculture.org.uk/international/next-big-step</a></span></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">To see the IPCUK programme and to register: <a href="https://www.ipcuk.events/" target="_blank">http://ipcuk.events/</a></span></span></div>
Permaculture Associationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06736548537309980971noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5955900631738632497.post-58808516766851294552015-01-30T11:14:00.001+00:002015-01-30T13:25:39.375+00:00Get ready to celebrate International Permaculture Day 2015!<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IYkNC04NsSc/VMtl22RLxuI/AAAAAAAAAHc/7nfZ1axuIWU/s1600/10406487_818439161547448_7154785723249871924_n.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IYkNC04NsSc/VMtl22RLxuI/AAAAAAAAAHc/7nfZ1axuIWU/s1600/10406487_818439161547448_7154785723249871924_n.png" height="400" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">International Permaculture Day takes place on May 3rd this year, and plans are already underway to celebrate in a variety of exciting ways!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Edible Landscapes London, just one of many fantastic projects within our network of <a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/land" target="_blank">permaculture demonstration sites</a>, regularly host an annual plant give away to celebrate the event. This year's plant give away takes place on <b>May 4th.</b></span> <br />
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<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FXxoeQxVM0k/VMtmdckhkCI/AAAAAAAAAHs/bHqhWKM2A-I/s1600/ediblelandscapes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FXxoeQxVM0k/VMtmdckhkCI/AAAAAAAAAHs/bHqhWKM2A-I/s1600/ediblelandscapes.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Edible plants at Edible Landscapes London</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.permaculture.org.uk/people-projects-places/project/edible-landscapes-london-ltd" target="_blank">Edible Landscapes London</a> is a volunteer-led project which aims to help Londoners grow more of th<span class="text_exposed_show">eir
own food. They propagate edible plants which are then used on local
growing projects. They also teach people how to recognise plants, identify which parts of the plant
are edible, how to propagate them, how they are grown in a forest garden,
and even how to cook with them. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>Because we're based in a busy London park, we're very used to
having people wander in to visit our project. International Permaculture Day is
a great way of explicitly bringing the permaculture elements to
the surface.</i></span> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>This year we're celebrating by showing people around
our site and letting them leave with a few perennial plants for
their community food growing project. -</i> <b>Jo Homan of Edible Landscapes London</b></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A plant give away is a fantastic way to celebrate International Permaculture Day, as it gives people the opportunity to come together and meet like minded people, learn something new about permaculture and keep it in mind as they watch their new plant thrive throughout the year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There are many other simple ways to celebrate throughout May. Why not host a permaculture coffee morning, share one of your permaculture designs with a local group, or invite friends to a permaculture meal?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This year <a href="http://www.permaculture.org.uk/join" target="_blank">Permaculture Association members</a> can add their events and courses to <a href="http://www.permaculture.org.uk/">www.permaculture.org.uk</a> in association with International Permaculture Day - we will promote these to contacts in your area. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Be sure to had your events to <a href="http://www.permacultureday.org/add-event/" target="_blank">International Permaculture Day</a> website so that the Uk is well represented during this global celebration of permaculture!</span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Check out the Edible Landscapes London facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/217195791772788/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ediblelandscapeslondon.org.uk/">www.ediblelandscapeslondon.org.uk</a></span></li>
</ul>
Nicola Bellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06610283939435621545noreply@blogger.com0