Permaculture

This is a place to showcase the things that interest and inspire me. I created this blog as a way to positively spend my spare time and the information I gather along the way.

[acti-veg]

Humans just 0.01% of all life but have destroyed 83% of wild mammals – study

Groundbreaking assessment of all life on Earth reveals humanity’s surprisingly tiny part in it as well as our disproportionate impact

[thinkveganworld]

Article worth reading.

[bobagrub]

“The new work reveals that farmed poultry today makes up 70% of all birds on the planet, with just 30% being wild. The picture is even more stark for mammals – 60% of all mammals on Earth are livestock, mostly cattle and pigs, 36% are human and just 4% are wild animals.”

[permaculture]

The Shakedown on Permaculture

Permaculture: An Approach to Sustainable Living

“Though the problems of the world are increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarrassingly simple.” Bill Mollison Co-Founder of the new approach to a sustainable lifestyle known as permaculture said this and he may be correct. Over the past several hundred years the treatment of the Earth has changed. It has been transformed into a one-way factory. Modern society has taken every resource the Earth has to offer and have given little to no care in return. This is despite obvious concepts apparent in every day life. Individuals who invest time and care into their homes, their vehicles, and their health reap higher quality benefits and longer output than those who do not. It is an elementary concept. Yet when it comes to the Earth it is a concept that has been largely disregarded. The Earth is being run like a self-sustaining machine. This logic is not only flawed but also dangerous. Humanity has locked the Earth in a dark room, deprived it of food and water, and has demanded that it still perform. This performance is expected to be bigger, stronger, and more extravagant with every passing year. If the Earth were a human being the form it would take on might be frightening. It would likely appear frail, tired, and in need of immediate medical attention. However, Earth does not take on such an obvious mortal form and so it has continuously been neglected. It is time to change that. Humans have to begin treating the Earth with respect and dignity or it will fail and civilization will fail along with it. Permaculture, the development of agricultural systems intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient is a ladder out of the hole deepening around modern civilization. Permaculture should be implemented into industrial agriculture, cities, and into homes in order to end environmental degradation and help restore balance back to the Earth.

Unfortunately, although crises are growing many people do not see the need for change. That is due to the fact that many do not understand what is causing the Earths distress. Individuals have fallen prey to the guise of “I am just one person, how bad could it be?” The answer is pretty bad. In 2013, the Environmental Protection Agency reported that Americans generated 254 million tons of trash, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that roughly 30 to 40 percent of food supply is wasted, and in an article found on The Washington Post it is noted that Americans waste nearly 1 trillion gallons of fresh water every year (a number that only represents water wasted from dripping faucets. There are 30 million gallons of raw sewage pumped into the fresh water supply every year, in New York City alone. Those numbers represent only a fraction of the damage that Americans are causing at home.  

Due to reliance on monoculture farming (a popular farming technique in the United States that cultivates a single crop in a given area) there are reported losses of approximately 3 tons of topsoil per acre per year. Topsoil is the outermost layer of soil with the highest concentration of organic matter and microorganisms and is the home to all of the biological soil activity. The U.S. applies 22 million tons of pesticides annually. Pesticides have been linked to global warming and to the steady decline of the bee population. Commercial beekeepers have reported losses of up to 42 percent. According to an article found on NBC News bees are responsible for one-third of the human diet and 80 percent of crop pollination. In monoculture farming corn alone takes up 30 percent of the United States crop space. For context, 30 percent of the United States crop space is about the size of California. A study found on the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization states that there are over 250,000 to 300,000 species of edible plants. However, a dismal 12 plants provide 75 percent of the total food supply. 90 percent of the populations entire livestock production is made up of a mere 15 mammals that even when healthy are treated with antibiotics. Farmers have begun forsaking their local varieties of plant species and have opted instead for genetically modified crops with higher yields in order to try and keep up with the approximate 70 million people added to the population yearly. This is creating a system in which the only things that can survive are genetically enhanced crops and animals that now when actually sick have become immune to the treatment of overused antibiotics. According to the permaculture documentary Inhibit: A Permaculture Perspective every culture that has based their staple food crops diets on annual plants has collapsed.

So, where does permaculture fits into all of this? “Permaculture” is derived of two key words: Permanent Agriculture. Two men, Bill Mollison and David Holmgren founded permaculture in Tasmania, Australia in the mid to late 1970’s. Permaculture stands as self-sustainable systems that are being developed in order to relieve some of the stress that comes as a result of industrial agriculture, soil degradation and reliance on taxing modern systems. In the last 40 to 50 years permaculture has been gaining steam from micro farmers, scientists and everyday individuals looking to answer the ever-present question “What can I do to help?” Permaculture is ecological, diverse, holistic and sustainable. The building blocks for permaculture are as follows: Care for the Earth; Care for people: Limit needs and redistribute excess. There are 12 fundamentals in permaculture application. If applied to industrial agriculture systems and into the American home permaculture design may be one solution to feeding the population, maintaining current lifestyles, while also giving back to the Earth. These 12 steps are at the heart of permaculture implementation. The first is to observe and interact with the land. This principle encourages permies (a term often taken on by permaculture enthusiast) to work within available limits. The intention is to use what is available and make the most of it. Jenni Blackmore is a Micro-Farmer and the author of Permaculture for the rest of us: Abundant Living on Less than an Acre. Blackmore discusses her home close to the beach and how she incorporates that into her micro farm. Despite the setbacks of a cooler climate she highlights her advantages like harvesting sea kelp and transforming it into a natural fertilizer. The second step in permaculture design is to catch and store energy. Dwaine Lee, an urban designer who teaches at Five Burroughs Green Roofs, in Randall’s Island New York has implemented “green roofs” onto rooftops in New York City. Green roofs are buildings that are partially or completely covered with vegetation. There are approximately 1 million buildings in New York City. This adds up to a total roof top area of 38,256 acres. By implementing green roofs designers are transforming previously blank space into a way to help feed the growing population and conserving fresh water by collecting and repurposing rain water. The third step is obtaining a yield. In other words ensure that the work that is put in will reap benefits. Next, apply self-regulation and accept feedback. The fifth step is to use and value renewable resources and services.  Next, produce no waste. In other words value all of your resources. If it can be reused or repurposed make sure that it is. This can be seen in the repurposing of empty lots turned rain gardens in Canada. Rain tanks are a great way to implement repurposing. Rain tanks collect rainwater and store it for reuse when watering crops and animals instead of relying on energy and water from the public grid. The seventh step is to design from patterns to details. This is the basis of permaculture design. Permaculture takes its principles from working with the landscape and natural order of the land and using that to the designers benefit. Permaculture looks at the vegetation and wildlife that has thrived in the area without human interference and tries to intelligently place those components in an area where both reap rewards and give back. By doing this sustainable diverse ecosystems are being designed and are flourishing. The next step is to integrate structures rather than separate them. The intention is to create a system where the land and its inhabitants work as one rather than individually in order to reduce the amount of work needed. For instance, instead of planting annual crops (which require more work, time, and resources) permaculture gardeners are planting perennials. Perennial plants require less labor and will continuously produce without much reliability on human input. The ninth step is to use small and slow solutions. This is important because it creates higher probability of success rather than jumping into a large project or design that may not work. The next step is to use and value diversity. This allows designers to get the most variety out of a space. This is more commonly referred to as biodiversity and it is highly regarded and heavily encouraged in permaculture. According to the National Wild Life Federation biodiversity is vital. One eye opening necessity listed for biodiversity is that medical discoveries and cures are derived of plant and animal genetics. When species are lost to extinction the world may never know the potential it had to produce a cure or save a life. Biodiversity, if done correctly could also alleviate the reliance put on industrial agriculture, monoculture and pesticides. The eleventh step is to use edges and value the marginal.  This step teaches designers how to work with all the possibility in an area where one thing ends and another begins. The final principle is to creatively use and respond to change. By going with the natural flow of a space nature is free to take on an organic course, which may introduce ideas that were not previously considered.

Due to the staggering amount of harm humans have already caused it is not enough for the population to merely do “less bad.” It is crucial to begin implementing systems that help restore vitality to the Earth. This is the ultimate goal of permaculture. It is a goal that can be attained by cultivating sustainable areas that can flourish with or without human help. One farmer has already implemented this into his own acreage. Mark Shepard founded the New Forest Farm in Viola, Wisconsin. In the documentary Inhibit: A Permaculture Perspective Mark states that he has touched hazelnut trees planted by the romans over 1,800 years ago. He has implemented a permaculture design on his farm that he believes will continue to produce food for the next 1,000 years without human interference. This is no doubt one of many success stories of permaculture. Slowly but surely the Earth is gaining alliances from farmers, gardeners, scientists, and more in order to help it thrive.

Unfortunately, it takes more than a few to make the kind of difference that will need to be incorporated to see real change.  While the strides made to incorporate the ever-growing population are nothing short of amazing they have evolved so quickly that nature has not had ample time to change with them. The Earth is a complex system of checks and balances and humans have begun to throw that system out of order. Yes, there are billions of mouths to feed every year but the way that is done has to change. Unfortunately, the world would turn to utter chaos if farmers tried to change overnight. This is one of the downsides of permaculture implementation. It would be a challenging process to incorporate into already established systems. It would take years and billions of dollars to try and implement permaculture on a scale as large as monoculture and industrial agriculture are now. Not only that but, it would also add work to those who may not want additional hours in the garden or on the farm or in their homes at all. In addition to extra work, due to the lack of studies comparing the various types of farming techniques it is unknown whether you can reap higher or even equal yields as you may be able to from mono cropping. However, as the ninth fundamental of permaculture encourages, there needs to be slow and small solutions. All of the previously mentioned statistics are a mere fraction of the damage being done. The systems in place are harming the ecosystem by destroying and exposing resources without adding anything back. The Earth is being stripped of its ability to produce resources essential to human survival. At this point, the population will have to decide whether the most important issue is higher yields or longer yields. Unfortunately, both cannot be sustained.  These problems are diverse and ever growing but as Bill Mollison stated the solutions are simple. It is time to start implementing sustainable techniques and cultivating systems that can produce for long term human survival. Permaculture can be implemented in hundred acre farms, empty lots and even rooftops. Implementing permaculture designs is a way for the world at large to take less, and give more.

Works Cited

Al-Mashaqbeh, Othman A., Ayoup M. Ghrair, and Sharon B. Megdal. Grey Water Reuse for Agricultural Purposes in the Jordan Valley: Household Survey Results in Deir Alla. Tucson: Water Resources Research Center, University of Arizona, 6 Aug. 2012. PDF.

"Biodiversity and Agriculture." Biodiversity and Agriculture. Harvard School of Public Health. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.

Blackmore, Jenni. Permaculture for the Rest of Us: Abundant Living on Less Than an Acre. Gabriola Island: New Society Publishers, 2015. Print.

"Declining Honeybees a ‘threat’ to Food Supply." Msnbc.com. Associated Press, 02 May 2007. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.

Gold, Mary V. "Sustainable Agriculture: Definitions and Terms. Related Terms." Sustainable Agriculture: Definitions and Terms. Related Terms. United States Department of Agriculture, 08 Aug. 2007. Web. 4 Mar. 2016.

Hemenway, Toby. The Permaculture City: Regenerative Design for Urban, Suburban, and Town Resilience. White River Junction: Chelsea Green, 2015. Print.

Inhabit - A Permaculture Perspective. Dir. Costa Boutsikaris. Perf. Geoff Lawton and Charles Eisenstein. 2015. DVD.

Kruger, Elizabeth May. Options for Sustainability in Building and Energy: A South African Permaculture Case Study. Amsterdam: Elsevier Ltd, 2015. PDF.

Perkins, Richard. "Why Permaculture Needs Accurate Data and Measurement to Persuade the Mainstream." Permaculture. Hyden House, 2 May 2012. Web. 4 March 2016.

Tortorello, Michael. "The Permaculture Movement Grows from Underground." The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 July 2011. Web. 4 March 2016.

"What Is Biodiversity?" National Wildlife Federation. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.

"What Is Happening to Agrobiodiversity?" Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.

"What Is Permaculture?" Ashevillage. 3 Oct. 2014. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.

Volk, Steve. "Was a USDA Scientist Muzzled Because of His Bee Research?" Washington Post. The Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2016. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.

[permaculture]

Manicured lawns are ruining the planet.

My township calls my lawn ‘a nuisance.’ But I still refuse to mow it.Manicured lawns are ruining the planet.

Everyone should read this. We are stripping our Earth of its resources and ability to create life. And for what? Manicured lawns that no one touches except of course to pollute the air with gas fumes to mow it again, preventing wildlife from nesting there? We can create mini ecosystems in our backyards and we should. We have to learn how to co exist with nature instead of constantly stripping it. My backyard will be a testament to nature and not to imaginary status.