Sustainable Hawaii Coming this October
Community Projects, Courses/Workshops, Developments, Education Centers, Urban Projects — by Nichole Ross August 11, 2010
PRI-USA Offers a Unique Series of Permaculture Courses on Isle of Molokai
In partnership with Sust`aina ble Molokai and the Ho`ala Hou Program, the Permaculture Research Institute USA is proud to announce an upcoming series of key Permaculture courses on the Island of Molokai, Hawaii.
We are offering the following four foundational courses between October and December this year:
- Permaculture Design Certificate Course with Andrew Jones and Shenaqua Sookhoo-Jones, Oct 10-22
- Practicum: Incorporating Traditional Hawaiian Plants, Foods and Fuels into a Permaculture Design with Andrew Jones and Hunter Heaivilin, Oct 25-29
- PDC Teacher Training Course with Andrew Jones and Shenaqua Sookhoo-Jones, Nov 1-6
- Earthworks with Geoff and Nadia Lawton, Dec 6-10
These courses will be held in conjunction with the Ho`ala Hou Program, a substance abuse and prevention program that works with youth and families to set up up community garden plots. Courses will take place on Ho`ala Hou’s 20-acre site.
This series is also part of an island-wide initiative with local nonprofit Sust`aina ble Molokai to work toward the goals of the Molokai Sustainability Plan, a plan created by the people of Molokai that honors Hawaiian traditional and cultural pathways alongside modern strategies for a sustainable future.
For more information and to register for these courses, please visit the Permaculture Research USA website at www.permacultureusa.org.
Aloha and A hui hou!
Comments (1)Chile Update – Permaculture: Designing a Healthy Building with Principles in Mind
Aid Projects, Building, Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Eco-Villages, Education Centers, Village Development — by Grifen Hope July 1, 2010
Editor’s Note: Below, Grifen Hope gives us an excellent update on progress since my recent trip to Chile to profile and promote the excellent work under way there.
It’s the shortest day of the year in Chile and the rain is coming down. It is cold and wet. As we celebrate the new year and the return of the sun, thousands of people in the surrounding region are living in government supplied shacks… affectionately termed "Mediagua" or half water. Most of them are leaking with the rain, and the wind is coming in. You can find photos here.
The government has not yet started the reconstruction effort. We imagine they are trying to get through the winter with temporary emergency housing, and to begin construction in the spring, when the dust settles a little. Here in El Manzano we are doing our best to inject common sense into the debate. Many are listening. Small strategic actions can have wide repercussions, and though we cannot take the credit for the actions of others, we can be sure that our voice has resounded widely in Chile and many are following the lead.
Comments (0)Letters from Chile – Building Community Around a Permaculture University
Aid Projects, Building, Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Development & Property Trusts, Developments, Eco-Villages, Education Centers, Ethical Investment, Financial Management, Peak Oil, People Systems, Society, Urban Projects, Village Development — by Craig Mackintosh May 19, 2010
Editor’s Note: This is Part IX of a series. If you haven’t already, be sure to catch Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII and Part VIII!
My time in Chile is almost at an end. But, before I go, I want to share with you the present and future plans for transitioning the community here in El Manzano. They are not insignificant.
Letters from Chile: Visiting Dichato – the Town That Was
Aid Projects, Building, Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education Centers, News, Retrofitting, Society, Urban Projects, Village Development, Waste Systems & Recycling — by Craig Mackintosh April 29, 2010
Editor’s Note: This is Part II of a series. Read Part I here.
A former beautiful, bustling and touristy coastal town in Chile clings to an uncertain future after being engulfed by the 2010 tsunami.
A Dichato fishing boat scene, in waning evening light, exudes a serenity that
belies the realities of the almost complete destruction behind.
All photos © copyright Craig Mackintosh
Up to 90% of the buildings of Dichato were destroyed, creating a graveyard
of rubble, peppered with dilapidated buildings – many of which may soon end
up the same way.
Yesterday I visited the little coastal town of Dichato. A few months ago, such a trip might have included a bare-footed wade along the town’s tranquil beach, and, depending on the time of day, could have included a friendly wave or greater interaction with some of the smiling local fishermen bringing in their hauls. Afterwards I might have had a nice meal at one of the sun-drenched seaside restaurants or a coffee break in one of the town’s modest cafes, frequented by sea-loving tourists from near and far. It’s the kind of place many could envision themselves retiring in, or where you might establish a small business to accommodate a more leisurely lifestyle choice. Framed by green hills and groves, lined by a long sandy beach, and embraced by a beautiful natural cove that passively calms the restless South Pacific ocean, Dichato was, simply put, a very nice place to be.
Comments (0)Introducing the Southern Oregon Permaculture Institute (SOPI)
Commercial Farm Projects, Courses/Workshops, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education Centers, News — by Chuck Burr March 22, 2010
Southern Oregon now has its own permaculture institute, demonstration farm and more. After two years in development, the Southern Oregon Permaculture Institute (SOPI) nonprofit is now open for business. “Our first courses will be held this spring.”
SOPI provides a unique blend of permaculture education, new model demonstration and what we call Culturequake education. Our book, Culturequake: The Restoration Revolution and future courses describe how we got to where we are now, what the obvious impacts are and then how to design new community and economic models that blend what has worked well in the past with what we have today.
Comments (0)Please Get Behind Our Efforts to Demonstrate Sustainable Development and Relief for Chile Quake/Tsunami Victims
Aid Projects, Building, Community Projects, Conservation, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Eco-Villages, Education Centers, Energy Systems, Networking Sites, News, People Systems, Rehabilitation, Society, Village Development, Waste Systems & Recycling, Water Harvesting — by Grifen Hope March 19, 2010
Editor’s Preamble: Permaculturists famously endeavour to ‘turn the problem into a solution’. At the moment we have a tremendous opportunity to apply this principle in wonderful, productive ways in disaster-hit Chile. The quake-tsunami combo that hit on February 27, 2010 has created a void just begging for sustainable relief and re-development. Grifen Hope, who writes below and who leads out at Ecoescuela El Manzano, a partner organisation to the Permaculture Research Institute, is well positioned to fill that void with all kinds of permaculture goodness – in the form of low-cost environmentally friendly buildings, improved sanitation and nutrient cycling through construction of composting toilets, water harvesting systems and in education in home garden design, etc. Grifen’s already established and successful project and his national contacts make this a particularly significant opportunity, to not only directly help people in great need at this time, but to also offer more holistic and community centred alternatives to local and national government – alternatives with far greater short and long term potential than those offered by the scores of contractors seeking to cash in on misery. PRI Australia feels so strongly about assisting Grifen with his noble ambitions, that we’re putting forward the first AU$1,000 donation. Both PRI Australia and PRI USA are taking donations for this cause (people in the U.S. will want to donate through PRI USA, to take advantage of their tax-exampt non-profit status). In the interests of transparency, PRI USA will take 5 percent of donations to cover administration and the work that had to be done to facilitate the legal aspects of sponsoring this project – but that 5% will help PRI USA develop its own projects). PRI Australia will pass 100% of donations to the project in Chile. Additionally, as we feel this work deserves significant exposure, and as we seek to ensure that valuable permaculture relief work gets noticed at the highest levels, to attract further governmental support for future disasters worldwide, PRI Australia and myself (Craig Mackintosh) will share the costs for myself to go to Chile to cover and report on Grifen’s work via photographs, writing and video. I would like to take this opportunity to ask people to get behind this in whatever way they can. Donations, large or small, will all assist in what is the very best form of aid work. Perhaps ask your employer to match your donation – many will. Additionally, people with contacts in government, aid agencies and other NGOs are invited to share this page with them. Thanks in advance to the worldwide permaculture community for getting behind this work. You never know – in the future you may be the recipient of such assistance.
| Donate via PRI USA (USA residents)* Other non-paypal methods of donating here |
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| Donate via PRI Australia (rest of world)* Other non-paypal methods of donating here |
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| *Please be sure to click on the ‘Add special instructions to seller’ link, and then type ‘CHILE’ in the field provided, to ensure these fund are correctly diverted. | |
El Manzano in Transition – Towards Community Resilience, by Design
by Grifen Hope of Ecoescuela El Manzano
Comments (0)The Panya Permaculture Project & the Living Seeds Festival
Community Projects, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education Centers, Social Gatherings — by Leah Galvin December 29, 2009
Recently, The Panya Permaculture Project here in Thailand collaborated with Pun-Pun (an organic farm, seed-saving operation, and sustainable living and learning centre) to launch The Living Seeds Festival; an annual festival to celebrate biodiversity, sustainable living and community in northern Thailand.
The Festival included local organic food, organic seed exchange, massage and natural healing, and demonstrations such as natural building, earthen ovens, organic gardening techniques, appropriate technology and more…. The main aim of the Festival was to raise awareness on our present food crisis. The loss of food varieties (both in the markets and our diets), damage to land and soil (caused by conventional farming techniques), and the fragility of food security were just some of the many issues presented.
Comments (0)The New Permaculture Research Institute 10-Week Internship Program
Courses/Workshops, Developments, News — by Geoff Lawton November 29, 2009
At Zaytuna Farm here in NSW, Australia, we have been running a few variations of internships over the years, mostly on a very casual basis. The interest and enquiries continue to grow – especially focused on the need to gain experience as quickly as possible so that students, after taking the Permaculture Design Certificate course, can move into a professional permaculture career in design, consultancy and teaching in both international consultancy and project work. To this end, we’ve now created a higher quality curriculum-based internship program that covers a wide range of permaculture subjects, that are studied in depth over 10 weeks.
The new internship program is run three times per year, each beginning just after the first three PDCs end. The base requirement is that interns have taken a recognized PDC somewhere in the world. If a prospective intern has not completed a PDC, they can simply take one with us, then continue on with the ten week internship after that is complete.
Look for the internship indicator in our course listings to see more details.
Snippets of footage from the July 2009 Earthworks Course
Thanks to John Alexander Ericson and Misty Music AB for the music
Exploring Dryland Strategies for Resilience – Atacama, Northern Chile
Community Projects, Developments, Education Centers, Land, News — by Grifen Hope November 27, 2009
Desert Flowers
Recently we had a whirlwind tour of Atacama in the north of Chile, the driest place on earth. This was a learning experience rather than teaching – in this hostile and vulnerable landscape that has been occupied for thousands of years we find strategies for building resilience.
Comments (0)Permaculture Seeds Sprouting on St. Croix
Courses/Workshops, Developments, News — by Ethan Roland November 18, 2009
Birds eye view of the Virgin Island Sustainable Farm Institute
St. Croix, a 6 x 20 mile island in the Caribbean, is exploding with positive action. Led by the Virgin Island Sustainable Farm Institute, locally grown food and ecological agriculture are seeding in with island people and travelers across the island. Now, in collaboration with AppleSeed Permaculture and Gaia University, the US Virgin Islands are being innoculated with the empowering principles and processes of permaculture design.
Comments (1)Letters from Jordan – a PDC at the Bottom of the World
Aid Projects, Courses/Workshops, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education Centers, News — by Craig Mackintosh October 15, 2009
Profuse apologies for being remiss on the posting front of late. I have more than a dozen posts queued in my head, but finding a minute to breathe and get ‘em down onto the keyboard has proven difficult. A few people have been pressing me for Part III of the Sarvodaya series, but never fear, it’ll come as soon as I can. In the meantime I have a little video mission in Jordan to fulfil.
For now, here’s a teeny glimpse at the latest:
Geoff, Nadia and I are currently stationed a stone’s throw from the Dead Sea in the Jordan Valley. At 400 metres below sea level, this is the lowest place on earth. Geoff and Nadia are teaching a Permaculture Design Certificate course (PDC) to 35 students from many different countries. With this course, and other previous Permaculture Research Institute efforts in the region, we have a really good wedge of influence in what is effectively the hub of the middle east – the very open-bordered country of Jordan. Although we have a few ‘westerners’ here, the bulk of the students are from either Jordan or surrounding nations – like Palestine, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Qatar, Afghanistan, Turkey and even a couple of slightly further afield train passengers from Bulgaria. Other students come from Australia, Italy, UK, USA, Singapore and China. It’s been great getting to know them. A story could be told about many of these people alone. (Aah, so many blog post ideas, so little time….)
Comments (3)A Virtual Geoff Lawton Urges You to Cross the Line
Developments, News, Society — by Craig Mackintosh
We’ve just happened upon a rather unusual way of sharing the Permaculture ‘get out there and do it’ message. Someone has taken an interview Geoff did in California last year, and turned it into a rather impressive animation. Although it was a bit strange for Geoff to see himself portrayed in such a way, if it helps get the message across, then we figure so be it.
The end of the clip even appears to have cameo appearances from Bill Mollison and David Holmgren:
Or, put another way, courtesy of the 1970s UK sitcom favourites Tom and Barbara Good in ‘The Good Life’:
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Calling All Musos! Care to Help a Good Cause?
Developments — by Craig Mackintosh October 2, 2009
I thought I’d put a call out to the greater Permaculture community, and ask for a bit of support. As regular readers may have noticed, I’ve been writing and taking photos for the site for a little while now (a bit over a year actually – whew, time flies). Of late I’ve also been delving into video a little, as we’re such a multimedia driven world.
Anyway, where I’m running into headaches is in getting copyright-free music I can use with video clips. I’m sure some of you are dab hands at playing music of one kind or another, and some of you may be keen to put your hand up and help us out in this department.
As you’ll know, we’re training people in Permaculture, with a specific focus of getting people into Aid Projects worldwide. As such, we can’t offer financial compensation, but would of course credit you clearly in all videos made using your work.
I’m looking for different styles of music, to suit different clips. Ideally they’d be in MP3 format, and recorded somewhere where your little Johnny and the neighbour’s dog aren’t contributing as well! Also, we’d request at least an email stating the work is your own, and that we (PRI) have permission to use it without cost in promoting our endeavours.
If you think you can help out, please send me an email – editor (at) permaculture.org.au – with details.
We look forward to sharing a lot more of our work via video in the near future!
Comments (0)Permaculture Design Course at Pine Ridge Reservation
Community Projects, Courses/Workshops, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Land, News, Rehabilitation — by Warren Brush September 24, 2009
by Warren Brush, co-founder of Quail Springs Permaculture & True Nature Design
We are eight days into a 13-day Permaculture Design Course here at Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, the home of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. The Permaculture Guild has organized this exciting course in collaboration with the Oglala Lakota Cultural and Economic Revitalization Initiative (OLCERI) and will be offering other courses here in the coming year. Students from as far away as Florida and California have joined local tribal members in learning about how to integrate permaculture into their lives, livelihoods and cultural regeneration processes.
Comments (0)Welcome to Permaculture Island?
Community Projects, Courses/Workshops, Developments — by Nichole Ross August 27, 2009
No, it’s not the newest reality series or a throwback to the 70s. I’m talking about real life here. And, it’s even part of the United States, kind of. What I’m referring to is the Island of Molokai. It’s a small island (38 x 10 miles with 7500 residents) located between Oahu and Maui in Hawaii. Not only do they have a sustainability plan, but they just held their first sustainability conference this past July. And the best part of the whole thing is that they actually used the word Permaculture in advertising for the conference. Maybe this bold move will help set the stage for the rest of the U.S.
In May 2008, residents realized they didn’t like the unsustainable path towards destruction the island seemed to be on. So, like true Permaculturists, instead of dwelling on their problems, they decided to focus on solutions. (Remember, as Geoff Lawton says, “the problem is the solution”) What they came up with was a sustainable plan for the island’s future. They outlined it in a document called Molokai: Future of a Hawaiian Island (2mb PDF). In it, the people of Molokai call their vision, “Sust- ‘AINA -bility”, a model of abundant island living rooted in traditional knowledge and supported by modern technologies. Hmm, sounds a bit like Permaculture….
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