Book Review: Resilience Thinking – Sustaining Ecosystems and People in a Changing World
DVDs/Books — by Owen Hablutzel June 4, 2010
Book by Brian Walker and David Salt
Island Press – 2006
174 pages
Reviewed by Owen Hablutzel
When is the last time you were surprised? It might have been a brand new volunteer plant in the garden, bizarre and beautiful fungi in the pasture, an incredible storm on the horizon, or a blessed windfall on the balance sheets! Given the inherent unpredictable nature of wholes – complex adaptive systems from cells, to bodies, to farms, societies and all of nature – we can be sure that surprise and unexpected change will happen quite frequently. If this is true at the home, farm or business scale it is all the more so at the regional, national, and global scales in today’s always changing and increasingly interconnected world.
Comments (0)Take A PDC With Bill Mollison For $40
Courses/Workshops, DVDs/Books, For Sale, Permaculture Resources, Why Permaculture? — by eric seider April 3, 2010
Well Not really.
But its pretty damn close and at the very least it’s an excellent addition to what you learned in your own PDC, or just a great permaculture resource in general. I first heard about these audio recordings of Bill from Geoff Lawton during my PDC. He said that Jeff Nugent (permacultureplants.net) audio recorded Bill teaching a PDC back in 1983 and it was the actual PDC Geoff attended. He said he would listen to them in the car all the time and that they were just a great resource to have.
I looked it up online and found Jeff Nugent’s website (click here) and saw that you could buy a dvd of mp3 files for $40 US. I ordered one and have been listening ever since.
Comments (0)The Calgary Permaculture Community Group Presents, An Evening of Permaculture with Geoff Lawton
Community Projects, Conferences, Courses/Workshops, DVDs/Books, Social Gatherings — by Rob Avis March 31, 2010
The newly formed Calgary Permaculture Community group is proud to be screening Geoff Lawton’s Introduction to Permaculture DVD followed by a Q&A session with Geoff Lawton of the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia. The event will be held on April 17th at 6:00pm at the John Dutton Theatre. After the screening of Introduction to Permaculture, Geoff Lawton will be skyping in from Australia to answer all of your permaculture related questions.
Click here to open a 390kb PDF of details.
For more information please contact calgarypermaculture (at) gmail.com
Permaculture Calgary website: www.permaculturecalgary.org
Comments (0)Introducing the Permaculture Designers’ Manual, Chapter 1: Introduction to Permaculture
DVDs/Books — by Jesse Lemieux March 24, 2010
This is the first in a series of fourteen introductory articles about permaculture — one for each chapter of Bill Mollison’s “Permaculture: A Designers’ Manual.” Through this series I will connect theory with practice, and share practical examples of permaculture in action.
Permaculture design is a system of assembling conceptual, material and strategic components in a pattern which functions to benefit life in all its forms. It provides a sustainable and secure place for living things on earth. While each component is important, permaculture is less about the things themselves and more about how the things fit together.
Permaculture does not dwell on the negative. While we maintain a healthy awareness of present day problems, we are more focused on the positive, continually asking the question "what do we want?"
Few people would argue that our global and local environments are on the down-hill slide, but it is important that we cut clearly through the mass of misinformation and half-truths that exist. Only by getting to the heart of the matter can we reasonably design a plan to change things.
Comments (0)Farmers’ Handbook
Courses/Workshops, DVDs/Books — by Craig Mackintosh January 5, 2010
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. – Chinese Proverb
Worldwide, mainstream aid projects tend to deal with the symptoms of problems, rather than the problems themselves. In fact, often aid projects actually exacerbate the root issue, by supply free food and clothing that undermines the ability of people on the ground to make a living. In other words, we put them out of their low carbon business, forcing them off the land into cities where they must become part of the consumer treadmill, or perish.
But, sometimes, people with clear heads and unselfish hearts manage to help in much more substantial ways. The links to follow are to individual chapters of a Farmers’ Handbook created by Chris Evans (UK) and Jakob Jespersen (Denmark), who have spent considerable time in Nepal, helping to develop locally appropriate methods and technologies that can help the people of Nepal live better lives, and sustainably so.
Although the information is specifically tailored for Himalayan conditions, almost everyone will find some useful ideas and information in this comprehensive work. The whole handbook is 50 chapters in 5 volumes – a total of 792 pages, including 170 pages of colour photos and illustrations.
Aside from gleaning valuable ideas for your own region, I post this work, with permission, in the hope it will inspire others to do likewise for their own region and climate zone. This is the kind of information sharing that will move humanity onto a sustainable platform of peace and low carbon prosperity.
Please note: These files are free for personal use and circulation (please just link to this page), but can not be used for commercial purposes. They are copyright of Chris Evans and Jakob Jespersen. The Farmers’ Handbook is also still in a draft form and any suggestions of improvement are welcomed. Chris has the original editable version – if people are interested to translate this production into another language, or offer other suggestions, please contact Chris on: cevans (at) gn.apc.org
All files to follow are PDFs.
Comments (0)In Transition – the Movie
Alternatives to Political Systems, Bio-regional Organizations, Community Projects, Consumerism, DVDs/Books, Eco-Villages, Economics, Food Shortages, Global Warming/Climate Change, Peak Oil, People Systems, Society, Urban Projects, Village Development — by Craig Mackintosh December 14, 2009
In Transition 1.0: from oil dependence to local resilience, available now!
The title says it all. Sit back and enjoy the latest work from the Transition Towns movement. You can watch in parts via YouTube below, or if you prefer, catch the whole thing in one hit on Vimeo.
‘In Transition’ is the first detailed film about the Transition movement filmed by those that know it best, those who are making it happen on the ground. The Transition movement is about communities around the world responding to peak oil and climate change with creativity, imagination and humour, and setting about rebuilding their local economies and communities. It is positive, solutions focused, viral and fun. – TransitionCulture.org
Part I
Comments (0)Greening the Desert II – Final
Aid Projects, Animal Forage, Biological Cleaning, Building, Compost, Conservation, DVDs/Books, Demonstration Sites, Education Centers, Food Forests, Food Plants - Perennial, Fungi, Irrigation, Land, Plant Systems, Rehabilitation, Salination, Soil Biology, Swales, Trees, Water Harvesting — by Craig Mackintosh December 11, 2009
The Greening the Desert II video I shared with you recently was edited in Jordan. Now that I’m back at my desk again I’ve had time to edit it slightly. I’ve added the original five-minute Greening the Desert clip in to the front of it, to ensure viewers have context for Part II (and we’ve also had requests for both to be made available together), as well as cut a few minutes out of Part II to keep it flowing a little better. You can not only watch online below and embed on your own websites (click for embed code at top right of video screen), but it’s also available for download, so those who’d like to have a ‘hard copy’ to circulate are welcome to download, burn to disk or transfer to USB key, etc., and circulate freely.
Download: You’ll see the option to download the 913 megabyte MP4 file at bottom right side of this page.
YouTube: The video can also be watched on YouTube, in four segments, here, here, here and here.
Greening the Desert II (including Part I) – Greening the Middle East
(Duration: 36 mins)
Tips for playing: If it’s slow to load, turn off High Definition (HD) on the player.
If you still have problems, click play (on low or high def) and then after it’s started,
click on pause. The video will then continue to buffer into your computer.
Play once fully loaded.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank Kelly Kellogg at this juncture. Kelly donated initial funding that enabled the purchase of the land for the Jordan Valley Permaculture Project site (aka ‘Greening the Desert – the Sequel’). But, upon watching the Greening the Desert Part II video, Kelly was inspired to donate an additional $20,000. These gifts are very encouraging to us as we try to solve problems at source (teach a man to fish…). Others who may feel inspired to donate to help us move this work forward faster can do so here.
A little background on the video follows:
Comments (0)Discounts on Our Most Popular DVDs
DVDs/Books — by Craig Mackintosh December 3, 2009
We’re currently running a special on the following selected DVDs:
- Introduction to Permaculture Design DVD
- Food Forest DVD
- Water Harvesting DVD
Regardless of the mix of the above three DVDs, orders of 10-19 DVDs attract a 10% discount. Orders of 20 or more attract a 20% discount.
Discounts are applied automatically within the ordering system.
Head to our Australian online store to find out more about the DVDs and to order.
Comments (0)The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice and Sustainability
DVDs/Books — by Rhamis Kent October 11, 2009
 The Vegetarian Myth |
We’ve been told that a vegetarian diet can feed the hungry, honor the animals, and save the planet. Lierre Keith believed in that plant-based diet and spent twenty years as a vegan. But in The Vegetarian Myth, she argues that we’ve been led astray–not by our longings for a just and sustainable world, but by our ignorance.
The truth is that agriculture is a relentless assault against the planet, and more of the same won’t save us. In service to annual grains, humans have devastated prairies and forests, driven countless species extinct, altered the climate, and destroyed the topsoil–the basis of life itself. Keith argues that if we are to save this planet, our food must be an act of profound and abiding repair: it must come from inside living communities, not be imposed across them.
Part memoir, part nutritional primer, and part political manifesto, The Vegetarian Myth will challenge everything you thought you knew about food politics.
Comments (0)
Introduction to Permaculture Design DVD to Ship!
Courses/Workshops, DVDs/Books, News — by Craig Mackintosh September 25, 2009
The Introduction to Permaculture Design DVD has finally been pressed and printed and will be dispatched to all pre-orders from Zaytuna Farm (base camp for PRI headquarters here in Australia) on Wednesday September 30. We said we’d do a September release and we meant it, and even made it – just!! A big thank you to all the many people who had faith in us but were wondering what happened to their pre-order. It is on its way!
We spoke with Frank Gapinski, the producer – who recorded and spent countless hours fine tuning and preparing this release – to find out a little more about this important DVD:
Comments (0)Introduction to Permaculture Design – the DVD Trailer
Courses/Workshops, DVDs/Books, Developments — by Craig Mackintosh July 17, 2009
We know a considerable amount of people have been in anticipation of this DVD – a highly watchable intro to Permaculture design principles and practise. It is the culmination of a great many hours of careful labour for award-winning video editor, animator and avid Permaculturist, Frank Gapinski. With it, we target two kinds of people: the Permaculture beginner wanting to get a grip on what Permaculture is all about from somebody who really knows his stuff, as well as the keen Permaculturist who wants to share his/her enthusiasm with friends, family and colleagues in an easy to digest form. The DVD encapsulates some of the most significant aspects of Permaculture – leaving the viewer feeling more confident about how to capably wield the design tools Permaculture utilises.
The narrator, Geoff Lawton, one of Bill Mollison’s earliest students, is one of the most respected and experienced Permaculturists today – having worked and taught in dozens of countries over the last twenty five years – and yet fully understands how to engage audiences and transmit information to people at all levels. This, combined with Frank’s expert visual wizardy, will leave viewers wanting to start their own Permaculture journey, pronto.
We had initially pre-announced this DVD several months ago, under the title ‘Permaculture for Beginners’, but after working it through the title ‘Introduction to Permaculture Design’ seemed more apt. We anticipate this will become a highly contagious tool to help spread the Permaculture message. Watch the trailer below, and keep an eye on this site for its not-too-distant release (due September).
Introduction to Permaculture Design – The Trailer
Comments (0)The ‘Sustainable (R)evolution’ Book Project
Aid Projects, Commercial Farm Projects, Community Projects, DVDs/Books, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education Centers, News, Urban Projects — by Craig Mackintosh May 6, 2009
Have you ever wished, when explaining to someone about permaculture, you had a visual, easily accessible book that demonstrated what it is all about, and what the world could look like if permaculture design systems became mainstream thinking?
We’ll – we’re making that book.
The Permaculture Research Institute is getting behind a project that would see the creation of a large format book that profiles, with creative writing and quality photographs, some of the many successful Permaculture projects underway around the world. The purpose of this page is to solicit your help with the same.
The final version is unlikely to look like this, but it gives you an idea….
Vote for Change!
DVDs/Books, Developments, News — by Craig Mackintosh March 19, 2009
Dear Reader
If you’d like to do something tangible to work against the kind of madness outlined in the preceding post, then please click here to vote for positive change.
If we receive enough votes we’ll secure additional funding to enable a small team of writers and photographers (including myself) and a videographer to do the following:
- Create a book profiling successful Permaculture projects worldwide
- Create a documentary of the same
- Create a website and organisation to promote Permaculture and the above book and documentary
The results of this work can help inspire a whole generation of citizens (and hopefully politicians) with the potential found in harnessing the synergies of biological systems to solve a myriad environmental and social problems.
Note: Feel free to add your comments to the page you’ll arrive to via the ‘click here’ link above – but whatever you do, click on the voting button at far right of the screen. This needs to be done now, as the competition ends today (we only found out about it today, so forgive the short notice). You’ll be asked to sign up, but it literally only takes a few seconds to do so. Thanks in advance for promoting this worthy endeavour.
Sincerely
Craig
Editor/Photojournalist
Making the Most of the ‘Ultimate Health Food Shop’ – Your Garden
DVDs/Books, Food Plants - Annual, Food Plants - Perennial, Health & Disease, Medicinal Plants — by Craig Mackintosh March 17, 2009
 Isabell Shipard – herbalist/educator |
One of the best aspects of Permaculture is being able to begin to take control back over our own lives. Rather than being just a captive cog in the huge destructive machine that is our present globalised industrial society (a machine running full speed towards a great yawning precipice), transitioning to Permaculture systems enables us to stand as individuals, making our own choices and, as far as possible, creating our own destiny.
One of the most important aspects of this is taking control back over our own health and personal well-being. In a world where industry profits from illness, and where institutions like the FDA (in cahoots with pharmaceutical companies and governments) seek to maximise their profiteering by outlawing more natural alternatives (see the disconcerting ‘Codex Alimentarius’ video at bottom, narrated by Judi Dench, and even has an appearance from Mel Gibson), the good news is that nature is always there for us – we just need to tap into the wealth of knowledge that is out there to help us to sustainably take advantage of it.
Comments (0)Outdoor Classrooms, A Handbook for School Gardens
DVDs/Books — by Craig Mackintosh March 9, 2009
Outdoor Classrooms, A Handbook for School Gardens
Order here
We’re slowly growing valuable resources in our new online store. The latest addition, added today, is a fantastic new book – Outdoor Classrooms, A Handbook for School Gardens – from well-known Permaculturists and primary school teachers: Carolyn Nuttall and Janet Millington. Arming the next generation with a practical, sustainable skillset is more than expedient, and this book will help teachers and parents do just that.
Here’s an editorial blurb on the book:
Comments (0)
