Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Our current predicament demands an alternative design paradigm that envisions its infrastructures as if we were 8 billion humans living in an overstressed finite planet—because we are.
How likely is it that the threads of thought and action attempting to reclaim cultures of restraint, restoration of nature and finding humanity’s place in that order, both at the local and the global level, over the last 100 years or so, would spread, let alone become dominant during any new pulse of free energy, so close on the heels of the frenzy of consumption of millions of years’ worth of stored sunlight (in fossil fuels)?
That there is considerable overlap between permaculture responses to flood and fire resilient design reflects a deep listening to country, holistic and uncorrupted science and old fashioned common sense.
Over the last few years my organization, Green Releaf Initaitive, has been prototyping our permaculture gardens on select sites affected by disasters and displacement. At the core of our theory of change is not just “design” but regenerative design that invites us to go beyond sustainability and ways that we can apply it in contexts of aid and development.
Welcome back to Part Two of a conversation with permaculture co-originator David Holmgren, in which David continues sharing significant milestones from his many decades as a practicing permaculture designer.
I’m thrilled in this episode to share the first part of a two-part interview in which David Holmgren shares his journey with permaculture design process over the decades.
For Dave Jacke, a designer of ecological landscapes since the late 1970s, human culture and our “inner landscapes” are the floating variables for our future on Earth.
Start with wherever they’re able to get to start to say yes. And then you get to the next yes. And the next yes. Until the process begins.
It did not stop it, or make it any less real or stressful but permaculture design has clearly helped smooth decision making in times of crisis and has been a wellspring of ingenuity and optimism. “This is the time to dream, better dreams – what is the future we want to have?” encourages and invites Fran.
What is so heartening is how permaculture design in action is proving resilient! Whether in small urban spaces or large land-based projects, designing for multi-functional uses is proving how valuable a permaculture approach can be.
Today, some 400 members strong, we are still creating elements of the site. Now that we know the place so much better it is easier to plan the details. Most importantly, however, we have created a model for community land ownership that helps fulfil our multi-yield mission, particularly when it comes to learning from natural systems and demonstrating appropriate possibilities for the 21st century.
In these times of economic, climate and political challenges, how do we move forward toward the world we collectively long for? Undaunted by language and cultural differences, this is a story of community collaboration, with the important ingredient of persistent insistence on the goal of ecosystem restoration.
