Permaculture training for Transition Town Lewes

Saturday 24 November 2007

Twenty-one TTLers attended a 2 hour training in Permaculture at Lewes New School. Pippa Johns presented a number of Permaculture tools and ideas that can all be used by active TTLers in their work with groups and in creating Lewes' Energy Descent Action Plan. Most people found the morning very useful and a repeat training is being planned for the spring. The following are some notes from the morning.

Permaculture does not (just) look like a rather messy garden. One way it looks is like this: 

				  		  Action
					Design
	   	 	  Principles
  		Ethics

Permaculture = Permanent (agri) Culture = Designing sustainable (permanent) human ecosystems (habitats and cultures).
This is exactly the work we are doing in TTL.

Ethics of Permaculture

Earthcare/Place

  • Intrinsic value of all living and non-living things
  • Act to cause least harm

Peoplecare/People

  • Permaculture is Human-centred
  • Care for ourselves and others
  • Recognition of basic rights for all people

Fair-shares/Person

  • Consumption for need not greed
  • Re-investing surplus, including information, skills and knowledge

Earthcare, Fair-shares, Peoplecare: it needs all three to be Permaculture.

Principles of Permaculture

Are derived from the observation of natural ecosystems. What makes them robust, resilient, self-perpetuating, produce no waste, require no inputs?

Observe and interact

Observation is a key tool to re-learn. We need to know what is going on already so that we don’t make changes we will later regret.

80:20

Put most of your time, energy and resources in at the beginning to create a system that requires only 20% to be maintained.

Creatively use and respond to change

A design is never finished; a living system is never static. Keep observing the effects of your actions and re-design if necessary.

Use and value diversity

Diversity allows us to build a strong web of beneficial connections.

Make beneficial connections

Never think of a project/person/or part of a system in isolation. Instead look at how it connects to other projects/people/parts to build supportive ‘webs’of connection.

Edge

The edge where 2 ecosystems meet is the most fertile and is more diverse than either ecosystem alone. Don’t fight the system, rather look for ‘edge’ people, organisations and projects; those that have an interest in what you are doing. Talk to and work with them and the edge grows.

Imagination and information (or lack of) are the only limits to yield. We live in a universe of infinite possibilities!

A Permaculture Design Cycle 

	Maintain

                            Survey
               Look, listen, gather information,
               ask questions, imagine your future

   Implement                                       Anaylsis


                             Design

The 4 questions of Action Learning

Action learning is about learning every day in whatever we are doing. These questions are useful for personal reflection as well in TTL (or any other) groups.

1. What is going well for me as a member of TTL? (or in my life in general or as a mother or as a manager etc)
2. What is challenging for me as a member of TTL?
3. What are my long term visions and goals for TTL?
4. What are my next achievable steps towards those visions and goals?

The prime directive of Permaculture

The only ethical decision is to take responsibility for our own existence and that of our children.

Further reading and resources

Brighton permaculture Trust http://www.brightonpermaculture.co.uk

Permaculture Association Britain http://www.permaculture.org.uk

Permaculture magazine and Green shopping catalogue http://www.permaculture.co.uk

Permaculture in a Nutshell by Patrick Whitefield

Introduction to Permaculture by Graham Burnett

Get involved: contact hello [at] TransitionTownLewes.org.uk