Permaculture explained

The Global Vision

There is an old saying: 'Civilised man has marched across the face of the earth and left a desert in his footprints.' (Carter and Dale, Topsoil and Civilization, p.6) Today, worldwide, on land once rich with natural vegetation, we see deserts denuded of their topsoil, deserts of salt-encrusted soil from years of irrigation, deserts due to widespread deforestation having altered the regional climate.

The problem from a permaculture perspective has been a lack of design. Agriculture, from its invention and reinvention from some 10,000 years ago onwards, has generally involved a crude process of clearing the wilderness and establishing a cycle of digging or ploughing, then seeding with a few useful species, primarily grasses,then harvesting the crop to feed humans and livestock - and the cycle begins again year on year until the land is exhausted - after which a new area of wilderness is cleared. Perhaps humans devised this system after surviving for a million years or so by hunting and gathering, and learning that regular firing of the undergrowth encouraged fresh sprouting pioneer species which were more nutritious for people and the grazing herds we hunted than did the stable, mature forest.

The solution from a permaculture perspective is to introduce design into agriculture in order to create permanent high-yielding agricultural ecosystems, so that humans can thrive on as little land as possible, thus leaving as much land as possible as wilderness, if necessary helping the wilderness re-establish itself. This visionary global mission is encapsulated in the word 'permaculture', a shortened form of 'permanent agriculture'.

In order to implement this global vision, we need local solutions, because every place on earth is different in local climate, land form, soils, and the combinations of species which will thrive. Not only does the land and its potential vary from place to place, but so do the people vary in their needs and preferences and their capacities. Every place and community requires its own particular design. Hence at the local level, permaculture designers often refer to permaculture as being about designing for 'permanent culture'.

The global vision can be lost sight of in the nitty-gritty of 'permanent culture' designing for local sustainability. But the vision is vital and can inspire us to keep going in the face of obstruction and apathy.

Bill Mollison explains
Bill Mollison explains why freeing land for wilderness matters even for those who think only people matter:

'Even anthropocentric people would be well-advised to pay close attention to, and to assist in, the conservation of existing forests and the rehabilitation of degraded lands. Our own survival demands that we preserve all existing species, and allow them a place to live.

We have abused the land and laid waste to systems we need never have disturbed had we attended to our home gardens and settlements. If we need to state a set of ethics on natural systems, then let it be thus:

1. Implacable and uncompromising opposition to further disturbance of any remaining natural forests, where most species are still in balance;
2. Vigorous rehabilitation of degraded and damaged natural systems to stable states;
3. Establishment of plant systems for our own use on the least amount of land we can use for our existence; and
4. Establishment of plant and animal refuges for rare or threatened species.

Permaculture as a design system deals primarily with the third statement above, but all people who act responsibly in fact subscribe to the first and second statements. That said, I believe we should use all the species we need or can find to use in our own settlement designs, providing they are not locally rampant and invasive.

Whether we approve of it or not, the world about us continually changes. Some would want to keep everything the same, but history, palaeontology, and common sense tells us that all has changed, is changing, will change. In a world where we are losing forests, species, and whole ecosystems, there are three concurrent and parallel responses to the environment:

1. CARE FOR SURVIVING NATURAL ASSEMBLIES, to leave the wilderness to heal itself;
2. REHABILITATE DEGRADED OR ERODED LAND using complex pioneer species and long-term plant assemblies (trees, shrubs, ground covers);
3. CREATE OUR OWN COMPLEX LIVING ENVIRONMENT with as many species as we can save, or have need for, from wherever on earth they come.

We are fast approaching the point where we need refuges for all global life forms, as well as regional, national, or state parks for indigenous forms of plants and animals. While we see our local flora and fauna as "native", we may also logically see all life as "native to earth". While we try to preserve systems that are still local and diverse, we should also build new or recombinant ecologies from global resources, especially in order to stabilise degraded lands.'

Bill Mollision, Permaculture: A Practical Guide for a Sustainable Future, p.6

Permaculture in Practice
Permaculture is about creating sustainable human habitats by following nature's patterns." It uses the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems to provide a framework and guidance for people to develop their own sustainable solutions to the problems facing their world, on a local, national or global scale. It is based on the philosophy of co-operation with nature and caring for the earth and its people.

A system of design
"Maximum contemplation; minimum action"

Permaculture is about thinking before you act.

Permaculture is not a set of rules; it is a process of design based around principles found in the natural world, of co-operation and mutually beneficial relationships, and translating these principles into actions.

This action can range from choosing what you eat, how you travel, the type of work you do, and where you live, to working with others to create a community food-growing project. It's about making decisions that relate to all your other decisions; so one area of your life is not working against another. For example, if you are planning a journey, consider other tasks that can be completed on the way to your destination (combining a trip to the leisure centre with buying food on the way home, for example).

It means thinking about your life or project as a whole system - working out the most effective way to do things that involves the least effort and the least damage to others, and looking for ways to make relationships more beneficial.

It is essential to observe your surroundings before making choices. Taking stock at the beginning of a project (whether it be building a house or planting a window box) of the available resources in terms of time, materials, skills, money, opportunities, land etc, and thinking about how these resources can relate to each other is a useful basis for designing a sustainable and effective system. To take the example of a garden - careful observation over the course of a few months can give information about the sunniest spots, the path of a neighbourhood fox, which areas are sheltered from the wind. Such information is not always immediately available, but can ultimately be very important.

A key feature of the design process in permaculture is "zoning". This is about placing things appropriately in relation to each other, and works on the principle that those things which require frequent attention are placed closest to the home. It is about using time, energy and resources wisely, which can be as simple as planting your most used herbs nearest to your kitchen, or as complex as planning a community.

Ethics and Principles
"If we want to move on and create sustainability and a more fulfilling quality of life, the best way to do this is to understand the nature of the world and to live harmoniously and creatively with it - to understand that we are a part of the web of life, not separate from it."

Permaculture embodies a system of ethics and principles that we aim to put into practice. These focus around sustainability and fairness, and are generally divided into three main categories:

Earth Care
Permaculture as a design system is based on natural systems. It is about working with nature, not against it - not using natural resources unnecessarily or at a rate at which they cannot be replaced. It also means using outputs from one system as inputs for another (vegetable peelings as compost, for example), and so minimising wastage.

People Care
People care is about looking after us as people, not just the world we live in. It works on both an individual and a community level. Self-reliance, co-operation and support of each other should be encouraged. It is, however, important to look after ourselves on an individual level too. Our skills are of no use to anyone if we are too tired to do anything useful! People care is also about our legacy to future generations.

Fair Shares
The fair shares part of the permaculture ethic brings earth care and people care together. We only have one earth, and we have to share it - with each other, with other living things, and with future generations. This means limiting our consumption, especially of natural resources, and working for everyone to have access to the fundamental needs of life - clean water, clean air, food, shelter, meaningful employment, and social contact.

Permaculture does not provide prescriptive solutions to the problems facing the world - nobody is going to demand that you put an herb spiral in the bottom left corner of your garden, or wear only hand knitted recycled non-bleached organic fair trade clothes. It is about allowing you the freedom to observe your surroundings, and make decisions that will work for you, in your situation, using the resources you have.

Self-Reliance and Community Sufficiency
"We try to empower people to take control of their own lives. If you can see something needs doing, then give yourself permission to do it"

Permaculture seeks to foster the skills, confidence and imagination to enable people to become self-reliant, and to seek creative solutions to problems on a global or local scale. While the individual has a part to play, in most places it is not realistic for an individual household to provide for all of their own needs in terms of food, clothing, work etc, and the emphasis is more on self-reliance and increased sufficiency within the community, rather than individual self-sufficiency.

In practice, this does not mean each person growing enough food to feed themselves in their back garden; it means that as many as possible of the inputs for a community (food, skills etc) come from within that community - perhaps in the form of community food growing schemes, Local Exchange and Trading Systems to exchange skills and produce etc.

Permaculture means different things to different people. One person may interpret it in a practical sense in terms of growing food, perhaps, while another will focus on a more spiritual side. This diversity is important; it helps to keep a sense of balance, and encourages people to share their resources and knowledge with others.

Working together is the key - it takes a lot of strain off the individual. It also is important to be well informed and if you can help others, spread your knowledge in return.

Source: Permaculture.org.uk

Juste un jeu... (Justice Has Not Been Done)

Une vidéo de Benipi, pour demander a Mr Obama de ne pas oublier Leonard Peltier... Mr Obama, je suis sure que les prisons sont également pleines par chez vous, alors faites donc un peu de place, en libérant ceux qui n'ont rien a y faire. Pourquoi ne pas commencer avec Mr Peltier??? allez hop, on lui signe son bon de sortie et on fait une conférence de presse pour fêter ça!! (je vous jure, ces pantins, faut toujours tout leur dire!) Bon n'empêche, la vidéo ci-dessous, on la regarde et on la fait circuler... Merci :)

Si vous voulez un petit récapitulatif en musique de l'histoire de Mr Leonard Peltier, sans avoir a lire le lien vers la page Wikipedia que j'ai mis au début... Regardez donc la vidéo ci-dessous:

Merci :)

N.

Suburban Permaculture with Janet Barocco and Richard Heinberg

Un petit tour très inspirant dans la maison de Janet Barocco et Richard Heinberg:

:)

Noémie.

Oil smoke and mirrors, avec sous-titres en francais...

Un documentaire a regarder au plus vite, si ce n'est déjà fait, et a faire circuler. C'est crucial, pour mieux comprendre le passé, le présent, et surtout pour bien se préparer a ce que l'avenir nous réserve:

« Oil, Smoke & Mirrors (Du pétrole et des écrans de fumées) donne une sérieuse analyse de la perception de notre monde présent et à venir, à la lumière des évènements imminents, non signalés et volontairement oubliés, des contraintes énergétiques mondiales. Au travers d'une série d'interviews extraordinairement informées et éloquentes, ce film montre que les évènements du 11 septembre et les poursuites de la soi-disant "guerre au terrorisme", peuvent être mieux compris dans le contexte plus large de l'imminence d'une crise pétrolière. "Oil smoke & mirrors" dépeint la culture de notre politique mondiale qui tragiquement, et pour quelque raison que ce soit, se dissocie complètement de ses valeurs fondatrices. Si les opinions présentées dans ce film peuvent d'emblée paraître peu rassurantes, il est une certitude que les défis évoqués ne peuvent être relevés et surpassés, seulement, et seulement si nous trouvons le courage de leur faire face. »

Les intervenants :

=> Richard Heinberg : Auteur de "The Oil Depletion Protocol"

=> Julian Darley : Fondateur de l'institut "Post Carbon"

=> Michael Meacher : Parlementaire, et ancien ministre britannique de l'environnement

=> Colin Campbel : Géologue et membre de l'Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas

=> Chris Sanders : Economiste politique, membre de Sanders Research Associates

=> Paul Roberts : Journaliste, Auteur de "The End of Oil"

=> Nafeez Mossaddeq Ahmed : Analyste politique, auteur de "La guerre contre la vérité"

=> Andreas Von Bülow : Ancien ministre allemand des sciences et technologies

=> Philip J. Berg : Procureur, membre des Scholars for 9/11 Truth

=> Christopher Bollyn : Journaliste de chez American Free Press

=> David Shayler : Ancien membre du MI5, Officier du contre terrorisme

=> Webster Tarpley : Historien, auteur de "La terreur fabriquée, Made in USA"

noemie.

11th Hour Press Conference.

It has become extremely common for celebrities to associate themselves with noble causes, but in most cases, it's questionable whether or not the celebrities are trying to raise awareness about the cause or about themselves.

As in a previous post, we mentioned the excellent documentary The 11th Hour, and that Leonardo Dicaprio presented and produced it. He is a prime example of someone who is genuinely committed to the environmental movement, as demonstrated in this press release for The 11th Hour last year.

Milestone...

C'est une journée a marquer d'une pierre blanche aujourd'hui. Ce matin, en ce réveillant, Thom a décidé de devenir un petit perroquet et de répéter ce qu'on lui dit. Il a ainsi fait claquer sa langue contre son palais, fait du bruit en faisant vibrer ses lèvres en soufflant très fort, répété "houhou!" en essayant d'imiter le chien des voisins du dessus qui aboyait, et ce soir, il a semblé éprouver une très grande satisfaction a répéter en boucle après nous "Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad!" évidemment, pour le plus grand bonheur de ses parents ;)

C'était également la première fois que Thom mangeait de la purée de mangue, fraichement préparée par le dit "Dad!". Il a adoré. Cela avait l'air au moins aussi bon que la purée de banane :) en tout cas meilleur que la purée banane - ananas ou que la purée d'avocat :)

Thom a sept mois et cinq jours aujourd'hui. Il est encore complètement allaité, et il mange une purée fraichement préparée ou un jus de fruits frais par jour. Je ne le force pas, quand il en a assez il arrête d'engloutir les cuillerées que je lui tend :) Nous prenons notre temps avec son introduction a la vraie nourriture. Je lui fais découvrir de nouveaux aliments régulièrement mais petit a petit, histoire d'être sure que chaque nouveauté est bien digérée et ne donne aucun signe d'allergie. J'y vais doucement. Il y a le temps, comme je l'allaite, et que j'ai une alimentation équilibrée, très riche en fruits et légumes bios, il n'y a vraiment pas le feu. Il prend le temps d'apprécier de nouvelles saveurs, de faire des grimaces rigolotes quand il goute pour la première fois un nouvel aliment, d'en redemander, de reconnaitre les aliments qu'il a souvent, comme la banane, ou ceux qu'ils n'a pas eut depuis un moment, comme son jus de fruits frais pomme/carotte. Je fais en sorte que manger soit rigolo et que ce soit un moment privilégié et interactif, ou l'on rigole bien. Je n'avais pas spécialement planifié de lui faire découvrir la vraie nourriture a un moment précis, disons que quand, installé sur mes genoux, il s'est mit a attraper mes cocktails de jus de fruits frais a pleines mains pour porter le verre a sa bouche afin d'essayer de boire en m'imitant, et a faire cela de plus en plus régulièrement, je me suis dis que l'heure était venue pour lui de s'y mettre. Il avait environ six mois, et c'est venu de lui. C'est lui qui a manifesté son envie de manger des vrais aliments :)

Il pèse plus de dix kilos, ce qui est tout en haut de la courbe de croissance qui mesure le rapport age/ poids des bébés. C'est donc un beau bébé, vegan, et bien potelé tout comme il faut

:)

Noémie.

Across the Universe...

J'ai cette chanson dans la tête ce matin, et cela me plait bien :) Y'a pas a dire, je suis définitivement plus Beatles que Rolling Stones (désolée maman). Je trouve qu'il y a un coté bienveillant et magique dans les chansons des Beatles, de la tendresse qui vous enveloppe, vous fait décoller et frissonner a la fois :)

Voici ci-dessous quelques jolies versions de cette chanson, avec pour commencer, celle des Beatles, sur des images de leur voyage en Inde en 1968:

Une très jolie version de cette chanson par Rufus Wainwright, pour la bande annonce du magnifique film I am Sam:

La reprise live a 3 voix, par Rufus Wainwright, Moby et Sean Lennon:

Et puis dans une autre ambiance, il y a également la reprise de Fiona Apple, si vous aimez les images de destruction complète de fast food a coup de battes de base-ball... mais la c'est une autre histoire, on commence a s'éloigner de l'ambiance que je vous décrivez initialement :)

J'espère que cette chanson vous apportera un peu de soleil pour illuminer cette belle journée :)

biz

Noémie.

Ce que Thom prefere en ce moment...

Le jus de fruit que je lui fais vers midi:

Le jus de 3 pommes et 1 carotte, que je fais avec une machine a jus de fruits,

Passé au blender (mixer) avec des feuilles d'épinards.

Il a l'air de vraiment bien aimé :) ça et les purées de bananes, qu'il avait tous les jours pendant un temps, mais ces jours-ci je lui donne du jus de fruits frais, pour changer un peu :)

Bonne nuit,

Noémie.

Natural Family living, Natural Health and Mothering for the whole family

Aujourd'hui, j'ai passé un moment a lire les articles de ce site. Je trouve que ce site est très bien et résume a peu près ce que je pense. Je tiens a vous en parler, car je me suis dis que vous, lectrices et lecteurs inquisitifs, ouverts et intéressés par un mode de vie plus sain et plus naturel, vous trouverez toutes ces infos bien utiles.

Il y est question, entre autres:

de nutrition naturelle (vous y trouverez des infos sur l'alimentation végétalienne crudivore),

de grossesse et d'accouchement de façon naturelle,

de comment bien s'occuper de son bébé, puis de son enfant. Vous pourrez notamment lire les bienfaits des écharpes de portage, de l'allaitement, du co-dodo, des couches lavables, et même comment ne plus utiliser de couches du tout du tout (ca c'est le top des systèmes écolos! :)

comment être en bonne santé naturellement, et ainsi se tenir a l'écart de l'industrie pharmaceutique,

comment se sentir bien, et s'épanouir dans un mode de vie plus sain, en accord avec la nature.

comment jardiner bio

(...), (...), (...)

Il y a de très bons articles sur les soins des bébés, que je recommande vivement a toute future maman, ou même déjà maman, je suis sure que chacun d'entre nous y trouvera quelque chose d'inspirant. Moi par exemple, j'ai trouvé l'idée de donner une branche de cèleri ou un concombre a un bébé qui fait ses dents excellente. J'ai tendu une branche de cèleri sortie du frigo a Thom il y a une demi heure, et il a tout de suite su quoi faire avec. J'avais évidemment retiré les feuilles avant de lui donner, il a prit la branche et s'est mise a la mâchouiller pendant un bon moment. On aurait dit qu'il savait exactement ce pour quoi je la lui donnais et quoi faire avec :) on aurait dit un lapinou, c'était très rigolo a regarder! du coup il s'est endormi avec :)

Donc allez donc visiter ce site et lisez autant d'articles que vous le pouvez, cela vous donnera certainement de bonnes idées a appliquer a votre vie a vous. Il est crucial de vivre notre vie comme nous sommes supposés la vivre, en tant qu'être humains, et non pas la vie que l'on veut nous faire croire, qui sert juste a faire tourner l'économie et enrichir certains, ceux la même qui se contre fichent pas mal de notre santé et de notre bien être.

Je vous copie ci-dessous le texte qui est en page d'accueil de ce site, pour vous donner l'eau a la bouche :) je trouve que c'est très juste :)

Natural family living. Organic housekeeing, natural health, and the ultimate natural diet come together to give your family a natural home that's less toxic than the ordinary environment. Also, mothering through natural birth, attachment parenting, breastfeeding, babywearing, and spending quality time together will benefit the entire family tremendously. Implementing these practices will give you an escape from the ordinary and increase the benefits of natural family living.

You want to live a healthier natural life, of course. No one really says "I want to be unhealthy". Does anyone really want to be a couch potato who always has an ailment and dies after a long grueling battle with disease? Do people really desire to be filled with chemicals that make their hair fall out? I've never heard anyone "wish they had a migraine", or say "ulcers give me joy", or "can I have another tumor please, oh and I want to pass this lifestyle on to my children so they can be just as miserable as I am". Unfortunately, this is what is happening with the standard American way of living. We have to get to the cause and learn how to make our fate different. You have to take responsibility. Only you can make the changes and determine now what life harbors for your future. A natural life and natural family living can make all the difference on the quality of life.

We need to wake up and throw out the coffee. We've traded in natural living for modern living conveniences. What has happened to healthy natural family living? We're breathing, using and consuming toxic chemicals everyday everywhere we go. We've got more electromagnetic energy traveling through space than we can imagine. We eat the worst foods, drugs and supplements and wonder why we have this and that pain and disease. We eat food that is grown in soil depleted of essential organic compounds, then treated with pesticides, antibiotics, herbicides, then we cook it to death ridding it of the small amount of nutrition it had. We birth our children with drugs and knives and then feed them artificial milk and we can't figure out why they are prone to crying and ear infections. We let our babies cry-it-out instead of tending to their needs, which should be our natural instinct. We send our kids off to public schools for an education, only to see they've learned how to fight and smoke crack. We drape our homes with gas emitting finishes, carpets, and paints. We keep deadly chemicals underneath the very sink where we prepare our meals. We consume and inhale chemically polluted water and pat ourselves on the back for it. We set on our butts stuffing our faces with chemically laden junk food staring at a television that fries our brain. We enjoy watching movies, shows and ads that are implanting our minds with violence, trash and negativity. We hide indoors where the air is at a much higher toxic level than fresh outdoor air. We're losing our farms and desires for nature for the downtown condo lifestyle. We charge it and wonder why we can't pay our bills. We feed our pets unnatural foods and think it's just bad luck they get sick. We do so many things that are supposed to make life better, all the while costing us so much more in the long run. Ask yourself why is America so sick? Why is the most developed nation among the sickest??

Yes, it's time for a change to end the madness and transform our future for ourselves and our children. At-home-with-Mama is your REAL information source. We provide you a natural family living alternative to modern life so that you too can enjoy the benefits of natural living. We give you the details about being an all natural woman and using natural mothering techniques. You can learn organic enviromental housekeeping, creating a toxic-free home, natural health and a natural family living enviroment to escape the ordinary.

www.at-home-with-mama.com