http://home.klis.com/~chebogue/PermacultureIndex.html
Why this Primer?
In July of
1995 we took a
Permaculture
course sponsored by the Institute of Bioregional Studies at the Ovens'
Natural Park in Nova Scotia. The two week event was choreographed and
informed by Michael Pilarski and Garry Lean, our primary instructors. The
learning experience spilled over into all hours of the day as students,
instructors, park owners, and guests interacted with and synergized each
others' energies. At the end of the two weeks we had gained a new
perspective on our lives, many new friends and a wealth of notes and
references.
It is the latter, the volumes of notes and references, that this web site
attacks. Quite frankly, we were stuffed-full! We had just been through
the equivalent of two college courses in two weeks and were suffering
from information overload. We gave the material some incubation time and
came back to it. We finally decided that the material could be organized
into the five major areas around which this Primer is organized.
The
Principles -- which are the big
ideas guiding decisions and helping in evaluation of design alternatives.
The
Components -- which are the
physical and social elements placed in the design to accomplish its
purpose. The
Concepts -- which are those ideas
that guide placement of components to meet the principles.
The
Associated Movements -- which are
other areas of interest having information that may inform our decision
making. The
Resources -- which are
publications, organizations and other information sources.
We have found this arrangement useful for consolidating our notes and
thoughts, developing a filing system for material we collect, and dealing
with the diversity of permaculture information. This web site is an
update and expansion of our 1995 draft. It contains revisions of our
original note material and new information we have developed since the
course. We hope that it will be of use to others. It is an evolving
document and we welcome comments, discussion, corrections and
additions.
Dan Earle and Sue Hutchins
chebogue@klis.com