[Scpg] Permaculture origens

[Wesley Roe and Marjorie Lakin Erickson]

>hi
>exactly what original concepts has permaculture come up with,
>martin

Primarily, the concept of an inclusive system to design human habitat that 
brings together existing life-support strategies such as food systems 
(organic growing; food coops, CSA etc), resource efficient and 
climatically-adapted shelter, energy systems (renewables, thoughtful use of 
non-renewables, green grid etc), the use of biological solutions and the 
non-material aspects of living (cooperation, local money systems and so on).

In formulating Permaculture in the late-1970s, Bill Mollison and David 
Holmgren made no excuse for adopting and adapting existing strategies.Their 
strong point was to bring existing strategies together in a cohesive, 
integrated approach to sustainable living. Such as approach was validated 
by British economist and author of the classic, "Small is Beautiful" - 
Fritz Schumacher - when he said that all the solutions, all the answers, 
are out there but they are hidden. Permaculture attempts to bring them 
together and make them accessible.

When viable solutions exist there is little point and little motivation to 
develop more of the same. Certainly, solutions can be improved in an 
incremental sense - this is the philosophy of 'continual improvement', and 
it is a good one - but it should not discourage the adoption of better 
strategies that come from breakthrough thinking or new technologies.

More than the originality of Permaculture ideas, I think a better criteria 
for assessing the impact of the design system would be the motivation that 
it engenders in its students. As other writers have pointed out, a portion 
of this evapourates after students return home, but there is a record of 
sustained enthisiasm that has had impact.

Other criteria for evaluating Permaculture practice and education might be 
those we have used to assess overseas development projects: efficiency 
(resource use), effectiveness (how well it achieves its objectives), impact 
(how it is received and its contribution to positive change - how it 
affects beneficiaries), sustainability (how likely it is to continue - 
deals with training, the financial and resource-use cost of inputs and 
maintenance, its affordability and maintainability over the years).

...Russ Grayson







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