There is a story of a man
named Johnny Appleseed.
His manner of operation was simple.
He went into the wilderness
with a bag of apple seeds on his back
until he found a likely spot for planting.
There he would clear the land
by chopping out weeds and brush by hand.
Then he planted his apple seeds in neat rows
and built a brush fence around the area
to keep out straying animals.
He did all of the work himself,
living alone for weeks at a time
with only the Native Americans and wild animals
for companionship.
He never carried a gun or weapon of any kind.
He was a deeply spiritual man
who lived by the Golden Rule
and had no fear of man or beast.
Native Americans accepted him as a friend,
and he is reputed to have talked at times
to the wild animals who watched him
as he worked in his nurseries.
Undoubtedly, they sensed his kind and gentle nature.
Somewhere, somehow,
he had caught a vision of the wilderness
blossoming with apple trees,
whose fragrant blossoms
gave promise of a fruitful harvest.
Willingly he endured the hardships
of his wilderness life as he worked
to make his dream come true.
His sturdy young trees lightened the hearts
and lifted the spirits of many,
for there is a suggestion of a permanent
and loving home
when one plants fruit trees
around a cabin.
There is no way to estimate
how many millions of seeds
he planted.
This was his service to humankind.
***
"Treat the earth well:
We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors,
we borrow it from our Children."
-Native American Proverb
Introducing Permaculture...
Permaculture can be understood as
the science of...
observing the wisdom
of the relationships
formed by Nature
in order to combine the wisdom of
ancient cultures with
modern technology
for the co-creation of
the most elegant systems of living
with balanced consideration for all life.
***
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Permaculture can best be described as an ethical design system applicable to food production and land use, as well as community building. It seeks the creation of productive and sustainable ways of living by integrating ecology, landscape, organic gardening, architecture and agro-forestry. The focus is not on these elements themselves, but rather on the relationships created among them by the way they are placed together; the whole becoming greater than the sum of its parts.
"We must create designs for human settlements that incorporate principles inherent in the natural world in order to sustain human populations over a long span of time." (Nancy and John Todd)
As stated by Bill Mollison in Permaculture: A Designer's Manual, in order for the long-term consequences of our actions to promote sustainability for future generations, we need to use "species that are native to our area or those naturalized species known to be beneficial; plan for small‑scale, energy‑efficient intensive systems rather than large‑scale, energy‑consuming extensive systems; be diverse, polycultural; increase the sum of yields: look at the total yield of the system provided by annuals, perennials, crops, trees and animals, also regard energy saved as a yield; use low energy environmental (solar, wind and water) and biological (plant and animal) systems to conserve and generate energy; bring food growing back into the towns and cities; assist people to become self‑reliant and promote community responsibility; reafforest the earth and restore fertility to the soil; use everything at its optimum level and recycle so‑called wastes of any kind; see solutions, not problems ."
"Ultimately, we can achieve ecological balance by
synthesizing applied biology, eco-technology and integrative architecture:
the merging of renewable energies and biological earth-systems."
(Wayne Weiseman, Registered Permaculture Instructor)
Permaculture design focus is in four primary areas:
- Site components: water, earth, landscape, climate plants;
- Energy components: appropriate technologies, structures, sources, connections;
- Social components: legal aids, people, culture, trade and finance;
- Abstract components: timing, data, ethics.
Join with us at La Boca Center for Sustainability. May our steps together be wise ones, for as our Master Gardener - Bevan Williams - reminds us - "The healing of the Land and purification of the Spirit is the same process".
With Kind Regards,
Terry Woodward
Permaculture Designer
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