Permaculture Principles

I've been at an advanced permaculture course with David Holmgren and today we unpacked, critiqued and revalued his 12 principles. Here I set them out with a selection of photos Meg and I have taken over the past couple of weeks.

1. Observe and interact.

Clover flowers amid eucalypt leaf litter.

2. Catch and store energy.

Renewable, local energies.

3. Obtain a yield. 

Home garden harvest within chicken run.

4. Apply self-regulation and accept feedback.

Community garden principles of take and return.

5. Use and value renewable resources and services.

Local food production and renewable transportation.

6. Produce no waste.

Easier to do in less affluent localities.

7. Design from patterns to details.

Parasitical relations; native cherry and friend.

8. Integrate rather than segregate.

Public (guerilla planted) broad beans.

9. Use small and slow solutions.

Bike maintenance workshop, DNC

10. Use and value diversity.

Today's course participants.

11. Use edges and value the marginal.

Jaara bush tucker; native cherry (turns red)

12. Creatively use and respond to change.

Design principles exercise, 4.45pm 

North American Democracy

From here.

Water Commons (zero carbon)

As Summer approaches Artist as Family have been busy auditing Melbourne's drinking fountains.

Click for bigger.

When cops do good

Former Philadelphia Police Cpt. Ray Lewis being arrested this week, Wall Street, New York.

Captain Ray Lewis arrested (Photo via @AdamGabbatt)

An alternative design framework

I participated in a design workshop earlier this week, and what I brought to it was this little paper outlining why we need to compost the default framework – progress capitalism – for everything we do.

The contents of this document includes prose, drawing and poetry.

Jaara Jaara foods (and a peg from the big smog)

Yesterday I gave a bush foods walk with a group of home schoolers. Today I went to Melbourne.

Little creatures.

Milk maids.

Yam daisies.

Yabbies.

Clever Melbourne.

Spring Garden

Rabbit interview

Find out more about Rabbit here.

Brien Nelson, Jaara Jaara Elder

There's an opportunity coming up to meet Brien and his wife Jude at their Bunjil Park Aboriginal Education and Cultural Centre. Let me know if you'd like to come.