i LOVE her

Short Vandana Shiva interview. There is hope, one step at a time.

Lawn Care

For our experiment in cross-pollination reading in this class, I have chosen to read Michael Pollan's first book called Second Nature: A Gardener's Education, published in 1991. I am a fan of his writing and find it very promising that his books have become so popular. I have not read all of his books, but of the ones that I have read, this is the first one that I am excitedly reading through my new found permaculture lens. Since Pollan is seemingly much more widely read in this country than Mollison and Holmgren, I think it is fantastic that he has, on his own, and in his own way, come to many of the same conclusions as our dynamic duo.

Pollans's topics are usually food and plants, from the macro to the micro. Gardening is his way of getting to know and connecting intimately with the world around him. His conversational style of writing is easy to read, thought provoking and clearly very thoroughly researched, and his passion and feelings on the topics are far from opaque. On page 178 he writes "Lawns, I am convinced, are a symptom of, and a metaphor for, our skewed relationship to the land." On page 140: "It looks sort of natural -it's green, it grows- but in fact it represents a subjugation of the forest as utter and complete as a parking lot ... a lawn is nature under totalitarian rule." He goes into a lot of detail about the history of the lawn in America. He writes about our complicated and destructive cultural relationship with lawns, and describes how he eventually got up the courage to dig up his own lawn despite the inevitable negative reactions from his neighbors.

Another topic he touches on here and there, and that I hope he will face head on as my reading progresses, is a topic that we have discussed in class often. On page 142 he asks "Why is it we can't see ourselves, and what we make and do, as part and parcel of nature?" And on page 144: "We number the beaver dam among nature's creations; why not also the garden wall?" Well, I can think of an answer to those questions. Because we have done such a terrific job of so thoroughly destroying our environment that it is hard to see our actions and the results of them as 'natural'. I think the better question to ask is: How is it that we came to feel so disconnected from our surroundings, the community of life around us, and ourselves essentially, that we feel so free to decimate it? When did humans forget that we are all one? When will we collectively realize that to destroy the environment is to destroy ourselves?

I know that the disconnect didn't happen over night. Its taken many, many moons for us to evolve into what we are today. So what next? A graceful descent toward embracing the less destructive habits of long ago? Is fate marching us relentlessly toward the end of knowable time on the winter solstice of 2012? Will it be a new beginning? Will we come full circle? Nobody knows. So, for now I'll plan my spring garden and look forward to laying on the lawn, reading to my kids by day and looking at the stars by night.

Sunflower Playhouse

At the Sabin Orchard neighborhood meeting, everyone shared what they wanted out of their neighborhood park orchard, and they even gave the kids a forum to share what they wanted.  They wanted a tire swing.  Of course, they want to play!
What if at the orchard there was a play house that was a living structure designed with plenty of twists and turns to increase both the edges and little imagined scenarios.  A water catchment system could be included to educate young minds while they play (bwa-ha-ha! the sinister mind of an educator strikes again!) and they could use the system to water the herb garden that borders their living play house.
Oh yeah, there should be a tire swing, too.  Edible shrubs could line the outskirts of the park.
So Rebecca mentioned that a seven year old requested fairy houses so I looked it up and here they are!

 There should be fairy house workshops in the orchard where the neighborhood fairy enthusiasts show us how to make fairy houses!

Instructions to make your Fairy House:

1. Using serrated knife, cut a small slice from wide end of foam egg to make the form for the Fairy House; angle cut slightly to egg tilts to the back. (HINT: For smoother cuts, wax the knife blade with an old candle.) Glue egg to the back corner of the foam sheet.

2. Paint egg and base brown; let dry. Glue on small pebbles to form walkway, front door, and two windows; as you glue, press pebbles firmly into foam.

3. Create a fine "dust" from the sphagnum moss by forcing several chunks through a strainer; the moss dust will be used to texture the surface of the base and house. Spread a thin layer of glue on house, avoiding the door and windows, and on the base, but not on the walkway; sprinkle moss dust over glue.

4. Slice branch in half by pounding a screwdriver into one end. Using saw, cut the following pieces from the halved branch: • One 1" piece (door step) • Two 3/4" pieces (window boxes) • Two 1-1/4" pieces (walkway steps) Glue pieces in place, using utility knife as needed to cut away foam.

5. Glue small dried flowers in window boxes. Glue small seed pods on either side of window for shutters

6. Cut apart pinecone; pinecone scales will serve as the shingles. Glue scales around narrow end of egg, overlapping scales as you go. (The model's roof has five layers of scales.) For the final layer, trim to a point the stem ends of three scales and glue to the very top with points touching. Add mushroom chimney.

7. Spread glue on walkway; sprinkle with sand.

8. Create a garden by adding small dried flowers and greens on either side of the walkway; use a skewer or sharp pencil to poke holes in foam first, then add glue and insert stems.

9. Glue reindeer moss around the base of house, creating "bushes".

10. Using sphagnum moss and deer moss, fill in bare spots and cover sides of base. Add fungus and mushrooms as desired for accents.

11. Create a backdrop around the Fairy House by adding dried flowers and greens of various sizes and textures; use a skewer or sharp pencil to poke holes in foam first, then add glue and insert stems.

12. Glue berry or small bead onto door for doorknob.

These fairy houses are such beautiful representations of how we can get back to living in harmony with nature.  We are just one of the species on this planet and we possess the power to destroy or cultivate.  In relation to harvesting trees for our energy source, this is most apparent.  We could easily wipe out entire forests if we make it a policy to use trees as our "sustainable" energy source because it is seen as renewable because we can just grow more.  I've already become cynical with the use of sustainable and I've only recently become comfortable even using it correctly.  It's become the new word to bastardize and pervert in the name of money.  In a budget proposal issued from the district I work for they introduced "sustainable cuts" for the district and they were deemed sustainable because these cuts to personnel such as teachers or counselors would not have to be cut the next year.  I guess they are choosing to see these as sustainable cuts because it's a cut that won't go away.  WTF?  Are they kidding?

No.  They are not.    These are not sustainable cuts in the spirit of or the actual definition of the word.  Let's see:  Sustainable- Capable of being sustained, to supply with necessities or nourishment; provide for.
Well, cutting teachers, raising class sizes and taking away counselors doesn't seem to nourish or provide for our children.  This is a going to be a trendy wave businesses and government entities are going to ride in the near future and even closer present.  They will use the word sustainable to sell their unsustainable practices in order to package a rotting a piece of legislature and call it a fresh idea.  These types of relabeling is reminiscent of the "healthy forests" act during the George W. Bush regime.  By the way, the proposed budget from the district was a glossy full color print with little copper pennies with silver dimes and nickels falling down the bottom right corner of the page!  What the...?

Permaculture Song

This is way better than my "Sailing" parody that I sang while digging swales with Becky, Rachel and Fruit Tree Project last term, "Sw-a-a-a-llin' takes me away..."  Maybe we can have class at a karaokee bar and sing this song for our final!!!  Let's reserve one of those private rooms so we just get embarrassed with each other!  You probably won't even have to wear socks there, Jon!  

Dig it!

http://www.voiceboxpdx.com/

from the ground up

The idea of nested systems has been particularly resonant in the recent developments of my understanding of the universe. Through discussions and readings in and out of class, I have begun to think of mass and energy existing in layers. From the infinitely large universe to the infinitely small sub-atomic particles, each layer seems simultaneously connected and distinct.

It is through this lens that I have been gradually adapting my view of the world around me. From my standpoint I am only exposed to a limited range of the infinite, able to comprehend only a fraction of the layers in which I reside. Further, within the scope of my awareness, there is but a fragment of reality where I might exhibit influence.

From my minute perspective of this existence, I have come to sense a building tension within the systems we are a part of. Holmgren describes our age as defined by uncertainty. In response to the apparent crisis that overshadows our lives, I have been led to wonder what choices might we make as individuals to cultivate balance and peace with the fragment of influence we may have.

In the introduction to Permaculture: Principles & Pathways Beyond Sustainability, Holmgren gracefully presents permaculture design as an integrated approach to human life on this planet that asks us to consider all life in our choices. Permaculture, in many ways, calls us not only to pause and consider this, but also to apply our deductions in humility and wonder. This praxis, however, would not seem complete unless it permeates all the layers we have access to.

As we are propelled by the momentum built over centuries toward the finite capacity of our planet, many facets of our growing predicament seem far beyond the scope of our choices as individuals. But to claim ownership of our choices

“Is not to deny the inequities and oppressions that exist and that need to be addressed within our societies, but rather to acknowledge that each of these can be traced to collective and individual patterns of behavior, which if not changed will continue to wreak havoc with our precious planet, our societies and our individual wellbeing” (Hill qtd in Holmgren, xxii).

In this sense, I think we might subvert the impending doom upon us if we were to adapt our culture to promote personal responsibility to the extent of its reach (Holmgren, 6) within a framework that accepts all life forms as “valid parts of the living earth with intrinsic value” (Holmgren, 5).

As each moment offers the opportunity to forge new patterns of behavior, to exercise our sliver influence conscientiously, I believe that we might honor life’s intrinsic value more fully and claim considerate responsibility if we rooted these patterns in a foundation of love. M. Scott Peck describes this practice, as “the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth” (qtd in Hooks, 4). By choosing to engage with Life as agents of love, it seems that we can embody its transformative power to heal and are reconnected to the wholeness of which we are a part.

Perhaps this foundation of love will afford us the grace we need to survive the decent.

Methods, Scientific and Otherwise

I'm taking a class in Syntax, the study of how we humans decide what language is and is not allowed to do. It's obviously real mysterious, but interestingly, the professor today introduced the Scientific Method using these steps:

1. Observe and record data
2. Organize data and find patterns
3. Generate some hypothesis
4. Test hypothesis with more data
5. Evaluate results
6. Refine/extend hypothesis

...that's the first iteration - of course this is circular and in the second round you end up just repeating steps 1, 4, and 5 (observe/record, test, evaluate) again and again. Reading Holmgren again made me think about how cerebral and rational his book is (and in fact when he acknowledges the contribution of his partner Su to the book, he talks about how she reminds him to trust his intuition more because he needs that). Still, I see some really important differences between the ways I am taught to observe and analyze the world as a linguist, and what I am starting to understand a permaculture designer does. The "scientific method" above isn't really much different from Mollison's or Holmgren's approach to describing and designing a site, but it seems so shallow, flimsy, and isolated, like a tomato sitting plant all by itself in a greenhouse in the winter with just a dim growlight far above it. The loops that Jon drew last week with phrases like "examine mental models" and "change or challenge assumptions" rather than "evaluate results", and "new prototype or strategy" rather than "refine/extend hypothesis" seems to speak to the real world so much more. Despite David's heady and model-laden approach to talking about permaculture in his book, it has such more interesting and inspiring words in it: act! transform! make choices! respond! As a linguist, these lexical and semantic data are compelling to me.

I think the process which we are embarking on (creating a design for a real site that will or at least might be actually implemented) has the potential to be daunting and complex - I mean look at that book Mollison wrote! How can a person keep track of all that? Reading this book calmed me down a little and made me realize that, rather than being indundated with facts and figures from all sides, data for us to manage and test and evaluate, we are surrounded by endless and consistent suggestions as to how to proceed, found in the patterns of nature and our own experience. Can we be disciplined and rational while throwing away the white coat and test tube, choosing to work collaboratively and receptively with nature and our own cellular reality? Shoot, man, I don't know! I'm ready to make a small change in my approach and see what happens.

Give an Old Dog a Bone

In the preface of the preface of the book Permaculture Principles & Pathways Beyond Sustainability, David Holmgren mentions his teenage son Oliver as an inspiration and says "He has confirmed for me that it takes more than a single generation to create a new ecological culture; some difficult aspects that I have grappled with, he has easily digested and integrated." (page xiii) What he's saying, in a way, is that we can't change the world overnight, in no small part because you can't teach old dogs new tricks. No matter how much we study, we're the old dogs.

Technology is a great example of this. My 4 year old son, who can't read yet, can navigate the internet, sometimes better than his 74 year old grandfather. My dad's pretty capable for someone of his generation, but he's stuck circling the same applications - any advances or updates leave him stumped. In contrast, my 4 & 7 year olds integrate the world of technology intuitively, despite their relatively low level of exposure.

Holmgren and Mollison both frequently mention indigenous cultures and their intuitive or cultural understanding of the earth's natural ecology and their ability to live sustainable lives. "I believe many of the insights [i've had] of systems thinking that are difficult to grasp as abstractions are truths that are embodied in the stories and myths of indigenous cultures." (Holmgren, page xxvi) This makes me sad, because these ancient cultures have all but disappeared - their knowledge and understanding with them, and there is no way to get them back. Never mind the fact that this old dog would never really be able to fully grasp their culture anyway! But I could go live with them and be the humble, ignorant old dog with the hopes that they'd let me stay and my kids would figure it out. Why was I not born in a different time-place-culture? One that I could be proud of?

What if instead of teaching our kids to surf the web and master their Play Stations (we don't have one of those things - but best believe many of their friends do. "It's not FAIR, mom!") while listening to their iPod shuffles, we surrounded them with the patterns of nature? What if schools and society (their friends!) taught - instilled - nothing but How to be One with the Earth and Your Community? And it didn't have to have such a silly name because everyone knew that there was nothing else worth doing? If we don't do something along those lines, I feel that life during, and for some time after, 'energy descent' is going to be very painful for a lot of people. I feel, as Holmgren obviously does as well, that we are on the cusp of this decent, and I am fearful of what my children may have to face. Because, although the world's societies seem to be making advances in 'environmentalism' or whatever, there is still PLENTY of destructive behavior going on, big and small, every day. It's hard to feel that we are really moving in the right direction. Really.

When I lived in community there was a sign over the group kitchen sink that read: **YOUR MOMMA DOESN'T LIVE HERE * CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR SELF** That's a lesson all the old dogs of the world shouldn't have a choice but to learn.

The Growth of Ideas

I find it interesting how one idea hatched on a continent far from here, then, not many years after being thoughtfully nurtured by a few people, it flew across many oceans. Its principles are now being considered inside my head, and my fingers are transmitting my interpretation of it.

What am I pondering in this moment? I’m thinking about the growth of ideas. I think it’s inspiring to read books, the flashes of brilliance from another creature’s brain. From what I can interpret, the dynamics between the co-originators of the permaculture concept is complex, and it seems they have both taken their own ideas and developed their own visions of permaculture.

This flexibility within permaculture is one of the reasons I am drawn to it. The principles that are taught can be considered to be universal, yet will change from place to place (or person to person), depending on the needs of the inhabitants, and even the physical limitations or strengths (depending on your perspective.) of the land (Holmgren, p. xxv).

I think one of the reasons Permaculture has been so successful is this flexibility to work within other cultures, and not impose an “Australian” worldview. Since the permaculture principles ideally start from within the person and their household, the embodiment of these principles has to be flexible, since there is no way to ethically control people and their decisions. It seems to me that once an idea finds its way into some other person, there is little we can do to control that idea. It will mix with the subjective inner weavings of the individual. Permaculture is grassroots; that is the way it began and spread, and I imagine it will continue in this way.

Permaculture does start from the bottom, and then works its way up. I like that personal decision to claim responsibility for your household’s actions (Holmgren p. xvi). I like that you can be a family anywhere in the world, and not feel hesitant to practice Permaculture, and that you can effect the larger systems, wherever you might be. There is so much empowerment in this concept.

I found it interesting that Bill Mollison thinks the original teachings are being diluted. I can’t imagine he didn’t perceive this would be impossible to prevent (I’d like to know how he views the word “dilute.”). If these principles were intended to be taken by individuals to be applied in their “place,” then of course new interpretations would evolve. I really appreciated David Holmgren’s response to this concern of dilution. He said, “I have always found the perception of dilution has to be balanced by the value of diversity even when, like weeds, it comes in forms we don’t particularly like” (Holmgren xxi).

At the same time I wonder how I would feel to see people taking the product of my convictions in directions I would have never chosen. I hope I would respond more like Holmgren. I think its neat how other people (even other disciplines) can take permaculture principles and possibly develop a new perspective. I wouldn’t consider these “weeds,” they are one of the principles of Permaculture: the “value of diversity.”

Space, Time and Culture

Patterns in nature provide a model for us to follow and potentially anticipate inevitable declines.  Physical patterns as well as nature’s time cycle patterns provide us with ecological principles of design.  The descent of our economy has been seen as a negative occurrence because our “growth culture” values dictate that success is defined by our ability to grow indefinitely.  This is not a reasonable or sustainable expectation. In “Permaculture: Principles & Pathways Beyond Sustainability,” David Holmgren stated, “The real issue of our age is how we make a graceful and ethical descent.”  

The ecological reality that decline is inevitable allows us to view decline as an opportunity.

A few months ago, during the fall, I started cultivating soil by sheet mulching my front lawn.  The layers of used coffee grounds, decomposing leaves and broken eggshells combined their collective decomposing powers and represent an opportunity for growth potential in the spring.  For now, the sheet mulching pile has consumed the grass, which was an inefficient consumer of resources and did not provide a useful output.  Using nature’s decomposition cycle will create nutrient rich soil in time for the growth cycle of the spring.  This type of useful application of ecological principles provides a potential model for our society to apply to our economic and social systems to make a graceful and ethical descent.  

Our societal values and organizational patterns have the potential to be inspired by ecological principles and implementing permaculture site design.  For example, instead of constantly expanding garden sizes and creating more complex production systems, surpluses and knowledge is used to set up new gardens.  New efficient systems added to preexisting efficient systems follow the patterns of cellular designs seen in nature such as beehive honeycombs.  This type of approach or design has the potential to be applied to living systems such as co-habitation or co-ops to meet our expanding populous needs. 

Application of nature’s time and space principles is an empowering model to follow and help guide our personal efforts.  Permaculture zones and sectors provide a conceptual model for understanding the power and ripple effect of how our personal choices influence and extend outward throughout our communities all the way out to the global sphere.  

Last Monday night, Katie said, "Rather than sharing our vision in the hopes for others to follow, allow others to envision for themselves."  Imagine the possibilities of this type of efficient cellular expansion of ideas pulsating from your center out to the global level.  

Advanced Patterning in Design

Comment to this posting for your reflection on the Holmgren reading pp. v to 13 127-154.