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- Output 1 Making room for new beginnings; creating conscious space for good design>
- Output 2 Beginning the Design Process; Observing and interacting>
- Output 3 Stacking functions>
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- Integrating permaculture design into my work place>
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- Appendix ll. Tutor & Peer review
- Output 4 Small and slow solutions>
- Our current living space; Alex`s house and garden>
- Pete`s house; turning a monster into an ally!
- Integrating Permaculture design into my work place
- Forest gardening at Margam Park
- Raising Seth; Supporting our son`s journey.
- Getting to grips with technology!
- Extracts from learning Journal
- Process reflection
- Output 5, Accept and respond to feedback>
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"We come into the world, usually in a sterile hospital where immediately, our natural roots are cut. We are then inoculated and nursed with a chemical cocktail and begin our journey into and through an unnatural world, increasingly severed from Nature and from natural processes. Instead, would not a natural birth in the circle of one's family and a natural childhood be the correct start for the future life of a young person? And should not every planetary citizen have the birthright to their own piece of earth upon which they could develop and maintain their essential need to be nurtured and sustained by their natural environment? I maintain that a land reform which confirms these realities is long overdue."
Sepp Holzer - Space of Love Magazine
Sepp Holzer - Space of Love Magazine
Project Synopsis
Blue bells, indicators of what was once ancient woodland
Friends of mine have recently become stewards of an acre garden. The garden had been overgrown for some time, and the natural process of regeneration to woodland is well under way at the site. The owners, now living abroad, had already begun the process of developing the garden. The guidance given from the owners to my friends was; "Do what you like with the garden, but please, don`t let it return to the overgrown state that it was in!"
Sections of the garden close to the house already have an impressive amount of berry fruits growing, and the owners had previously set out a number of beds. The second half of the garden has signs everywhere that the forest is bursting to regenerate within the garden, and the last third of the garden is a tangle of bramble and bindweed, interspersed with willows, alder and birch along with some half matured oaks, ash and hollies. Opportunities abound!
Sections of the garden close to the house already have an impressive amount of berry fruits growing, and the owners had previously set out a number of beds. The second half of the garden has signs everywhere that the forest is bursting to regenerate within the garden, and the last third of the garden is a tangle of bramble and bindweed, interspersed with willows, alder and birch along with some half matured oaks, ash and hollies. Opportunities abound!
Before continuing, a brief statement regarding honesty and the design process!
Recently, I joined a facebook group comprising of fellow permaculture design students. To date, it has been one of the most useful and supportive resources available to me. I haven`t had the time to engage with the group to the extent that I would like to, but never the less, as a resource and for support and guidance it has been a great help to me.
Here is a recent post that instigated an interesting, absorbing and potentially controversial discussion;
"Oh, music to my ears! Here's a quote coming up. I like honesty. Do I follow a design process? No. Do most people taught a PDC follow one? No. Here's some German Permaculture teachers trying to wrestle with this problem...
Their comments on BREDIMET and SADIM:
"Both models suggest a straightforward design process with easily understandable steps to follow. However, our observation has been that all the students who had been taught these models never actually followed them. Even when we tried to force them by asking them to document their own design process, they never took the steps suggested by these models. Rather they arrived at their design in some other mysterious way and retrospectively tried to describe what they had been doing using the SADIM or BREDIM models. The result often was both frustration and boredom.
This puzzled us and even though we have taught design along these processes, our own designs didn‘t follow them either. So what was happening? Were we all bad designers who couldn‘t follow a simple process or was the theory behind these models wrong after all? " "
......................................................
The full article that the above paragraph is quoted from is available here.
Whilst being mindful of focussing on the project in hand, I feel that it is entirely relevant to explain a little further before continuing with this project.
I can relate strongly with many of the comments cited above. If I am entirely honest (which is generally the best approach to life) despite the fact that the projects in my portfolio have so far been presented as the framework structure of "SADIMET" i.e. Survey, Assess, Design, Implement, Maintain, Evaluate, Tweak - I have not stuck rigidly to the process - not at all!
Now it may well be considered sacrilegious to challenge the orthodoxy of SADIMET or OBREDIMET but like others amongst my fellow students, I don't feel that the aforementioned models help people design to the full extent of their natural capabilities. Whilst SADIMET and OBREDIMET may be useful frameworks to "restrain" the enthusiastic and excited designer and consequently reinforce the principle of slow and small solutions and in so doing prevent bigger mistakes from occurring, I feel that the disadvantage is that the rigidity of such models can also limit creative designers and restrict/limit their potential by adhering to a set structure or retrospectively wasting good design time by instead attempting to construct their designs to fit the SADIMET or OBREDIMET models rather than flowing and following their excitement. Neither do the models reinforce the principles of permaculture and the permaculture apprentice can easily become distracted and hence detached from some of the principles as a result. In truth, my design techniques lean strongly towards a more "Generative Design Process" - a good deal of observing and interacting, and endless thought and reflection. However, a good amount of doing also happens following design but often simultaneously, (the thinking and the doing occurring together) or if honesty is permitted, in some situations beforehand! Conscious design and subconscious design!
Quoting my fellow permaculture design student Darius Namaran`s words;
"If I was to explain this approach to my children it would be to get involved with small day to day/ week to week/month to month changes. While you do that look for what the people in the habitat really need the most. Pause for a moment to ask how the current solution embodies the 12 principles of permaculture. From that reflection the spark of an idea/adjustment/tweak condenses. Do it. Watch it. If it nudges the system towards more sustainability. Repeat. This is the heart of the mystery of layperson design.
I think this 'Generative Design' Process is like N.E.T: Need - Evaluate - Tweak. Identify the core need, evaluate with the 12 principles of permaculture to generate an "ah ha moment" - Tweak, Implement the tweak. Repeat."
Words that I relate to.
I feel it particularly relevant to deal with this line of thought here and now as this project, the acre garden, is typically suited to the application of the generative design process. The people concerned, my friends, have already been doing, tweaking and thinking. I have now become involved, and am spending time with them whereby we can identify their collective needs and together design solutions to these needs and requirements and begin a constantly evolving process of evaluation and tweaking, whilst all the time building upon the guidance of the key principles of permaculture.
Returning to the project...
Recently, I joined a facebook group comprising of fellow permaculture design students. To date, it has been one of the most useful and supportive resources available to me. I haven`t had the time to engage with the group to the extent that I would like to, but never the less, as a resource and for support and guidance it has been a great help to me.
Here is a recent post that instigated an interesting, absorbing and potentially controversial discussion;
"Oh, music to my ears! Here's a quote coming up. I like honesty. Do I follow a design process? No. Do most people taught a PDC follow one? No. Here's some German Permaculture teachers trying to wrestle with this problem...
Their comments on BREDIMET and SADIM:
"Both models suggest a straightforward design process with easily understandable steps to follow. However, our observation has been that all the students who had been taught these models never actually followed them. Even when we tried to force them by asking them to document their own design process, they never took the steps suggested by these models. Rather they arrived at their design in some other mysterious way and retrospectively tried to describe what they had been doing using the SADIM or BREDIM models. The result often was both frustration and boredom.
This puzzled us and even though we have taught design along these processes, our own designs didn‘t follow them either. So what was happening? Were we all bad designers who couldn‘t follow a simple process or was the theory behind these models wrong after all? " "
......................................................
The full article that the above paragraph is quoted from is available here.
Whilst being mindful of focussing on the project in hand, I feel that it is entirely relevant to explain a little further before continuing with this project.
I can relate strongly with many of the comments cited above. If I am entirely honest (which is generally the best approach to life) despite the fact that the projects in my portfolio have so far been presented as the framework structure of "SADIMET" i.e. Survey, Assess, Design, Implement, Maintain, Evaluate, Tweak - I have not stuck rigidly to the process - not at all!
Now it may well be considered sacrilegious to challenge the orthodoxy of SADIMET or OBREDIMET but like others amongst my fellow students, I don't feel that the aforementioned models help people design to the full extent of their natural capabilities. Whilst SADIMET and OBREDIMET may be useful frameworks to "restrain" the enthusiastic and excited designer and consequently reinforce the principle of slow and small solutions and in so doing prevent bigger mistakes from occurring, I feel that the disadvantage is that the rigidity of such models can also limit creative designers and restrict/limit their potential by adhering to a set structure or retrospectively wasting good design time by instead attempting to construct their designs to fit the SADIMET or OBREDIMET models rather than flowing and following their excitement. Neither do the models reinforce the principles of permaculture and the permaculture apprentice can easily become distracted and hence detached from some of the principles as a result. In truth, my design techniques lean strongly towards a more "Generative Design Process" - a good deal of observing and interacting, and endless thought and reflection. However, a good amount of doing also happens following design but often simultaneously, (the thinking and the doing occurring together) or if honesty is permitted, in some situations beforehand! Conscious design and subconscious design!
Quoting my fellow permaculture design student Darius Namaran`s words;
"If I was to explain this approach to my children it would be to get involved with small day to day/ week to week/month to month changes. While you do that look for what the people in the habitat really need the most. Pause for a moment to ask how the current solution embodies the 12 principles of permaculture. From that reflection the spark of an idea/adjustment/tweak condenses. Do it. Watch it. If it nudges the system towards more sustainability. Repeat. This is the heart of the mystery of layperson design.
I think this 'Generative Design' Process is like N.E.T: Need - Evaluate - Tweak. Identify the core need, evaluate with the 12 principles of permaculture to generate an "ah ha moment" - Tweak, Implement the tweak. Repeat."
Words that I relate to.
I feel it particularly relevant to deal with this line of thought here and now as this project, the acre garden, is typically suited to the application of the generative design process. The people concerned, my friends, have already been doing, tweaking and thinking. I have now become involved, and am spending time with them whereby we can identify their collective needs and together design solutions to these needs and requirements and begin a constantly evolving process of evaluation and tweaking, whilst all the time building upon the guidance of the key principles of permaculture.
Returning to the project...
Needs/Requirements
Creative use of tyres
My friends, Alice and Jake, are excited to be stewards of the garden and since being introduced to permaculture design are even more excited! The image on the right demonstrates Alice`s creativity. She has put together a stunning floral display utilising cheerfully painted tyres as planters. As you can see it looks fantastic.
Jake is a practical man, and is keen to get the most from the garden. Together, they are both already producing a good amount of their own food, but they want to do more.
At this early stage, the main goals that Alice and Jake would like to achieve from the garden are something along the lines of the following;
So then, let`s begin to integrate the needs of the people that have been highlighted with the principles of permaculture and experience together how the design process evolves.
Jake is a practical man, and is keen to get the most from the garden. Together, they are both already producing a good amount of their own food, but they want to do more.
At this early stage, the main goals that Alice and Jake would like to achieve from the garden are something along the lines of the following;
- Produce a diversity and abundance of healthy and nutritious food
- Create a stimulating and nurturing environment for their children to enjoy
- Tackle the initially daunting prospect of the bramble jungle
- Design space at which Jake can develop his business plans
- Enhance conditions for biodiversity throughout the garden
- Catch and store energy - utilise natural rainfall
- Integrate livestock into the management and development of the garden
- Create quiet areas in the garden for relaxation, reflection and meditation
- Consider the development of areas of the site as a venue for education and courses
So then, let`s begin to integrate the needs of the people that have been highlighted with the principles of permaculture and experience together how the design process evolves.
Observe and interact
Observations of how well the majority of plants are growing at the site indicate that the soil is fertile and apart from a few areas where certain trees cast shade, in general the garden receives a good amount of light.
Being of a good size, the garden offers opportunities for zone and sector planning and is sheltered on all sides by substantial hedging. Immediate neighbours keep horses and so are unlikely to object to responsible livestock keeping. The end of the garden and beyond is a true zone 5 (wilderness) with opportunities for firewood foraging, timber for hugelculture beds and also the possibility of harvesting leaf mould.
Being of a good size, the garden offers opportunities for zone and sector planning and is sheltered on all sides by substantial hedging. Immediate neighbours keep horses and so are unlikely to object to responsible livestock keeping. The end of the garden and beyond is a true zone 5 (wilderness) with opportunities for firewood foraging, timber for hugelculture beds and also the possibility of harvesting leaf mould.
Catch and store energy
We get a lot of rain in Wales, this year in particular has been very wet. Consequently slugs have had a good old time and more tender young plants than is usually the case have succumbed to their night time predations. It is hard therefore to imagine a lack of water. However, earlier this year there were hose pipe bans elsewhere in Britain. It would be wise therefore to be mindful of this and include water retention and catchment into the Acre garden design, particularly when considering how much food Alice and Jake intend to grow. The design could potentially be integrated with a series of small ponds for wildlife.
Obtain a yield
Not a consideration that is easily forgotten! Alice and Jake intend to produce as much food for their family as possible. I would like to attempt to go a stage further and design to a state of abundance where a surplus of food and energy can be produced at the acre garden to be bartered with and/or to create an income stream to the Acre garden.
Apply self regulation and accept feedback
Especially appropriate to both Jake and myself - as both of us like to take action and "do stuff!" The Acre garden project will require everyone involved to offer and receive constructive and regulatory feedback. Responding and acting upon feedback will aid the process of what leads to positive change and help us steer together towards creative and productive tweaking and adjustments.
Use and value renewable resources and services
Produce no waste
Design from patterns to details
Integrate rather than segregate
A key principle for success at the Acre garden. Probably at such early stages in the design process as we are now the most immediately obvious example of integration is likely to be how we deal with the bramble jungle. Running some pigs through the bramble jungle for a while to clear the area in preparation for forest gardening will stack functions:- clearing and preparing the ground whilst simultaneously converting unwanted biomass into animal flesh. Elsewhere in the Acre garden, there are plans to integrate further livestock into the working design such as chickens and rabbits. In every case the animals can convert bio mass into food, as well as preparing and clearing land, and producing nutrient rich dung which will is a valuable component of the composting process.