Introduction to

Much of the following materials comes from www.permacultureprinciples.com Who is this guy? Jeremy O'Leary ● Permaculture Designer Course with ○ Leich & Hemenway - 2004 ○ Doherty & Lawton - 2007 ● Sr. Oracle DBA for Multnomah County (GIS, DART, DSSJ, SAP,...) ● Field Biologist pre-Bush Administration

● Policy & Community organizing ○ On the steering committee for the Multnomah Food Initiative ○ Former chair of of the Green Team of Multnomah County ○ On the steering committee for Climate Action Plan ○ Helped organized the of City of Portland Taskforce ○ Organizer with Transition PDX ○ Member the NET of Centennial neighborhood

What is permaculture?

The word permaculture was coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the 1970’s to describe an integrated, evolving system of perennial or self-perpetuating plant & animal species useful to man.

A more current definition of permaculture, which reflects the expansion of focus implicit in Permaculture One, is ‘Consciously designed landscapes which mimic the patterns and relationships found in nature, while yielding an abundance of food, fibre and energy for provision of local needs.’ People, their buildings and the ways in which they organise themselves are central to permaculture. Thus the permaculture vision of permanent or has evolved to one of permanent or sustainable culture.

Please note, the above definition and much of the following materials comes from www.permacultureprinciples.com Permaculture Ethics

Central to permaculture are the three ethics

● care for people ● care for the earth ● fair share Permaculture Principles

Permaculture Zone Planning

Zone 0 - The house, aiming to reduce energy & water needs, harnessing natural resources such as sunlight, & generally creating a harmonious environment in which to live, work & relax.

Zone 1 - The zone nearest to the house, the location for those elements in the system that require frequent attention, or that need to be visited often.

Zone 2 - This area is used for siting perennial plants that require less frequent maintenance, such as occasional weed control or pruning. This would also be a good place for beehives, larger scale home composting bins, and so on.

Zone 3 - The area where maincrops are grown, both for domestic use and for trade purposes. After establishment, care and maintenance required are fairly minimal (weekly).

Zone 4 - A semi-wild area. Mainly used for forage, timber production or coppice-managed woodland.

Zone 5 - A wild area. Only for observation of natural eco-systems and cycles.

7 Principles of the Transition Initiative

Positive Visioning ● Creation of tangible, clearly expressed and practical visions of the community beyond dependence on fossil fuels. ● Focus on positive, empowering possibilities and opportunities.

Help People Access Good Information and Trust Them to Make Good Decisions ● Raising awareness of peak oil and climate change and related issues such as critiquing economic growth. ○ Recognize the responsibility to present this information in ways which are playful, articulate, accessible and engaging.

● Tell the closest version of the truth that we know in times when the information available is deeply contradictory. ○ The messages are non‐directive, respecting each person’s ability to make a response that is appropriate to their situation. 7 Principles of the Transition Initiative

Inclusion and Openness ● Needs an unprecedented coming together of the broad diversity of society. ● Engage their local business community, the diversity of community groups and local authorities. ● No room for ‘them and us’ thinking.

Enable Sharing and Networking ● Sharing their successes, failures, insights and connections at the various scales across the Transition network. ○ So as to more widely build up a collective body of experience. 7 Principles of the Transition Model Build Resilience ● Fundamental importance of building resilience. ● Commit to building resilience across a wide range of areas (food, economics, energy etc) ○ setting them within an overall context of the need to do all we can to ensure general environmental resilience.

Inner and Outer Transition ● The challenges we face are not just caused by a mistake in our technologies, and a result of our world view and belief system.

● The impact of the information about the state of our planet can generate fear and grief ○ which may underlie the state of denial that many people are caught in.

● This principle also honours the fact that Transition thrives because it enables and supports people to do what they feel called to do. 7 Principles of the Transition Model

Subsidiarity: self‐organization and decision making at the appropriate level ● Work with everyone so that it is practiced at the most appropriate, practical and empowering level, ● and in such a way that it models the ability of natural systems to self organise. Resilient Communities: A Guide to Disaster Management

MuseLetter #192 / April 2008 by http://www.thedirt.org/node/3980

Resilience: The ability to recover quickly from illness, change, or misfortune; buoyancy; the ability to absorb shocks.

"Making existing petroleum-reliant communities truly sustainable is a huge task. Virtually every system must be redesigned—from transport to food, sanitation, health care, and manufacturing." What is the 20 minute neighborhood?

● Can you meet most of your daily needs within 20-minutes of your home? ○ School ○ Park ○ Work ○ Grocery Store ○ Video store ○ Pub

I'd like to add these to the list... ● Emergency Services ○ Hospital ○ Fire Station ○ Staging Areas Metro area as islands on slopes Neighborhoods Neighborhood Schools