Chapter 1: Introduction For me Permaculture is a philosophy of solutions and a directed path for our enthusiasm for manifesting positive

change in the world. Its about realizing the full potential of humanity from uncovering the magic behind nature, the patterns and flows that produce abundance. Redirecting that insight into every system, may it be buildings or banking, our actions are poised to create a great turning, or peaceful transition here in the coming years. Our Permaculture Definition Permaculture is the harmonious integration of all life kingdoms into agriculturally productive ecosystems and socially just environments producing sound economic outcomes through systems management. It is a regenerative design intention reflecting patterns in nature that seeks to build interconnections allowing for energy efficiency and abundance of yield. Chapter 2: Design Principles The principles above are laid out in Bill Mollisons later book Introduction to Permaculture. There he presented a concise form of the concepts he laid out in the Chapters 2 & 3 in Permaculture: A Designers Manual. A summary of them can be seen below and even downloaded here: BM PC Principles summary. The principles seem to be patterns laid out on how natures inherent intelligence is formed in time and space. They are a great tool for interpreting ecosystem establishment and functions and from there designs can unfold.

1. Relative Location: Seek to build working relationships between each element so that the needs of one element are filled by the outputs of another element. Core of Permaculture is

Design; design is a connection between things. To enable a design component to function efficiently, we must put it in the right place. Functional Analysis: is a tool to realize the full potential of each element by examining products and behaviors, needs, and intrinsic characteristics. 2. Each Element Performs Many Functions: Each element in the system should be chosen and placed so that it performs as many functions as possible. Use relative location so elements with diverse functions have their qualities perpetuated. 3. Each Important Function is Supported by Many Elements: Important basic needs such as water, food, and fire protection should be served in two or more ways. 4. Efficient Energy Planning: Zone and sector placement with slope and other factors are taken into consideration for maximizing our time, energy, and monetary resources. Zone Planning refers to the placement of elements based on their intensity of use and management. Sector Planning is about placing design components to manage incoming wild energies to our advantage or to mitigate their affects. Slope means looking at a site in profile to maximize energy flow- i.e. gravity and convection. 5. Using Biological Resources: Is the key strategy to develop sustainable systems, save energy and do the work of the farm. Their building up on location is a long-term investment, they have to be managed carefully, and their integration needs to be thoroughly considered in the planning period and during their usage careful management and adherence to proper timing is essential. Animal Tractors: use animals to clear land, such as chickens in the garden, goats on a bramble patch, or pigs to help turn over a potato field. Pest Control: integrate specific plants to create refuges for beneficial insects such as those from the plant families of aster, umbel, and mint. Additionally design in bird and bat houses, small ponds, rock and stick piles as well as large hollow logs to create habitat for various species such as small reptiles. Fertilizers: use the manure from animals to create soil as well as diverse plantings that include nitrogen fixing plants (alfalfa, clover, black locust) as well as dynamic accumulators (comfrey, nettles) so that chop and drop can be employed. 6. Energy Cycling: Permaculture systems intend to stop the flow of energies off-site and instead turn them into cycles. The interaction between plants and animals produces energy, which is caught, stored, used and re-cycled. Incoming energy sun, water, wind, manures are used at its highest possible use, then its next highest, and so on. Source to sink: moving water across the landscape in a series of interlinking ponds to prevent erosive runoff. Cascading nutrients: turning the waste of one product into a multitude of other products using various life kingdoms- i.e. plants, animals, bacteria, and fungus. Kitchen wastes to compost, animal manure to biogas, greywater to the garden, etc. 7. Small Scale Intensive Systems: Fully develop the nucleus before moving on, planning for highly intensive, biologically based food, fiber, and energy production at the doorstep. Plant stacking: use varying heights of plants to obtain yields from more than one layer Time Stacking: in combination with the above, utilize species that provide yields early, thus gaining quick rewards from the intensive energy input of developing a space for a long term yield such as avocados or macadamias. 8. Accelerate Succession and Evolution: direct plants, animals, and soil life towards complexity and diversity to build our own climax species in a shorter time, forward your agriculture systems to more permanence, whether it is a grassland or a food forest. Utilize

invasive species to your advantage; substitute your own pioneers and climax species that have multiple functions. 9. Diversity: the sum of the yields in a mixed system will be larger than in a monoculture. Stability is produced when elements are cooperating. Not the number of elements is central, but their functional connections. It can be summed through the examination of the dynamic interplay of order and chaos, entropy, tidiness, control, and creativity. Guilds: areclose associations of species around a central element. Rely on composition and placement of species, which benefit each other. They aid in reducing root competition, providing physical shelter, providing nutrients, and assisting in pest control. 10. Edge Effects: Edges are places of varied ecology as they share resources between two distinct ecosystems and are known as a net and sieve for energy. We can increase the yield of the system by manipulating where two ecosystems meet, and designing in their unique species. Here the patterns of nature merge to utilize their inspiration with our creativity. 11. Attitudinal Principles: Problem is the Solution: every resource is either an advantage or disadvantage, depending on the use made of it. The Yield is Theoretically Unlimited: the only limit to the number of uses of a resource within a system is only limited to the information and imagination of the designer. Work with Nature, Not Against: We need to assist rather than impede natural processes, essential to comprehend and copy. Everything Gardens: every creature sets up conditions so that it can thrive. They create and carve their niche in an interconnected web of life. Least Change for the Greatest Effect: When designing, use our intuition to guide the inherent regenerative qualities so that energy is not squandered.

Relative Location Core of Permaculture is Design, design is a connection between things. Relative Location dictates the need for elements to be arranged so they can create functional interconnections. It is wonderful for a landscape to contain numerous elements such as pond, chickens, and trees, but if these elements do not interrelate in a beneficial way then we have not designed properly. Thus we diverge from our Cartesian and Newtonian ways from our upbringing into a more holistic way of design with Permaculture. So if you examine the tree, the chicken, and the pond how can these elements actually interrelate we can learn about the principle of relative location.

So with this we can examine and see that when placed accordingly the three elements all have beneficial relationships together. The mulberry tree can help to feed the chickens and fish from their dropping fruits while the chicken can fertilize the pond and the tree. The pond then has more biomass for lower trophic fish to consume while also duckweed will flourish on the top of the pond. THis can be scrapped off and feed to the chickens and has a high protein content including the amino acid lysine which helps to turn chicken eggs dark yellow or gold in their yoke. The pond then of course reflects light and provides moisture for the tree. THE KEY is that they are all placed next to each other and have access to each others outputs so they obtain their inputs directly and efficiently.

THE DESIGN TOOL OF FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS To efficiently match up the inputs of one element to the outputs of another we must perform functional analysis of each element. This is true in our above example with the mulberry tree. By knowing that it drops its ripe fruit, we can design this element into our design to help supply the need from our chickens. Its only through research and observation of natural systems and ecologies that we obtain the needed context for matching elements. With that we catalogue each element of the PC farm by creating the following design tool:

Permaculture Functional Analysis In the functional analysis, one must examine the inputs, the outputs, and finally the intrinsic characteristics of the element itself. This helps to flush out the function of element and initiates the process of matching inputs and outputs together of your varying elements. Remember though that not all ponds are created equal nor the chicken that maybe on its banks. Thus intrinsic characteristic deals with its breed quite often or of other inherent qualities. For example with the pond, it could be a eutrophic pond (meaning it gets warmer and turns green due to algal growth) where as an oligotrophic pond (clear and have fewer nutrients) will have different outputs or the species that live within it. Similarly the chickens we find in Austria will be different than those we find in tropical Australia. This has to do with breeding of temperature tolerances and often leads into color. Moreover, chickens that have been breed for egg production are usually big birds and have great scratching and foraging tendencies. However, they are usually not great mothers and if you want to raise your own young, inserting some Bantam chickens in will help with brooding process. Decisively you cant put six bantam chickens into a chicken tractor and expect the same results as a six Rhode Island Reds. Thus by doing the research of functional analysis, a greater cultivated ecology (Permaculture site) will be created through a more diverse and complex food web. We must remember that Permaculture and the economy of business are not separate. We can gain more profitability in small businesses and clean up large businesses through embracing relative location. Below shows a graph of what the ZERI corporation was able to do with a brewing operation by matching inputs and outputs together. All the sudden with our food web being more complex, there is less waste and more products, employment, and ultimately profit being accrued.

ZERI's redefinition of a commercial brewery

A couple of great resources for reading more about this is William McDonoughs book called Cradle to Cradle. Another favorite of mine is Gunter Paulis latest book called The Blue Economy. Here he presents many great opportunities of using waste streams as ways to increase sustainability in a diverse array of communities. Below you can see a scanned picture from this book which again details matching inputs and outputs.

He calls it cascading nutrients which of course echoes another Permaculture Principle called Energy cycling. As we see the Permaculture principles are like petals of a rose, folded on top of each other, one spinning one direction, and others going the opposite, yet comprising what we call the rose.

Multiple Functions for Every Element Quick Summary 2. Each Element Performs Many Functions: Each element in the system should be chosen and placed so that it performs as many functions as possible. Use relative location so elements with diverse functions have their qualities perpetuated. Philosophical Underpinnings

When designing with natures guidance and inspiration, creative energy flows as we mimic natural systems through the design process. The principles of Permaculture can be broken down into a numbered sequence but essentially they should all have the number one in front of them. There is no separation for natural systems work in holistic means and we must understand that the principles themselves are so intertwined that for this principle of multifunctions to come through in a design relative location must be applied as well. Thus by building on relative location, we can locate items so that they fill a myriad of functions. Practical Application In nature we see this everywhere with animals such as the squirrel. It fertilizes from its waste, is a taxi cab for fungal spores and classically it plants nuts of oak and hickory. From this we should always aim for our elements to perform at least three functions. This is a general rule of thumb and often, if we dont meet this number of three, we have not explored our creativity fully, or the research wasnt sufficient in our functional analysis. Below is a great example of a permaculture planting to match inputs and outputs up together:

The Mulberry Tree placed in relative location of the chicken coop thus performing multiple functions The mulberry tree is placed on the southern side (sector planning) of the coop to provide shade for the chickens in this dry and hot climate of Northern California. Through our functional analysis we find out, that mulberries drop their fruit when ripe. Consequently, the plant performs another function of providing forage for the chickens that are grazing below. When I go to feed the chickens or pick up some eggs, I can pick the ripening mulberries from the tree or those located outside of the strawyard. Furthermore because the chickens are constantly depositing waste in the strawyard the tree is able to utilize and absorb this concentration of nutrients. Conversely it is also able to

create soil itself by its leaf drop and its association with micro-organisms in the soil. Also by placing this element in relative location of the strawyard, the chickens are afforded some aerial protection. Since the site was located on the banks of a major western U.S. River, there is avian predation from hawks and eagles. I mean it taste like chicken afterwards and so we must give them the correct habitat so that they will not be randomly picked off. Lastly the chicken and mulberry tree from a wonderfully entertaining relationship. When you go into the yard and shake the mulberry tree when the fruit are ripening, a hundred or so mulberries will drop setting off a feeding frenzy comparable to the piranhas and wounded flesh. Again this is only possible through the principle of relative location as the mulberry tree must be next to the cage for that functional interconnection to occur. Each Important Function supported by many different elements Quick Summary 3. Each Important Function is Supported by Many Elements: Important basic needs such as water, food, and fire protection should be served in two or more ways. Philosophical Underpinnings To build in redundancy into a design, one must always examine the functions of the site. Depending on contextual factors such as geographic locations, inherent natural resources, and the socio-economic factors at play, the design will dictate certain functions which will take precedence. For example fire protection might be paramount in parts of Australia while the Eastern Deciduous Forest of North America are areas where fire is very rare. Below is a list of common functions one will find on a site and some of the elements to support this. Water ( berm and basin, roof catchment, greywater, aquaculture) Access (Pathways, roads, tracks) Energy (electricity, pumping, heating and cooking via firewood) Food production (nuts, seeds, dairy, grains, vegetables, fruit, bee products, flowers) Cottage industry (shiitake logs, eco-tourism, educational programming, market garden) Animal husbandry (at the least worms and pigeons, if space chickens, ducks, goats) Fire Protection (ponds, roads, stone walls, fire suppressing vegetation) Practical Application Inherently nature does this through its important functions such as nitrogen fixation as an approach to its desire to accelerate succession.

nitrogen fixer from the mountains of Patagonia, one of many helping to feed the soil

In a recently planted small orchard/ food forest in Bulgaria, I witnessed a collection of nitrogen fixers stacked in space and time which is another one of the Permaculture principles as they all overlap so eloquently. Anyway the field had low growing clover, a taller series of types of bush clovers and alfalfas, the vining species of vetches, as well as Black Locust trees on the outskirts of the field along the fencerow. Nature didnt use just one species at one height and at one time, yet there was diversity in and amongst the many plants that were performing that function of nitrogen fixation and the greater plant family that was pushing succession along and repairing this plot that had once been a potato patch for many years. So as we see below, one of the prime directives in Permaculture is to design in systems that will re-enliven the full hydrological cycle. Thus this important function of slowing and sinking water is supported by many different elements. It is commonly said that each function should be supported by three different elements, using our creativity and information to understand the time and space relationship that would occur in your given context and at that particular time of year. For instance pond building is always a favorite elements that people like to incorporate into designs but that may not apply if your soil does not hold water all year round. Consequently if you build a dam without the due diligence of observing other local techniques of storing water and soil testing, then your pond simply turns into a large rain garden. This of course still helps with the important function of slowing and sinking water but if you wanted that pond to also be used for irrigation later in the season or aquaculture, then the lack of water retention is a failure. Thus we continue to use functional analysis and our direct observation to make sure that techniques used in one context arent automatically employed in others just because of a previous success. Instead dont be a rubber stamp like traditional development and design how nature does, filling niches with what is appropriate while building in redundancy.

Rain gardens: simple berm and basin mostly on level ground directing runoff from impervious surfaces such as roofs and driveways with vegetation to help increase infiltration and filtration.

Rain Cisterns: tanks of various materials and dimensions constructed and placed to harness valuable roof run-off ofr alter use such as irrigation or drinking.

Swales: Another berm and basin technology on slightly steeper ground to catch overland flow from lawns but also as in the above case roof run-off that had been wastefully and pollutingly piped into a suburban landowners backyard by original developer.

Chinampas or reconstructed wetlands: using high water tables and the productivity of aquatic plant growth to spur on soil development, food production, and slowly moving water through a sight with lots of edge.

Contour Hedgerows: Using contour plantings such as vetiver grass to hold soil on steep hillsides with crops integrated between rows of contours.

Dams: compacted earthen areas with the intention of water surface storage and other functions such as habitat or irrigation. Gabions: rock construction in streamways to alter the flow of water and trap sediments behind the rocks or force its deposition on the banks by the newly created curves.

Keyline Design: great Broadacre application of using the a pattern in anture to maximize water runoff by forcing it to the ridges where it is allowed to infiltrate and hydrate landscapes extensively.

Greywater: re-using water in the landscape that comes from a household source of use such as a shower or laundry water. All the above techniques can be combined to cycle energy and create abundance on a site while mitigating erosion and drought. Again design how nature does, with redundancymultiple elements for each function and how each element can perform many functions. Energy Efficient Planning Quick Summary 4. Efficient Energy Planning: Zone and sector placement with slope and other factors are taken into consideration for maximizing our time, energy, and monetary resources. Zone Planning refers to the placement of elements based on their intensity of use and management. Sector Planning is about placing design components to manage incoming wild energies to our advantage or to mitigate their affects. Slope means looking at a site in profile to maximize energy flow- i.e. gravity and convection. Philosophical Underpinnings The efficiency of energy is directly tied to economics as Bill Mollison states in his Introduction to Permaculture book. Planning to conserve resources and money is essential in any good design. Thus we use zones, sectors, and slope in where to place elements such as structures, animals, and water features. Common sense planning is inherently construed through Permaculture design, which i do believe P.A. Yeomans was the first to bring

intelligent design to the west in terms of agricultural development. He laid out the Scale of Permanence, which I do believe is where the idea of design and in particular this principle stems from. Practical Application Zones defined by Mollison is placing elements based on the intensity of use and management. Through functional analysis, we learn how often and when we would need to visit animals or plants. For example goats like broad areas to roam including brushy and forested areas, but if are intended for milking need to be dealt with at least twice a day. This forces us to put the animals closer to the house but not too close as possible smells and noise should be accounted for. However a pecan tree (Carya illinoinensis) needs to be only visited a handful of times to check on its flowering stages and then the subsequent harvest. So we place the goats closer to the house than the pecan tree as our attention must be directed more often to the goats. Thus we place elements in zones 0-5 based again on management and intensity of use. Zone 0: the house or center of initiative while some also the inner landscape or heart space. high intensity of use and lots of time there. could also be a workshop, a barn, or commercial kitchen depending on the site. larger sites such as ecovillages or braod-acre farms will often have numerous centers of initiative. Zone 1: plants and animals require pruning, mulching, watering, and daily feeding for example. rabbits, guinea pigs, worms or salad beds, herb gardens, vines for shading the south or western portion of the house, and herb fruit trees such as a dwarf lemon in the mediterranean climates. Water features would include tanks and roof collection system, grey water, outdoor shower or veggie washing station, and tyre ponds. Worm bins help to maintain fertility and cycle nutrient flow from the household. Zone 2: still items that would be used intensively but spaced further from the zone 0. Fruit trees on dwarf or semi-dwarf rootstock, poultry, and dairy animals housing finds itself jutting into a zone 2. While zone 1 gardens would have cherry tomatoes as they require daily picking, zone 2 would have larger tomatoes for drying, canning, or fresh eating. Both need water, maintenance such as pruning, mulch, and feeding so they are located near the house and carefully tended to. The zone 2 is larger and can also feature larger aquaculture ponds and water harvesting features such as terraces, swales, and rain gardens. Hot compost piles using products from gardens, animal pens, and leaf fall can be used to maintain fertility. Can be applied in solid form. Zone 3: less intensity of use and broad acres application begins with extensive plantings of garden staples such as corn, pumpkin, and potatoes. larger pastures for animals exist with rotation often occurring with electric fencing. Trees of larger size such as fruits on standard rootstock and many nut trees can intersect here. Food forests can go in either zone 2 or 3 and the integration of animals with tree crops often happens in zone 3. Plantings for firewood or polewood such as a coppice woodlots of hazel, willow, and black locust may occur. Cold compost piles of branches and trimmings can and weeds in the early establish of the forest garden can make pockets to spread after a long, slow break down process. Fertility from zone 1 worm bins or zone 2 thermal compost can be applied in liquid form to bigger areas. Irrigation ponds as well as biomass producing chinampas or ponds may be sited as well and connected to zone 3 mulching or zone 2 composting. liquid feed on broad-acre used with making compost tea or extract. Swales and contour terracing can alter hydrological cycles and aid in reforestation. Zone 4: extension of our broadacre pastures for sheep and cattle with tree crops hopefully lining the fence rows. Forestry plantings for timber and forested areas yielding non-timber forest products such as mushrooms and medicinal herbs. Large nut trees such as oaks both for food, timber, and wildlife reside here. Keyline design could also be applied here and

using animals such as cattle to repair water cycles is often used. Large irrigation ponds when sited appropriate. Zone 5: where the permaculturist goes to learn from, wild areas that support wild creatures and hopefully as many native plants as possible. many zone 4 areas will turn to zone 5 after some years of rehabilitation with working with invasive species and soil rehabilitation. Nature is our teacher and allowing even a pot on a back porch to go untended can be an example of zone 5. The below picture helps to provide a theoretical application of zone thinking

While this picutre does depict the sort of perfect landscape, natural ssytems will reroute the concnetric circles displayed. Becasue natural features such as rocky outcroppings or steep dropsoffs are present on permaculture sites changes will occur. For example at a permaculture school garden in Portugal, i have witnessed jsut outside the door a huge set of rocks that the children love to play on but make a unfarmable space other than the odd pot here and there. THis forces the zone 1 and 2 to be pushed further away than normal. Also zone thinking can be altered by having a long zone 1 wedge running next to frequently used paths. Lastly zone thinking can be applied to small-scale thinking of an individual garden beds lettuce on the edge while brocoli further in) or even to how with even fit within a bioregion. Our next aspect of planning for energy efficiency is to apply sector planning. Sectors investigate wild energies that pass through ones site. After the analysis has been done we then examine how to approach these energies in a way that is beneficial in reducing energy use whether it is plants, structures, soil, or even our animals. A list of wild energies and some of their characteristics can be found in the following: Summer sun ( high angle that sets beyond east and west)

Winter sun (low angle that sets before east and west) Summer wind (sometimes hot and dry or bringing moisture and storms) Winter wind (can be bitterly cold and dry or bring moisture and storms) Noise (from roads, factories, and neighbors) dust from roads Wildlife (deer, weasels, foxes.) View (often important for a client) Flood (not so much water in general but where might a stream overflow its banks, water flow is better mapped on a flow analysis) Fire (in general flows uphill and might come from a pine forest or dry field and pushed by dry winds) Sector analysis gives you a picture of how these flows intersect on a site and gives you insight to then deal with it in a beneficial way. Sectors are often dealt with in the following three ways: Block ( a cold wind on the house so you erect an evergreen wind break far enough from the house to not block sun but do the job on reducing the need to burn more wood to heat the home Channel ( wildlife such as deer can be forced to go a certain direction with tear shape fences rather than simple squares that they like to jump over) Open up ( a good view that trees are blocking that you cut down and replace with small growing edible landscaping) Below is a depiction of a sector map. Pie shaped wedges give value and direction to the wild energies. This is a common tool used in Permaculture design but as stated above with water it can be limited. Thus use this in combination with an Analysis of Flows to really see as the energies flowing on a site including a more detailed look at water, wildlife, nutrients, and human traffic.

Sector Analysis of Parkwalk Permaculture Project (Northern Hemisphere) The final aspect that must be looked at is slope. Whether it is carting things up and downhill, or how you move energy through a site, slope is extremely relevant to efficiency of energy. Placing dams at their highest level so we can use gravity is a very important aspect of siting. Also building a house in middle of a slope allows you to gravity feed water but also stay out of the temperature extremes of the ridge and the valley. There frost and high winds tend to dominate while the middle retains qualities of both especially frost drainage. Also heavy materials such as timber can be easily brought downhill while food stock like grains can be brought up hill. On a smaller scale grow lettuce below the house while harvest of potatoes should take place above the house. That way the wheelbarrow full of spuds glides downhill to the house or to a nearby root cellar. I fortunately have been able to see a village in Bulgaria named Shipka designed exactly this way. Mountain water diverted form a stream serves for irrigation, all the houses are orientated to the sun with grape arbors slowing the summer sun, forest above the village, shepherds and grain fields below with each villager gardening. Exchange of nutrients worked perfectly with the forest raining down and the manure cart from the stables coming up by way of horse. It was a village sited in antiquity and land held in commons during the communist rule. Now the social fabric rips apart. Use of Biological Resources Quick Summary Using Biological Resources: Is the key strategy to develop sustainable systems, save energy and do the work of the farm. Their building up on location is a long-term investment, they have to be managed carefully, and their integration needs to be thoroughly considered in the planning period and during their usage careful management and adherence to proper timing is essential.

Animal Tractors: use animals to clear land, such as chickens in the garden, goats on a bramble patch, or pigs to help turn over a potato field. Pest Control: integrate specific plants to create refuges for beneficial insects such as those from the plant families of aster, umbel, and mint. Additionally design in bird and bat houses, small ponds, rock and stick piles as well as large hollow logs to create habitat for various species such as small reptiles. Fertilizers: use the manure from animals to create soil as well as diverse plantings that include nitrogen fixing plants (alfalfa, clover, black locust) as well as dynamic accumulators (comfrey, nettles) so that chop and drop can be employed. Philosophical Underpinnings Bill Mollison said we need to switch from a chemistry and war based agriculture to

returning to one that nourishes biological processes. This switch will help to bring more vitality to the whole system in the form of increased soil organic matter, increased water infiltration and the subsequent groundwater recharge, and increased carbon sequestration from more efficient photosynthesis and root depth. Below I will highlight the bullet points Bill Mollison makes in the Introduction to Permaculture for using biological resources and show the chemical alternatives. Which do you prefer to work with as growers? Which do you prefer to pay for as consumers? Which do you hope the government chooses to subsidize? We as a society need to invest in this longterm natural capital that builds habitat and brings the necessary checks and balances to ecosystems. The key is seeing the long-term and not using the shortsighted current paradigm

that focuses squarely on financial gain.

Practical Application

To prepare beds for planting, we can utilize a chickens products and behaviors while fulfilling some its needs while placed in a tractoring system. This means that we as designers and

managers construct a cage system that confines the chickens in a small area but a big enough area for them to be comfortably. THey then clear the ground of most weeds as they eat the green material, scratch for bugs and seeds, and the result is a slightly tilled soil and wellmanured. Several keys apply to management and are the following: As the growing green material in the allotted area of the chicken tractor dwindle, you must cut and carry herbs and grasses to keep the diet of the chickens balanced. Greens can include perennials like comfrey or annual weeds like chickweed. Leftovers become mulch. Bring other dry weeds, brown material of leaves of straw to help balance carbon nitrogen ration and further prepare the bed for planting out. This will help bind the hinitrogen of the chicken manure to the hi-carbon and keep it from off-gassing and creating smells. It provides a much more hygienic atmosphere for the chickens and creates better conditions for organic material breakdown and the eventual growth of new plants. Having a thick layer of mulch also stimulates an instinctual behaviour to scratch. Dont over feed the chickens on grain or they will scratch less and eat less greens. keep their nutrition optimal but keep them foraging. Move the chickens just at the time that they have cleared the majority of the green material and have sufficiently scratched and manured. If you wait to long you will concentrate the manures too greatly and the result will be pollution. Timing sand management is the key and is all based on observation. It depends is the answer to all your questions about how many chickens, for how long, and on and on. It is always context dependent.

As for the design, the key to a great chicken tractor is its easy of mobility and adaptability to your already existing gardens. Straight row garden lend themselves well to spring and fall cleanups with a rectilinear shape of a chicken tractor. The material should be sturdy but lightweight enough for one or two people to move it. Also makes sure it has built in nest

boxes, water station, and feed bin if you are choosing to feed the chooks grain. You can also be inspired by the founding work of Linda Woodrow from the Australian, subtropical climate book, A Permaculture Garden, to build chook domes. These use piping and chicken wire shaped in a circular fashion so these beds that are cleared are apart of a mandala system. It is a great system and the timing and plants i believe still need to be well thought out for temperate areas but i do think it is achievable.

Cows can also be used to accelerate the succession of the soil and turn a problem into a solution as i once witnessed at a rangeland in the North of Portugal. It was a steep terrain, classically planted out with Eucalypt monoculture which of course makes for a fire prone hillside which is an extremely dangerous system to create. However, one farmer there began to raise smaller and more agile beef on these hillsides that browsed more like goats than say Angus beef. They were tractored in a sense with electric fence being moved daily or every other day in and amongst the Eucalyptus groves. Part of Eucalyptuss fire strategy is to constantly shed its bark through its fast growth and drop branches. This adds quite considerably to the fuel load below and what most grows in the understory is a mix of nitrogen-fixing bushes. These are often quite nutritious for animals and the cows primary intake was this fire prone vegetation as well. With the cows ranging in a small pasture, they were able to knock down the branches and bark of the Eucalyptus and chip them up and other organic material with their weight and hooves which drastically cuts the fire risk. The material has a chance to break down biologically instead of oxidatively. The cow manures the hillsides reinserting biology back into the system that was lost during spray, spray, spray implementation which also speeds the breakdown of this newly chipped organic material. Then they are quickly moved on so the ground is not over compacted, the bushes are not overgrazed but the animal impact occurs. He was so successful with his rotation that neighbors allowed him to graze his cattle on their land and was able to increase his herd size

and thus profit. He was hoping to phase out his day job in town because of this which would of course result in an even stronger system due to even more refined management.

Another major input of chemicals into the environment is through the use of potent chemical blends that often involve heavy metals whipped into a neurotoxin for insects known as pesticides. However, much research has been done on bringing balance into the system to stabilize the onset of insect attacks. By working with nature, we can design in and manage succession to encourage plants from the following families: Asteraceae (daisy family), Apiaceae (or Umbelliferae, Carrot Family), and Lamiaceae. These plant families as well as some other specific plants help support various predator insects at different life stages. They also feed on prey insect which are garden pests. These plants can be designed in as guilds or if you leave abandoned strips of vegetation along the edge of forests or plantings can be maintained in herbaceous succession. Nature uses these plants inherently when it starts to regenerate systems because they help to bring balance to insect life.

Furthermore, design features such as bird and bat houses can be used to attract beneficial wildlife to help suppress insects. One of the most valuable inputs of natural capital that an old growth forest supports is cavities. Thus we can accelerate succession and evolution of a site by inserting nesting boxes for insectivorous birds and bats on our permaculture sites. Plans can be found on the internet and this is a great place to interface with your local fish and wildlife services to get exact measurements for your local species. We must ask why spray DDT for mosquitos when we could build a biological army of bats that also produces high quality manure and pleasurable dusk gazing. Moreover, we can further design in biodiversity which again stabilizes systems through small ponds and rock or log piles to attract different flora and fauna. They attract amphibians and reptiles which can also deter pests. Dragonflies are both vicious predators in water and in the air which when given the aquatic habitat they will be another force in controlling pest insects. Lastly, domestic animals such as chickens or guinea fowl can help break pest cycles in orchards and pastures. However just having them on the farm is not simply good enough, they must be put in relative location so that the functional interconnections can be perpetuated.

Another important design feature that exemplifies the principle of use of biological resources is the use of Nitrogen fixing plants and dynamic accumulators. Nitrogen fixers take the abundant atmospheric oxygen and through an alchemical process with bacteria in the soil, form a useable nitrogen input to plants once they pass through predator-prey relationships in the soil. If you breathe deeply now it is mostly nitrogen floating around but in soil it can be a limiting factor that is associated with the green growth of plant as well as protein production. The chemical opposite is found in bags and in propane tanks pulled by tractors at the beginning of the corn season. This of course has a detrimental affect on the soil food web which is the long-term key to building the natural capital rich humus substance. Alternatively we can use varying heights of vegetation from the legume family like annuals such as beans, vines such as wisteria, shrubs such as Siberian pea shrub, or trees such as Black Locust to cycle this very important nutrient through the system. We do this through chopping and dropping the organic material which allows nitrogen to pass into the soil in various ways. The roots slump off in accordance to the vegetation being cut and the nitrogen rich leaves and branches are broken down and again through predator-prey relationships, the nitrogen is made available. Furthermore, encouraging fungal rich soils is a paramount function of Permaculture. Soil succession has been altered where Bacteria dominate but the fungus really allows organic systems to thrive. They provide extra nutrient cycling and humus building which gives disease resistance and pest protection from having a full range of minerals and nutrients allowing for maximum photosynthesis. The following are ways to encourage fungus in your systems: limit the amount of tilling, digging, and disturbing the soil. Use animal tractors and sheet mulching as much as possible.

use carbon rich materials to cover the soil such as straw or the branches from nitrogenfixing trees. build hot compost piles that take three months to fully break down but were built with a diverse of carbon materials i.e. leaves, perennial plant stalks, straw, and wood chips. encourage perennial vegetation including trees and shrubs. For instance reintroducing hedgerows along fields of grapes or pastures for cows can boost fungus in the area.

Finally in building up that long-term investment of farm fertility, we use dynamic accumulators in our designs to enhance the mineral and nutrient content of the soil. It is

Comfrey emerging in the spring in the permaculture garden

analogous to cover cropping but we use perennial plants such as comfrey, stinging nettle, or cardoon to draw minerals up and diffuse them to the surface through their breakdown. Comfrey is the classic Permaculture choice as it can be cut numerous times and it continues to grow rapidly giving ample biomass to compost, make bio-fertilizer from, or simply mulch the plants in relative location. It concentrates Potassium through its alchemical relationship with the sub-soil and provides a wonder of multi-functions: a true permaculture all-star. Accelerating Succession and Evolution Quick Summary 8. Accelerate Succession and Evolution: direct plants, animals, and soil life towards complexity and diversity to build our own climax species in a shorter time, forward your agriculture systems to more permanence, whether it is a grassland or a food forest. Utilize invasive species to your advantage; substitute your own pioneers and climax species that have multiple functions. Philosophical Underpinnings Succession is one of the key concepts for understanding natural systems. It can be Hot Compost Pile: Escola Da Terra, Portugal: Students flipping a very powerful tool for accelerating succession thought of the as the will of nature pushing complexity and diversity ever more present. It starts with little, sometimes even bare rock from a volcano or bare soil after a years worth of growing, spraying and tilling a corn crop. From there it moves upward and downward creating new niches for varying flora and fauna to approach the heavens and to reach subterraneanly. As succession moves along, weeds turn to brambles which mix with shrubs then canopy trees emerge and eventually a climax forest comes. Context dependently, it moves more into a prairie or savannah depending on the local rainfall or local herbivores that set the stage for succession as well. The key behind this whole process is what happens above so happens below. The biomass of carbon and micro-organisms increases exponentially moving the soil from a bacterial driven system to one that is dominated by fungus. Its a truly remarkable mirror that must always be crystalized in our minds, designs, and management strategies even though we often dont examine it physically. However one can do this under the micro-scope, or use the sense of smell, or even the eyes with increased biodiversity above the soil surface and increased water penetration below the surface. Erosion decreases, humus builds, and life flourishes along the process of succession. The counteracting force of succession is called disturbance in ecological models. However, when disturbance is patterned with nature, a rapid rebound can happen and actually propel succession. In nature tornadoes, ice storms, lava flow, hurricanes, marauding bison herds, and even plant diseases all act as contributors to disturbance. They are often local, quick events that bring down a patch of forest for example and bring a unique mosaic to the canopy. This force is

creative and actually gives rise to increased bio-diversity through creating more edge. This happens at a pace and intensity associated with geologic time and the scale is relatively small. Unfortunately mankind has become the major shaper of succession and disturbance regimes. Mowing the lawn is disturbance, ploughing a field is disturbance, printing something on paper is disturbance. The scary part is that we as humans dont understand this very basic concept and our role or toll with the trickle down effect it has in the interconnected, web of life on this blue planet. It is in our own best interest to start to repair ecosystem functions through accelerating succession and evolution of sites. We need to always embrace the attitudinal principles such as work with nature, not against and everything gardens when it comes to this principle. Practical Application Bill Mollison offered four objectives for fulfilling this principles in our design and management work and I will offer a couple more: Using what is already growing Introduce plants that will easily survive Raising organic levels artificially Substituting our own herb, pioneer, and climax species Increase water infiltration rates Use animals in a natural herding motion Accelerate Succession The Permaculture Way- use invasives already growing to our advantage Using what is already growing In the above photo in the mountains above Golden Bay, New Zealand, the landowner used the invasive gorse (Ulex europaeus) as a support species for the Olive tree. He simply cleared a small access path into the stubborn bramble and dropped the tree into the middle of the patch. Gorse is a nitrogen fixer, creates humus rich soil from its fine needles breaking down over time, and is a good deterrent to the tree eating Australian Opossum (Trichosurus vulpecula). The best part is we didnt have to plant it and it was in relative location of the tree for a simple chop and drop fertilizer. Introduce plants that will easily survive In Permaculture systems we use pioneer species (those that come in and do the hard Black Locust as an example of a tree to introduce first work of pushing succession along (often nitrogen fixers or deep tap rooting perennials) to get something established to nurse along the more sensitive ones. For example, if I wanted to plant Macadamia trees (Macadamia tetraphylla), which are wind sensitive, I need to first plant hardy pioneers like Acacia or Albizias. These trees fix nitrogen and can live in poor, dry soils and withstand wind.

Also getting dry, Mediterranean herbs going or even euphorbias might be essential before planting in our climax species. However, we need not wait for nature do it at her pace, we can speed this process up through propagating our own seeds and regenerating quickly. Raising organic levels artificially Organic material levels being raised equates to much more resilience in the system and can be accomplished effectively through various techniques. Organic farmers use cover crops of legumes and annual grasses to inject biomass and carbon above and below the soil surface. We can also push the soil succession along by creating hot compost piles or vermi-compost bins to speed up the breakdown of the materials. When we then apply these to the land they help to push the soil succession of bacterial to fungal bringing a more balanced system for growing crops and trees especially. They can be put into water to form compost extract or compost tea with the use of an air pump and more foods for micro-organisms. These are all very powerful tools for accelerating succession and the work of Permaculturists will often deal with seeding micro-organisms and giving them foods to flourish on to speed succession. More organic matter equates to more water held on site in the soil, which will extend the growing season in our drylands context. Substituting our own herb, pioneer, and climax species. Bringing diversity will bring more stability and a greater caloric output to the system. Chestnuts as an example of a climax species inserted in the drylands of New Zealand, nonnative but a great food resource thus reducing our need for global, industrial grain production This means if we analyze how the natural systems are structured we can imitate them with good design. Utilize natives first but then also bring in plants that are multifunctional and can serve succession and biodiversity at different levels. Comfrey is often inserted in where thistles or dock is seen growing and can be apart of our guilds. In the tropics, I like to cover the ground with peanut grass to fix nitrogen and cover the ground quickly to seal the wound of disturbance. Finally watching Geoff Lawtons How to Establish a Food Forest the Permaculture Way talks in great length about this substitution process.

Increase water infiltration rates A forest absorbs more water than a bare lawn for obvious reasons. As we are regenerating systems we will often have to intervene with water harvesting features such as swales or even keyline on the broad-acre scale. When more water infiltrates, groundwater recharge and a higher, more sustained groundwater level helps ecosystems heal more quickly. Additionally increased water in combination with increased organic matter levels in the soil leads to greater Micro-organisms (MOs) counts as water is essential for their lives. More MOs means more plant biomass, means more photosynthetic energy going above and below the earth (root exudates- soil cakes and cookies), and eventually more MOs and on and on .

Use animals in a natural herding motion The prairies of the great plains in North America built the largest natural capitol reserves of top soil reaching 30 ft (9 m) or more in places. This was from the long-standing succession and disturbance cycle of predators, bison and other mammals, fire, and North American natives with perennial herbaceous plants. The bison herds was a vast stretch with huge numbers and would consume and wipe out nearly everything in its path in a phenomena known as animal impact. While violent looking at first glance, they were essentially chippers and composters as their wastes were instantaneously divided and layered through their heavy stomping and large dense herds (A modern-day story from Portugal here). We can emulate that pattern with using shepherding techniques or more commonly in this modern-day electric fence to rotate cattle or sheep densely as we have often lost the herd effect from lack of predators. This powerful tool known as rotational grazing or mob grazing can really help regenerate systems quickly. All of these tools can be used in combination with each other and will always remain context dependent. This is the great work we have in front of us in our lifetimes to repair hydrological cycles, increase wildlife habitat and bring more stable climatic regimes once more on Planet Earth. Accelerating Succession and Evolution Quick Summary 8. Accelerate Succession and Evolution: direct plants, animals, and soil life towards complexity and diversity to build our own climax species in a shorter time, forward your agriculture systems to more permanence, whether it is a grassland or a food forest. Utilize invasive species to your advantage; substitute your own pioneers and climax species that have multiple functions. Philosophical Underpinnings Succession is one of the key concepts for understanding natural systems. It can be thought of the as the will of nature pushing complexity and diversity ever more present. It starts with little, sometimes even bare rock from a volcano or bare soil after a years worth of growing, spraying and tilling a corn crop. From there it moves upward and downward creating new niches for varying flora and fauna to approach the heavens and to reach subterraneanly. As succession moves along, weeds turn to brambles which mix with shrubs then canopy trees emerge and eventually a climax forest comes. Context dependently, it moves more into a prairie or savannah depending on the local rainfall or local herbivores that set the stage for succession as well. The key behind this whole process is what happens above so happens below. The biomass of carbon and micro-organisms increases exponentially moving the soil from a bacterial driven system to one that is dominated by fungus. Its a truly remarkable mirror that must always be crystalized in our minds, designs, and management strategies even though we often dont examine it physically. However one can do this under the micro-scope, or use the sense of smell, or even the eyes with increased bio-

diversity above the soil surface and increased water penetration below the surface. Erosion decreases, humus builds, and life flourishes along the process of succession. The counteracting force of succession is called disturbance in ecological models. However, when disturbance is patterned with nature, a rapid rebound can happen and actually propel succession. In nature tornadoes, ice storms, lava flow, hurricanes, marauding bison herds, and even plant diseases all act as contributors to disturbance. They are often local, quick events that bring down a patch of forest for example and bring a unique mosaic to the canopy. This force is creative and actually gives rise to increased bio-diversity through creating more edge. This happens at a pace and intensity associated with geologic time and the scale is relatively small. Unfortunately mankind has become the major shaper of succession and disturbance regimes. Mowing the lawn is disturbance, ploughing a field is disturbance, printing something on paper is disturbance. The scary part is that we as humans dont understand this very basic concept and our role or toll with the trickle down effect it has in the interconnected, web of life on this blue planet. It is in our own best interest to start to repair ecosystem functions through accelerating succession and evolution of sites. We need to always embrace the attitudinal principles such as work with nature, not against and everything gardens when it comes to this principle. Practical Application Bill Mollison offered four objectives for fulfilling this principles in our design and management work and I will offer a couple more: Using what is already growing Introduce plants that will easily survive Raising organic levels artificially Substituting our own herb, pioneer, and climax species Increase water infiltration rates Use animals in a natural herding motion

Accelerate Succession The Permaculture Way- use invasives already growing to our advantage

Using what is already growing In the above photo in the mountains above Golden Bay, New Zealand, the landowner used the invasive gorse (Ulex europaeus) as a support species for the Olive tree. He simply cleared a small access path into the stubborn bramble and dropped the tree into the middle of the patch. Gorse is a nitrogen fixer, creates humus rich soil from its fine needles breaking down over time, and is a good deterrent to the tree eating Australian Opossum (Trichosurus vulpecula). The best part is we didnt have to plant it and it was in relative location of the tree for a simple chop and drop fertilizer. Introduce plants that will easily survive In Permaculture systems we use pioneer species, those that come in and do the hard work of pushing succession along (often nitrogen fixers or deep tap rooting perennials) to get something established to nurse along the more sensitive ones. For example, if I wanted to plant Macadamia trees (Macadamia tetraphylla), which are wind sensitive, I need to first plant hardy pioneers like Acacia or Albizias. These trees fix nitrogen and can live in poor, dry soils and withstand wind. Also getting dry, Mediterranean herbs going or even euphorbias might be essential before planting in our climax species. However, we need not wait for nature do it at her pace, we can speed this process up through propagating our own seeds and regenerating quickly. Raising organic levels artificially Organic material levels being raised equates to much more resilience in the system and can be accomplished effectively through various techniques. Organic farmers use cover crops of legumes and annual grasses to inject biomass and carbon above and below the soil surface. We can also push the soil succession along by creating hot compost piles or vermi-compost bins to speed up the breakdown of the materials. When we then apply these to the land they help to push the soil succession of bacterial to fungal bringing a more balanced system for growing crops and trees especially. They can be put into water to form compost extract or compost tea with the use of an air pump and more foods for micro-organisms. These are all very powerful tools for accelerating succession and the work of Permaculturists will often deal with seeding micro-organisms and giving them foods to flourish on to speed succession. More organic matter equates to more water held on site in the soil,which will extend the growing season in our drylands context.

Substituting our own herb, pioneer, and climax species Bringing diversity will bring more stability and a greater caloric output to the system.

Chestnuts as an example of a climax species inserted in the drylands of New Zealand, non-native but a great food resource thus reducing our need for global, industrial grain production This means if we analyze how the natural systems are structured we can imitate them with good design. Utilize natives first but then also bring in plants that are multifunctional and can serve succession and biodiversity at different levels. Comfrey is often inserted in where thistles or dock is seen growing and can be apart of our guilds. In the tropics, I like to cover the ground with peanut grass to fix nitrogen and cover the ground quickly to seal the wound of disturbance. Finally watching Geoff Lawtons How to Establish a Food Forest the Permaculture Way talks in great length about this substitution process.

Swale Plan View- combining water infiltration with pioneers Increase water infiltration rates

A forest absorbs more water than a bare lawn for obvious reasons. As we are regenerating systems we will often have to intervene with water harvesting features such as swales or even keyline on the broad-acre scale. When more water infiltrates, groundwater recharge and a higher, more sustained groundwater level helps ecosystems heal more quickly. Additionally increased water in combination with increased organic matter levels in the soil leads to greater Micro-organisms (MOs) counts as water is essential for their lives. More MOs means more plant biomass, means more photosynthetic energy going above and below the earth (root exudates- soil cakes and cookies), and eventually more MOs and on and on . Use animals in a natural herding motion The prairies of the great plains in North America built the largest natural capitol reserves of top soil reaching 30 ft (9 m) or more in places. This was from the long-standing succession and disturbance cycle of predators, bison and other mammals, fire, and North American natives with perennial herbaceous plants. The bison herds was a vast stretch with huge numbers and would consume and wipe out nearly everything in its path in a phenomena known as animal impact. While violent looking at first glance, they were essentially chippers and composters as their wastes were instantaneously divided and layered through their heavy stomping and large dense herds (A modern-day story from Portugal here). We can emulate that pattern with using shepherding techniques or more commonly in this modern-day electric fence to rotate cattle or sheep densely as we have often lost the herd effect from lack of predators. This powerful tool known as rotational grazing or mob grazing can really help regenerate systems quickly. All of these tools can be used in combination with each other and will always remain context dependent. This is the great work we have in front of us in our lifetimes to repair hydrological cycles, increase wildlife habitat and bring more stable climatic regimes once more on Planet Earth. Diversity (Guilds) Quick Summary 9. Diversity: the sum of the yields in a mixed system will be larger than in a monoculture. Stability is produced when elements are cooperating. Not the number of elements is central, but their functional connections. It can be summed through the examination of the dynamic interplay of order and chaos, entropy, tidiness, control, and creativity. Guilds: areclose associations of species around a central element. Rely on composition and placement of species, which benefit each other. They aid in reducing root competition, providing physical shelter, providing nutrients, and assisting in pest control. Philosophical Underpinnings Systems devoid of diversity employ chaos such as insect attacks or plant diseases to bring balance and ultimately show signs of the systems weakness. This is the tale of the modern day monoculture farming. Nature uses diversity even in the driest places to

Prickly Pear Cactus create conditions of life-enhancement so that a system functions optimally at all times. A model of efficiency was institutionalized over the 170 years when it comes to farming and the result has been anything but efficient. On the contrary, it has been rather disastrous. Assuming that we examine two adjoining plots of land, 1 HA each with differing models of growth. One is the monoculture of say corn, wheat, or even apples. The other is a mix of small gardens, row crops, animal systems, tree crops, perennial vegetables, herbs, bees, butterflies, mammals and birds. The former uses chemicals or high uses of energy to stabilize the system, while the other uses natural checks and balances and the inherent order displayed in regenerating systems. The monoculture may outcompete organic systems, although the Rodale Institute would argue otherwise, in the lbs/acre or kgs/ha. However this comes with a cost, a minus sign that unfortunately is ignored with the cost of food or the regulations. Soil is lost, bird life is jeopardized, and human health is marginalized for the profits of the ever needing expansion of GDP and profit sharing that is the capitalistic model. Meanwhile energy is built in the opposing system, a greater caloric input is achieved, and natural capitol is built through a creative cultivated ecology known as Permaculture. Practical Application A popular movement in the states right now is the idea of edible landscaping which applies the principle of diversity. It utilizes the following common properties of landscaping plants but also brings the edible and often quite nutritious quality as well: spring blossom of particular attraction interesting fruit that persists fall foliage that displays brilliance For temperate zones, the following pictures show some common plants that are grown with the idea of a woodland edge that suburban gardens can represent beautifully. Arranging them in and amongst other flowering natives, perennials, and annuals makes a diverse landscape while reducing our need for the global food system that wastes up to 50% of all shipped produce. Also much of our current food has been modified in various ways to improve different qualities like shipping ability or ability to be sprayed with pesticides yet not dying, but unfortunately we really havent had a focus on improving nutrition quality. However the below plants have more of a wild flavor and the resulting residual nutrition qualities that are pointed out in the pictures.

North Americas largest native fruit, the Paw Paw (Asimina triloba), is a wonderful addition to any temperate, humid climate garden. Its native range extend from Georgia to Canada meaning it can be grown in many locales especially those that have warm and humid summers such as Korea or Germany or of course the eastern half of the United States. It is the only temperate fruit from the Custard Apple family (Anonas) and brings a tropical essence to the Permaculture garden with its large leaves. It has a quite unusual maroon flower that is pollinated in the spring by flies rather than bees as it flowers uses a mimicry system of rotting carion rather than a sweet aroma. However, dont let this stop you from planting what the locals call Indiana Banana, Ohio Banana, Michigan Banana, or whatever state you are growing them in. It can be grown in full sun or shade while its native habitat is often along the edge of streams and fields. More sun=more fruit. Deer and goat resistance make this species a great option for increasing diversity without lots of hassle of protecting it from predatory herbivores. The delicious fruit ripens in the fall and when combined with the flour from another tree crop called mesquite a great smoothy can be enjoyed. Cultivated varieties

are becoming quite popular as grafting of course speeds the time until you enjoy your first fruits.

This tree is native to England and is a great addition to the home garden with its prolific flowers and abundant fruits. This plant has the remarkable characteristic that it is first to flower and last to fruit!!!!! It bears cluster of bright red fruits and can be eaten fresh, preserved in jams or fermented to make alcohol. I heard stories of the local doing all of these in Bulgaria. It forms a multiple stem trunk and after 30 years is only 15-20 feet tall but produces a remarkable quantity of fruit. It is in the dogwood family which gives it an inherent beauty with its deeply ribbed leaves and fall foliage making it agreat edible landscaping plant to extend the season of both fruit and flower.

The genus of amelanchier should be a widely utilized edible landscaping plant as it also belongs to the rose/ apple family of rosaceae. It boasts a tremendous clustering of white flowers all over the tree in early spring which is quite the site. The fruit then develops to a dark blue/purple color and are a great substitute for blueberries especially in the alkaline and heavy soils like in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA where I grew up. The fruit are subtly sweet and are medicinal and a traditional addition into the dried fruit and meat dish that the plains native americans relied heavily on in North America: pemmican. Many varieties can be grown those only reaching 2m (6ft) or those reaching 9 m (30 ft). The tree is very abundant in fruit and flower with great fall foliage making it a great addition to the edible landscape.

This small plant is making a North American revival after its export to Europe and cultivar improvement. While the name isnt the best marketing tool (that is why you might just encounter it as Aronia these days), it is super medicinal and a nutra-ceutical industry is popping up around it similar to Acai or mangosteen from the tropics. However, this is a temperate fruit and grows well next to rain gardens or on the mounds of swales. It can tolerate wet conditions and produces small clusters of white and fragrant flowers in the early spring. The dark purple berries then develop and give lots of medicinal not yet great tasting berries. They can be juiced with other sweet fruits or imagine the medicinal quality when eating them and enjoy. This plants foliage also turns bright red in the fall which allows it to be a front and center plant in landscaping.

Finally, the flavor and aroma of kiwi fruits are enjoyed by many around the world. However we often export them from Chile, New Zealand, or Italy where their mediterranean climates support these fruits. However, in the temperate regions the hardy kiwi can be grown on trelliss to support its vining habitat. It also produces delicious fruit from its fragrant white flowers. Alternatively this one is eaten like a table grape thus requiring no peeling. It grows slowly initially and does require both male and female plants for pollination. However, once it does start to fruit be ready for a heap of them as I have seen 30 year old vines simply dripping in Iowa, USA. The old-time farmer took them to market but in Bulgaria they often ferment them into a wine. There are many cultivars these days and the nutrition value is superb. Guilds Guilds build on this principle of diversity through providing structure to our designs of how we organize plants. We msut realize and observe how nature uses certain plants to fulfill certain functions and then build off of this inherent design. The picture below depicts a natural grove of plants in a garden at Permaship in the Balkan foothills in Bulgaria. It shows

how nature arranges regenerative plants such as the deep tap rooting Dandelion in the aster family, the nitrogen fixing vetch in the legume family, the dynamic accumulating Stinging nettle from the mint family, and finally the perennial fennel attracting beneficial insects from the Umbel family. There is no seen competition, rather the plants attracting different minerals for the health of the overall ecosystem and providing order in the chaotic zone of regeneration of an abandoned part of a garden. They repair and balance through attracting beneficial insects and other flora and fauna above and below the soil line. Other herbs and grasses and scattered about but it shows many of the functions and plant families we are looking for when we construct guilds in a permaculture context.

Guild of fennel, dandelion, nettle, and vetch growing wild in an abandoned part of a garden in Bulgaria The main concept behind guilds is that you have one central element and you build a microecosystem to reduce entropy of the sytem and connect functional interrelationship across varying life kingdoms. We employ the ideas of using multi-functional plants, stacking in space and time, and use biological resources to create harmony. Thus around our central element such as a tree shown below from different angles being a Paw Paw, we arrange plants that enhance the growing conditions of the element. Each

element by itself can be catapulted to a multi-function status by arranging the plants in relative location so that inputs and outputs interactions are maximized.

As the below pictures depicts guilds provide the following four functions according to Bill Mollison: 1. Provide Nutrients (PN) (Nitrogen fixers, dynamic accumulators, animals such as fowl) 2. Assist in Pest Control (APC) (Plants from the following families: Asteraceae (daisy family), Apiaceae (or Umbelliferae, Carrot Family), and Lamiaceae, animals such as fowl) 3. Reduce Root Competition (RRC) (use of bulbs and deep tap-rooters such as comfrey and cana lily to reduce root invasion from running grasses in particular) 4. Provide Physical Shelter (PPS) (use of plant such as Jerusalem Artichoke or Cana Lily to reduce wind or sun damage on species such as Oak, Macadamia, or Paw Paw)

The below picture shows those four functions listed in the guild plants plus other functions like edibility or medicinal. A classic portrayal of comfreys multifunctional qualities can be seen. Guilds are not just limited to the above families as I really like incorporating plants from the Allium family like chives or Egyptian walking onion. Companion planting in organic farming is a well documented strategy and I believe Permaculture uses similar philosophy but with a greater concentration on perennials for guilds. Simple arrangements of plants given the correct context around climate and soil

Banana Circle Plan View- Tropical Guild with associated Earthworks

conditions will yield a better result for the overall system. Guilds in the tropics may include plants such as winged bean, lemongrass, and peanut grass while those in the temperate world may include siberian pea shrub, egyptian walking onion, and clover. These both have the same pattern but are context and climate dependent. Guilds can be constructed cheaply through learning plant propagation techniques such as cuttings, layering, or root division and the dissemination of seeds. The sheer volume of plants that it takes to fill the guilds and make them multifunctional should be approached this way rather than buying all the plants from nurseries. Raising acacias by seed, taking cutting of lavender, and dividing comfrey is essential for saving money and cycling energy on site.

Finally the above picture displays the spatial relationship of a newly formed guild. They will evolve over time as the central element grows and then the plant can be propagated. Developing nucleuss and then moving on as the principle of small scale intensive suggests is vastly import. Stability is produced through diversity and its pattern is much more rhythmic than the opposing sterile, conventional, and chemical orchards. Edge Effect Quick Summary 10. Edge Effects: Edges are places of varied ecology as they share resources between two distinct ecosystems and are known as a net and sieve for energy. We can increase the yield of the system by manipulating where two ecosystems meet, and designing in their unique species. Here the patterns of nature merge to utilize their inspiration with our creativity. Philosophical Underpinnings So much of life creates exchange and abundance along the edge, which is a pattern of

Comfrey emerging in the spring, a wonderful example of edge as its ribbed nature and small tiny hairs increase surface area and its microflora count on its surface making it a great compost activator itself. Edge is a multi-dimensional element that encompasses space and time giving rise to the dynamic interplay between life and death itself. Whether it is shredding organic material giving it a greater surface area for microbes to inhabit or our stomachs sinuous path to increase digestive capability, nature employs its intelligence through this principle. We see it in ecosystems such as a freshwater rivers hitting the ocean, creating an ecosystem known as the estuary. Here the sweet water mixes with the salt water creating brackish water. Subsequently, the resources of temperature, nutrients, and salinity are shared and provide the habitat for a remarkable amount of creatures to thrive at varying life stages. Moreover, we can compare this to a grassland and forest and see how comparatively, the fungally driven forest can share its organic matter, shade, humidity, and protective cover with the bacterially driven grasslands, which abound in sun, wind, and openness to create the sieve of energy called the edge. Here we find huge range of biodiversity of fruiting shrubs, trees, and vines and the many creatures that choose to inhabit the edge for the obvious sharing of resources transport them. We emulate these natural patterns to bring systems back to life more rapidly. Practical Application

A first hand example I saw was in the lowland Tropics of Malaysia in a small village not so far from the Capitol of Kuala Lumpur. There at a budding Permaculture site, the site owner, Sabina Akoriam had recently had a pond dug in a circular form with a flat edge for the dam wall. The digger had done a very nice job on this small impoundment. As we were implementing other systems and doing observation on the pond, we began to realize the potential for planting out the area where the water met land. There was an abundance of moisture obviously, a net for nutrients moving downhill form land and also swirled in the water body and we choose ot take advantage of it. In time we came to accumulate common plant material such as tropical arrowhead but through working with the local Burmese community we got to know a plant (_________) that the Burmese had eaten quite extensively in their own home range. They eat the flowering stalks like Asparagus from this edge plant that was also quite attractive in general and had a nice yellow flower. So we began to propagate that and plant hat out. However before we just used the edge that the bulldozer had created, we first altered it by inserting crenellation in a two dimension. We also created terraces below the water surface and above on the adjoining hillside with displaced earth. The soil was quite rich and we hoped the crops that grew along the higher edge of the pond would enjoy the microclimate and rich soil.

Another good example of edge is looking at a very appropriate piece of technology that I first ran into some years ago in New Zealand. It is a fan that uses no electrical engine, rather a thermoelectric module to power a fan using differing temperature gradients. The fans broad base is placed on the hot surface of the wood burning oven and uses several fanned out edges to increase the surface area for the heat to dissipate. This causes the temperature difference and the subsequent rapid spinning of the blade. This simple piece of technology really pushes the heat around a room and we often found in the passive solar building, employing natural

building techniques, and a standard oven and this fan, we had to open the windows in the winter on sunny days. Furthermore, edge can be realized in many facets of nature and how we ecosystems. Having organic material chipped up gives fungus a head start. We can utilize the power and weight of animals for this or using fossil fuel driven machines to really speed the process. Of course Jean Pain did this famously on his farm in the south of France to help protect his woodland but also to cycle energy. Additionally food forests can be seen as extensions of the edge principle when we look at the shape they create with all of their layers in space and time. Edge really is everywhere- from our brains to the sinuous path of rivers, which helps to create more exchange and more abundance.

Chapter 3: Design Process Natural Systems Thinking: Non linear Systems Ethical Intention EC, PC, FS TAPO: Rooted in, Grows From Visioning: Observe the state of the situation to be designed and gather first impressions Make sure observations are objective, interpretation will come later TAPO (Thoughtful And Protracted Observation) and Ethical Intention Dont just cut and paste as modern development does: Atlanta, Albuquerque, and Anchorage Design so that it is truly reflective and responsive to place Assessment for all people involved Dream a future, what do we want, the WHY of the project Develop a common statement of work together Assessment: Objective observations turn into interpretations through the lens of methods of design Use various analysis techniques to understand the site Elements are explored in-depth to make sure you understand- functional analysis brings about functional interconnections Understand your local socio-economic forces and community resources- go beyond just your site Bigger the group and land, the longer the process Conceptual Planning: Need to be creative and generate a wild host of possibilities for a site Do this before trying to arranging the elements into a coherent whole. Refinement of vision combined with the assessment what will actually work. Possibilities are winnowed through an ethical and functional sieve Rely on principles and methods of design to unveil the design Distinct ideas emerge Master Planning: Take all of the assembled elements and array them Use methods of design to further refine the design Create a functional whole- define species and elements that will anchor the final design Must sequence the implementation of the elements in a proper order. Design and Evaluation:

 Principles are displayed and articulated in design and presentation Prime directives of Permaculture are met and enhanced, along with the goals and vision of the client Both Broad design and patch designs are created Never ending cyclical loop of infinity Coherent conversation where one phase is dominating, yet all are engaged Final Design Project and Overall Step by step Linear Process Design Team Assignments (This is to give you a framework for creating the design project) House site and design (passive solar orientation, materials, temperature regulation) Energy (connected to house design, electricity, pumping) Water (irrigation, potable water, aquaculture, livestock, roof catchment, greywater) Access (Pathways, roads, tracks) Food production (nuts, seeds, dairy, grains, vegetables, fruit, bee products, flowers) Soil Fertility (compost, vermiculture, mulch, animal rotation, NFTs) Cottage industry ( a revenue generating value added products or service from the farm) Animal husbandry (at the least worms and pigeons, if space chickens, ducks, goats) This project requires on-site observations. You will need to use all the resources available to you, such as course notes, books, client interview etc You will be doing a 30-40 minute presentation for this assignment on the last days of the course. It should follow the format of a standard written assignment introduction (5), body or each members project detail (20-25), conclusion (5). Expected Documentation will be in Bullet points while tips on the presentation will be in Italics. Design Steps Vision 1. Mission Statement 1-2 sentences that describe your overall intention for this project. 2. Set Group Goals Bullet list of group process-oriented goals and outlook including how you will be making decisions. 3. Personal Strengths Identify each group members skills. (During Weekend, meet briefly as a group to get on the same page develop your mission, intention, and personal strengths) 4. Site Visit & First Impressions- Record Neutral Observations, follow the five senses, record and blog them with a few pictures of the site 5. Client Interview and Previous Land Use Refer to needs of client, taking into account any information regarding the history of the site. 6. Goals Outline- Summarize Goals From Client Interview- Organized by values (WHY), goals and criteria (HOW) 7. Goals Statement- Mission Statement of the Design, encapsulates the inspiration of the design, addresses the WHY 8. Functional Analysis of Desired Species from the Client- from the interview, identify species or elements that you need to know more about 9. Analysis and Assessment Questions: Given your goals, what do you need to know about the site and the context in which the site exists? These will help with your introduction for the design presentations. Assessment 10. Observation then Interpretation Protracted and thoughtful initial observation leads to site assessment. Base Map which includes- Names, date, north indicator, location, key, scale, and anything that cant be changed. Use pacing and Google Earth

Sector analysis- mapping of wild energies (in the form of an overlay with the following analysis of flows) Examine Climate of local area 11. Analysis of Flow I Look at how energies such as water, traffic and wildlife are actually flowing. This differs from the sector analysis, remember the restaurant example. In combination with the sector analysis map actual water flow, access and circulation, wildlife, or fertility. Use arrows of different colors and thickness to delineate energy flow. Remember to have a key. You can use words to highlight certain features like concentrations from a roof and then make interpretations like possible rain garden site or swale or roof catchment tank. See steps 12 & 13 as an example. 12. Overlay Observation- Examine other aspects of the scale of Permanence to highlight patterns to details of the land, done in overlays. Create an overlay for microclimate/ Vegetation (is there a big windbreak or large shade trees) Create an overlay for Zones of Use/ Aesthetics/ Habitat Classification 13. Summary Overlay for Assessment- one overlay that summarizes the most important and influential observations and interpretations from all of your analysis and assessment 14. Functional Analysis of Existing, Most Influential Species- of the elements that are already there, what do you need to know more about 15. Identify off site Resources: What community and economic resources are available to help with your design and mission for the site: These might include markets, farms, restaurants, schools, sawmills, breweries, dumps, etc. These will help with your introduction for the design presentations. Conceptual Planning 16. Design Concept- -This is a brief statement that arises from the goals and your analysis and assessment focusing on what the design will achieve and the means to achieving it on the site. Answers HOW, use sensory language. 17. Schematic Designs These are sketch orientated, bubble diagram types of drawings. They focus on functions, elements and the relationships that exist between them. Create 3-5 of them. 18. Use Methods of Design- Write the list of elements on cards and use random assembly, use functional analysis to see how elements will interconnect, Energy Efficient Planningzones, sectors, slope. Use the ethics as a sieve for ideas as well as on-site and off-site resources, obstacles of social, environmental, and financial factors for the site. Master Planning 19. Create a Selected Schematic Design- It may be helpful to write down the pros and cons of your schematics to help you narrow it down to one. You may select the best features of a couple different schematics to combine them into one. 20. Habitat Defining Species List- In your schematic bubble drawings, you should determine what types of habitat define different areas of your design (for example: wetland, mixed fruit and nut orchard, timber lot, annual garden, etc.). With this information, you can begin selecting the species that will meet those functional guidelines. 21. Rough Budget Estimates- Try to make some estimates as to what this design will cost, at least for some of the most significant elements. While this is not a required piece of information here, it will be helpful to start figuring it out at this stage of the game. Design 22. The Design- An accurate, to-scale drawing of your final design. Determine the exact size, shape and location of the patches and elements that you laid out in your schematic

design. Demonstrate or explain five permaculture principles or more and how they fit into your design as several overlays or another new big piece of paper, include the following new design systems- Water supply, roads, paths, structures, vegetation, animal systems,. 23. Patch Design- Each member takes on one deailed aspect of the design, which they will research and present (housing, earthworks, species list, establishment and succession of systems etc.) Have close-up drawings and/or other visuals from your specific detail. Each member has 5 minutes to present their section of the design. Visuals greatly aid this process of demonstrating your design in a limited amount of time. Intermingle the Design into your introduction, body, and conclusion of your presentation. 24. Species Master List- This is a list of all the plant species that you plan to use in your design. Your habitat-defining species from the schematic phase will help you determine which plants are compatible with each of those habitats. 25. Phases of implementation- (1 2 years, 3 5 years, 6 10 years, 10 25 year plan) A written document explaining how the design will evolve. -This might include planting strategies for a sequential installation, succession pathways for different patches, the evolution of construction projects, etc. -It should definitely include the human element of your guilds. Who is going to take care of this design after it is implemented? 26. Evaluation Plan- Briefly describe how evaluation will be conducted on your site and how this might play into its evolution. Your plans for implementation and evaluation are a part of the conclusion of your presentation. 27. Practice Presentations This greatly enhances the overall learning process and improves the quality of a presentation. Timing is worked out and transitions between speakers smoothed and roles defined for the presentation. 28. Design Project Presentations- come dressed appropriately for delivering a professional design to your client and your peers and instructors. Feedback will be given on both the design and presentation itself. Observe. Analyze. Design. Make the connections. Vision Phase Steps 1-3 1. Mission Statement 1 or 2 sentences describing the overall intention for the project. Sample: Our mission is to have fun, while respecting and honoring each members opinions, insights, and ideas. We will hold the integrity of the team together with clear communication, intentionally listening with patience and supporting the individual leadership of each member, all the while being as efficient as possible. 2. Set Group Goals Bullet list of group-process goals and outlook including how the group will be making decisions. Sample: Taking responsibility for emotions by using I statements, expressing emotions when they arise in clear calm language, and sharing how these emotions came about. Communicating clearly about when you will be late, when you cant keep a meeting, and if you have any miscommunications or questions. Having integrity inside of your commitments and being respectful of each other and each individuals ideas and inputs.

Intentionally listening with patience to each persons ideas surrounding the project. Empowering and encouraging each other in sharing and leadership communicated clearly through hugs and love. Conducting efficient meetings by developing an agenda and designating a meeting Facilitator, Scribe and Vibe-Checker. 3. Personal Strengths Identify each group members skills. Sample: Artistic, Design-Oriented, Creative, Tech-Comfortable, Likes talking in front of people, Can talk to anyone, Knowledge in the retail/selling side of organic produce, Excited to learn Mission Statement - Ideas from the goals will be synthesized like intentional, patientlistening to form a couple of sentences. Goals are statements like communicating openly and honestly or showing up on time or communicating when you are going to be late. You may not feel heard in the group- how do you address it? How do you make decisions? How do clarify and scrutinize ideas without shutting down the person? Does one person communicate at a slower pace than the others and really needs time and space from others so they arent always cutting them off because of their consistency in cutting people off? What do you value in a group? Do you always take on to much within a group and then feel bitter because people arent pulling their weight and then never communicate it? How would you address this? The mission statement again relates to your group goals not that the client and land. It is a one to two sentence encapsulation of your goals rather than Permaculture land base. We need to create social space that is safe as a part of sustainability and make sure everyone is on the same page. Group projects can be fun or a drag because people dont pull their weights. This process will help everyone settle into their roles. My recommendations for your groups from past observations: Cut the chit-chat and you will make their time agreements. This usually necessitates having a Scribe, Facilitator ( & time keeper), vibe checker The facilitator is responsible for steering, but not dominating, the conversation so it flows and meets agenda item points Have agenda items that can be checked off so the facilitator can always come back to those if conversations trail away Once done with the list, then socialize, cook dinner together, go for a bike ride, or whatever so that the design assignments are finished quickly Create ways to celebrate along the way!!!!!! Again let the assignments flow, dont get stuck on the details, you are learning a process. Patterns to details! Steps 4-5 4. Site Visit & First Impressions- Record Neutral Observations, follow the five senses, record and blog them with a few pictures of the site. Sample First Impressions 5. Client Interview and Previous Land Use Refer to needs of client, taking into account any information regarding the history of the site. TreeYos extensive client interview sheet, some sections may or may not be applicable depending on the context: PASTE Questionairre Steps 6-7 6. Goals Outline- Summarize Goals From Client Interview- Organized by values (WHY), goals and criteria (HOW). Click on the following link to see a sample goals outline from varying contexts (credit to Dave Jacke) Sample Goals outline: PAFGDI GoalsArticultn.110416

7. Goals Statement- Mission Statement of the Design, encapsulates the inspiration of the design, addresses the WHY and WHAT (What will result from the realization of your goals?). -Written in active voice, present tense. (lays out function, the design concept is form and The How) Sample Goals Statement The Plumsock Homestead is an oasis of healthy food and gentle ecosystem repair, a haven for plants, wildlife and people in a landscape where diversity is otherwise scarce. With the help of restorative design and wise resource use, soils grow richer, waters grow cleaner and the members of this living system experience renewal as they dwell in and pass through the landscapes embrace. A nucleus of health that pays homage to the historical care of the land, the site scatters the seeds of renewal in the surrounding landscape and community. Sample Design Concept (you will later be doing this step but it allows you to distinguish between form and function) The Plumsock Homestead evolves as a private, partially wooded oasis, protected from wind, passing traffic and air- and water-borne agricultural chemicals by buffers of diverse plants and biological filters. We encourage ecosystem services with plants and other habitat and enhance the sites proclivity to standing water in strategic areas through small ponds and diverse wetlands. Between the buffers and filters, productive food patches offer an abundance of fruits and vegetables for fresh eating and storage, nuts, flowers, fungi and medicine that we share with our friends and neighbors. Steps 8-9 8. Functional Analysis of Desired Species from the Client- from the interview, identify species or elements that you need to know more about. Create diagrams based on the most significant eleemtns that the client expressed interest in implementing at the site. Remember to include needs (preferences & tolerances), outputs, and intrinsic behaviors. -These can be very brief, but will help guide your analysis and assessment. ( elements you want to add)

9. Analysis and Assessment Questions: Given your goals, what do you need to know about the site and the context in which the site exists? Example: if the client expressed the desire to have cherry trees and you find through the functional analysis they need a certain micro-climate so that their flowering process is protected. You may then ask does the site have a northeast facing slope with low wind or a northwest facing slope that would allow buds to thaw if there was a late frost. Organized thematically, according to the scale of permanence. Climate Landform Water Legal Issues Access & Circulation Vegetation & Wildlife Microclimates Buildings & Infrastructure Zones of Use Soil Aesthetics Assessment Phase: As the vision phase comes to a conclusion, we can look next to the Assessment phase. Remember our visioning process helps to guide our assessment phase. Accomplishing the goals outline and goals statement along with the functional analysis of some of the elements that the client is desiring, help to produce assessment questions. You will now be moving into the assessment phase now which will require more observation with an analytical slant. We will use numerous tools for this including base mapping, sector analysis, flow analysis, and scale of permanence overlays. This is a hodgepodge of various techniques from various designers, so please let the process flow. Remember we are learning a process and perfection is not demanded, rather comprehension of the steps. Assessment 10 Step 10 Deliverables: 10. Observation then Interpretation Protracted and thoughtful initial observation leads to site assessment. Base Map which includes- Names, date, north indicator, location, key, scale, and anything that cant be changed. Use pacing and Google Earth Sector analysis- mapping of wild energies (in the form of an overlay with the following analysis of flows) Examine Climate of local area Step 10 Guidance; As this week of visioning is coming to a conclusion, we can look next to the Assessment phase. Remember our visioning process helps to guide our assessment phase. Accomplishing the goals outline and goals statement along with the functional analysis of some of the elements that the client is desiring, help to produce assessment questions. You will now be moving into the assessment phase now which will require more observation with an analytical slant. The foundation of this or the base is a base map. Base Map So you will create a base map which will help to be the framework for further analysis and assessment. Here is what one might look like:

Base Map which includes- Names, date, north indicator, location, key, scale, and anything that cant be changed. Use pacing and Google Earth and GIS systems Sector analysis From there you will be using a sector analysis to map the wild energies of the site that are passing though. Focus on summer and winter sun, summer and winter wind, noise, wildlife, and fire (?). You may also have a pollution factor or another site pertinent factor like floods.

Climate Examination Also a part of step 10 you will be looking at your climate. Here is a template for doing so. Climate Wind patterns Sun exposure/orientation Latitude and longitude Precipitation Frost dates Growing degree days Chilling hours Assessment 11 Step 11 Deliverables: 11. Analysis of Flow Overlay Look at how energies such as water, traffic and wildlife are actually flowing. This differs from the sector analysis, remember the restaurant example. In combination with the sector analysis, map actual water flow, access and circulation, wildlife, or fertility. Use arrows of different colors and thickness to delineate energy flow. Remember to have a key. You can use words to highlight certain features like concentrations from a roof and then make interpretations like possible rain garden site or swale or roof catchment tank. See steps 12 & 13 as an example.

Flow Analysis Sample STEP 11 Guidance For step 11 you will be doing a flow analysis. This is an enlightening process to understand flows of energy and shows how they can be improved, accentuated, or completely altered. I tend to map water, human traffic, wildlife traffic, nutrient flow, and frost (if applicable). Use arrows of different colors and thickness to delineate energy flow. For example as water flows come to together from a roof and the valley in a landscape, the lines should be drawn thicker. This helps to determine where to collect rainwater and the design feature earthworks that would help to sink it into the ground. From this we recollect our principle of energy cycling

(Source to sink) and harvest water higher in the landscape before water accumulates into torrents which would require heavy earthmoving equipment. Remember that the flows are to have a key. The overlays can happen individually on a computer or done together on tracing paper. Each member could take on one of the flows or this could be accomplished in the group. You can use words to highlight certain features like concentrations from a roof and then make interpretations like possible rain garden site or swale or roof catchment tank. See steps 12 & 13 as an example. Assessment 12 Step 12 Deliverables: 12. Overlay Observation- Examine other aspects of the scale of Permanence to highlight patterns to details of the land, done in overlays. Create an overlay for microclimate/ vegetation (is there a big windbreak or large shade trees) Create an overlay for Zones of Use/ Aesthetics/ Habitat Classification

Dave Jacke Microclimate Overlay Step 12 Guidance To further dissect our site we will be examining individual factors of the site, Dave Jacke style, with the scale of Permanence being a guide. Once we do this we can combine it all into one final Analysis and Assessment summary overlay ( step 13 from steps 10,11,12). By doing this the design will naturally unfold from the patterns that exist on the landscape. Habitats and niches are easily defined and accentuated. Subsequently, design elements help to increase success of those habitats such as a windbreak or raingarden. We are still only assessing though, do not be tempted to concrete design elements. Only make observations then interpretations and possibilities. These can be pretty messy, but should have both words and sketches. Color helps too. Be sure to distinguish between observations () and interpretations (arrows). From each overlay, pick the three to five most significant observations and interpretations and note them in the corner.

Below are examples, see how the observations lead to interpretations.

Dave Jacke Zones of Use/Aesthetics Overlay Assessment 13 Step 13 Deliverables: 13. Summary Overlay for Assessment- one overlay that summarizes the most important and influential observations and interpretations from all of your analysis and assessment

Site AA summary Step 13 Guidance: Analysis and Assessment Summary. This is one overlay that summarizes the most important and influential observations and interpretations from all of your analysis and assessment. It is a summary of the current reality, and can include design directions as part of the interpretations, but it is not a design solutions summary. Assessment 14 Step 14 Deliverables 14. Functional Analysis of Existing, Most Influential Species- of the elements that are already there, what do you need to know more about. You will have 3 Each, could be as simple as house or kitchen or some of the existing vegetation. This is similar to what you have already done, just a different context.

Step 14 Guidance: This differs from the initial functional analysis which was looking at species that the client desired. Now you are examining things that are already there and you need to learn more about. Please delve deep, look into the native forest species if there is a forest and the client wants to build something as an example. There maybe some overlap with what you have done before and what you will do again. For example, if the client had pear trees already look into various cultivars or asian pear instead of European pear. Be creative and have fun!!!!!!!!! Format for Plants laid out by Bill in the Introduction to Permaculture Book: Assessment 15 Step 15 Deliverables: 15. Identify off site Resources: The format of this will be a bulleted list. What community and economic resources are available to help with your design and mission for the site: These might include markets, farms, restaurants, schools, sawmills, breweries, dumps, etc. (quickly collated as a group) Step 15 Guidance: Think of this almost as a functional analysis of your community. What inputs could be obtained like here in Fairfield? Break it down into categories like the following: Fertility Boosting on the cheap: In town source of wood chips bags of leaves in the fall pasture cleanup at the lama farm sheep manure from conventional farmer Food scraps from Purn This ties into design elements such as the compost pile. So lets say you identified that your cherry tree needs good draining and rich organic matter soil but your plot is heavy clay. Phase 1 would be to build large compost piles or worm bins and use some of these resources to create the necessary resource for the cherry tree. The aim is to eventually reduce outside inputs but at the beginning they can be very helpful.

Outputs The output side lies within where can you sell your products or services if you have a cottage industry as a part of the design. Local farmers market or web based or a store front? This also could include community resources to collaborate with. Conceptual Planning Phase During this phase you will be taking the first two phases and beginning to generate design ideas. You start by creating a literary vision of the property full of sensation and experience. From there you continue on this highly creative phase with various whimsical and fun iterations of the design site possibilities. You will use the information of your analysis to alter flows, deal with sectors, create functional interconnections. Applications of the principles as well as meeting prime directives of the client and Permaculture philosophy are overarching goals. Conceptual Planning 16 Conceptual Planning 16 Deliverables: Design Concept (~3 sentences on the form and the How) -This is a brief statement that arises from the goals and your analysis and assessment. It should answer the question, how? It encapsulates the essence, or organizing idea, of what the design will achieve and the means to achieving it on the site. It is helpful to use image and sensory-invoking words here. It is written in active voice, present tense. (infrastructure, architecture, social structure, and succession) Conceptual Planning 16 Guidance: Sample Design Concept (comparison again distinguishes between form and function) The Plumsock Homestead evolves as a private, partially wooded oasis, protected from wind, passing traffic and air- and water-borne agricultural chemicals by buffers of diverse plants and biological filters. We encourage ecosystem services with plants and other habitat and enhance the sites proclivity to standing water in strategic areas through small ponds and diverse wetlands. Between the buffers and filters, productive food patches offer an abundance of fruits and vegetables for fresh eating and storage, nuts, flowers, fungi and medicine that we share with our friends and neighbors. Sample Goals Statement The Plumsock Homestead is an oasis of healthy food and gentle ecosystem repair, a haven for plants, wildlife and people in a landscape where diversity is otherwise scarce. With the help of restorative design and wise resource use, soils grow richer, waters grow cleaner and the members of this living system experience renewal as they dwell in and pass through the landscapes embrace. A nucleus of health that pays homage to the historical care of the land, the site scatters the seeds of renewal in the surrounding landscape and community. Conceptual Planning 17 Step 17 Deliverables: 17. Schematic Design(s) Using Methods of Design These are sketch orientated, bubble diagram types of drawings. They focus on functions, elements and the relationships that exist between them. Create at least three. Use design methodologies such as wild design or the element card game to generate ideas quickly. Step 17 Guidance: Write a list of elements on cards and use random assembly all the while using functional analysis to see how elements will interconnect. Make a bullet list of the Principles and ethics and have it laying next to you as you do your schematic design.

As you go along, examine how are you using biological resources or small scale intensive stacking in space and time as an example. Understand where the gaps are using the principles as an evaluation tool. Use the ethics as a sieve for ideas as well as on-site and off-site resources, obstacles of social, environmental, and financial factors for the site. Thus you should try to do this exercise in an hour or just slightly more. Come prepared with cards of elements that you ahve been doing functional analysis of and others that meet the clients wishs and desires. Just like in the class where we did a schematic, make sure your sectors and flows are understood from your Assessment phase. From there lay the cards down and shift them around and feel free to add more elements in as you go along (worm bin UNDER the rabbit cage). Begin to draw on the elements and use bubbles to represent rather than signs for individual trees. You will use cards like Nut trees and have chickens running through there with Nitrogen fixing trees interspersed all the while being sheltered by a multifunctional hedgerow. This really is meant to be quick, generate a heap of ideas quickly which then can be refined in the next phases. You can do more than one of thse but make sure you do at least one.

Schematic Drawing Before

Schematic Drawing After Master Planning Phase: The key to this phase is the last bit of research and planning and estimation before you take the leap into design. Thus you will be looking back at the schematic phase for the bubbles you created and defining them further. 19. Create a Selected Schematic Design- It may be helpful to write down the pros and cons of your schematics to help you narrow it down to one. You may select the best features of a couple different schematics to combine them into one. 20. Habitat Defining Species List- In your schematic bubble drawings, you should determine what types of habitat define different areas of your design (for example: wetland, mixed fruit and nut orchard, timber lot, annual garden, etc.). With this information, you can begin selecting the species that will meet those functional guidelines. 20. Habitat Defining Species List (bulleted list)- In your schematic bubble drawings, you should determine what types of habitat define different areas of your design (for example: wetland, mixed fruit and nut orchard, timber lot, annual garden, etc.). With this information, you can begin selecting the species that will meet those functional guidelines. For Example: Coppice woodlot (the bubble from the schematic): black locust hazel willow Fruit Orchard Cherry Plum

 Apple Edible Landscaping: Paw Paw Aronia Saskatoon Hardy Kiwi 21. Rough Budget Estimates- Try to make some estimates as to what this design will cost, at least for some of the most significant elements. While this is not a required piece of information here, it will be helpful to start figuring it out at this stage of the game.

Design Phase With all the preparation of the four previous steps, the design should naturally unfold in a simple manner. By understanding the patterns of the landscape, one can achieve a design that is regenerative in nature, meeting the prime directives of Permaculture, and fulfilling of the vision of the client. This phase will include a big picture design, patch designs, how the plan will be implemented and evaluated, and then the presentation to your client and peers. The design relies heavily on the both the process you have followed and the design principles themselves. I want to see more about how the principles are being displayed than just a bunch of cool elements. They must interrelate, be placed so they fulfill multiple functions, so energy cycling is happening, and on and on. Design Drawings Design Drawings Deliverables: The Design- An accurate, to-scale drawing of your final design. Determine the exact size, shape and location of the patches and elements that you laid out in your schematic design. Demonstrate the permaculture principles how they fit into your design. as several overlays or another new big piece of paper, include the following new design systems- Water supply, roads, paths, structures, vegetation, animal systems, energy modifications, social space arrangement

MUM Final Design as an Overlay Design Drawings Guidance: I am not grading on artistic renderings rather the use of scale and the research that goes behind that I am looking mainly at how you used the principles of PC to lay out your site, focus most on this Your assessment phase sets the stage for energy efficient planning- i.e. zones, sectors, and slopes and energy cycling amongst others- have you dealth with issues around wild energies, flows, and landforms? relative location helps to create functional interconnections, are elements placed accordingly? are your important functions supported by many elements building resilience into your site? are your elements preforming many functions building redundancy into the site? Are you supporting your site with biological resources- i.e- animal tractors, IPM, and fertilization- NFTs and DAs? Are you using time and plant stacking in your small scale intensive systems to develop nucleus and radiate outwardly? Are you using diversity to create a balanced cultivated ecology full of guilds that are assisting in pest control, providing physical shelter, providing nutrients, and reducing root competition? Are you cycling energy, making sure we have a zig zag approach to source to sink rahter than a linear exit of energy? Are you accelerating succession and evolution through using NFTs, Swales, composting, working with invasives? Are you incorporating the principles of edge so a net and sieve for energy can be put in place?

Are you turning problems into solutions? Are you cooperating not competing? Are you working with nature, not against? Are you perpetuating the fact that Everything Gardens? Are you ensuring that the yield is theoretically unlimited, only our imagination and information limit us. Let Creativity flow, information combined with this is a powerful voice!!!!! Patch Design Patch Design Deliverables: 23. Patch Design- Each member takes on one deailed aspect of the design, which they will research and present (housing, earthworks, species list, establishment and succession of systems etc.) Have close-up drawings and/or other visuals from your specific detail. Site and Plan view really helps. Each member has 5 minutes to present their section of the design. Visuals greatly aid this process of demonstrating your design in a limited amount of time.

patch design on a house Patch Design Guidance: Zoom in on a particular aspect for example roof cathment system. You would want to research and present on the following: Size of tank based on family needs and catchment area guttering system as well as filtration possibilites material and cost of tank location and energy use from the tank (gravity or pump fed) where the overflow of the tank will go to how it interrelates with microclimate can plants be grown on it as it might be a trellis Species Master list Species Master List Deliverables: 24. Species Master List- This is a list of all the plant species that you plan to use in your design. Your habitat-defining species from the schematic phase will help you determine which plants are compatible with each of those habitats.

Species Master List Guidance: From the list you generated before fill in the gaps with all of the support species that you are using now in guilds and hedgerows. Dont fuss with annual garden species unless it is a major part of your design. The patch designs will help to generate this list. Phases of Implementation Phases of implementation Deliverables: 25. Phases of implementation- (1 2 years, 3 5 years, 6 10 years, 10 25 year plan) o A written document explaining how the design will evolve (will most likely be copied and pasted into PowerPoint presentation or some other visual for the presentation.) o -This might include planting strategies for a sequential installation, succession pathways for different patches, the evolution of construction projects, etc. o -It should definitely include the human element of your guilds. Who is going to take care of this design after it is implemented? Phases of implementation Expectations: This is a very important piece of any design because it all cant be developed in year 1 because of labor and finances. Thus you will want to describe the succession of the site and how some of those community resources that were described earlier will be brought in. This also ties into expected yileds because a client might not now when a chestnut will produce. In that sense though, only focus on main speceis especially those tht the client wanted. An important piece is that some sites will require a windbreak before the fruit trees will survive the Iowa winds. Or certain trees may need soil perp down for a year or two before in the form of keyline or compost before they would ever thrive. This is where the functional analysis comes in and requires you to set the conditions for abundance. This will anchor the conclusion of the presentation.

Phases of Implementation Final Budget Deliverables: 25. Final Budget o Even though you wont have designed every patch of your design in detail, we would like to see your best budget estimate for this design. This estimate can include plans to reduce costs as well, such as plans to acquire recycled materials; to propagate your own plants or acquire them from friends, neighbors, the community, etc.; dumpster diving; work parties; you get the idea. You can also include plans to stagger costs over time, which will be flushed out further in the next piece. o Final Budget Expectations:

Evaluation Plan Evaluation Plan Deliverables: 26. Evaluation Plan- Briefly describe how evaluation will be conducted on your site and how this might play into its evolution. This is a written document explaining how

the design will be evaluated (will most likely be copied and pasted into PowerPoint presentation or some other visual for the presentation.) Evaluation Plan Guidance: These might deal with the effectiveness of your design elements relating to energy efficient planning. It also might have to do with the goals of the client around the % of food production they were wanting. It might also have to do with the hours or money they are spending versus yield obtained. So please make this brief but it ties back to the vision and analysis phase. Tell us how you will monitor these elements so we can determine success. It is an integral step in any design, the re-evaluation process must occur so that trees are coppiced at the right time or additional compost is made. Let us know the HOW. Practice Presentations 27. Practice Presentations This greatly enhances the overall learning process and improves the quality of a presentation. Timing is worked out and transitions between speakers smoothed and roles defined for the presentation. Time yourselves and figure out how the presentation will unfold. Things to monitor are the following: o lead-in and intro articulates the basic of the client needs and site analysis o transitions between speakers o effectiveness of visuals (have the presentation loaded on the computer and test it out or figure out how you will go from overlay to overlay) o patch design drawings or visuals that communicate effectively. o timing, does the intro last 5 minutes, do the patch designs last 5 minutes Please, please, please do this step. Plan accordingly, it will take about an hour to do, so please dont leave this to the last minute where you end up letting it slide. Design Project Presentations 28. Design Project Presentations- come dressed appropriately for delivering a professional design to your client and your peers and instructors. Feedback will be given on both the design and presentation itself. Make sure you include or do the following: o Dress nicely, Sundays finest so to speak please, this is a professional presentation. o Introduce yourselves accordingly arrange yourselves so there is comfortable viewing for all in the audience. o Lead us through your introduction of the vision and assessment phase in 5 minutes time. o Smoothly transition between speakers and visual aids. o Tell us about your overall design which may include the process to get there with the schematic drawing. o In this design part, try to use the principles seamlessly in your verbiage. Dont force it, rather let me know of your understanding of WHY you were putting what you did where. More interested in the WHY than anything else in this phase. o Communicate about the overall design elements and have that lead-into your patch designs.

Transition between speakers with one person concluding and another taking over with the first speaker saying, and now Vinny will speak about the energy side of the design through the wind turbines we intend to install. o Each person will deliver their patch designs using effective visuals that you have drawn or pulled off the internet. I am looking for accuracy, scale, and the interrelationships amongst elements with and nearby in relative location. Tie it back to the clients vision and the analysis of the site. Keep it brief. 5 minutes each. o As a part of a conclusion, tie the design and patch designs together one last time. o Be sure to highlight the phases of implementation and evaluation plan. o Conclude with one last something that captivates the audience. The presentations should be modeled after any paper that you would write. The intro should be catchy and have a hook. The body should be robust, well organized, and have lots of info. The conclusion wraps it up, reinforces main ideas, and leaves us feeling like we are satisfied. Chapter 4: Pattern Understanding

Creation is inextricably linked to patterns. When something comes into fruition it is through patterns that the creative intelligence of the universe is expressed. From the smallest particles to the largest hurricanes to how our galaxy is arranged, this unfurling of motion in both time and space creates an epic conversion of energy into form.

Harmony is apparent throughout nature and can even be seen in this image of our planetary rythms. Despite their differing oscillations the solar system, that we have, exists in harmony, each planet varying but not producing discord.

Another large scale pattern that affects our local climates and topography and thus our designs is the geological rhythms that are at play. Geology being the history book of our planet reveals a rhythmic pulsation showing an inward and outward stroke so to speak. In the picture above you can see my home state of Ohio in a more tropical location and North America off kilter in todays comparison. As the plates have shifted so has the Ohios location and at times it has become shallow sea. This subtropical location and aquatic environment caused a geology of fossiliferous limestone to be created through continuos compression of shells from mollusks and the like. Thus when you look at the bedrock of Cincinnati you see layers of shale separated every so many feet by thick layers of limestone.

Fossileferous Limestone Another major landscape shaper and defining regime of patterns in the landscape on the geologic scale is the climatic rhythms. When the planet has warmed and cooled this has caused glaciers to form or great rivers to flood. These factors shape our landscape and just as the shallow sea shaped the local region of Cincinnati, Ohio, my hometown, so have glaciers shaped the area around. Four major glaciation periods have happened in Ohio and the greater midwest region producing the corn belt region through the grinding of various stones including this calcium rich limestone. Corn thrives in these sorts of soils and now dominates this landscape. However the glaciers advance never quite made it to this region and we still have our rolling hills that define the hilliest city in the midwest. Chapter 5: Climatic Factors How has this global landscape been formed and how does the climate correspond? This chapter of the Designers Manual (by Bill Mollison) is an extension of the patterns chapter as the earth as a living system is going through natural rhythms that are visualized through pattern understanding. The way oceans circulate, the way high and low pressure weather systems work, and the shift of season are simply fluxes of energy.

Alternating spins of high and low pressure, graph credit to bom.gov.au Spirals, waves, vortexes all abound from these examples can be integral to understanding the global climate shift as well as local phenomena. In this section we will cover how climate is formed which is of course a huge topic in the field of climate change. To join the argument one way or another, I think it is integral for every ecological designer to know all the layers that are currently known about our global climate. We will also look at classification of climates as well as how that pertains to design. A key factor to remember in Permaculture design is that we are looking to design for local contexts but use worldwide understanding of patterns to speed up succession and ecological restoration. Management and cultivation techniques will be different in the tropics, temperate, and drylands. We can no longer simply rubber stamp our development pattern around the planet. It must be individualized as housing design and materials in one place is not necessarily true for others (Anchorage, Atlanta, and

Albuquerque). Thus we use climate analog to understand the commonalities between climates so that as we travel doing design work we can use our past experience of say plant knowledge to develop strategies pertinent for the new context. This speeds our process up and there are numerous maps that can help us with our climate classification and the subsequent analog usage. Remember thermal mass in one climate might be perfect but a combination of insulation and thermal mass in another might be the most appropriate. Think globally, act locally. Once a broader climate understanding occurs, one can then zoom into topoclimates and microclimates. The use of microclimates in an important piece of permaculture as we are striving to mitigate extremes or extend growing season potential.

In Nelson, New Zealand great topoclimate (Mediterranean/subtropical) displaying a suntrap which helps to create a microclimate Chapter 6: Trees and their Energy Transactions Imagine that tree, that one tree when you were young that you connected with. Maybe you climbed it, maybe you picked its delicious fruit, maybe you held its enormous leaves when they fell in the autumn. Imagine it, give yourself back to that moment and time to realize the great importance that trees have in the lives of humans. Find reverence for it and seek its wisdom for trees are more than just trunks, branches, and leaves. They are energy transformers, living pumps, living power stations, living rain makers, living soil builders, and living habitat providers for so many including us in our edge dwelling habit. CHESTNUTS Trees give energy quite often through food and fodder for animals of many life kingdoms. We employ annuals such as soy and corn to supplement animals feeds yet in our yester-year we used acorns, hickory nuts, and chestnuts to thicken our fat layers both on ourselves and on our animals- wild and domesticated. It is now through large scale reforestation, which hinges upon hydrological cycle and soil food web acceleration, that will feed the world in sustainable way just as J. Russell Smith suggested mid last century with his book Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture.

Holm Oak acorns from the montado of Southern Portugal The above picture from Alentejo, Portugal near the Spanish border, shows a rich history of feeding animals with more permanent tree cover rather than the till agriculture of annuals. The oak of this region can be the canopy species for a bio-diverse food forest when the montado, black pig interaction, is fully expressed. Trees lay the foundation and as permaculture designers, it is our duty to create more bio-diversity and functional interconnections. Just because we have a forest of these Holm Oaks doesnt necessarily mean great stewardship as this is very obvious on any road trip in the drying region. Rather it hinges upon employing the patterns of nature, in time and space, to creatively cycle carbon. The black pigs are one of those brilliant cyclers and when finished with acorns and chestnuts they are given a higher price on the market. This is due to the unique flavors that flow when the animal was fed on wild foods not malnourished, conventional corn and soy.

Tagasaste, great mediterranean tree from the Canaries that is a great animal and bee fodder, very hot burning fuelwood, and a nitrogen fixing small tree, brilliant permaculture additionplugs for reforestation

One of our main missions on earth is to restore forested areas and bring natural capitol back and the ecosystem services that come from trees and improved soil. Trees function as rain makers and climate stabilizers which makes it paramount in this age to do this good work. Many of these areas that have been affected tremendously are linked to the colonial era and intertwined in it is a dramatic social/economic conundrum of development. It is our role as Permaculturists to try and reinvigorate village scale food production, providing safe and thrivable communities , as well as dependable water sources. The debt ridden cycles of aid no longer serve this function and it will be through creative tree based economy approaches that forests will be valued again for something other than exploitation.

Atamai Village, New Zealand Reforestation project on a steep hillside where some of those Tagasaste plugs ended up, rebuilding the legacy of clear-cutting and overgrazing When we use species like Tagasaste to speed succession and incorporate multi-function approach to reforestation, the effectiveness of the long term viability of the project is immense. This is why an understanding of a global pallet of plants is important. Tagasaste might not be native to New Zealand, but neither are the 40 million sheep and now untold number of cows that inhabit its deforested countryside. If we are to reforest this completely altered and somewhat destroyed ecosystem it is wise to utilize plants that are more adapted to drought then the native vegetation. Why-because the result of the clearing of the land wiped out the organic material in the soil and the resilience to withstand the Mediterranean like drought that occurs naturally there in the region of the pictures. So by inserting this tough pioneer from a drier place we can reafforest more effectively and get the multi-functional return. It was brilliantly used at Edible Tree Crop Farm as well in Nelson, New Zealand as a supplemental feed for sheep during the summer and winter months when grass growth was

low. It also was a chop and drop species for the surrounding tree crops while the bees loved its twice flowering cycle. The native pigeon loved its flowers as well and its soft and flowing branches were simply nice to gaze upon and run through a semi-closed palm. This shows the energy transactions and it is through patterned based design that allows us to restore ecosystems and abundance using trees. Chapter 7: Water

The Upholder of the Cycles which supports the whole of Life, is water. In every drop of water dwells the Godhead, whom we all serve; there also dwells Life, the Soul of the First substance Water whose boundaries and banks are the capillaries that guide it and in which it circulates. More energy is encapsulated in every drop of good spring water than an averagesized PowerStation is presently able to produce.

Viktor Schauberger

The one that connects it all. Water. Prime directive of Permaculture: make sure the water that flows off your site is cleaner than when it came in. Catch it high, store it, spread it, sink it. Patterns emerging. Our role in perpetuating a full, healthy and balanced hydrological cycle is vastly important for our renewed success as ecological stewards on planet Earth. Water is an alive being, ready for care and cradling. Our systems of design require us to enhance the quality of it and to restore aquifers by sinking it into the ground. We use earthworks, animals, and the keyline plough to help create the edge for water to rest, spread itself and infiltrate. We use roofs and tanks to store water for drinking and the pattern of the vortex, sound, and intention to help heal the water we drink while we wait for the springs to reappear after our efforts of reforestation and pasture restoration. Chapter 8: Soils Repairing soils healthy food web is something that articulates the ultimate empowering quote from Bill Mollison, While the problems of world become increasingly complex, the solutions are embarrassingly simple. When we understand the principles of succession and how to advance it we can use both traditional methods and simplistic technology. This allows us to propagate soil micro-organisms and provide the foods for their continual abundance. Every person on planet earth can be a producer of soil not just a consumer. We consume soil when we pay for unsustainably grown food or timber products. We can build soil through various techniques but also shopping local from farmers that are farming with the patterns of nature can be just as powerful. We all need to take a greater role, however, in cycling carbon whether its our direct waste or other waste streams such as food scraps and cardboard. That is very easily accomplished with worm bins, or vermi-composting, systems. The most important thing to understand about soil is that we as organic growers are not farmers of plant, we are herders of soil micro-organisms. It is our great duty to shepherd the basic building blocks of soil, bacteria and fungi, so that the higher predators, nematodes, micro-arthopods and earthworms) can take part in the age old tradition of predator prey relationships. These beneficial interactions produce plant available nutrients which create

conditions for optimal photosynthesis to occur. When the food web is strong, the plant are strong, which helps with pest and disease resistance. When we eliminate the need for pesticides because we have used diversity we improve the hydrological cycle and biodiversity flourishes above and below the soil surface. As the plants build in complexity and diversity, they become carbon cyclers through root exudates, cakes and cookies delivered to the root zones MOs, and also their carbon bodies. The growth and decay process is a continual flux of energy mixing the energies of the suns light and heat with the earths minerals and nutrients and the force that connects them: water. Water feeds and lubricates the paths of soil MOs and is sweated out plants to help bring more rain. Its stored extensively in the soil, in the plants and is all around us in varying states of composition. There is no separation between soil/water/trees (perennial vegetation). The residues from plants or the animal wastes that come from feeding on our vegetation can be combined in layers to create one of the most powerful tools for accelerating succession which is hot composting. This is a simple and sophisticated tool that requires attention to detail and continuous monitoring. However when managed correctly we can use it to turn soils around quickly. Soils are not just to be evaluated on permaculture sites solely for growing but also in the context of building and water management. Evaluation occurs for materials which could be incorporated in natural building such as clay or sand deposits. These can offset costs of materials such as timber and can be a great way to build community. And to be honest since natural building is such hard work it reinforces the idea of building a smaller house and living simpler. Buildings sites also need to be evaluated for the soils in which the foundation will lay and also how wastes will be disposed such as grey or blackwater. Thus there are various ways to analyze soil and mitigate any conditions. Soil is a precious resource and should be treated like it our own skin, protecting membrane for our survival.

Chapter 9: Earth Working and Earth Resources Earthworking is inextricably tied to harnessing the energetic exchange of water in the landscape quiet often in Permaculture. It also sets the framework for garden bed or food forest creation. The earthworks often involve machinery but ultimately the shovel and human hand finishes it off giving the necessary edge and permanence it deserves. Below shows this phenomena exactly as the beds had been created by machines to create a serpentine flow of water in a run, riffle, pool pattern. This flow was accompanied by a sinuous shape of raised beds following the path of the ditch created to channel and harvest the tremendous amount of seasonal water flow. After the inherent re-evalatuion process that comes with Permaculture design and managemetn of systems, we reworked these beds to garner better access and create more beds space at the same time through creating keyhole garden beds. . Earthworks have long been used for agricultural or spiritual purposes whether it is the Minho Valley in the north with its extensive terracing or in South East Ohio, USA with Serpent Mound. The later is 400 m (quarter mile) long earthwork that shows remarkable solar/lunar accuracy built within a meteor impact zone. It shows patterns and once was hoe to sacred worship and honoring the rhythms of natural cycles. This is one of the greatest architectural achievement on planet earth and is just one in a series of extensive earthworks that the mound building woodlands culture of this area erected. Inside artifacts of tremendous value were found like wood effigy pipes and extremely intricate and pinnacly amounted shaped copper.

Serpent Mound. The later is 400 m (quarter mile) long earthwork that shows remarkable solar/lunar accuracy built within a meteor impact zone. It shows patterns and once was hoe to sacred worship and honoring the rhythms of natural cycles. This is one of the greatest architectural achievement on planet earth and is just one in a series of extensive earthworks that the mound building woodlands culture of this area erected. Inside artifacts of tremendous value were found like wood effigy pipes and extremely intricate and pinnacly amounted shaped copper. Working the Earth is a long and slow process that builds permanence. Fortunately we have fossil fuel driven machines that can do extensive earthworks in a small amount of time. Mollison points this to and recommends that with the remaining fossils fuels that we have, we should direct their use towards this means to an end. Below is a picture of soil built on another earthwork done in the coastal region of Sintra, Portugal. After 3 years of soil building on this contour terraced slope with machinery, humus rich soil has been produced. This shows when given a flat platform for cultivation, the advantageous earthworking on a slope has provided the base for water infiltration and stable ground or soil to be built. They are not pretty initially after the install but quickly take off from there. The inner circle should be mulched heavily and again the heap of organic material should form a convex shape. We often use large logs on the bottom for initial bulk and to provide a good fungal base and some aeration. Anything can be recycled and Mollison even suggests throwing in much of ones trash since that service is often limited in the tropics and can even be a resource in iron deficient soils. The mound itself should be mulched heavily in between the new plants to reduce weeds and retain moisture. The mound will evolve quickly and excess banana plants (should only be grandmother, mother, and daugheter from each original plant) can be used as material to fill the depression. The circle design can also be used for Papaya or Coconut Palm. I have seen them bring together people of different cultures, house bats on their undersides, and delight children with their fruit. So i ask that you please incorporate these into your tropical Permaculture design so that the destructive paradigm of burning organic matter can be shifted and abundance can follow. Chapter 10: The Humid Tropics The humid tropics offers unique design challenges and the subsequent opportunities for forging new paradigms in areas that have suffered quite dramatically from imported cultural stamps. Whether this is northern european growing techniques or the infusion of a new religion due to slavery, tropical latitude countries have long been exploited and are overdue for a new model of development. The UN has acknowledged the failed role of chemical agriculture and has now said we must move forward with sustainable agriculture and cites permaculture as one of the methodologies to approach the gargantuan task of repairing social, environmental, and financial systems. In this Chapter we will approach the topics of the challenges that people are faced at latitudes 0-25. Again this is due to the colonial forces at play whether it was from the west in Costa Rica or from the east in Malaysia. We will also look at cottage industries that can be stimulated to enhance the local economy through the principle of for each important function (generating income), it should be supported by many elements. Furthermore, we will also examine the unique qualities of soil there and how to approach its rebuilding so we can create

more equitable systems. Finally housing and energy round out the topics that will be developed over time on this header known as the Humid Tropics. We will not be covering the arid tropics, just as Bill delineated in his book as that is looked at in the context of drylands only. This sections covers three main tropical areas all of which I have visited in my time: Wet Tropics: those that get consistent rainfall nearly all year round with short intermittent times where less rain falls but dont have dramatic dry seasons: Malaysia and Borneo are great classic examples. Wet/Dry Tropics: those that have a pronounced wet and dry season, six months on and six months of are quite common. Costa Rica in the south is very much like this in lowland altitude Monsoon Tropics: these have an even greater dispersal of rain and is concentrated even more in one or two short spurts like in Tamil Nadu, India the southwestern province that receives a tremendous amount of rainfall when it happens but long stretches of time in between. Banana Circle One of the most potent and exemplary design of tropical permaculture is the banana circle. It has multiple functions that include the following but are not limited to just as Bill Mollison once said (the yield is theoretically unlimited, it is only our imagination and information that does) Compost pile (anti-burning of organic material) Food production Biomass production Greywater- from a sink or an outdoor shower right on top Habitat for wildlife Integration into mandala gardens Community interaction (as we experienced in Malaysia with harvesting material from one neighbours burn pile)

Banana Circle serving as a greywater system as part of an overall design with aquaculture, swale, hedgerows, and gardens, on contour The banana circle is a relatively easy design feature to construct and quickly planted out with cuttings and root division. When constructed correctly it serves mainly as a spot to cycle the

constant flow of organic matter that is dropping from the jungle and coming out of the homes there. Culturally, people like to keep their grounds clean (fear of snakes and such but also tradition of northern Europeans to scrape off all the organic matter and burn it) which necessitates a place to recycle the abundant organic material. Burning the material solves nothing but a banana circle results in food and biomass at the very least. Bananas are very hungry plants and will thrive off the abundant cycling of organic material as well as the moisture inherent in its design.

Step one is to lay out the circle in relative location so that it can perform many functions. It again may connect to the house via a sink or waste stream so site it appropriately. They are usually dug on relatively flat ground but a slight slope should not affect it at all. From there you will peg out the inner and outer circle with dimensions roughly but not always from the below drawing. They can get bigger or smaller but for access we have found this to be roughly the best dimensions. The 2 meter wide depression allows for ample water storage and composting area but not big enough where the constant flow of materials will not keep the depression without material. The material should be kept in a convex shape within the concave shape to keep the mosquitos at bay if there happens to be standing water.

The earth that is dug is drug outwardly with hoes and shovel to form a mound more or less 2 feet wide.

This gives plenty of planting space for the bananas themselves and the subsequent guilds. The mound will support seven bananas equidistantly planted around the edge on top of the mound. From there a myriad of plants can be inserted but the main ones used in this guild still are providing physical shelter, nutrients, assist in pest control, and reduce root competition. This guild will also produce food and the other elements are in relative location to making it a synergistic little cultivated ecology.

The

simplest

version

is

to

simply

add

cassava

or

manioc

to

the

outside of the mound as they can tolerate drier conditions. They are fast growing and can give some shelter while eventually providing a root crop yield while the systems is still young (plant and time stacking). This can be propagated by cuttings from other plants or sections of roots can be placed in the ground. From there any of the tropical grasses (lemongrass, citronella, or

vetiver) are inserted on top of the mound in between the banana plants. These plants are then chopped and dropped to make mulch for the emerging system. This cycles energy through the circle absorbing what could be entropy from the emerging planting scheme. The strong scented grasses can also be part of the pest control and provide some low growing initial windbreak. These plants are easily propagated through root division by digging up a clump elsewhere and simply ripping the root mass apart, cutting the foliage back, and then replanting.

The

following

step

involves

planting

groundcover

to

help

with

reducing root competition as tropical grasses and weeds will invade any newly disturbed space. Thus we like to use something fast growing like sweet potato slips. Alternatively or in combination could be peanut grass which an aggressive nitrogen fixer with beautiful yellow flowers. Both are propagated through cuttings or layering. Sweet potato slips can be purchased from markets as there are some varieties grown for the leaf and are extremely fast growing and are sold for their steamed green edibility. This will help mitigate the weed issue and also create more stable soil temps creating conducive conditions for growth. The final element is the planting out of the inner rim which could

house a number of different plant elements. The location lends itself to plants who like the wetter conditions. For this we usually use wetlands plants such as taro or cana lily. They are both good biomass plants and can be used for food when the right cultivars are selected. They are planted densely around the inner terrace absorbing lots of nutrients and having access to the moisture pocket.

Build a Banana Circle

Conservation, Food Forests, Food Plants - Perennial by Jan Buckley June 23, 2008 A banana-paw paw circle is an excellent way to grow fine fruit and root vegetable crops whilst using up excess water and organic wastes. by Jan Buckley Why it works so well The design is basically a circular swale, and it works well because theres only one place to mulch, feed and water, which serves many plants. Its a good spot to put all your kitchen scraps, to use as a handy compost heap, and it can also take cardboard, paper and tin cans. It can make use of excess water run-off, or if water is scarce, greywater can be directed to the circle so water is reused. On top of that, bananas grow well in a circle, and bear bunches on the outside. Both bananas and paw paws are gross feeders and thrive on nutrients from the decaying organic matter in the central hole. So you get ample production of fruit, and root crops. You can also plant climbing plants like beans to grow up the banana stalks once they are tall. Volunteer plants like pumpkins and tomatoes are likely to spring up from vegetable scraps in the compost. Step by step establishment You will need about four banana suckers (preferably a dwarf variety, to allow easy picking), four to five paw paws and ten sweet potato runners; also newspaper and plenty of mulch material. Start by marking a circle about two metres in diameter. Then dig a dish-shaped hole 0.5 to one metre deep in the centre. Mound the soil around the outside in a circular ridge. If you like you can dig a narrow inlet at ground level to collect rainwater runoff.

Cover the whole earth circle with wet paper or cardboard, or banana leaves. Fill the hollow with rough mulch material such as course twigs, leaves, straw, decaying logs, rice husks, etc. Add scatterings of manure, ash, lime, dolomite or other fertilisers. Overfill into a dome; it will sink down over time. If stones are available you can bank them around the outside of the rim. Now plant banana suckers at 60cm intervals around the rim of the mound. Pierce the newspaper and mulch layers and plant into the fine raised soil. Alternate with paw paws, and fill the spaces on the top and outside of the rim with sweet potato. Ten or so plants will spread to cover the soil with their edible foliage. You can also use other root crops like cassava and Jerusalem artichokes. Comfrey can be interplanted as a green manure crop; cut the leaves and add them to the nutrient heap as fertiliser. On the inside of the rim you can add shade and moisture-loving plants like taro and ginger. Shower within, garden without Your banana-paw paw circle can become an outdoor shower or wash-up area if you put a circular grid or wooden slatted platform over the mulch in the centre. You can plan a mandala garden using the circle as the focal point. Wrap a circular sawdust path around the outside with keyhole garden beds radiating off it. Keep an access path to give entry to the banana circle.

This design can be scaled larger for communities such as schools and villages, and has proved useful in countries like the Philippines and India. Multiple circles with vegetable mandalas produce food for villagers, use roof runoff or reuse washroom water where water is a critical resource, and provide shady areas for people to sit outside. Meanwhile it is something almost any of us can do in a back garden or bit of space. It is easy, effective and looks good too. The pattern, which particularly suits tropical and subtropical areas, can be adapted to temperate or other climates using different species. Greywater Mulch Pits Biological Cleaning, Compost, Conservation, Soil Conservation, Storm Water, Swales, Waste Water, Water Contaminaton & Loss, Water Harvesting by Campbell Wilson May 20, 2009 by Cam Wilson, Forest Edge Permaculture Greywater mulch-pits provide an excellent solution when re-using greywater on your garden they are cheap to construct, they improve the quality of water entering your soil and after some time provide you with valuable compost. Theyre very easy to construct too. You basically just dig a hole, wack in some 100mm ag-pipe and then fill it up with nice chunky mulch.

Where possible a number of pits should be constructed around the garden. This enables you to rotate your greywater around and prevent the inevitable waterlogging that occurs if you leave your hose in one spot too long. For flat ground its great to create round pits, with each one midway between a few fruit trees. If on a slope, they will be on contour and can double as a swale. The volume of each pit should be about 4 times the peak flow that leaves your house at any one time. For example if your washing machine pumps out 100 litres, the size of the hole needs to be 400litres (as a guide, 1m3 = 1,000litres). This is to allow for the space taken up by the woody mulch (about 2/3 of the volume) plus a bit extra. 40 cm is plenty deep enough, or else youll start to send most of the water down below the main feeder/drinker roots of your trees. If you have very sandy soils in which most water just disappears straight down, it can pay to line the inside of your pit with plastic. A few punctured holes here and there allow you to infiltrate the water in the direction(s) of your choice. It also gives the critters more time to clean up the water. With the huge increase in the use of greywater on Australian gardens, particularly here in Victoria where weve been on restrictions for a number of years now, there is concern about the effect it will have on soils in the long term. Even if using liquid detergents, which are much lower in sodium and phosphorus than powders (see lanfaxlabs for more info), the alkaline nature of soaps will affect soil pH. Fats and oils from our bodies can also clog up soil pores and make them hydrophobic and any bleaches or harsh cleaners will of course have a huge impact on soil life. By filling these pits with chunky mulch, this acts to filter and clean the water, resulting in better quality irrigation for your valuable fruit trees. Its not the mulch that does the filtering but rather the tiny soil critters that will colonise its surface and just like in a reedbed system, they greedily grab onto any nutrient that passes by. Inevitably, this mulch will be broken down into compost, at which time you should say Awesome! and fork it out of your pit straight onto the fruit trees beside. Then, give your local tree lopper a call and get a free/very cheap load of mulch delivered and refill them. (By the way, this is so much easier than cleaning out a clogged up reedbed, plus you get the compost out of it instead of a mess of aggregate you dont know what to do with.) The simplest way to get water to each pit is by extending the washing machine outlet hose. You can rotate this hose once a week or so. A few tips to prevent your washing machines engine from burning out: 1. Utilise gravity as much as possible; 2. Over 10m+, ensure the extension hose is at least 50mm to reduce strain on the pump; and 3. Dont pump uphill (if you do need to, youll have to get a pump built for this purpose). If you include an appropriate length of 100mm ag-pipe inside each pit, with one end just slightly sticking out, this means that you can poke your washing machine hose down inside so that the water infiltrates sub-surface as regulations rightly demand (stops kids and pets getting sick from the pretty nasty pathogens that greywater can contain). If you want to utilise your bath and shower water also, by law youre supposed to get a plumber in to divert the water. From here, a more permanent option is to construct branched drains which evenly distribute the water around the garden. Detailed design and installation instructions are available for this method in Art Ludwigs book The New Create an Oasis Using Greywater. You can irrigate a 1/8 acre suburban orchard for under $200, which is pretty good value I reckon compared to the $10,000-$20,000 approved treatment systems. Soil Building Techniques Part 1

With the constant downpours that never cease to amaze us how loud the pings can be on the tin roofs, the rains of the tropics are both a blessing and curse. The rains are one of the main leaching forces that limit the tropical soils depth and subsequent fertility. They are very seasonal in most places and form the moisture that creates the abundant soil and atmospheric humidity for constant microbial breakdown of organic material. With these rains, the intense tropical sun, intense microbial breakdown, and swift winds from times, the humus content and fertility is limited in the tropics. On this page and the others called soil building techniques we will pay particular attention to a combination of techniques that can bring fertility to the soil. Without it, they quickly become exhausted and the collapse of the soils brings infertility, disease, and insects. This is the common reason for so much slash and burn agriculture in the tropics and other natural capital degrading agricultural practices such as the use of synthetic fertilizer and pesticides. Thus we must use techniques for water harvesting to lessen this erosive force. Earthworks are the first technique that Bill Mollison laid out in his tropical chapter of the Designers Manual that forms the skeleton of this blook. They have been employed for millennia to deal with this flow and can be seen in the following major forms in the tropics: Swales Terraces Pond Edge Manipulation Sponges including Banana Circles Creating spaces for waters infiltration is our main objective for creating swales. These ditches and mounds that lie on contour, aid in slowing, spreading, and sinking water. The use of contour asks a force to conserve water rather than the traditional method of sending water away. The infiltration of water into the ground is extremely important for building soil in the tropics because without it the erosion picks up our hard work of building soil. Remember to start at the top of your hillside and in the tropics we often need successive earthworks to deal with the tremendous potential of the water. They are spaced much closer together than ones in the drylands and often are large in size.

Trees should always accompany the earthwork to stabilize the soil and cycle the energy of the infiltrating water. Plants can be staked in space and time with the use of biological resources conveniently used to build natural capital. Swales can be created by hand or with machines and can connect to other earthworks such as ponds. Terraces Terracing has long been used by humans to create access and planting space on hillsides that would normally be nearly impossible to cultivate. The technique requires a skill we often lack these days which is to build with dry stacked stones. Some of the existing terraces of complete territories like those in the Minho Valley in the North of Portugal should be revered just as much as any modern skyscraper or famous building of antiquity such as the Parthenon. The leveling process requires a good eye and muscles but is not impossible. It just takes time and the skill to stack stones with no mortar hence our needs for rural skills centers as the traditional fails to be passed on. The walls continue to deteriorate as well and the work of centuries is failing in places like Northern Italy. This truly is a loss of natural capital that our European forefathers created but in one generation has been lost. The tradition of terracing hillsides to create level areas for cultivating rice is an impressive use of contour. With waters undeniable ability to show this facet of nature, contoured hillsides have long been used to produce staple foods. Here the photo shows different times of planting and draining with the red earth exposed while others are flooded and others have the green growth of rice.

Pond Edge Manipulation After a pond is constructed one can also crenelate the edges of the pond for increased interaction between land and water. This edge is abundant and allows for added growth of wetlands plants that can be cycled to the surrounding earth. Lowland soil rich in organic material was also cycled into nearby beds. Sponges Sponges facilitate the development of nuclei to merge in small scale intensive systems as system succession progresses. The system uses ditches and mounds to create a diverse space thats edge creates numerous niches and

Papaya Sponge Permaculture with household waste being cycled

subsequent functions. The depression acts as a space for the never ending flow of organic material that stems from life in the humid tropics. It creates a safe haven for the organic material that is often discarded or burned in accordance with long standing traditions about cleanly spot around the house. The copious amounts of tropical food waste may also be processed by the sponge as the outflow is compounded by subsistent agriculture movement. The depression hold constant water and fertility aiding the associated plant tapping downward from the perched bed space. The cycle is filled completely with good design.

The sponges can also be a greywater system in the humid tropics. Often piping simply is out the back of the house and not necessarily designed for its maximum use. This can be altered with some extra piping and proper placement of the sponge. The carbon material will happily feed on the soaps and organic material while the plants will also never get dry. Reportedly in reforestation in the drier regions of Haiti this technique has worked great fro establishing bananas. This is a great testament since that area of Haiti has no soil and very little rainwater distributed evenly over the year.

Chapter 11: Dryland Strategies Drylands are a major climatic zone on planet earth that is rapidly expanding and for this we should be troubled on this Blue Planet. the deserts are growing at exponential rates leaving billions of people marginalized as dry areas get drier and eventually succumb to desertification. This has huge implications throughout the world from developed countries like Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy (notice the trend with the current 2012 context of economic crisis in southern Europe) and also underdeveloped Nations like Sudan, Bolivia and Uzbekistan. Then there are emerging countries like China and India who have huge development issues arising as their agriculture and land use changes. Both nations have responded both positively and negatively to the worsening situation.

Revealing the Pattern of Desertification The loss of top soil is a huge economic downfall of many countries as the base of economy is inextricably linked to natural capitol. In the above picture vast quantities of soil have been washed away by the erosive forces of sun, wind, and water. This combination increasingly is becoming extreme and the systems ability to regenerate has been diminished by deforestation, colonialism, till agriculture, and biocides. When the fabric is torn in these drylands, or brittle systems, it tears quickly and severely unlike the forgiving non-brittle climates of Northern Europe or the Eastern Half of the U.S.A. Our techniques of farming were brought there, whether it was the Sonoran Desert of the southwestern part of the states, or Australia. Both those contexts produced disastrous resultus in areas that once provided some of the most complex and bio-diverse drylands regions and the subsequent human indigenous cultures. The Anasazi in the southwest present states of Arizona and New mexico had access to over 400 plants of edibility in a place that it is now considered to be normal to simply be a desert; devoid of bio-diversity and abundance. This is often tied again to the colonial reign that had so much negative effect on traditional ecosystem/ indigenous habitation pattern of symbiosis and co-creation. Our ability to restore ecosystem function and habitat for wildlife is an important mission we face. The combination of soil/water/trees/earthworks will be leading model of development in the future. Chapter 12: Humid Cool to Cold Climates The humid cool to cold climates offer a unique context that they are relatively lowly populated in terms of density and hold much of the worlds wealth. Their characteristic

Four seasons of Temperate zones- Treasure Lake, Kentucky, USA four seasons and regularly distributed rainfall make it a much more forgiving and non-brittle scale rating in the context of the complementary land and social movement called Holistic Management. regions that display this context would be southern South America, much of the regions of Canada and the U.S.A, Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe, as well as Korea and parts of New Zealand. Classically prairies and meadows were interspersed with man made Savannas and large tracts of primeval forests. These were most likely shaped by their indigenous peoples habits as 60% of all trees in the eastern half of the United States were the American Chestnut (Castanea dentata). The prairies were shaped again by these indigenous people but also herbivores, fire, and predators. This interaction built soils deeply which is one of the main characteristics of temperate climates. They can build considerable amounts of humus under permanent forest or prairie.

Abundant Mushrooms in a temperate forest, Steirmark, Austria

While the tropical zones seem so abundant in plant diversity, our temperate zones offer a wonderful array that might not compete in numbers but surely in beauty. We can draw from a huge pallet of plants that will grow in these zones like classic favorites such as

Jerusalem Artichoke, sunchoke, or topinambour (Helianthus tuberosus) harvest at Parkwalk permaculture Ohio, USA- zone 6 showing the abundance of one tuber multiplying into a feast and lots of biomass to recycle in compost piles raspberries and plums but offers emerging fruits such as Paw Paws (Asimina triloba) and Hardy Kiwis (Actinida arguta). It is our ability to arrange these plants in beneficial relationships that stack in space and time that propels our food and fuel sustainability. We also have a smaller perennial vegetable choice to draw from but classics such as asparagus and sorrel should be complimented with Jerusalem Artichoke and stinging nettles. We also can rely on forest products such as mushrooms and herbs and where wildlife abounds like in the eastern half of the U.S., ethical hunting methods can be employed to harvest the bounty of the wilds. Additionally in our design of these systems we must carefully plan micro-climate and select species that can fill those niches. For example using south, southwest facing walls to extend garden seasons or planting stone fruit on a northeast slope to delay flowering. These fruits and their flowers are affected by late frosts and planting them in this specific micro-climate can delay flowering. Furthermore, using season extending glasshouses is a common feature of this climatic zone. Our building choices must reflect the dramatic swings in temperature that define this zone. For example in Ohio, the authors home region for many years, temps n the summer can exceed 40 C plus humidity while the winter air is chilly and dry with lows at extremes of -20 C.This requires the usage of appropriate building materials and the balance between insulation and thermal mass. A building in this zone without a focus on insulation is bound to consume energy and should always be designed in. Finally we must pay particular focus on building local food systems in this climate zone because of the four season affect. We have to learn to preserve food and rely on products that

can be stored or harvested in the winter such as fermented foods or meat and dairy. Although our affluence allows us to eat as vegetarians or even vegans currently, we should be striving to stimulate local farmers who are doing it right so we can eat all winter locally. Furthermore, the local foods movement should always include ferment foods as it is a great preservation technique that Bill Mollison advocated strongly and wrote an in depth look at the topic as well. Preserving cabbage and chiles into a gringo kimchi is a great alternative to Florida oranges when you live 1000 Km away in Ohio and need winter Vitamin C. A great example is the Fab Ferments company in the temperate zone of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Chapter 13: Aquaculture Bill Mollison only wrote 14 chapters of his seminal book Permaculture: A Designers Manual yet one of those was dedicated solely to aquaculture. This alone should lend credence to the importance of this topics integration into design work. However if this isnt enough Uncle Bill made the following bold statement: Given the same inputs in energy or nutrients, we can expect from 4-20 times the yield from water than that from the adjoining land.

Chinampas (reconstructed Wetlands) from costal Panama, Bocas del Toro From there he laid out several points to give the case for committing to developing this long tradition that has been apart of traditional food production systems in places like the Orient, Europe, and even Egypt. The following are a recap of his points: There is a constant supply of water where as land based systems are often limited by a lack or a sudden overabundance known as the flood and drought symptom. The solubility of nutrients in water is of particular ease for plant uptake quickly hop and down and the next point will be reinforced or ponder on the energy it takes for a cow to stand up after laying and chewing its cud. water based organisms spend very little energy on movement. with water as the medium a tree-dimensional abundance is perpetuated from the interaction between light, nutrients, and plants which results in numerous niches. These niches can be filled by many different creatures thus reinforcing the long tradition of polyculture that aquaculture has. Ever forked a garden bed or driven a tractor to till a plot of land for growing crops? None of that is necessary in aquaculture systems as cultivation energy is lessened. Ponds are often multi-functional and build resilience into the overall system. Aquaculture systems are a great addition to any aquaculture system. Read more about

drawing of water chestnut- one of the many yields from aquaculture systems the food web that comprises it on our other pages and our system examples like the tyre pond. Aquaculture Food Web Much like the soil food web, an aquatic version based around an Perma-Aquacutlrue system is an interrelated system based on predator prey relationships with photosynthesis adding a primary energy source. Its starts with primary producers, those using photosynthesis to build the base of the web. Varying niches are filled within the water and around the banks. Some float, some are rooted, some break the waters surface and some do a combination of two.

Pond ecology Aquaculture Food web The plants within the aquatic system can be broken into the following four categories: Free floating plants

Primary producers: aquatic free-floating plants- duckweed on the surface, green color of algae, and the shoreline terrestrial plants Emergent Plants Submergent Plants Floating leaved Plants From there we must also consider the smallest of the primary producers in the pond called phytoplankton and algae. These are micro in size and suspended in the water column. Their presence, especially in high numbers, gives the body a green or red tint or color depending on the species and water.

These plants are supported by terrestrial vegetation as well because no Permaculture aquaculture system would be complete without beneficial interactions. Hence the aquatic system benefits the land and vice versa. The land based plants can provide food directly such as the leaves of cassava for tilapia or fringing grasses for carp, but also can be prepared into a homemade fish food. This comes from combining grain and fruits to make our own pelleted feed.

From here life turns to death as this cycle is inevitable. This creates the basis or decomposition again both on land or at the pond bottom. When it is at the bottom it is called detritus where the breakdown process occurs and organic material develops. This begins the nutrient cycling just as composting on land would occur. The main characters that bring this decomposition and nutrient cycling is similar to a compost pile. However in aquatic systems they are Bacterial driven unlike a forest system that is dominated by fungal counts. Bacteria are abundant in numbers and through their eating and reproducing they consume vast amounts of oxygen in a limited oxygen environment. This is why we simply cant dump vast quantities of fertilizers into the water. Furthermore this is why algae blooms due to fertilizer or animal waste runoff is so destructive to the aquatic system. What happens is the overabundance of nutrients allows algae or other aquatic plants to flourish but with their life comes death and the decay process. So the bacteria populations explode due to the organic matter input and over-consume oxygen causing system failure known as fish kills. Other breakdown organisms are fungi, although their numbers are low and often are

Vermi-composting for aquaculture pathogens in water. Also are the benthic invertebrates which live on the pond bottom. They breakdown leaves and other organic material that land in the ponds bottom. Also breakdown organisms in our systems include land based ones as again our interactions must bring land into the system. So worms and maggots can be grown as waste decomposers and then fed to the fish and ducks. This builds a further base and the next character in the web is zooplankton and protozoa. These feed on other organisms and through this predator-prey relationship nutrients are cycled. Its like grass being grown for a cow. Phytoplankton use photosynthesis and add oxygen to the water column. They

then are feed on by Zooplankton. Just as the cow is eaten by other predators such as mountain lions or humans, zoo plankton form the main feed base for you fish. They are a high protein source and give the young fish the energy they need to put on growth quickly so they move out of danger size. In this web, the connector of many of the elements are the adult fish which in this case is Tilapia. They are omnivores and have a broad range of foods. They dont eat other fish in general and are a great selection for aquaculture.

It is through sensible stimulation of the primary producers that we can grow fish more quickly in our Perma-aquaculture systems. Adding chicken manure or incorporating ducks into the system can really benefit the overall organism. its important to have a balance though as we dont want the system failure of lack of oxygen. There are ways to infuse oxygen into the system mechanically and biologically. A careful examination of water quality is really important in this context. Our design of systems ties into our species selection and these water quality parameters that can be limiting factor in water. the clarity of the water, its temperature, and its oxygen quality all have an effect. Are you growing Tilapia or trout, the two are totally different ecosystem you will be mimicking ad require good design to perpetuate either without consuming more calories than you put in. Remember aquaculture can be 4-20 more productive than our land based systems and we need to design it to make it 20 instead of 4.

yre Ponds are a great little garden feature that can enhance the overall aesthetics and integrated pest management of a site. By inviting biodiversity into the site we can make the system more resilient and attractive which tyre ponds do so elegantly. They use an excess resource of tyres and are quite easy to construct. They cost little money to set up as the plants that fill them are easy to procure from the wild or easily propagated once purchased from an aquatic nursery. Below I will flush out the design as well as the process one would take to implement this simple design feature.

Sample design for trye pond Your design will be based on the size of tyre that you can find lying around. We want to source larger tyres, like those from a tractor or large truck. This will determine the size of the inner and outer rim as we aim to create edge within the small pond to create even more niches and the subsequent biodiversity.

Once you have those measurements, you can determine approximately how many plants will fill the tyre pond and where to locate it within the garden. I like them on

the edge of zone 1 and 2 depending on other aquatic resources around. If you have a zone 2 aquaculture pond, locate the tyre pond near the annual garden bed in Zone 1 to help with insect predation. Alternatively you may be just growing duckweed on top of the pond for the chickens to eat. Then you want to put it in relative location of the chicken coop. You can also create multiple tyre ponds to fit the desire of how much space you want in water and what functions they will be fulfilling. After the observation and design process occurred, the implementation process goes relatively smoothly. First you must cut the top rim of the tyre off to create the shelf shape that we desire. This is easier said then done these days because of steel-belted tyres. We had an old pruning saw that was on its last leg that we used numerous times for this in Bulgaria. Dont use anything nice and plan to have this process last a couple of days and work at it slowly. A bit of soap helps with the lubrication and cutting process. Once you have that done then you locate the tyre and start digging.

Digging the inner rim, laying the hessian sacks, and the plastic lining initially going in. So first you lay the tyre and mark its location then dig the outer rim circumference. Once you can fit that in flush with the soil surface you dig the inner rim. That you want to go

another 25-35 cm down. Some I have gone deeper on but it doesnt seem to provide too much benefit. Once you have the earth removed, replace the tyre in and then you need to line the hole and the tyre with either hessian sacks or old carpet. This provides a barrier between the steel of the tyre and any other jagged obtrusion such as stones. From here you are ready to lay the plastic down. We typically use the same lining of plastic that is available for green roofing. It is widely available these days and a tough and some what stable plastic fiber. However, it is full of what is called plasticizers and these must be processed before laying it.

Washing the green roof lining with soap to eliminate plasticisers To eliminate there is two different ways based upon timing. One is to use soap and lots of water to thoroughly rinse the material away. This is the quickest way and if you need the job done immediately, this is the way. Alternatively, you can leave the material in the sun for several days and you will notice the strong smell of plastic fades after three days. A combination of the both is probably the best in the end. Once washed then you lay the plastic in the hole.

Filling up the pond, adding the plants, and then letting them grow A tip for laying the plastic is do it midday on a sunny day. That morning lay out the plastic in the sun and find some gloves that you can use. This material is much more pliable when warm and allows you to more quickly smooth out the majority of the wrinkles. You never will get all the wrinkles out and the folds act as refuges for small insects. The pressure and weight of the water will further assist in the laying out process. I recommend using non-chlorinated or chlorimated water in the beginning but adding a handful of good worm or hot compost can help neutralize these chemicals through the humic acids that are held within. I always recommend that you add water from a local pond as well as some pond bottom muck. This will help to inoculate various forms of life and begin the nutrient cycling. From there you can put the plants in the pond in a couple of different ways. One way is to create a plant medium similar to potting mix with compost, pond bottom soil, and sand and keep the plants in pots on the shelves. This allows you to control a bit the size of the plants as many aquatic plants are quite aggressive. Besides that you can fill up the pond shelves with 24 inches (5-10 cm) of the same sort of mix and plant directly into that. I used the plants in pots where I am looking to start more of a nursery type situation but in a more stable location I use the soil directly on the shelves.

Tyre Pond example at Permaship in Bulgaria just a few months after installation The ponds respond quite quickly and the above one that you see is only a few months down the road from its initial creation. The plants respond quite well to transplant and when planted in mostly full sun with some afternoon shade, they thrive. Logs and stones enhance their look and habitat creating ability. Furthermore, make sure you have an entry and exit for the frogs. This element can serve many functions and is quite easy to install. Below is a list of plants that you see in the above pond just as an idea of the amount of biodiversity that is possible in such a small area of slightly bigger than one meter around. Arrowhead- Sagittaria sagittifolia Cattail- Typha sp. Pickerelweed- Pontederia cordata Sedge- Carex sp. Flowering rush- Butomus umbellatus Sweet Flag- Acorus calamus Watercress- Nasturtium officinale Water plantain- Alisma sp. Lesser water parsnip- Berula erecta Duckweed- Lemna sp. Fringed Water Lily- Nymphoides peltata Many of these species have edible or medicinal use as well as the function of providing biomass. Click on the following links for more of the uses from Plants for a Future database: Supplemental Aquaculture Info

Maggot Bucket Recipe- Drill holes in a bucket according to maggot size but somewhere around a quarter inch. Then fill this 5 or 30 gallon bucket with food scraps and some meat (leftovers, road-kill, or innards). Make sure the contents are plenty moist. Flies then lay eggs, hatch and begin to grow. They have a certain amount of time in their larval stage so you need to feed them to fish or poultry before they metamorphose. Learning the hatch time can be accomplished through books or small experiments. Other Insect Food- Use kitchen scraps and bedding such as newspaper to create habitat for worms in a container. Vast amounts of info are online about vermiculture. Place a painted yellow object over a pond and grasshoppers will jump towards it. Further hang a light over a pond and powered with a small solar panel. This light attracts all sorts of insect to ponds surface which fish can eat. Fish Food Recipe- Grow a grain and harvest and process it. Grind it and mix it with a high pectin fruit (mango, banana, crabapple). Then put this through a meat grinder extruder to make a uniform shaped strand. Lay this on cookie sheets and sun dry. It is done when the outside is crunchy and inside moist. Cut into small bits according to fish size and record feeding amounts. Carefully monitor feed amounts. Fish Emulsion Recipe- Procure a fifty five gallon bucket or smaller with a tight fighting lid. Put fish, usually medium sized ones on the bottom of the food chain, in this bucket once they are dead. Cover them with water and keep adding fish untill the container is full. Stir occasionally and after nine months it transforms from smelly and black to golden and sweet. This is an amazing source of nutrients and nitrogen. Chapter 14: The Strategies of an Alternative Global Nation This chapter really is the great leap forward in our journey as Permaculturists and stewards of this Planet. Its a frontier that needs careful examination at every level of design. How do our social/ economic structures, both visible and invisible, curtail or propel our efforts to build soil, to harvest rainwater, and to grow community. There are many techniques that are being worked out right now like local currencies, eco-village development, and co-ops which are helping to build the momentum of change through functional interconnections of people. Permaculture is mostly actually about people and how well we work cooperatively might just be whether or not our species diverges from its path from extinction because of specialization. Anthropologically speaking specialization tends to lead towards extinction as our model of liberal economics dictates this technique to obtain economies of scale. It will be our doom unless decentralization occurs and our communities embrace the fall out with the pattern of edge.

Local currency example from the small island community of Salt Spring in British Columbia, Canada: Photo Credit to Transition Town Network Presently, it is often our laws and economic principles that exhaust natural capitol rather than build it. Its our culture of development in suburbs and individual possession that divides us socially. There are many things that have been imprinted on us and are the cause for waste of resources. When they are intangible items like laws, they are called invisible structures. When they are tangible like lack of insulation they are physical structures. This chapter focuses more on the invisible ones but maybe there is a grant program, an invisible structure, which helps home owners to get funding for improving insulation in houses. It is our ability to form new models of social cohesion that will ultimately judge our success on Planet Earth with Permaculture Design.

One of the most exciting social movements that has stemmed from permaculture and its ecological design system is called Transition Towns. it offers a model for approaching

Peak Oil graph highlighting the rise of oil costs and a graph on the Peaks of individual countries. community scale change that addresses both physical and invisible structures. The premise is that we are beginning to run out of resources and need a time of transition to deal with a lower fossil fuel input in our society. An EDAP, or Energy Descent Action Plan, gives us a working framework for redesigning our lives for an equitable and just place based around community development and wise resource usage. Continual research into how we move forward with less stored sunlight energy usage, burning of fossil fuels, is a must for the backside of the growth curve. Is our economic status of 2012 because of heightened oil prices and the shock of economics based on trickle down Rega-nomics? Whether or not the 2008 $147 a barrel on July 3rd is the cause of our present condition will only be determined in another 10 years most likely. It is obvious that the credit crisis ensued and the ripples are still going. What will be the outcome of this may hinge upon our ability to reorganize ourselves with local currencies, barter and exchange systems, and local food systems that dont rely on an overabundance of liquid fuels.

The timeline of transition So you have to ask yourself what will 2030 look like when we engage ourselves, our local community and our governments on sustainability issues. No really stop and ask yourself, draw it, dream it, mind map it, or write it but please envision it. That is our way forward, first create the vision. The alternative global nation depends on a new generation of people thinking aline with

Doug Crouch teaching Xavier University students at the Quaker house in Cincinnati

ecological patters and a society reformed on cooperation not competition. Educating people of all levels is vastly important and we must always remember our ethics or Permaculture. This is why this website is free and if you want to redistribute some of your surplus feel free to donate or sign up for one of our courses. Having the time to do build this website is a redistribution of my surplus and I hope the gifts of giving just keep perpetuating themselves Natural Building movement. philosophy. practical application. Most of the buildings most of us live and work in are soulless, anti-ecological, and ugly. We close our senses when we are in them. But theres another kind of architecture, one that feeds the soul and spirit, one that helps us feel good, that elevates our daily lives. The old Dominion-Over-Nature days are past; we need an ecological architecture that reestablishes us in our place in Nature, where we are constantly reminded of the glory of the world around us. In creating natural buildings, you will create ecstatic spaces, a place where your spirit can soar. (Ianto Evans 2002: 5)

Natural Building: Doug meditating on a cob bench and oven at Shamballa Permacultura in Cordoba, Argentina. Photo credit: Eva Wimmer The present chapter is about natural building, the movement, the philisophy and the practical application. Natural Building is an ancient tradition but at the same time a novel and radical approach to building in our western society. Experimenting of what works, and what doesnt, is part of the joy. There is no truth in natural building or the right way to do it. I am sharing my own experiences and there will probably always be a few other ways to get to the same result. This page is in process, it combines pratical experience, input of experienced natural builders that I met at different courses in europe, north- and south-america, complemented with usefull information found in handbooks about natural building. Please feel free to comment and share your experience with the natural building community. Content: History of Natural Building. Site and Design, Zone 0-1 Design, Buildings for Temperate Climate, Drylands and Humid Tropics

Passive Solar Design: Thermal Mass vs. Insulation Materials: Clay, Sand, Straw, Water Introduction to Cob, Adobe, Strawbale, Light-Clay, Rammed Earth, Earthbag/Superadobe, Cordwood, Timber-Framing and Earthships Foundations, Walls, Roofs, Floors Plasters and Finishes: Earthen Plasters, Lime, Tadelakt Cob Ovens, Benches, Rocket Mass Heaters Natural Building Projects Around the World Bibliography

Building Materials What Are Natural Materials? Natural materials can be classified in geological materials and biological materials that are connect by water: rock gravel sand clay water grass bamboo palm conifer broad-leafed trees. Geological materials are borrowed from the earth and will eventually return to the earth. Biological materials are pulled out of their life-cycle and susceptible to temperature, moisture, bacteria and fungus. A list of minor materials ads on: natural tar, gums, saps, shells, resins, beeswax, plant and animal oils, wool, skins and others. (Evans 2002: 15). The natural in natural materials implies that the materials have not been processed industrially. When we build, we always modify the materials we find and process them to a certain degree. Strictly speaking, only if I moved into a hollow tree or a cave, would I live in a Natural Building. Ianto Evans defines natural materials as materials that, even processed, retain their essential nature. (Evans 2002: 14) Hence, a tree cut down on site -whether with a chainsaw or a hand saw- and milled square is still a natural material because of the personal involvement in the process and the respect for the tree. If a lumber company clear cuts a forest and hauls away the trees on a big truck, the woods naturalness diminishes drastically, says Ianto Evans (2002:14). In the following, we will focus on the most common natural building materials: clay, sand, and straw. Clay Clay is the most complex and critical ingredient of our building materials. Its essential to understand the key characteristic of clay. It can absorb a lot of water and it shrinks 5 15% when it dries, leading to cracks if there isnt enough sand added. Clay is decomposed rock, it is made up of little platelets of hydrous aluminum silicates and held together by water molecules (Evans et al. 2002: 121). Its not only the size that distinguishes clay from other dirt, its also its molecular and chemical properties. Clay particles are electrically charged what makes them adherable and attractive to other molecules like water. There are strong cohesive forces in clay. Since the particles are much smaller than those of sand for example, there is more surface area for water to adhere. The crystalline structure of clays share a code that is supposed to be similar to that of DNA, the building block of life. Clay might have been one of the prime ingredients of the primordial soup in which life originated (Denzer 2007: 24). Also in the Book of Genesis, God created Adam out of clay. Natural materials can be classified in geological materials and biological materials that are connect by water: rock gravel sand clay water grass bamboo palm conifer broad-leafed trees. Geological materials are borrowed from the earth and will eventually return to the earth. Biological materials are pulled out of their life-cycle and susceptible to temperature, moisture, bacteria and fungus. A list of minor materials ads on: natural tar,

gums, saps, shells, resins, beeswax, plant and animal oils, wool, skins and others. (Evans 2002: 15). The natural in natural materials implies that the materials have not been processed industrially. When we build, we always modify the materials we find and process them to a certain degree. Strictly speaking, only if I moved into a hollow tree or a cave, would I live in a Natural Building. Ianto Evans defines natural materials as materials that, even processed, retain their essential nature. (Evans 2002: 14) Hence, a tree cut down on site -whether with a chainsaw or a hand saw- and milled square is still a natural material because of the personal involvement in the process and the respect for the tree. If a lumber company clear cuts a forest and hauls away the trees on a big truck, the woods naturalness diminishes drastically, says Ianto Evans (2002:14). The function of clay in earth building: Clay is the binder. Clay is the sticky glue in our mix, it is the bonding agent. If you compare your building mix with a rock wall, clay is the mortar and sand is the rock. Its the clay, that holds your materials together. Since clay isnt a standardized material, its necessary to test your material before using it. Its also important to be able to differentiate clay from silt and other slippery organic matter. There are no rules and no recipes for your mix. You need just enough clay to hold the wall together. Calculated over the thumb, you need 1 part of clay for 3-4 parts of sand. Straw is added in later as needed. Clay is fine. Clay is a very fine material, its size is less than 1/256 mm. Clay particles are very small but have a large surface area and a single gram of clay can have a surface that is larger than a football field (Denzer 2007: 25). Viewed under the microscope, clay is a series of tiny plates, held together by water molecules. Clays tendency to bond with water makes it sticky. Also the flatness of the particles creates its plasticine-like and sticky properties, comparable to two sheets of wet paper. When you make the shake-test it takes coarse sand less than a second to sediment, a grain of silt a few minutes, but a fine particle of clay can take hours to years due to its shape. Clay breathes. Clay has the ability to absorb and release moisture. If there is too much humidity in the air, the wall absorbs and releases it again, when the air is drier. It naturally regulates humidity in your building, what makes it a perfect material for building! It also absorbs heavy metals, toxins that are in the air or in your skin. Clay is healing. Clay has been used for thousands of years for its medicinal properties. Externally it can be applied on irritations of the skin the extract toxins. Mud baths are a common use of clay and offered in health spas. Internally it absorbs toxins in the stomach. Clay can be impermeable. Water cannot penetrate heavy clay and makes it a suitable and natural option to seal ponds and damns as long as they dont dry out! Clay has a memory. Clay remembers its form. Clay remembers the stories of the planet. I have heard a few people talk about clay having a memory. If you have experience with that, please share it with us!

The Function of Sand in Earth Building Sand is an essential ingredient in cob building. The addition of sufficient sand in your building mix is one of the options to avoid cracking. Sand does not hold moisture and interlocks with each other as the clay dries. Sand is a very stable material that gives your wall compressive strength. Since sand is essentially like rock or stone, it has good thermal mass properties. It stores heat or coolth. Straw

Straw is the biological material that is used in cob building. Straw is a byproduct of grain production. Its the stalks that are left over, after the cereals have been harvested. There is not a stitch of green or nitrogen in it any more. Bugs and critters are not interested in straw, because there are no more nutrients, its similar to biting into sawdust. Oat, rye and winter wheat are the strongest straws you can find and your best choice, barley straw is ok too but can be bridle. Straw that has been grown over winter is stronger than straw that was grown in spring and summer. Rice straw is good too, it is very long and has very good tensile strength. It can be tricky to mix with your clay and sand since it tends to entangle around itself and is also very sharp and can cut your hands and feet. Combine it with a shorter straw, eg. short wheat straw (Smith 2002: 128f). When you buy and store straw, make sure that it hasnt gotten rained on, that it had been stored in a dry place. Yourself, store it in a dry spot off the ground, indoors is best. Avoid straw to get moist as it will rott and get bridle, tarps are not perfect as a cover. They might leak and cause condensation. Buy your strawbales directly from the producer, thats cheapest and the most reliable source. Test the straw for its strength, try to break it and pull it apart. The price of strawbales fluctuates throughout the year and its best to get them right after harvesting. Hay is not straw. Hay is grass that was cut green and then dried. It still has a lot if nutrients in it. Just as it was starting to make its flower or fruit, it was cut. Thats the point, when it has most life energy in it. Hay is intended to be animal fodder during winter. The function of straw in earth building whereas sand gives your wall compressive strength, straw is responsible for the tensile strength or pull-apart-strength and for the shear strength of your wall. Straw in a cob wall is like the rebar in reinforced concrete. Take 5 good stems of straw in your hand and try to pull it apart. If it is good straw, you should not be able to break it. Straw insulates. Straw is an insulating material as it traps air in its hollow stems. Straw reduces and disperses cracking. Like sand, straw is an aggregate that avoids cracking as clay dries. Straw is a structural element in strawbale construction. A good plaster is essential in strawbale construction. When you use a good plaster with sufficient straw, its not necessary to use pins in between the strawbales as the plaster does the same job. (Sara Highland in Oxford, Michigan, July 2012). Straw has different lengths. Depending on what you do, sometimes you want long straw, sometimes you want short straw. For Cob, you prefer long straw to make you wall as strong as possible. For structural plasters, you might want medium long straw and for finishing plasters you will prefer finely chopped straw. Design your building depending on the materials you have! Where to find building soil? Wherever you are going to build, you will probably find many of the building materials you need right beneath the ground you are building on. In the Natural Building Movement we try to obtain most of our materials from the site itself. The land you are building on provides you with an abundance of materials that are free, healthy and sustainable. If you are very lucky, the soil below you has the right composition of clay and sand and you just need to add straw. The perfect soil for Cob would have 3-4 parts of sand and one part of clay. In other cases you might have primarily clayey soils to which you add coarse sand, or sandy soils to which you add clay. You need just enough clay to hold the sand and straw together. Soil is made up of different layers. The top layer has a lot of life in it and has become a precious resource on our planet. Its colour is usually dark, you find many plant roots,

earthworms and decaying organic material known as humus. Save the topsoil for your garden! We find our building soil in the subsoil. Unlike topsoil, the subsoil has very little to no organic material, the color changed and you will find different mixes of stone, gravel, sand, silt and clay.

Be aware that every subsoil is different. To find building soil, dig a few holes on your site, below the topsoil layer. Dig the holes where you think you will build or at places where you could get the soil out and transport it to your site. If your shovel leaves a shiny cut, you have clay in your soil. If the soil is wet, clay will stick to your boots, it will feel slippery and wont wanna let go. Get to know your soil by feeling it, take a little bit of it and spit in your hands to moisten it, feel the stickiness of it, make it into a little ball. This simple test already gives you an idea of what your building mix is going to need additionally. In the best case, your subsoil comes in ratio of sand and clay that is ideal for building and you dont have to add in additional materials. Where else can you go look for clay? Check the soil under a blown down tree to see if there is clay below the topsoil layer. Notice where puddles are, spots where water doesnt drain quickly after heavy rainfalls. You will probably find clay there because most clays are impermeable to water. Also look for places where water comes up to the surface, where natural springs are, look for plants that like to grow in water like watercress, skunk cabbage, rushes, sedges, mint and willow. Also Red Cedar, Bold Cypress, Maple, Alder, Buttonbush like wet soils. These plants of impeded drainage are a good indicator for clay. Also slippage on a back road can be a sign for clay deposits. (Evans et al. 2002: 126). Apart from sand and clay, there will be smaller stones and gravel in your soil. They are welcome in your Cob-mix because they help with the compressive strength of your wall. In traditional Cob, stones and gravel were one of the main ingredients. It might not be so pleasant to mix with bare feet or apply it bare handed though. You might want to wear shoes and gloves.

Sand comes in different sizes, from small pebbles to very fine sand, the size varies between 6mm or 1/4 if an inch to the smallest recognizable grain. Its a very stable material, its heavy and hard, it doesnt shrink or absorb moisture, and it is a good thermal mass agent. A good gob mix has good proportion of coarse sand. Soil Tests How to test your soil There is a wide range of low-tech tests you can easily do yourself to examine the suitability of your soil on site, to find out if you have clay in your soil and to which extent and to find the strongest combination of clay, sand and straw. The Palm Test to test the stickiness of your soil. Take some of your soil and add water to make a paste. Put a bit between your fingers and feel if your fingers stick together when you open and close. When they do, you have a high clay content in your soil. Make a little ball the size of a golf ball, flatten it and put it in the balm of your hand. Turn hand up side down and open and close it a few times. With a high clay content, you should be able to do that at least 5 times before it falls off. Some clay will be sticking to your hand and you cant see your palm. The Shake Test to test the composition of your soil. It will tell you how much usefull sand you have i your soil, the proportion of silt and clay. Go to your building site and take several jars with good lids, a shovel, water and some salt or liquid soap. Dig holes on your site to get different samples of your soil. Take a jar of moreless a liter or two in volume with straight walls and fill it up to a 1/3 with your building soil, add water until the top and a teaspoon of soap or salt (salt or soap help the clay to settle faster). Shake it thoroughly, make sure not to have clumps in it. If there are, let them soak for 2 hours, then give it another good shake. You dont want to confuse dry clumps of clay with coarse sand. After that you set it down and let the ingredients settle. Watch the settlement and mark it on your jar. Gravel and coarse sand will settle first, then fine sand, silt and finally clay. Organic matter will swim on the surface. Make a mark after 5 seconds, thats coarse sand that is useful for building. Make a mark after 10 minutes, fine sand and silt will have settled by then. Clay will settle last and it might take weeks for the water to clear if you dont move the jar. If your water is clear after half an hour, you dont have any clay in your soil. If the water is still brown after that, you have clay in your soil. What gives water the brown color, are the fine clay particles that have not settled yet. You will see the different layers in your jar, fine sand and silt are too small to be distinguished with the bare eye. They are not the ideal materials for your cobmix anyways. For Cob, the perfect soil would be a thick layer of coarse sand and a fine layer of clay. To figure out the actual proportion of clay in your sample, you would have to dry the clay because it expands when soaked in water. The shake test doesnt give you as much information as the patty test I will describe below, but its an interesting thing to do. You get some distinctions of different layers but be aware, that clays work very differently and fortunately, the range of clays that are workable is wide! The patty test to find the strongest combination: Another simple test is to make a burger or little pasty with the soil you have. Take a cup and make 4 different samples. Use for example 3 parts of subsoil and add one part of sand and one part of water to mix it all together. In your second sample you use 2 parts of subsoil, 2 parts of sand and 1 part of water. Come up with 2 more samples following that scheme. Make a patty and mark it in a way to remember what is in it, tha ratio of sand and clay. Take out stones or parts of bricks that might be in your soil. Let the test-patties dry. The patties have to be thick enough to see if and how they crack. Once they are dry, you beat them up, throw them on the ground, try to break them with your hands. The goal of this test is

to find the strongest combination that doesnt crack. Of the 4-5 test-patties that you make, 2 will probably work. The strongest combinations are going to be the preferred mix for building the walls of your house! Considerations for Drying: Dry in a shady spot! If you put your test patties in direct sun, they will dry very fast what makes them crack easier and you cant read well about the characteristics of your soil. This wont give you a reliable result. Other tests mentioned in The Hand Sculpted House by Evans, Smiley and Smith (2002): The Crack or Snake Test To test plasticity, take a sample of your building soil and roll it between the palms of your hands until it has the diameter of a pencil. Then try to bend it around your finger. The more clay you have in your soil, the further youll be able to bend it around your finger without breaking. The Squish Test Take a lump the size of a golf ball of your soil, make a dough that has a lot of moisture in it and hold it tightly in your fist. Constrict your fingers but leave a gap between thumb and forefinger. With a high clay content in your sample, a ribbon of clay will be extruded through the gap. When you have a high content of silt in your soil sample, water will be dripping from your hand. The Shine Test This time take a lump the size of an egg, that is very wet and flatten it in the pal of your hand. Pat it several times until surface water shines. Observe your soil as you open and close the palm of your hand. When you stretch open, clay is shiny while silt goes dull as the water sinks in. Crush test Clay gets very hard when it is dry and it is very hard to dig in a dry clay soil. It is almost impossible to crumble small pieces of dry clay, they almost seem to be as hard as rock. When your able to crumble dry soil easily with your fingers, it probably doesnt have a lot of clay in it. However, clay always gets wet when soaked in water. Strawbale Construction Strawbale construction is relatively recent when compared with other natural building techniques. It originated in the United States in the 19th century when mechanical baling machines came into use. This new technique was spread rapidly, especially in the Northern States like Nebraska, where strawbale walls were and still are carrying the load of the roof without an additional timber structure due to the lack of a sod or timber resource. (=> known today as Nebraska Style bale building) In the Northeastern part of the United States, strawbale is often used in combination with a timber frame, which is also carrying the load of the roof. This is due to large timber resources and wood framing being a vernacular building method in that area.

 Insulation Strawbale has an excellent thermal performance due to the combination of insulative properties of the bales and the thermal mass provided be the interior plaster. Strawbale

construction is therefore an appropriate building technique in many climates, but especially in temperate and cold climates. When building with Strawbales, consider the width of the bale which is around 60cm/24. Wrap the bales around a timber structure, as you can see in the picture below. Strawbales go up fast, but the finishing work to even out the surfaces takes more time due to the irregularity of the strawbales. Plastering is essential to minimize the risk of fire. Furthermore it gives the wall structural integrity. Plastered Straw Bale Walls as Structural Insulation Why plastered straw bale walls? A bale wall is made of two parts: straw bales usually stacked like giant bricks and plaster on both inside and outside faces. Plasters may be of clay, clay and lime, or lime and cement, depending on the performance needs. The bales and plaster work together to give the wall structural integrity, high thermal performance, fire resistance, and moisture protection. Without plaster, bale walls would be weak, poorly insulation, more flammable, mouse inhabited, and more susceptible to moisture damage. Plaster also acts as an air barrier to prevent moisture-laden indoor air from entering the walls. Clay, clay and lime, and lime plasters all allow moisture to diffuse, allowing any moisture inside the walls to escape. Common Sense Moisture Guidelines Build the foundation to elevate bales one to two foot above ground. Avoid direct contact between bales and concrete foundation walls or rebar since condensation may degrade straw. Design roofs with large overhangs and provide with gutters. Use porches and siding when extreme exposure is an issue or maintenance is difficult. Plaster is still required under the siding as an air/water/fire/critter barrier. Detail windows carefully! Air Barriers Air leakage is the single largest source of heat loss in buildings. The high insulating value of plastered straw bale walls can be largely negated by a high degree of air leakage. A continuous coat of plaster makes a very effective air barrier when it is augmented by air fins. Air fins are particularly important when straw bale walls are wrapped around a timber frame, because of the great linear footage of joints where plaster meets wood. Use air fins made of screened hardboard (rough-side out), drywall, tar paper and lath, or other materials that are stiff, thin, durable and allow plaster to bond to them well. Install air fins wherever there is a joint between bales and framing that could allow air leakage. Examples include: around windows, at base of wall, as a bridge behind posts and beams. What is the R-Value of a Straw Bale Wall? Approximately R-30 if the gaps between bales are stuffed tightly with straw-clay, and if both sides of the wall are plastered. R-19 Fiberglass stud wall assembly actually tests to R-13 or less at cold temperatures due to thermal bridging by the studs and convection loops inside the fiberglass, which allows air flow. In a permaculture design, choose materials in realtive location, materials that have been used in local constructions, materials you find in your bioregion. There is a reason why people have been using certain materials over others. Strawbales are a great material in colder climates and go well with a timber framed structure. If you produce your own strawbales, you can use your waste product to build your house or buy it from one of the local or regional farmers. Strawbales will be your best choice when you want a well insulated building. Light Earth Building Light Earth is another natural building method that uses materials with very little embodied energy. Straw is a waste product of industrial agriculture and clay can -in the best case- be dug up on the site itself. The materials can usually be sourced locally and dont contain or request toxic ingredients for its preparation. After use, clay and straw can be safely returned to the earth. Watch out for the principle of energy cycling! Once our natural house

completed its mission of providing shelter, it is returned the earth, to the natural cycle of life and energy transactions.

Clay with lots of water: clay slip How do you do it? For light earth building you first prepare clay-slip. Therefor you mix clay or subsoil that is very rich in clay with a lot of water to get a consistency that resembles heavy cream. You mix the clay slip with your filling material, that can be straw or woodchips or some other material that is suitable. You can mix it by hand on a tarp or with machinery. It is important to keep straw dry before using it and to cover it entirely with the clay slip. Light earth is non-load-bearing, so you will use a structural frame, which usually is timber. A temporary or permanent shuttering is fixed to the timber-frame and filled with the mix and lightly compressed and tampered down to form a monolithic mass. After that you let the walls dry out.

Temporary shuttering to fill in the clay-straw mix. Portugal 2010 One of the limiting factors of Light Earth Building is the time needed for drying. It is important to take into account a longer drying time compared to other building methods. The maximum width of the walls should not be more than 30cm or 12 inches. One inch -2,5cm- of wall might need up to 1 week to dry out; a wall of 12 inches will need up to 12 weeks to dry completely, depending of course, on the climate. Walls need te be completely dry before plastering.

Prefabricated Light Earth Blocks. Chile, 2012 Alternatively you can use pre-fabricated and dried blocks. To join the blocks you can use an earth based mortar. The use of blocks allows you a faster building process on site since you dont have to consider drying-out time of the walls. The use of blocks tends to be more expensive though, due to the double handling of the materials or the cost of the blocks in case you decide to purchase them. Finishes are usually clay or lime based plasters and renders. Choose paints or other surface coatings that allow the walls to breath, that they are vapour permeable.

Preparing the Light Earth Mix. El Manzano, Chile, 2012 Light Earth Building is intensive in labour, material costs account for only a small percentage. With a group of motivated people who come to a work party or a workshop you save time and money, teach people an accessible natural building method and get the walls of your building up. Some Technical Details Well designed, constructed and maintained, light earth buildings will last for a long time. As long as the walls are not exposed to wetting, there should not be any risk of decay. Light Earth has good insulative characteristics when prepared as a light mix of mainly straw with just enough clay to cover the individual stalks of straw. As a general rule you can say, the lighter the mix, the better its insulative capacity. Whit a higher clay content, the walls become denser and therefore more thermally massive. The capacity of heat storage also depends on the extend of compression of the mix.

Wasi Retreat Cottage. USA 2012. Photo Credit: Kleiwerks International Compared with strawbales as a wall infill, light earth needs much less space and adds floor area and thermal capacity (due to the presence of clay). You can build thinner walls that still have insulative capacities. In areas where straw isnt abundantly available, light earth might be a rewarding alternative to strawbale construction. Light Earth is the intermedia between strawbale and cob or adobe. Strawbale is a great insulator but -apart from a structural plasterhas no thermal mass capacities. Cob or Adobe are great for thermal mass but poor insulators. Light Earth combines the advantages and disadvantages of both and responds to the varied needs of a building.

Wattle and Daub This wall system is definitely one of my favorites, because its simple, easy to build and fast. And in addition to that, it looks really beautifully!! Wattle and Daub wall systems are thin and light. They are ideal as interior walls but can also be used as exterior walls in warm climates or medium high walls in semi-outdoor and indoor spaces.

Wattle and Daub refers to a building technique in which you use a weaved structure the wattle- that is covered with a sticky and wet mix of clay, sand and straw the daub. For the wattle its best to use a flexible material with good tensile strength, that could be bamboo,

hazel or caa. The poles should be far enough apart so it is easy to weave through but should be close enough to have it tense. Bamboo has a lot of tensile strength and you can create curved walls with it. Here in Nicaragua, where these photos were taken, we used Guadua Bamboo Guadua angustifolia. It is the most resistant of the bamboos, it is UV-resistent what means that it doesnt break down in sunlight and it has stronger compression and tensile strength than other bamboos. Bambusa vulgaris is less resistant and needs to be covered to protect it from insects. Caa is strong when it is cured. When covered entirely with clay, its doing fine! The daub is a wet and sticky mix that is rich in fiber and clay. You need a strong mix and it is advisable to have the mix rest for a while before you apply it. Since it will be put on a different substrate, it will do different things. It is the changes between earth and bamboo, where it is likely to crack. Therefor it is necessary to add a good amount of fiber to act as bridges. We do not need a lot of sand in this mix, because we need a lot of tensile strength and not compressive strength. If the cracking is because of the mix, we would have to add more sand.