Bill Mollison

DAY 12: Final Day of the Course (PDC 2010 with Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton)

October 2, 2010

where we began, and where we came to completion

where we began, and where we came to completion

A blink of an eye and a lifetime later the course came to an end. Wow, what a journey, and I am not just saying it.

The party yesterday lit a fire within me, and I saw a whole other side of people I set side-by-side with throughout the course. People wrote poetry, sang, danced and told some very clever jokes. We laughed to tears, and I had a distinct feeling of “coming home.” It wasn’t just me, though. Today we completed the course by going around in the circle and each saying how we experienced the course, and what we plan to do in the future. Many people expressed the feeling of coming home and awe of being in the company of so many like-minded individuals. Hear hear.

Closing Quotes

“Permaculture is living. Everything before was waiting.” -Matt
“Walk in bare footed and say, ‘Stand with me. I don’t belong to anyone.’ And people will help you.” -Bill Mollison
“Education gives you huge power.” -Bill Mollison

So what’s next? Wherever the energy guides me. We’ll have to wait and see :) .

DAY 11: 7 Ways to Fire Proof Your House & Group Presentations (PDC 2010 with Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton)

October 1, 2010

Only one more sleep before the course is over…

Today there was excited buzz in the air, and it seemed like the group was slightly less focused on the lecture. The reason, I am guessing, is this afternoon’s session when we got to present our designs to the group. Many (most) of the people haven’t done a group assignment since school days, let alone stand up and talk about it. The pressure was on.

If this wasn’t enough, today is the last full day of the course, and it is set to conclude with a party at which everyone will have to present a talent, otherwise we don’t get our PC certificate! All of a sudden, the classroom and the lunch break were enlivened with people sitting in circles and sketching to prepare for their presentations. Music instruments made an appearance, women spinning Hoola Hoops on the lawn, didgeridoo and guitars. It was great! So cheerful, energetic and…very human.

The morning lecture discussed the risks of bush fires and how to survive them. If you are designing for a region with dry hot spells (like Melbourne region, for example), you will need to have a plan for bush fire shelter. Click to continue…

DAY 10: Group Design Process and Designing for the Tropics (PDC 2010 with Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton)

September 30, 2010

Design Research

our piece of land to design

our piece of land to design

This is a photo of the paddock we are working with. As you can see, it’s mostly an open field sheltered by the surrounding buildings and a tiny amount of slope.

land maps, research, surrounding structures

land maps, research, surrounding structures

We did some homework and found an aerial view of the property on Google Maps and a campus map, which accurately outlines the surrounding structures.

Equipped with these tools, we set to work.

Group Dynamics

We set outside at the highest point of the paddock with a blackboard and a box of chalk, trying to fit in all the elements, but it was obvious that our design process was not very efficient…too many drivers and not enough focus… Click to continue…

DAY 9: Community Finances or How To Never Pay Income Tax Again (PDC 2010 with Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton)

September 29, 2010

Bill Mollison lecturing the PDC 2010
Today Bill and Geoff shared information about what may be the main questions we all have. How do we fund all these wonderful ideas we’ve learned. How do we navigate community and government structures; how do we organize people for action. It was not a topic we expected from a Permaculture course, but it’s a very important one. It stirred up questions and lengthy discussions, skeptical gazes and hopeful eyes.

Community Finances

There are two types of community economies: formal economy and informal economy. Click to continue…

DAY 8: Irrigation and Water Cleansing (PDC 2010 with Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton)

September 28, 2010

Cattails
Cattails by David Hoffman

Water Duties

Water has to perform 3 main duties before it runs off to the sea. If rain water lands (of flows) straight into the river and is carried out to the sea, it hasn’t performed its duties, and thus it hasn’t been most beneficial to the Earth and its inhabitants.

  1. Pro-create life (human included)
  2. Aquaculture
  3. Energy (deliver and carry out)

It is to our benefit and benefit of the system to re-cycle water was mush as possible before allowing it to leave the system.

House sewage water can be completely cleaned up and become suitable for putting back into house by using a long trench filled with gravel and Typha reeds. The roots of the reeds have little trap doors that catch any organisms that pass next to them and digest them. Typhas can even take out E. coli bacteria to safe levels.
Click to continue…

DAY 7: Water Conservation and Storage (PDC 2010 with Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton)

September 27, 2010

The world of water
The world of water by Snap®

Water Arithmetics

  • 97% of all water on Earth is salt water
  • of remaining 3%:
    • 14% is deep ground water (below 800ft) – this is fossil water that took thousands of years to travel from the surface. It cannot be renewed in our lifetime, and it can only be accessed using heavy-duty pumps. This is the water that modern monoculture farming is sucking up…
    • 11% is shallow ground water (less than 800ft deep)
    • 74% trapped in snow and ice caps
    • ONE PERCENT is lakes/ponds, forests, living systems, soils, rivers and atmosphere
  • There is a constant amount of water in the Earth system. Like energy, it doesn’t come from anywhere and it doesn’t go anywhere; it only changes its position and state. Hence, the water in my body right now could’ve in a dinosaur at some stage :) .

Click to continue…

DAY 6: Climatic Factors to Land Ownership (PDC 2010 with Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton)

September 25, 2010

morning coffee at Soul Kitchen

morning coffee at Soul Kitchen

It’s Saturday, and I was trekking through the empty streets to class. Most of the usual cafes were closed, but that didn’t mean I had to sacrifice the quality of my morning cup. In fact, it made me look at surroundings more carefully, and I came upon this brilliant man.

Michael from Soul Kitchen making me a cuppa joe

Michael from Soul Kitchen making me a cuppa joe

Michael and his super cheerful Kombi like to hang out on St. Kilda street, just outside the National Gallery of Victoria. They listen to music, greet passerby’s and make some really great coffee. Made me smile.

When I got to class, it was obvious that everyone’s head was flat out. Even the most upright people began to slouch in their chairs. I suppose 6 straight days of contemplating world problems would do that to you :) .

Bill and Geoff were away in Brisbane giving a talk, so the lectures were lead by Greg, who is assisting with the course. We began discussions about different climatic zones, but the conversation soon diverged to the topic of land availability, funding and government regulations. I must say, those are my top concerns as well, and I was glad to discuss it with a group. Best advice I heard was that if you want to find out about local land, go to a pub and have a beer with the locals. Makes sense. Click to continue…

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