From auhice4c@ibmmail.comWed Mar 22 22:37:14 1995 Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 21:35:55 EST From: " Mike Smith auhicmds@ibmmail.com LISTENV - HICNET" To: agric-econ@mailbase.ac.uk, airpolution-biology@mailbase.ac.uk, bean-l@BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU, composting@mailbase.ac.uk, eagr@mailbase.ac.uk, ecocity@searn.sunet.se, ecoct-01@searn.sunet.se, ecol-agric@mailbase.ac.uk, econ-lets@mailbase.ac.uk, ecoCT-A@searn.sunet.se, env-physiol@mailbase.ac.uk, enviroethics@mailbase.ac.uk, envst-l@BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU, esrc-pacific-asia@mailbase.ac.uk, et-frej@searn.sunet.se, et-loke@searn.sunet.se, et-oden@sMIME-Version Subject: Mike Smith, Permaculture, Discussion Lists & Net Perma. Jour ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi, My name is Mike Smith and I am the editor of several environment newsletters in Australia (full list of other functions at end of this message). The purpose of this document is to introduce myself, ask a whole lot of questions that I am desperate for answers on and find out if people are aware of the Permaculture concept and if there is any interest in setting up a list for this topic. Permaculture is described below in more detail. I am new to the net, and I only have EMail access. This makes it hard to find out about discussion lists, so I don't know of any Permaculture lists that may exist already, so: Q1. Does anybody know of any Permaculture lists. If so please reply to I am in the process of finding out about lists on topics that relate to Permaculture which is a very wide field. Instead of trying to give an exhaustive list of subject areas, here are some fields I am interested in: The Environment Ecology Sustainable Agriculture Community Building Project Finance Ongoing Projects Community Aid Sustainability Self-help Community Forestry Bio-regionalism LETS Organics Healthy Cities Alternative Economics Enviro Ethics Agric. History Urban Planning Waste Management Recycling Energy Enviro Education Water Purification Economic Regionalism Population Growth Landscape Architec Town Planning Enviro Investment Food Production Enviro Contamination Green Business Legislative Inititives If you can post this message on an appropriate forum or discussion list I will be grateful. __________________________ Permaculture - What is it? The sad reality is that we are in danger of perishing from our own stupidity and lack of personal responsibility to life. If we become extinct because of factors beyond our control, then we can at least die with pride in ourselves, but to create a mess in which we perish by our own inaction makes nonsense of our claims to consciousness and morality. Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is the concious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is the harmonious integration of landscape and people providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in an ecologically sustainable way. The concept can be applied to a balcony garden, an urban backyard, community gardens or even broadacre farming. The philosophy behind permaculture is one of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather that protracted and thoughtless action; of looking at systems in all their functions, rather than asking only one yield of them; and of allowing systems to demonstrate their own evolutions. The permaculture movement has no central structure, but rather a strong sense of shared work. Everybody is free to act as an individual, to form a small group, or to work within any other organisation. We cooperate with many other groups with diverse beliefs. Our approach includes good practices from many disciplines and systems, and offers them as an integrated whole. The concept was first developed in 1974 by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in Tasmania, Australia. There are now groups in over eighty countries connected by an association based upon education, sharing information and providing tangible assistance. Many books have been published on this subject, ranging in size and detail from the main text "Designer's Manual" (576 pages), to small booklets. Enlightened self-interest leads us to evolve ethics of sustainable and sensible behaviour. These then are the ethics expressed in permaculture. Having evolved ethics, we can devise ways to apply them to our lives, economies, gardens, land and nature. This is what permaculture is about: the mechanisms of mature ethical behaviour, or how to act to sustain the earth. Q3. Are people interested in a Net Permaculture Journal. Something you can subscribe to or which might be sent out to existing lists on a regular basis? Please reply to I offered to start one up last year but committments made this impossible. My apologies to those who expressed interest. Q4. Would anybody be interested in colaborating on a project to produce a Network Permaculture Journal. Perhaps by forming an international editorial group to work on it. Please reply to Regards, Mike SMith My Hat Collection: Convenor, Permaculture ACT (PACT) - ACT=Australian Capital Territory Editor, The Mulch (Monthly Journal of Permaculture ACT), hardcopy Editor, Net Permaculture Newsletter (??? project being initiated???) Treasurer, Australian Centre for Ecologically Sustainable Systems (ACESS) National E-Mail Administrator, Health Insurance Commission, Australia You can contact me on: Internet........auhicmds@ibmmail.com X.400...........G=Mike S=Smith P=ausgovhic A=ibmx400 C=au Snail Mail......10/6 Antis St, Phillip ACT 2606, Australia Pager...........+ 61 6 269 0425 Voice...........+ 61 6 203 6040 Home............+ 61 6 285 2786 _____________________________________________________________________________ If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem ___________________________________ the end _________________________________