Subject: Re: Industrialism?

From: Russ Grayson + Fiona Campbell <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 09:22:56 +1000

[email-masked] wrote:

> I am happy to discuss these matters on the mailing list.  I see no value in
> private discussions.  I understand the situation and the only value of
> discussing it is to involve people who have not given thought to such
> matters.  And even then, I will pick and chose discussions based on what else
> is demanding my time at the moment.
>
> I see nothing relevant to permaculture in justifying mining because you want
> metal.  Permaculture is not about gratifying arbitrary urges.

>
> For Mother Earth, Dan Hemenway, Yankee Permaculture Publications

Dan and others...
Certainly, we agree that permaculture is not about catering for arbitary urges,
as you say.

However, we don't understand what you mean by 'arbitary urges'. Do you imply
that metal tools such as hoes, saws and nails are arbitary urges?

We do not see permaculture going out of its way to justify mining, yet, when we
make use of metal for tools or other products (such as computers, which we are
using at present) we justify, to some extent, the existence of the mining
industry.

That being the case, and assuming we want to continue with the use of metals,
then the best we as permaculturists can do is to encourage the mining industry
to adopt technologies and techniques which minimise environmental and social
impact. In Australia, some elements of the mining industry have made progress in
minesite rehabilitation and, while this may seem to be a fairly minor thing, it
represents a progression over previous practices by the industry. Minesite
rehabilitation is now a legal requirement.

As to permaculturist's use of metals in construction, research has gone into the
embodied energy of materials, including metals. Some of this research has been
published in Bill Lawson's book 'Building Materials and the Environment',
published by Solarch, School of Architecture, University of New South Wales in
Sydney.

Another researcher - whose name eludes us - is doing work on the production of
greenhouse gases by the production of different materials. This research stems
from growing interest in Australia in the concept of lifecycle analysis.
Environmental lawyer and innovator, Michael Mobbs, who developed the
'sustainable house', a publicly-accessible display house in Sydney demonstrating
water and energy efficiency, on-site waste treatment and the selection of
building materials, including metals (see the book 'The Sustainable House' by
Choice Australia) provides an example of the selective use of products of the
mining, timber and other industries on the basis of their embodied energy and
environmental impact.

For Permaculture people and others interested in ESD, Lawson's book is useful as
a guide to the selection of the materials with which they build their houses and
other structures.

This issue of mining reminds me of a statement made by Bill Mollison some years
ago. Although Bill was not making excuses for the mining industry, he said that
the industry is less damaging than logging because the damage caused by mines is
less extensive than the broadscale felling of logging.

So, permaculture can play a role in this by educating people about resource use,
lifecycle analysis, waste reduction and by questioning our over-sonsuming
lifestyles.

It's hard to see how a society based on the use of the products of extractive
industry can switch to one based on replacable biomass materials. Even
permaculture village residents in rural areas are reliant on the use ofmotor
vehicles - products of the mining industry - as would they be were it feasible
(which it is not in some cases) to swap cars for pushbikes.

.......Fiona + Russ

-------------
PACIFIC EDGE PERMACULTURE
Russ Grayson and Fiona Campbell
PO Box 446, Kogarah NSW 2217 AUSTRALIA

Phone/ fax   02-9588 6931   (IDD-61+2+9588 6931)
Email: [email-masked]

Permaculture training + permaculture design + Australian City Farms and
Community Gardens Network (NSW contact) + EarthWorks trainers (community waste
minimisation training) +journalism/ photojournalism (global development;
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+ desktop publishing services + overseas development assistance services (APACE
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