So~ Sue and I are currently enrolled in an Intro to Permaculture class through Oregon State University. It’s a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) and we just started today. It’s over four weeks for a total of about 16 hours. I think it’ll help us in our fledgling design process. I really enjoy the overall concepts of Permaculture and the ethics behind it. We’ll be learning about these more in-depth and about the people who are truly the forward thinkers of this movement. One of the “fathers of Permaculture”, Bill Mollison said about design:
When we design, we’re always building for future floods, future fires, future droughts. And planting a tree, a few inches tall, that will be a future forest giant, casting future shadows. Future populations, will need future forest resources, shelter and security. So, somebody needs to range ahead in time, scout out the next century. We are not day dreaming – we are time scouts, finding places now for what will be needed then.
I love this concept of planning for future use. Mr. Mollison also said that “The greatest change we need to make is from consumption to production, even if on a small scale, in our own gardens. If only 10% of us do this, there is enough for everyone.” And that’s where we want to be at the end of this adventure; adding to our environment for future generations, while helping to feed the present people.
We are doing our best, starting small, and learning as we go. We’re so glad you’re along for the ride.
As always,
Thanks for reading.