Sustainability and Permaculture

SUSTAINABILITY

...Sustainability Primer... check out the USA Footprint compared to the world on page 5!

The following is from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainability

SUSTAINABILITY, in a broad sense, is the capacity to endure. In ecology, the word describes how biological systems remain diverse and productive over time. For humans it is the potential for long-term maintenance of wellbeing, which in turn depends on the wellbeing of the natural world and the responsible use of natural resources.

Sustainability has become a wide-ranging term that can be applied to almost every facet of life on Earth, from a local to a global scale and over various time periods. Long-lived and healthy wetlands and forests are examples of sustainable biological systems. Invisible chemical cycles redistribute water, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon through the world's living and non-living systems, and have sustained life for millions of years. As the earth’s human population has increased, natural ecosystems have declined and changes in the balance of natural cycles has had a negative impact on both humans and other living systems.

There is now abundant scientific evidence that humanity is living unsustainably. Returning human use of natural resources to within sustainable limits will require a major collective effort. Since the 1980s, human sustainability has implied the integration of economic, social and environmental spheres to: “meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Efforts to live more sustainably can take many forms from reorganising living conditions (e.g., ecovillages, eco-municipalities and sustainable cities), reappraising economic sectors (green building, sustainable agriculture), or work practices (sustainable architecture), using science to develop new technologies (green technologies, renewable energy), to adjustments in individual lifestyles.

Four Years. GO! Join this effort to change the direction of the world in four years!
http://www.fouryearsgo.org/4yg/

PERMACULTURE
The word "permaculture" was coined and popularized in the mid 70's by David Holmgren, a young Australian ecologist, and his associate, Professor, Bill Mollison. It is a contraction of "permanent agriculture" or "permanent culture." Permaculture is about designing ecological human habitats and food production systems. It is a land use and community building movement which strives for the harmonious integration of human dwellings, microclimate, annual and perennial plants, animals, soils, and water into stable, productive communities. The focus is not on these elements themselves, but rather on the relationships created among them by the way we place them in the landscape. This synergy is further enhanced by mimicking patterns found in nature.

Click here to see an illustration of Permaculture

Permaculture Activist Website:
http://www.permacultureactivist.net/

Individual Footprints link - Take the Quiz!
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/personal_footprint

Footprints by Nation -
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/footprint_for_nati...

World Footprint... We need two earths to sustain us...
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/world_footprint/

See More Permaculture Links Below

LINKS TO SUSTAINABILITY RESOURCES

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

TEENS
If you're passionate, care about sustainability, love your bike, write about social justice or are just INVOLVED with the planet, then these sites are for you.

MORE LINKS

PERMACULTURE LINKS

  • Our purpose is to provide information to liberate people everywhere to provide for their own and their communities' needs for food, energy, shelter, and a decent life, without exploitation or pollution, from the smallest practical area of land.

    • http://www.permacultureactivist.net/Ecovillages/ecovillages.htm

  • http://www.earthaven.org/index.php
  • http://www.thenaturalstep.org/
  • Seed Resources http://www.permacultureactivist.net/seeds/SeedResrcs.htm
  • Designing and Maintaining Your Edible Landscape Naturally Robert Kourik; Foreword by Rosalind Creasy 1986, $49.00, 45 b&w photographs, 204 illustrations, 382 pp First published in 1986, this classic is back in print by popular demand. It is the authoritative text on edible landscaping, featuring a step-by-step guide to designing a productive environment using vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs for a combination of ornamental and culinary purposes. It includes descriptions of plants for all temperate habitats, methods for improving soil, tree pruning styles, and gourmet recipes using low maintenance plants. There are sections on attracting beneficial insects with companion plants and using planting to shelter your home from erosion, heat, wind, and cold.
  • Permaculture Rap Video
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5LjKhlJucw