Permaculture for the Developing World

"Greening the Desert"

2009-05-10T10:49:00.005-04:00

This is a very interesting video about work that renown Permaculturist Geoff Lawton has been a part of in the Middle East.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sohI6vnWZmk&mode=related&search=

A Green Business Idea for Those Interested in Getting a Little Dirty

2009-03-16T16:52:00.002-04:00

So, I keep having this thought that someone should start a business collecting all the compost-able material from restaurants and businesses. I recently read an article where a prison had gotten its inmates involved in a work project that gathered all the compost-ables from that one prison. The inmates then made large windrows of this good organic matter, which was sold to the public after it had been actively composted. This accomplished 3 key things: The inmates were learning a valid and employable skill during their incarceration, the prison was earning funds through the sale of finished compost, and the prison's waste removal costs dropped by something like 60%!

This is not rocket science. If businesses can realize a 60% reduction in their waste, they will gladly pay a fraction of that for a service that collects everything that isn't really garbage. I mean, just look at the packaging materials alone at a fast food restaurant. It will all end up in the trash can, but the reality is that almost all of it can be composted or recycled; the bag, the wrapper, the paper cup, the plastic straw and lid.

I think that if a service was started where an extra "composting can" was provided in one or two locations in fast food restaurants, many people would utilize them. Yes, it takes two extra seconds to sort your trash, but most people are embracing the reality that we are literally trashing the space we live in.

Seed Starting 2009!

2009-03-03T14:46:00.002-05:00

Could we really power the world on saltwater?

2009-01-29T11:23:00.005-05:00

Check out this link to a video concerning the use of radio waves to separate out the hydrogen and oxygen in saltwater so that it can be burned:

I first heard about this guy on PBS about a month ago, and I'm only now getting a chance to do a little research about his idea. There is a lot of concern, apparently, that the energy required to separate the elements is greater than the energy produced by the end combustion. This would mean a net energy loss, which is not sustainable.

I put this out there for all of us to ponder. What are the ways that the process could be made more efficient? Why do we leave it up to just think-tanks and engineers to come up with the solutions to these types of problems?

Very Simple, Automatic Plant Waterer --Could Be Used in Arid Climates

2009-01-07T09:28:00.003-05:00

I was talking to my dad last week, and he was describing a homemade contraption he came up with to automatically water a plant while he was away on vacation. I thought the idea had good merit and a lot of potential for use in arid climates, so I'll share it.

Basically, what he did was to set a one gallon milk jug on the floor next to his blood banana plant. He stuck a short length of hemp rope into the jug, all the way down to the bottom, from what I gather. He took the other end of the rope and draped it over to the pot holding the plant and buried the end of it, just a little bit, in the potting soil. That was all it took to wick water from the jug to the pot. I think he was gone for about 2 weeks, and he said it seemed to have steadily watered the banana the whole time.

I will try to sketch up his set-up here in the coming days and get it posted as well.

Cardboard as Alternative Insulator?

2009-01-05T19:52:00.004-05:00

So, my wife and I were sitting at our local coffee shop the other night when I was struck (not literally) by the cardboard sleeve on my mint mocha. Why had I never noticed this before?! The sleeve was essentially two layers of cereal box type cardboard, and yet it had enough insulating value to protect my hand from the hot coffee. That got me to thinking that perhaps cardboard could be a candidate for alternative insulation.

What you're up against is all the embedded energy that goes into recycling things like cardboard. There is a fine line in my mind concerning the benefits from using the energy to recycle the material (thus using less of the resources needed to constantly crank out "virgin" cardboard) and re-using the cardboard in close proximity & with minimal processing. In other words, while the cardboard might be a good insulator, using gobs of cardboard for this purpose only means that more new cardboard must be produced to keep up with the demand. What we need to look closer at is our demand for these products in the first place. Remember, the first step in the recycling paradigm is "reduce".

Idle Aire Reduces Polution From Big Diesel Trucks

2008-12-15T14:39:00.002-05:00

I thought I would share this with who ever reads this crazy blog. I saw a news clip about it recently in Pennsylvania, and I looked it up to find out more after I returned home.

http://www.idleaire.com/

Idle Aire is an American Company that came up with a plan to help truckers who typically idle their trucks for long periods of time in order to keep cold/warm air moving in the cab at times of rest. Check out thier website. It is product and the service have incredible potential to reduce greenhouse gas emisions from this huge contributing industry.

Stacking Citrus

2008-12-15T14:20:00.004-05:00

I was Florida, near St. Cloud, just before Thanksgiving. It was the only time I've been to Florida with the ability to meander the back roads a little between meetings. It was also the first time I've seen citrus groves up close.

One thing that struck me was all the space between each row of trees. I know that in most fruit orchards, this "dead space" is a source of frustration for the grower, as they have to either spray it or mow it regularly. That got me to thinking about how citrus crops could potentially be stacked with another crop or plants or animals.

Goats would eat the grass, but also the trees and the low hanging fruit. Sheep might be an option. Chickens might be an option? How many growers keep their own bee hives? This could be a complimentary output of the citrus grove.

I'll have to keep thinking about this, because I believe there is more than just one additional crop that could be raised alongside the tasty oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and a host of other fruits we enjoy that are grown in a traditionally monoculture environment.

Yet another reason to boycott Starbucks!

2008-10-25T14:38:00.003-04:00

Check out the following story from ABC news concerning the absurd amounts of water wasted on a daily basis by Starbucks. Even if your company is dumb enough to have this kind of corporate policy, wouldn't you at least think about some other way the water could be used before it goes straight on down the drain?!

http://abcnews.go.com/International/SmartHome/story?id=5964908&page=1

Recycling -think about what's really best

2008-10-14T21:02:00.004-04:00

How often do we see the little 3-arrow symbol for recycling? Does it really register anymore?

What about the words that some undoubtedly smart people coined to go along with those three arrows? Reuse. Reduce. Recycle. Did you realize that there is a method to the madness of the order those three ideas come in?

In theory, it is better to reuse something than it is to reduce the quantity of the material you're using. It is likewise better to reduce the volume than it is even to recycle all of what you use.

How can that be, you might ask. Have you ever thought about the energy that's required to recycle materials? This is another example of "no free lunch." It takes energy to recycle. So, what gives? Haven't we all been taught that as long as something is recyclable, it's ok? Wrong! Let me explain:

Glass is the only material I know of that is fairly efficient to recycle. With glass, you get just about pound-for-pound usable glass back out of what you recycle. With most other materials, the amount of energy that is consumed in the recycling process, along with the difference between "what goes in" and "what comes back out" nearly outweighs the benefit of having a recycled product.

So, I guess my challenge in this post is two-fold. First, ponder the words "reuse, reduce, recycle." As you make your purchases and fill your trash, I think you will naturally move into my second challenge -"re-think."

Let me tell you right now, this is not an original concept. I wish it was, but a woman I attended my PDC course with is my source. It makes sense. Her challenge was that we should all add the word "re-think" as a 4th word in the triangle. Personally, I think it should be the first word in the recycling slogan. That's what's really at the heart of permaculture, after all, isn't it? We're out to re-think these paradigms.

Re-think the things you do. Re-think the ways you do them. Re-think the things you buy. Re-think what you do with them after you buy them. Re-think the things you put in the trash. Re-think what else they could be used for.

How bad do you want to see change come?

Revolutions start with one person.

Highway Medians: Wasted Space or Untapped Resource?

2008-09-27T21:06:00.005-04:00

Highway Medians are a pet peeve of mine. Every time I drive down the highway, and especially when they are in the process of being mowed, I think, "What a waste!"

Is it just me? Doesn't it seem like a lot of acreage to just plant it in grass? I understand the mentality in planting the medians. The vegetation helps to hold the soil and, to some degree, slows the rate of runoff. Also, there is some carbon fixing going on due to the lack of tillage of the soil. In my home state, they have a very successful and beautiful program for planting wildflowers along the highway. Oh, that's right.....I can't eat most wildflowers. In fact, most of the wildflowers being planted aren't wild (native) in western NC.

So, my initial thought is that the medians could be used in a number of ways. One idea is for each county to rent out parts of highway medians to local CSAs (community supported agriculture programs). Another idea is to use the medians to grow "commodity crops," such as wheat, dryland rice, etc. This option would mean minimal farm labor presence in the medians, which would seem to be safer. The harvest would require only a few swipes of the combine. I wrestle with that whole idea, because I don't want to be a fan of monoculture. However, it might have a place in making something useful out of these otherwise unused areas.

As I've said, I don't have all the answers. So, here is one of my questions/concerns in converting the medians into growing space. Primarily, runoff pollution would have to be addressed. Soil is a decent filter, but that's not it's intended purpose. What level of pollution would be acceptable for the given crop? Or, would it be better not to grow food crops, but rather ornamental crops for the landscaping industry?

What are your thoughts?

My Road to Permaculture

2008-09-25T21:59:00.005-04:00

Well, there are a couple of things I’m hoping for if you’re reading this blog. First of all, I hope you are an advocate of permaculture (PC), or are at least open minded enough to be consider its benefits and challenges. Secondly, I really hope you don’t read blogs without considering the credibility of the author. That said, let me give you an idea of where I’ve come from as I write.

It wasn’t until recently that I pursued getting my certification in permaculture design (PDC). I came to a point in my life and my career where I was really contemplating what I could do with my skills that would make a difference in the world. Call me optimistic, because I believe I can and will impact the world by initiating PC projects in developing nations.

The plan at this point involves me moving to Central Asia next year. If you’re reading this because you know me and where I’ll be working and you want to comment, please realize and respect the need for security. There are many places in the world where foreign aid workers are targeted. I fully realize this risk, and will take all reasonable security measures to protect my family. “Central Asia” suffices for us to discuss PC in the developing nations of that region.

So, what led me to the point of pursing permaculture? I grew up spending summers on my uncle’s dairy farm in southeastern PA. I didn’t know it at the time, but looking back I can see that much of his progressive thinking would fall under the principles of PC. I would say that those months on the farm had more to do with spawning my interest in working the land than anything.

I went to school to study ornamental horticulture. I finished my associate’s degree and immediately started back for a second one in business administration when life happened. I owned and ran my family’s landscaping business at that point, and my wife was smart enough to tell me straight-up that something had to give. She was right, so I sold put school on hold, sold the business, and went to work at a nationally known estate in western NC.

I learned a lot there, earning my stripes growing perennials and assisting with a large rose garden. From there, it was on the Charlotte working in a greenhouse and eventually launching a landscape install crew for that company. Finally, I landed a great job at the state university, supervising a handful of good guys and working together to maintain a good chunk of campus. That’s where I started to question what I was doing that made a difference in the grand scheme of things.

I tell you all that so you will realize that I’ve been on “the other side” of growing things. I’ve sprayed my share of nasty chemicals. I’ve tilled many acres of ground. I’ve put many tons of incredible compost material at the curb. All of those experiences led me to this place where I believe wholeheartedly that PC is a route to real, long term change.

O.K., so now you know where I’m coming from. You should know that I’m not afraid to say, “I don’t know.” In fact, I find great comfort in not trying to know everything nor claim that I do. I’ve found that permaculture and horticulture are similar in many ways. Most notably, only half the battle is what you know. The other half is building your resources so you know where to look for the things you don’t know.

My goal with this blog is not to just have a monologue. I don’t think I’ll learn anything new by reading my own writing. Please respond, ask questions, offer feedback and suggestions. A dialogue is the only thing that will benefit any of us.

Thanks. Happy world changing…