Fire Control through permaculture design & working with nature

Greetings!  See this really instructive video where David Holmgren discusses revegetation for fire control at a workshop in the field.  His explanation of fire control and planning for fire-retardant landscapes really gets you in the mindset of designing for extreme events.

SLOW MONEY

We discussed Slow Money, Woody Tasch and LETs in class on Sunday.  Below is the Slow Money website and some additional LET links & videos.

SLOW MONEY.org

Woody Tasch explains Slow Money Concepts - 29 minute video:

A specific LETs system highlighted/explained:

Geoff Lawton on soil health and entering the new biological age together...

Greetings.  Following on our discussions & readings of getting to know the soil, this video is from a recent permaculture design course with Geoff Lawton, from the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia.

"We will not find peace above the soil until we find peace below it..."  Enjoy!

BRING Seeks Home & Garden Sites in Eugene for Sept. tour!

BRING SEEKS HOME & GARDEN SITES
for their September 18, 2011 tour of sustainable local recycled material,
urban ag and permaculture site tour around Eugene.
Do you or someone you know have a great site to tour?  Sign up now!

Awesome gardening links from the latest Master Gardener Newsletter!

April 2011 (volume 10, no. 4)
Gardening News from OSU Extension Service and the OSU Agricultural Experiment Station

View this issue online:
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/enews

MAKE IT EASY!

Is it time to plant vegetables? Ask your soil thermometer
Soil temperature is the best indicator of when to plant vegetables, said Annie Chozinski, OSU vegetable researcher.
View this article: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1457

Add organic matter to improve garden soils
Any composted material that has been reduced to humus is a good soil amendment.
View this article: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1037

Slow, cool composting is the easy way
Slow composting is often the best method for people who do not have time to tend a hot compost pile.
View this article: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1424

Harness the sun to kill weeds, plant diseases and pests
Put transparent plastic sheeting over moist tilled soil during the warmest and sunniest months of the year.
View this article: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1456

Create vegetable beds with 'lasagna' mulching
Sheet composting is an easy way to start or expand a garden with a minimum amount of equipment, material and time.
View this article: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1041

So many cabbages, so little time
You can buy cabbages but if you grow your own, you can try many more varieties, even red and purple ones.
View this article: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1454

WHEN IN ROME — MORE NATIVES FOR YOUR GARDEN

Native groundcovers are great for home landscapes
Groundcovers are even more effective if they are native to the area. OSU horticulturist Linda McMahan has suggestions.
View this article: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1455

Plant native Oregon shrubs now
Many native shrubs provide good color and blooms, are drought tolerant and draw wildlife.
View this article: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1087

Water wise plants are beautiful and efficient
Many plants native to Oregon qualify as water wise. Oregon iris (Iris tenax) is a good choice.
View this article: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/1091

Planting dates and regions for growing Oregon vegetables
OSU Extension Service has information on how to garden successfully in all four state zones.
View this article: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/244

Potential to become invasive provokes need for sterile shrubs
Bushes and plants that are considered to be invasive could eventually be replaced with their sterile offspring, thanks to an OSU breeding program.
View this article: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/node/761

Unmanned aircraft aims to simplify inventory for Oregon nurseries
A team of researchers from OSU will test a new remote sensing system in three Oregon nurseries using an unmanned multi-rotor aircraft.
View this article: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/node/762

OSU GARDEN CALENDAR FOR APRIL
Things to do in your garden this month: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/calendar/#april

ONE-MINUTE GARDENER
Gardening tips from OSU Extension's radio archive. Turn on your speakers and visit the links below:

Soil thermometer
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/sites/default/files/audio/soiltherm.mp3

Row covers to warm veggie plants
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/sites/default/files/audio/coverwarm.mp3

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Permaculture Orchard in Australia

This is a good video about how the permaculture orchard, or food forest, mimics natural systems
and how specific permaculture principles are applied in the orchard system.  Different bio-region than the pacific NW - but the same principles apply :-)  Enjoy!

Permaculture Orchard +

This is a great video that introduces the permaculture orchard concept along with
some other great principles at work on a small scale permaculture farm.

Course Participant Skills & Needs Now up on Googledocs!

Skills and Needs was scanned and is now up on Googledocs.

Have a lovely day!

PLANTS FOR A FUTURE

PLANTS FOR A FUTURE is an excellent database on plant uses and functions.  You can look up almost any plant you can think of and get detailed info on it's uses and habits.

PLANTS FOR A FUTURE

Sepp Holzer - Farming With Nature

Sepp Holzer is doing amazing things with slopes, terraces and water in Austria.  3 part video - all 3 parts are below here:

Permaculture with Sepp Holzer - 1 of 3 

Permaculture with Sepp Holzer - 2 of 3

Permaculture with Sepp Holzer - 3 of 3

Liquid Gold

As you will see this weekend, one of my favorite ways to close the loops in building soil and nurturing plants is to utilize liquid gold (urine) in the process..here is a fun vidie:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cambridgeshire/8357134.stm

I have multitudes of resources on this subject, let me know if you want more.........

Biodigester models

This is a great guide to some models of biodigesters which create compost and harvest gas.

http://www.snvworld.org/en/Documents/Farmers_friend_biodigester_model_construction_manual_2005_Cambodia.pdf

WEEK 2 Readings up at Google Docs

The Permaculture Design Course Week 2 readings are up on the UOPermaculture Course Docs link :-)

Happy Reading!  These are awesome articles :-)

FILM PREMIER IN EUGENE: Deep Green - THIS SUNDAY - Jan. 30

The film "Deep Green" will have its premiere Eugene showing this coming Sunday evening, Jan. 30, at 7:30 at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 477 E. 40th Ave. This film focuses on solutions to our climate crisis with beautiful cinematography of applications throughout the world of sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, energy efficiency, green building, and forest restoration. The event is free (donations will be accepted).

After the film there will be a Q&A with the filmmaker, Matt Briggs, followed by a facilitated discussion of things we can do in our homes, neighborhoods, and city to create a more resilient community.

For information about the film, including a short trailer, go to: http://deepgreenmovie.com/ You don't really get it from the trailer, but much of the film is about possible ways to combat climate change rather than just scaring people about the enormity of the problem.

Here is an excerpt from a review in the Oregonian:

"There are a lot of global-warming/climate-change documentaries out there, the biggest of course being An Inconvenient Truth -- and until now all have presented the same ratio of doomsday scenarios vs. planet-saving-solutions: about nine to one. A necessary message, but an awfully depressing one at times. Deep Green flips this ratio, offering hope instead of despair. Matthew Briggs' assured, informative and aesthetically pleasing debut documentary goes all over the world to show the ingenious solutions being devised right now to get humanity off fossil-fuel consumption and reduce civilization's carbon footprint."

Foie Gras Parable - Permaculture Farming in Action! Don't Miss!

This TED talk is one that I will never forget - it really frames the practices and ethos of permaculture in an amazing real-world way.  Imagine - Foie Gras and the future of sustainable food & cooking!
Using leverage points in nature, natural cycles, natural animal behaviors & more - the farmer in this video is doing it all.

Tipping Points - state of the world

This is a good video to frame the debate and vocabulary on the state of the world and tipping points for global climate change.  Permaculture practices address all of the issues raised:

Permaculture Principles at Work

This video of Erik Ohlsen's garden mixed with a review of permaculture principles is
a good selection to view and think about PC Principles at work :-)

Holistic Management for Grazing Animals

This is a good overview of Holistic Management using permaculture principles
for healthy land stewardship using grazing animals.

Holistic Management Video

Hey Folks,

Here is the Holistic Management video from the Allan Savory Institute that we couldn't hear in class.