I've spent the past week attempting to re-enter the world as i know it with a head chock-full of knowledge about permaculture. This has occurred following a two-week course (the Permaculture Design Certificate) at Aldinga Eco Village (well not actually IN Aldinga but at the caravan park nearby... long story) in South Australia.

The plan was that, since Nick is still working in his high office building until christmas, I would head off and do a PDC in order to get my head around Permaculture principles in readiness for our move...

I chose this particular course because it was being taught by Geoff Lawton , who, in addition to running the Permaculture Research Institute , is apparently the gun on arid and semi-arid environments, and how to get them regenerating in a matter of months. yup, months. I was ready to learn that trick.... 

However, in the best tradition of life-shifting experiences, this 72-hour theory course on Permaculture principles blew my mind apart and re-applied my head to my body with various screws replaced, new eyes, and some serious re-considerations about what i should be doing with my time. I got fed an incredible amount of information and made a heap of new friends.. there were 20-ish people doing the course and we had a damn fine cross section of society -  from 18-year old Vermont girls to 40-year old Belgain farmers to locals to miners and mums and dads and kids and just about everyone - which made for a huge amount of different perspectives and intentions, which made the experience all the richer and useful.

 I would love to wax lyrical about just how amazing this course was, however I am committed to NOT ranting and flailing about on this particular topic, but instead just getting the hell on with it... safe to say I am now very keen to get out of Melbourne and onto a piece of land that I have an opportunity to interact with, learn about (and from), and work with in order to create a place that sustains us as it regenerates. Nick will be doing the same course in February '07 , taught again by Geoff Lawton, but this time up at his farm - and I've wrangled a spot as farmhand and kitchen slave for the duration of this course, in order to learn about and work on a farm built on Permaculture principles.. and because I might get to learn to milk something...

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Comments (7)

penny said:

Kirsten - good on you - being a permie is great and as with all major changes they embeace you!!Tickled pink to havemade the connection (Albury strawbale house)

February 08, 2007

lucazoid said:

so exciting to hear this news kirsten and nick. we're all going to learn so much from your experience with this project. can't wait to come visit!

March 02, 2007

Sam H said:

This is what we need more of. Art as action on land. Cant wait for the results.

March 06, 2007

Jay said:

if this guy Geoff can do such great things on arid land, why does he live in the subtropics? Surely a real example would be somewhere that doesn't have good, deep soil and heaps of rain. Most permies seem to live up there or in Tassie.

April 16, 2007

Nick said:

Hi Jay, I can see your point, lots of permies do choose to live in places that seem like paradise, although I'm not sure equating where someone lives to what they are capable of achieving is particularly valid. To take Geoff's situation, he works on projects all over the world, particularly in arid regions, like Jordan where the rainfall is less than 200mm a year (take a look at this video). Geoff chooses to live where he does for the same sorts of reasons we all live where we do, family, friends, community, a sense of belonging, an affinity with the landscape...... just like us..... we chose Milkwood because it is very close to my parents, they will support us and we them. Hopefully the things that Geoff has taught us about water management and hydrology will help us, because although in theory we receive around 700mm (or 28") and therefore are classified as somewhere between dry and moist forest, after 6 years of drought it feels very arid indeed. Hopefully soon enough we will provide an example of a permaculture paradise that isn't in the subtropics. Cheers Nick

April 16, 2007 | url

Carolyn in CO said:

Thank you for posting the link to Geoff's video! I am astonished by what they did to make the land productive! I live in a semi-arid region in the U.S. and I am doing my very best to make our soil better to produce more vegies for my family and waste less water. Mulching, composting, and rain barrels help a lot here. If I had my druthers, I would live someplace warmer and wetter, too, but this is our home and I'm working with what I have.

April 17, 2007

HectorIA said:

Hello all. I am a flag-waving American citizen who somehow landed in the Middle East and Iam looking for a way out. (its a long story with lots of sordid details: cheating spouse, dysfunctional inlaws, deceipt and underhandedness...it might make a very interesting movie. Anyway, hello to everyone and I look forward to sharing my international experiences withall of you in the coming months.

November 29, 2007 | url

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