The environmental and civilization crisis and the permaculture alternative (1)

2018, Cássio P Octaviani © Reproduction and dissemination of this book or any of its parts, by any means, is free and encouraged The author declares that the information contained in this book is correct and complete to the best of his knowledge, and disclaims any liability for whatever inaccuracies or omissions It is up to the reader to their own research and reach their own conclusions in any case of doubt The concepts and ideas presented herein refect the author’s points of view The design ideas contained in this book are primarily for illustrative purposes, and not universal or infallible formulas Nothing substitutes common sense and practical experience The author disclaims any responsibility associated with the results or consequences of the inadequate application of the ideas contained in this book Printed on recycled paper Why this book? There is something very wrong with this world Humankind has a big problem in its hands Of course it’s not just one problem—the problems are many, problems all around But one in particular, doubtlessly the biggest of all problems, is the subject of this book: we are ridding at full speed towards the total destruction of life on planet Earth Seriously! Our civilization is totally unsustainable; with the fatal combination of overpopulation, overconsumption, addiction to growth, irrational use of resources, disregard for nature, etc., we are destroying the very basis that sustain life in general, human life included, on our planet You know, when you look at people individually, it may look like there’s nothing wrong, like they’re just taking care of themselves and their own lives— working, looking after their families, pursuing their dreams… But, when you look at humankind as a whole, it seems like we are determined to destroy the last forest, to pollute the last river and sea, to bring to extinction the last life form except for those which are directly useful to us Certainly, any supremely intelligent extraterrestrial visitor wouldn’t have a diferent impression of us Now clearly we humans too are but living beings, and depend upon the very same resources as all other species to survive Therefore, as we pollute the waters, destroy soils and wreck biodiversity, we are bringing about our own destruction Worst of all, the vast majority of people seem just completely unaware of this terrible fact! The whole matter seems like a great taboo, never to be touched You can watch television your whole life, listen to the radio, read all the papers and magazines, and you’ll most likely never see any discussion on this Neither in schools or even universities people talk about this! Although matters concerning sustainability are often brought up, it is always in a vague, evasive way, never even scratching the depth and urgency of the problem Surely there are people who are aware of the severity of our current environmental and civilization crisis and its terrible implications for the future of mankind and life on Earth However, even those, maybe because of inertia, or because they can’t see a viable alternative, normally just keep on behaving just like all other people; in other words, they continue tied to the predominant paradigm of our society, and awareness alone doesn’t seem to be enough to make people stop being part of the problem, and change into being part of any solution i This book therefore has two main goals: frst of all to bring to the collective consciousness the severity of the current global environmental crisis and the terrible implications of the unsustainability of our civilization, in a clear and objective way beftting the importance of the matter Secondly, but not less importantly, to propose solutions to the problem, to discuss practical propositions of viable alternatives to this path to self-destruction that we’re on In this sense, the permaculture alternative is presented, which I believe to be the most promising way for the preservation of life on Earth and the making of a world that is not only sustainable, but also healthier, more balanced, fair and happy I don’t claim here to have all the answers, or ofer a simple and defnitive solution to all problems There is still a lot to be learned and developed for the construction of a sustainable society, and we are still at the beginning of this journey What is most important at this moment is to try to make more people stop and think, raising awareness over what we’ve been doing to our lives and our home; to get more people to realize the dark, predatory, destructive face of our civilization, and get together taking the challenge of rethinking, reinventing our society so that it is no longer a menace to the natural world on which we depend It is surely a colossal task, but at the same time the most worthwhile challenge of all that may exist After all, at stake are the continuity of our own existence, as well as that of all other life forms that inhabit our planet ii I dedicate this book to planet Earth Contents Why this book? …… i Part I – The Environmental and Civilization Crisis A History of Unsustainability … …………… … Current State of the World … … The Environmental Crisis 24 Projections for the Future 38 A State of Planetary Emergency .…… 49 Part II – The Permaculture Alternative Time for Change .… ……… 53 But what is permaculture? History of permaculture Permaculture Ethics and Principles … 61 Permaculture Ethics Permaculture Principles Water in Permaculture … 93 Water in rural situations Water for the house Water in the city Rural Permaculture … 119 Soils Particularities of the humid tropics Particularities of the semiarid tropics Proximity and intensity zones Establishing a rural permaculture project 10 The Permaculture House .…… 189 Permaculture house design Natural building 11 Ecological Sanitation …… 213 Ecological sanitation techniques Ecological alternatives for urban sanitation 12 Energy … … 13 Urban Permaculture .… 14 The Permaculture Lifestyle .……… 15 Communities in Permaculture …… 16 Learning Permaculture .…………… 17 Consultancy and Service Provision in Permaculture .…… 18 Proposition for a Global Transition … 19 Conclusion 243 249 267 275 287 301 309 319 Part I The Environmental and Civilization Crisis Part I – The Environmental and Civilization Crisis A History of Unsustainability A HISTORY OF UNSUSTAINABILITY Sustainability is kind of a fashionable word today (actually, it may have become out of fashion already!) This word has been so abusively used lately that for many people it may have come to mean absolutely nothing in particular Businesses assert to be committed to sustainability; politicians just throw the word randomly in their discourses like some sort of magical word School books and television programmes present the subject in such a superfcial, vague and patchy manner that end up leaving the impression that there’s nothing really to worry about But really, what’s that all about, and why is it important? Looking up in a dictionary can be little enlightening: “Sustainability n The property of being sustainable.” Where sustainable is something capable of being sustained Now, what does it have to with us? Why is that important to humankind? Our civilization is totally unsustainable, because with a fatal combination of overpopulation, overconsumption and irrational resource use we are consuming voraciously the very resources that are necessary to the continuation of our own life We live on a fnite planet, with fnite resources; from plain mathematical logic, continual consumption of the resources will lead to their exhaustion Once the resources that support life are gone, obviously there will be no more means Part I – The Environmental and Civilization Crisis A History of Unsustainability to support life That will mean the decline of humanity and, possibly, its extinction, dragging in its wake a big part of the complex life on the planet Many scientists believe that, at the current rates of resource consumption and environmental destruction, that outcome will come about real soon Now, go ask people what they understand for sustainability, and you probably hear something like “preserving the natural resources so the future generations may have a good quality of life” So they just completely fail to realize it goes much further than that, that it is actually a matter of survival for the future generations—they just take survival for granted, which is a serious mistake In other words, the vast majority of people completely fail to comprehend the true dimension of the human unsustainability problem That is because such comprehension is only possible through a broad and thorough analysis of what’s going on with humanity and the planet, looking at adequate space and time scales—something that is hardly ever done or seen Therefore, on the following pages, let’s try to that analysis A brief history of human unsustainability A simple historical analysis will reveal that the origins of human unsustainability traces back to the birth of civilization, and that each milestone of the development of our civilization is associated with an aggravation of that unsustainability, leading to the current global environmental crisis Our ancestors millions of years ago were totally subjected to the forces of nature, just like any other living species: climatic factors (e.g extreme cold), geographical obstacles (seas, mountains, deserts), water and food availability, predators and disease kept the frst hominid populations at balance with the environment, limiting their size and distribution However, as they evolved, our ancestors started acquiring the notable ingenuity that sets us apart from the rest of the animal world, leading to the development of the frst technologies That largely came to defne what it means to be human With the development of the frst tools around million years ago, the frst hominids began their climb toward the top of the food chain: hunting became easier, as did defending against predators Because they allowed the fabrication of clothing and shelters, tools were also instrumental in the expansion of the primitive man to other environments, once uninhabitable The control of fre over 100 thousand years ago was the next milestone of paramount importance in human history, allowing even further expansion to colder regions, better protection against predators and an increase in food availability through cooking Fire was also widely used as an essential part of hunting strategies and for the wholesale transformation of the environment to facilitate movement, settlement, etc Part II – The Permaculture Alternative 17 Consultancy and Service Provision talk more about this in the next chapter, “Proposition for a Global Transition”) This should be made clear to everyone, and specially permaculture teachers An excessive focus on consultancy has been a common mistake in many permaculture courses, from the beginning That is a problem because you are selling an illusion to people, at a time when they are having their frst contact with permaculture, that the next week they’ll be “certifed” permaculture consultants, and there will be a demand for that consultancy, and they’ll develop great projects, and will earn a lot of money, etc., while none of that matches reality, not only because the course is not enough to prepare anyone, but also because the demand is still scanty, especially for people with no experience So, the students get a harsh reality shock after the course completion, which means disappointment and frustration Moreover, this approach may attract the wrong type of people to permaculture—people who are much more interested in working for pay, keeping the current paradigm of worker’s alienation and focus on proft, a seller’s mentality, etc., and little interested in changing their own lifestyles or actually contributing to the solution of the world’s sustainability problems 308 Part II – The Permaculture Alternative 18 Proposition for a Global Transition 18 PROPOSITION FOR A GLOBAL TRANSITION Because it is a system that promises to provide for the human needs and at the same time preserve the natural resources, protect the environment and help restoring ecosystems, permaculture has the obvious potential to change the world and, in the best case, prevent the collapse of our civilization, the ruin of humanity and the biodiversity on planet Earth But how can we achieve such grand goal? It doesn’t seem reasonable to assume a single individual, be it you or me, starting a garden or catching rainwater from the roof, or starting a self-sufciency project on a small farm or homestead, will have any chance of changing the ways of the world, does it? That surely can and will have a great efect on the person, though, bringing great self-realization and meaning to life But regarding a global perspective, what chances permaculture stand to actually make any diference? David Holmgren, co-founder of permaculture, seems to have the answer to that question He explains: “ The other way to think about permaculture is as a way to change the world, because a lot of people are motivated around permaculture as a positive ‘we can change the world in a positive way’, rather than just endlessly trying to stop the world we don’t want Permaculture has always been about ‘how we create the world we want’ 309 Part II – The Permaculture Alternative 18 Proposition for a Global Transition Well, when you start to think about those issues, most people think about how we change public policies, how you get the leverages of power pulled in a diferent way so all the big structures in society get changed That’s an old way of changing the world The sort of new way that’s now sort of well proven, but still a lot of the politicos, the people who think about how we change the world haven’t caught on, that actually by changing yourself and what you yourself, that is actually not just a little stepping stone to contributing to a larger change—it’s actually arguably the most powerful thing that you can do.” Holmgren’s proposition is equivalent to the famous quote often attributed to Ghandi, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” He goes on: “And some of the reasons why, frstly if you’ve got a strategy or anything in permaculture, from owner building to community-supported agriculture, right back to just growing your own food in your backyard; when you something for yourself that you beneft from, that refects the ethics and design principles of permaculture, you’re doing something for yourself and you’re also reducing your adverse impact on the world But by doing something that you beneft from, that is potentially attractive to other people to say, ‘Ah, I’ll that too’, whereas the hard-bitten person who is doing something just to atone for our sins in the world is not very attractive to many other people—you know, a small proportion are motivated by such things—for most people wanna get something out of it, and especially get something directly So, the permaculture strategies beneft the early adopters, and on top of that they’re simple, low key things that other people can copy And they often don’t need permission of the authorities, of the banks to provide funding, to it And that’s really important, because a lot of these changes, if they are done even by a proportion of the population, represent a real threat to a lot of the power structures in society, a lot of those centralized systems: the corporations, the governments with their tax payers… So I would understand that a lot of this self-reliance stuf associated with permaculture is actually subversive So, if it really took of in a large way, it might be not just not assisted but attempted to prevent it If that’s like some advanced technology or very large-scale project, it’s very easy for power relates to say ‘No, you can’t that’, and we can see the struggles over renewable energy versus fossil fuels; but if it’s something that you could at home, it’s very, very hard to stop it So, on top of that, that copying allows a rapid evolution where you improve a thing because you one example, and then you copy it, and another, and you get this incremental improvement If we did big projects that are all driven by sustainability concepts but represent massive reallocations of society’s resources, it always will end up as a mess because somehow the complexity of those things… you might have the ideas, but when you actually go to it, it’s never quite right So, the small-scale replication, rather than big, giant projects, is a good learning process, and it also allows people to adapt the solutions to diferent situations, and that’s very, very important because every situation is slightly diferent 310 Part II – The Permaculture Alternative 18 Proposition for a Global Transition And then, when you get more people doing it, that gives you, if you like, the lobbying power of ‘well, there’s all of us over here doing this’ We’ve got a bit of a power base through autonomy, not a power base through shouting louder to get the authorities to change the policies, ’cause that’s really a powerless way to go about things And we can see in the last 30 years how mass movements took it structures to change direction, whether it’s due to engaging in foreign wars or weather it’s to with climate change, have actually been harder and harder to get those changes, and requiring more and more mass movement resources, whereas why don’t we just something that supports ourselves and provides an example to others? It’s actually also the leverage towards a larger positive change.”* In short, it is pointless for people to just criticize the system and endlessly try to think of ways to change the world while not changing their own lives to serve as an example That’s a sterile approach, the typical attitude of inefectual, fake revolutionaries The only way for permaculture to make a diference in the world is through a pacifc revolution that starts silently, from the base of society through points that spread, link and converge Changing the world through permaculture may look like an impossible or not feasible mission; but changing your own world, your role in the world, your life in the light of permaculture, that is certainly possible, viable and full of meaning, although not simple or easy, and that’s the number one task for all who are interested in making a more fair and sustainable society And from there, inspire others by example, so they too take this path, and together we may work for the development and spread of permaculture And, in that process, form communities that link and integrate and mutually support and strengthen one another So, this is the way to change the world with permaculture It’s pointless to wait or hope for change to come from the top, the elites—it must come from the bottom, from ourselves, each one of us who long for change, spreading through the base and creeping up to reach the whole of society “Changing the world starts by changing yourself If you can’t change yourself, you can’t change anything.” None of that means that political activity in other senses, such as activism or conventional political representation, are useless or should be abandoned— much on the contrary But it does mean that all those ways to try to change the current reality can only be efective if preceded and accompanied by concrete life examples by those who defend that change, otherwise such eforts are bound to be fruitless So, for the conventional political representation to have any viable * David Holmgren explains how you can change the world with permaculture – Interview for the Pip Magazine 2014 311 Part II – The Permaculture Alternative 18 Proposition for a Global Transition participation in a more global transformation of society towards sustainability, frst the permaculture movement must have grown and become too big and too strong to be ignored Can permaculture really feed the world? This is a common question that often creates confusion and preoccupation It is argued that industrial agriculture, through selective breeding, modern cultivation techniques involving large-scale mechanization and irrigation, and pesticide and artifcial fertilizer use, etc., has brought a tremendous increase in productivity compared to older, more natural and traditional techniques with which organic agriculture and permaculture are often associated That is true, but only partly so A serious mistake that is always made is comparing permaculture and conventional agriculture taking into account only the harvested production of a certain product (e.g maize, milk, oranges or trout) per unit of harvested area Such analysis is incorrect, invalid, for at least three reasons: • You can’t take into account only the harvested crop as production, but also the environmental services produced As we know, industrial agriculture does not provide any environmental service—it does not foment fauna and fora or biodiversity, does not favour rainwater penetration into the soil and its retention in the landscape, so it does not help maintain the hydrological cycle or protect the climate stability, it does not protect the soil, etc Much on the contrary, it destroys the hydrological cycle, the soil, the climate, the biodiversity By contrast, permaculture productive systems provide all of those environmental services Unfortunately, there is no pay for such services despite their being essential to human well-being and humanity’s long-term survival • Another key point is production diversity While industrial agriculture is based on monocultures, permaculture is based on integrated polycultures Of course in a maize monoculture you’ll have a much bigger maize yield than in a polyculture containing maize among other things However, the global output can be higher and is surely more diversifed in a polyculture • Moreover, a critical factor that practically nobody takes into account or is even aware of is the actual relation between resource consumption and production The analysis that is normally done is “how many tonnes of produce per hectare per year”, but there lies a terrible error! That’s because industrial agriculture depends heavily on resource importation—fertilizers, water, livestock feed, fossil fuels and electricity to move machinery… All those resources are not produced in the property—they come from outside, from the places where phosphate rock and lime is being mined, and 312 Part II – The Permaculture Alternative 18 Proposition for a Global Transition petroleum is being prospected and refned, the aquifers and surface waterbodies where water is extracted, faraway farms where animal feed crops are grown, etc How can anyone think of calculating yield per area without taking into account all those external areas used to allow for that production? Not to mention all industrial and road infrastructure and others needed for the production and transportation of such inputs If you this calculation right, that is, considering all area efectively used in and out of the property in question to reach that production, you’ll see that the real yield per area of industrial agriculture is much lower than commonly bragged about by its proponents! Likewise, the far-of environmental damage being duly taken into account will review a new dimension of the environmental costs of that agriculture model By contrast, in permaculture we focus on the rational and sustainable use of local resources, especially from within the property, for crop production, preserving and seeking the perfect recycling of resources such as water and soil nutrients, with minimal resource importation and minimal generation of waste and pollution This way, stripping industrial agriculture from the fallacious mantle in which it hides, the myth that it is more productive, or that it alone can feed the world, is defnitively busted Permaculture can indeed feed the world much better than industrial agriculture, not only in quantity but also in quality and variety, and avoiding pesticides and other chemical contaminations of the environment and the food we eat Moreover, it promises to so in a sustainable way, through the preservation and restoration of the natural resources that are necessary to the production of food and the provision of other human needs As for industrial agriculture, it is known that it has been feeding a growing proportion of the world’s population for decades; but how long can it it? It is indisputably unsustainable, as it totally depends on the very resources it voraciously consumes and destroys (water, soils, chemical fertilizers, fossil fuels, climate, among others) So, it is part of a sick, autophagic paradigm We can’t count on it, because if we do, if we insist on this mistake, when the resources fatally run out humanity will be doomed to starve to death It is staggering that most of the human population, including agronomists, are unaware of this terrible fact! The challenges of permaculture It can be said that permaculture is an extremely ambitious movement, as it confronts the status quo, proposing a way of life that is radically diferent, even opposite to the modern society conventional lifestyle, and embraces the mission of changing the ways of the world, reverting our current environmental and civilization crisis, preventing the foreseeable tragic consequences of our current 313 Part II – The Permaculture Alternative 18 Proposition for a Global Transition way of living as a society I wasn’t there in the late 70’s–early 80’s when Bill Mollison started to teach his permaculture courses around the world, but I am sure, from the records of that time,* that it must have been an extremely exciting moment to all who participated in such courses, the permaculture movement’s pioneers—the feeling that they were part of a historic moment in which a group of people, champions of the Earth, were building a way of life that was benign, harmonic with nature, in a movement that would snowball, inaugurating a new chapter in the history of humankind However, in these nearly four decades since its inception, although permaculture has indeed spread around the world and gathered thousands of passionate adherents, it has to be acknowledged that that growth still is far below what would be necessary to efectively make a diference in the world and revert humanity’s stride to self-destruction The pioneers would probably be disappointed to learn that, today, instead of in the process of being solved, each one of the problems that make up the environmental and civilization crisis have actually seriously worsened since that time, and the proportion of people who are practising permaculture, or even know it or have at least heard about it still make up but a tiny minority of the global population Now, that doesn’t mean that permaculture has failed, or that we should give up hope Permaculture still is the best way to deal with humanity’s situation, and giving up the fght is certainly not an option However, we can’t pretend we are doing everything right, or fool ourselves into believing the movement is doing perfectly fne; we have to apply our principle #18 (constant reassessment) in order to identify and fx the faws and mistakes, what we as permaculturists and as a movement have been doing wrong, to make the movement evolve and progress so it can fulfl its noble mission And that should be done with a great sense of urgency—there is just no time to lose, as the crisis aggravates everyday and a point of no return can be reached anytime Change of attitude It is common for people to assume permaculture is an easier way of life compared to the conventional options of work and lifestyle in modern society That is a serious mistake, and a dangerous illusion None of what we in permaculture we choose to because it is easier That can’t be overstressed We what we for a variety of reasons: because it’s more ethical, morally correct; because we seek a more natural and healthy life; because we want independence from things we disapprove of in the world, * A great example of such records are the transcripts of a Permaculture Design Course given by Bill Mollison in 1981 and turned into a series of pamphlets titled “Permaculture Design Course Series”, edited and published by Yankee Permaculture 314 Part II – The Permaculture Alternative 18 Proposition for a Global Transition because we don’t want to be perpetrators or accomplices of the destruction of life on the planet, or maybe because we want to stand better chances of surviving the looming societal collapse, etc But not because it is easier Some stuf are actually easy: sorting your waste for recycling—that’s easy Saving water and energy, having healthy eating habits, rejecting consumerism… But that is just the beginning, the frst steps Although important, such measures alone obviously won’t save the environment or society Now, living of the land, growing healthy, natural food and working efectively for the restoration of ecosystems, that is not easy But we it, because it has to be done That misconception that permaculture is easy is due at least in part to a common shortcoming of permaculture courses and teaching materials Unfortunately, when “selling” permaculture, teachers and authors often end up adopting a seller’s mentality which, as previously mentioned, tends to warp things, voiding them of their essence as successfully selling becomes the main goal The problem is that easy things sell better, so many of the hardships in the permaculture way end up being omitted or downplayed by such teachers and authors Instead, many put emphasis on stuf like group hugs, circle dancing, etc., which ends up reinforcing the illusion that permaculture is easy, the attitude of thinking that playing guitar around bonfres, singing to the earth or applauding sunsets will in any way change the world Of course there is nothing wrong in doing such things, but it has to be put clearly that that is not what permaculture is about One negative result from that is that many people then adhere to permaculture without being adequately prepared, without having a notion of what they are putting themselves into They start their projects hastily and precariously, without caring to seek to acquire as much knowledge as possible, both in theory and in practice, and they don’t give planning enough importance, don’t bother elaborating a solid transition strategy, etc Many people, at the beginning of their permaculture journey, talk excitedly about it all the time, but it is an excitement that does not translate into seriousness with the work, or the tenacity required for the success of any permacultural endeavour or in fact anything in life “If someone tells you permaculture is easy, that can only mean two things: either they don’t know what they’re talking about, or they want your money” So, we have to change that mentality Breaking away from the dominant paradigm is totally possible and full of meaning, but we must build this new path Therefore, we need people to join permaculture with a mindset of pioneering, and even heroism; people who are prepared to face and overcome great challenges We have to bear in mind that there is no victory without sacrifce 315 Part II – The Permaculture Alternative 18 Proposition for a Global Transition Furthering permaculture in practice Unfortunately, concrete examples of successful permaculture people—that is, people who really have achieved a highly sustainable, self-sufcient lifestyle, producing food in abundance and playing a substantial role in environmental restoration—are still scanty This has to be acknowledged Most people who claim to be involved with permaculture just talk about permaculture; some practice it to some degree, but very few manage to live of their produce, for example We need more success cases, concrete examples of highly productive systems which are efcient, resilient, associated with preservation and conservation of the ecosystems, examples that can be replicated and inspire and show the way to new permaculturists and society in general To that end, it is vital that we adopt the mindset of seriousness, commitment and hard work discussed above “It is time permaculture took on the responsibility of food production.” We need the felds flled with people who grow food and restore the environment through permaculture It is pointless and incongruous to try to convince farmers to grow food this or that way, with our words, with arguments, if we ourselves grow nothing! Neither should we expect farmers to take on permaculture so we can consume (buy) ecological foods What we must is roll up the sleeves and take on the task of growing natural, healthy, ecological food for ourselves and the market, in an efcient and abundant way, through permaculture, thus making the now hegemonic ecocidal model obsolete This way, the other farmers will naturally, gradually adhere to permaculture, making it snowball “To live of the land is to live on the land” Above I argued that permaculture can very well feed the world, something I frmly believe And I discussed about the yield per area; however, there is another very important point that must be dealt with It is indisputable that industrial agriculture has a higher yield per farm worker, that is, per person directly involved with farm work, compared to organic agriculture, and that’s due mostly to mechanization As we all know, industrial agriculture depends on a high degree of mechanization which reduces demand for farm work, leading to the expulsion of the peasantry from the land; by contrast, natural and sustainable agricultural systems are much less suitable for mechanization, thus requiring more human labour and presence on the land So, while it is not an illusion that permaculture or organic farming can feed 316 Part II – The Permaculture Alternative 18 Proposition for a Global Transition the world, it is an illusion to think that that can be done with practically all world population living in cities Therefore, for humanity to attain sustainability through permaculture, it is critical that we have a big enough proportion of people living in the country, working on the land, growing food and restoring ecosystems It is fundamental that we see a reversion of the crescent trend towards urbanization, shifting to a process of ruralization, and this fow must be led by permaculture people Gaining visibility One of the main obstacles restraining permaculture is its current lack of visibility in society As already mentioned, the vast majority of people simply have never even heard about permaculture, so to them this alternative simply doesn’t exist In fact, most people are not even aware of the environmental crisis we face, or its seriousness, therefore they may not think there’s any need for change That can be explained at least in part by the fact that the big power elites —corporations, governments, media—are not in the least interested in change Those powers largely determine what people know and what they think, as they control formal education and mass communications Now, of course we can’t count on any help from the system to change the system! For permaculture to fulfl its mission, it is vital that it reaches the greatest number possible of people, and for that we must deploy all available means In this context, alternative media, especially the internet, should be highlighted Websites, blogs, videos, articles and social networks, etc are all valid and have been extremely useful in spreading information about permaculture, its concepts, techniques, ongoing projects, etc Whenever possible, we must also utilize conventional media outlets, especially local radio stations, news outlets and magazines, which are the most commonly available or accessible Moreover, we must never underestimate the power of word of mouth, and inspiring people around us by our own example That is probably the most powerful tool for strengthening and spreading permaculture But for this to happen on a grand scale, it is vital that we have more and more concrete success cases of permaculture applied to people’s lives, as discussed above 317 Part II – The Permaculture Alternative 18 Proposition for a Global Transition 318 Part II – The Permaculture Alternative 19 Conclusion 19 CONCLUSION Our industrial civilization is at the height of its boom: population growing, economy growing, life expectancy growing in practically every country, every corner of the world Everyday there are more people, more cars, more houses, more aeroplanes, more ships, more factories, etc than the day before That could lead the unwary to conclude everything is alright, that we are on the right path and there’s nothing to worry about However, nothing could be farther from the truth, as the price for this boom is the dramatic, continuous, progressive decline of the natural resources that are vital not only for that growth, but to the maintenance of our civilization, human life itself and in fact complex life in general on the planet We will inevitably have to pay the price for this folly, or if not us, our descendants Humanity will not escape the consequences of its actions The majority of people are simply unaware of this terrible fact, because that decline is happening away from their eyes, or because they not comprehend the nature of the resources, or are not capable of understanding time scales appropriately, etc And it seems clear that the masses are kept in this state of numbness and ignorance deliberately by the system’s hidden masters, interested in maintaining the status quo On the other hand, also people who are awakened to the sombreness of the current situation in their majority fail to make any concrete moves to change this 319 Part II – The Permaculture Alternative 19 Conclusion history, or at least their role in it maybe because they’re lost and don’t know what to do, or maybe because they don’t have the fbre to what needs to be done, or in many cases probably a combination of both However, I don’t think it is productive to point fngers and lay blame for the current situation The fact is that the real cause for the crossroads we’re in is only one: our civilization Now, how can we condemn it, when it has allowed us to defeat child mortality and erase terrible diseases like variola and poliomyelitis? When it has allowed for the development of science which gave us an objective perception of nature, the universe around us and our place in it? How to demonize the civilization which allowed us to travel and know the world, and live much more comfortable and safe lives than before, among other countless formidable advances which now we take for granted? For all that and so many more things, it is certainly not possible or desirable to abandon civilization However, if we want to stand a chance of surviving and leaving the future generations conditions for a life with any level of dignity, and preserve the life and beauty of our planet, we must reinvent our civilization Just the good old “turn of the tap”, “turn of the lights”, “put rubbish in the bin”, etc will never be enough—what we need is a wholesale rethinking of the way we live and relate with the natural world and society; a deep change in our goals in life and lifestyles, with a massive application of all sustainability concepts This big package of changes is precisely what permaculture represents, hence its immense importance and relevance, and that is why it is crucial that it be furthered, developed, propagated, multiplied to reach the greatest number possible of people, allowing them to engage in this movement before it is too late Actually, many believe it is already too late, while others believe a big enough number of people will never embrace permaculture, due to faws and shortcomings of the human nature itself They may be right, but even if so, we must try anyway—after all, what else can we do? This small book is just a collection of informations, ideas and concepts that I have been putting together over years of intense studies, attentive observations and practical experimentation I reiterate that this book does not contain all the answers by any means—the universe of scientifc and traditional knowledges, informations and techniques which are necessary or useful to a sustainable life is vast and wouldn’t ft in any book, or any person That universe lies open for us to explore and learn throughout our lives The attentive mind never ceases to learn Many questions remain unanswered, therefore there is still a lot to develop There are many people thinking hard about ways for us to get out of this mess we created, and that alone is great news So, we have three missions: to apply what we already know; to develop what we still don’t know, and to attract as many people as possible so they get involved, taking knowledge and inspiration so they too embrace the ideal of sustainability We’re still at the beginning of this 320 Part II – The Permaculture Alternative 19 Conclusion journey, this struggle to invent a way of life that is at the same time abundant and comfortable, but also ecologically responsible, healthy, sustainable—an endeavour unprecedented in human history To revert our current trajectory toward self-destruction is an immense challenge, but surely there cannot be a more worthwhile one Now, we must take this challenge with a lot of courage; we must adopt that mindset of pioneering and even heroism in the face of the difculties that we’ll fatally encounter That’s the only way for us to stand any chances of succeeding, be it in the individual, collective or, who knows, global level I have dedicated a considerable amount of efort and time of my life into writing this book, which I did with great dedication and love It was decided from the beginning that it would be put in public domain, so it can reach as many people as possible, in the hope of contributing to the furthering of the permaculture movement If this book ever manages to infuence a single person into joining us, permaculturists, embracing the mission of truly taking care of our beautiful planet, my eforts will have been rewarded 321 “The healing of the land and the purification of the human spirit is the same process.” —Masanobu Fukuoka ... shadow: environmental issues and options Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2006 23 Part I – The Environmental and Civilization Crisis The Environmental Crisis THE ENVIRONMENTAL. .. waste and environmental degradation and pollution, all of which continue to grow until today, resulting in the current environmental crisis Part I – The Environmental and Civilization Crisis. .. scratching the depth and urgency of the problem Surely there are people who are aware of the severity of our current environmental and civilization crisis and its terrible implications for the future