Permaculture and Peak Oil: Part I

I just came back from a long weekend up in Maine at the Northeast Permculture Convergence. Yes, you could say it was a bunch of old and young hippies figuring out how to beat out Peak Oil. But it wasn't. It was an amazing gathering of over 300 people with diverse backgrounds, who are working in their communities, on their own land, with other land owners, to figure out how to really live in a harmonious, regenerative, restorative manner with the earth.

Sounds hoky, I know. But it's not. These are folks who are living in urban areas with greenhouses in their backyards, building neighborhood gardens with disadvantaged youth, raising chickens in the city, and yes, your small "eco-village" in the middle of nowhere Maine. But they're folks who care enough about their communities and future generations to look at how they can be part of the solution to our global energy crisis.

I'm going to post more on this later - what is permaculture, etc etc. But really, it's what I and many others are trying to do - living with less. Knowing when enough is enough. Using the resources and inputs available on your land, and growing and nurturing and designing your home, your garden, your farm, your neighborhood, in a way that is more sustainable and "closes the loop" on energy useage and waste.

Permaculture provides an alternative to the way we are living now, our consumerist model disconnected from our communities, the land and our natural resources. Granted, most of us would find it difficult to entirely disconnect from the "grid". But alternative energy is becoming more and more available. And, if we never run out of oil or fossil fuel and we don't boil the planet along the way, so be it. Implementing behavior changes like growing your own food, installing solar hot water, reducing your electricity useage, these are all still things that are good for the planet and save dollars. And, generally good for the soul too.

Below are a few videos on permaculture. The first a great permaculture 101, and the second is the video slideshow from the Convergence this past weekend. I'll post a 3rd video later by one of the founders of permaculture, on the role of permaculture in the post peak-oil world. I hope others will be inspired to learn more about this solutions-oriented approach. Enjoy.