By Nic Tuff
As
permaculture continues to permeate the agricultural and ecological landscape –
in backyards, farms and eco-villages – some forward-thinking practitioners are
seeing the potential of this revolutionary design philosophy to be utilized at
a more far-reaching macro scale.
In
this vanguard are Yestermorrow instructors Andrew Faust and Lisa DePiano, and
the recently completed first offering of their Permaculture for Regional Planning: Ecological Models for Economic Development course could be considered a
landmark moment in the evolution of this innovative design practice.
The crux of the
course focused on how to create resilient, self-reliant communities which
maximize the potential of the respective eco-region. In an age when extreme
weather and petroleum dependence are increasingly threatening the fragile fabric
on which our socio-economic systems are based, this class explored how this holistic
practice can offer a solution-based response to even the direst issues
threatening the health and wealth of our social, economic and ecological
systems.
Focusing on a
bioregional approach, Faust and DePiano emphasized that every backyard, every
watershed and every bioregion has within it a potential – some hidden, some
realized, some unrealized (much in our current land economy that remains
unrealized). Solar gain, soil fertility,
existing infrastructure and so many other factors contribute to the potential
of a respective land, region or city. Through
this lens, permaculture offers an expansive means to understand the potential
in applying socially and ecologically sound techniques to help communities
reclaim the means of production and to catalyze microenterprise to help make their
place more resilient and sustainable.
This class
cultivated the insight and offered the tools to make our communities more
healthy, self-reliant, and resilient; by diversifying their economic and
ecological foundation in a way that is both efficient and capitalizes on their
potential. Through case studies, field
trips and hands-on learning, students were offered a paradigm for professionals
and citizens alike to apply the design methodology and principles of
permaculture to retrofitting infrastructure at a regional scale.
The next offering
of this course is not yet scheduled, but if you would like to be notified when
it is, click the “Early Bird Registration” button on this page:
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