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75-471: The term, "transition town" was coined by Louise Rooney and Catherine Dunne. The transition model can be applied to different types of places where people live, such as villages, regions, islands and towns. The generic term is "transition initiative", which includes transition neighborhoods, communities, and cities, although "transition town" is in common usage. In 2004, permaculture designer Rob Hopkins set his students at Kinsale Further Education College

150-404: A composting toilet , outhouse or dry bog (rather than a plumbed toilet). Space can be saved in permaculture gardens with techniques such as herb spirals which group plants closely together. A herb spiral, invented by Mollison, is a round cairn of stones packed with earth at the base and sand higher up; sometimes there is a small pond on the south side (in the northern hemisphere). The result

225-847: A kelp forest ecosystem can be established (since kelp needs the cool temperatures and abundant dissolved macronutrients present in such an environment). Microalgae proliferate as well. Marine forest habitat is beneficial for many fish species, and the kelp is a renewable resource for food, animal feed, medicines and various other commercial products. It is also a powerful tool for carbon fixation. The upwelling can be powered by renewable energy on location. Vertical mixing has been reduced due to ocean stratification effects associated with climate change . Reduced vertical mixing and marine heatwaves have decimated seaweed ecosystems in many areas. Marine permaculture mitigates this by restoring some vertical mixing and preserves these important ecosystems. By preserving and regenerating habitat offshore on

300-486: A Designers Manual (1988) and David Holmgren ’s Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability (2003), as well as David Fleming 's work on community, culture and resilience. Each transition group has a high level of autonomy . However, to be called an official initiative certain criteria must be met. Additionally, there is nothing to stop an 'unofficial' initiative using ideas inspired by Transition towns. Further, there are various 'hubs' to coordinate work at

375-661: A collaboration between Green Books and the Transition Network (under the label Transition Books ): In 2008, the Transition Handbook was the joint 5th most popular book taken on holiday during the summer recess by the UK parliamentary MPs. Two films have been created by the movement about the movement. They document the progress of various initiatives: In 2008, the Trapese Collective published

450-404: A common building material, emits carbon dioxide and is harmful to the environment while natural building works with the environment, using materials that are biodegradable, such as cob , adobe , rammed earth (unburnt clay), and straw bale (which insulates as well as modern synthetic materials). Trademark and copyright disputes surround the word permaculture. Mollison's books claimed on

525-421: A critique called The Rocky Road to a Real Transition to which Hopkins replied. The debate was partly about how social change is brought about. A number of academic papers have been published looking at the concept's progress: Permaculture Permaculture is an approach to land management and settlement design that adopts arrangements observed in flourishing natural ecosystems . It includes

600-626: A future beyond fossil fuels; a future that is more vibrant, abundant and resilient; one that is ultimately preferable to the present". The stated aim of Transition US is to be a resource and "catalyst for building resilient communities across the United States that are able to withstand severe energy, climate, or economic shocks while creating a better quality of life in the process". They plan to accomplish this by "inspiring, encouraging, supporting, networking and training individuals and their communities as they consider, adopt, adapt, and implement

675-495: A garage into living space, and changing a south side patio into passive solar. Vacant lot farms are community-managed farm sites, but are often seen by authorities as temporary rather than permanent. For example, Los Angeles' South Central Farm (1994–2006), one of the largest urban gardens in the United States, was bulldozed with approval from property owner Ralph Horowitz, despite community protest. The possibilities and challenges for suburban or urban permaculture vary with

750-402: A general pattern, rather than responding to any local need or desire, many if not most are underutilized, unproductive, and generally maintained as ecologically disastrous lawns by unenthusiastic owners. In this broadest understanding of wasted land, the concept is opened to reveal how our system of urban design gives rise to a ubiquitous pattern of land that, while not usually conceived as vacant,

825-495: A human environment based on the frequency of human use and plant or animal needs. Frequently manipulated or harvested elements of the design are located close to the house in zones 1 and 2. Manipulated elements located further away are used less frequently. Zones are numbered from 0 to 5 based on positioning. The edge effect in ecology is the increased diversity that results when two habitats meet. Permaculturists argue that these places can be highly productive. An example of this

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900-503: A permaculture farm in Cuba began with 9 tiger worms in 2001 and 15 years later had a population of over 500,000. The worm castings are particularly useful as part of a seed starting mix and regular fertilizer. Worm castings are reportedly more successful than conventional compost for seed starting. Sewage or blackwater contains human or animal waste . It can be composted , producing biogas and manure. Human waste can be sourced from

975-645: A platform, marine permaculture employs natural processes to regenerate marine life. Grazing is blamed for much destruction. However, when grazing is modeled after nature, it can have the opposite effect. Cell grazing is a system of grazing in which herds or flocks are regularly and systematically moved to fresh range with the intent to maximize forage quality and quantity. Sepp Holzer and Joel Salatin have shown how grazing can start ecological succession or prepare ground for planting. Allan Savory 's holistic management technique has been likened to "a permaculture approach to rangeland management ". One variation

1050-973: A regional level. The hubs and groups are represented on the Transition groups website The Transition Network (TN) is a UK charity set up to support Transition initiatives. It has published books and films, trained people and facilitated networking . The TN's website contains a listing of the initiatives that have registered, some of which are officially recognised. Some of the material has been translated and adapted to other languages/cultures, including Portuguese , Danish, German , Dutch, Spanish, French , Hungarian, Italian , Japanese and Irish. TN has run seven conferences: Nailsworth (2007), Royal Agriculture College, Cirencester (2008), Battersea Arts Centre (2009), Dame Hannah's at Seale Hayne (2010), Hope University, Liverpool (2011), Battersea Arts Centre (2012) and Dame Hannah's at Seale Hayne (2015). A project called Transition Together exists to support groups within

1125-487: A result, the implementation of permaculture design will vary widely depending on the region of the Earth it is located in. Because permaculture's implementation is so localized and place specific, scientific literature for the field is lacking or not always applicable. Design principles derive from the science of systems ecology and the study of pre-industrial examples of sustainable land use. A core theme of permaculture

1200-714: A set of design principles derived using whole-systems thinking . It applies these principles in fields such as regenerative agriculture , town planning, rewilding , and community resilience . The term was coined in 1978 by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren , who formulated the concept in opposition to modern industrialized methods, instead adopting a more traditional or "natural" approach to agriculture. Permaculture has been criticised as being poorly defined and unscientific. Critics have pushed for less reliance on anecdote and extrapolation from ecological first principles, in favor of peer-reviewed research to substantiate productivity claims and to clarify methodology. Peter Harper from

1275-426: A single customizable application aimed at enabling anyone to easily create their own social network. Ning was initially funded internally by Bianchini, Andreessen and angel investors . In July 2007, Ning raised US$ 44 million in venture capital , led by Legg Mason . In 2008 and 2009, the company announced it had raised an additional US$ 75 million in capital. On April 15, 2010, CEO Jason Rosenthal announced that

1350-625: A trademark for the word permaculture . Permaculture has been criticised as being poorly defined and unscientific. Critics have pushed for less reliance on anecdote and extrapolation from ecological first principles, in favor of peer-reviewed research to substantiate productivity claims and to clarify methodology. Peter Harper from the Centre for Alternative Technology suggests that most of what passes for permaculture has no relevance to real problems. Harper notes that British organic farmers are "embarrassed or openly derisive" of permaculture, while

1425-597: Is conservation grazing , where the primary purpose of the animals is to benefit the environment and the animals are not necessarily used for meat, milk or fiber. Sheep can replace lawn mowers. Goats and sheep can eat invasive plants. Natural building involves using a range of building systems and materials that apply permaculture principles. The focus is on durability and the use of minimally processed, plentiful, or renewable resources , as well as those that, while recycled or salvaged, produce healthy living environments and maintain indoor air quality. For example, cement,

1500-552: Is "scientific evidence for all twelve [of Holmgren's] principles". In 2017, Ferguson and Lovell presented sociological and demographic data from 36 self-described American permaculture farms. The farms were well diversified, with a median effective number of enterprises per farm of 3.6 (out of a maximum of 6 in the analysis method used). Business strategies included small mixed farms, integrated producers of perennial and animal crops, mixes of production and services, livestock, and service-based businesses. Median household income ($ 38,750)

1575-458: Is a coast. Where land and sea meet is a rich area that meets a disproportionate percentage of human and animal needs. This idea is reflected in permacultural designs by using spirals in herb gardens, or creating ponds that have wavy undulating shorelines rather than a simple circle or oval (thereby increasing the amount of edge for a given area). On the other hand, in a keyhole bed, edges are minimized to avoid wasting space and effort. Hügelkultur

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1650-412: Is a common practice in permaculture. The practice involves using earthworms , such as red wigglers , to break down green and brown waste . The worms produce worm castings, which can be used to organically fertilize the garden. Worms are also introduced to garden beds, helping to aerate the soil and improve water retention . Worms may multiply quickly if provided conditions are ideal. For example,

1725-1221: Is a gardening technique that attempts to mimic the leaf cover that is found on forest floors. Edward Faulkner's 1943 book Plowman's Folly , King's 1946 pamphlet "Is Digging Necessary?", A. Guest's 1948 book "Gardening without Digging", and Fukuoka's " Do Nothing Farming " all advocated forms of no-till or no-dig gardening. No-till gardening seeks to minimise disturbance to the soil community so as to maintain soil structure and organic matter. Low-effort permaculture favours perennial crops which do not require tilling and planting every year. Annual crops inevitably require more cultivation. They can be incorporated into permaculture by using traditional techniques such as crop rotation , intercropping , and companion planting so that pests and weeds of individual annual crop species do not build up, and minerals used by specific crop plants do not become successively depleted. Companion planting aims to make use of beneficial interactions between species of cultivated plants. Such interactions include pest control , pollination , providing habitat for beneficial insects , and maximizing use of space; all of these may help to increase productivity. Rainwater harvesting

1800-400: Is a key area for transition, sometimes the slogan "Food feet, not food miles " is used. Initiatives so far have included creating community gardens or replacing ornamental tree plantings with fruit or nut trees to grow food. Business waste exchange seeks to match the waste of one industry with another industry that uses that waste material, sometimes referred to as industrial symbiosis . It

1875-620: Is a mutually beneficial group of species that form a part of the larger ecosystem. Within a guild each species of insect or plant provides a unique set of diverse services that work in harmony. Plants may be grown for food production, drawing nutrients from deep in the soil through tap roots, balancing nitrogen levels in the soil ( legumes ), for attracting beneficial insects to the garden, and repelling undesirable insects or pests. There are several types of guilds, such as community function guilds, mutual support guilds, and resource partitioning guilds. Zones intelligently organize design elements in

1950-674: Is a series of microclimate zones, wetter at the base, drier at the top, warmer and sunnier on the south side, cooler and drier to the north. Each herb is planted in the zone best suited to it. Domesticated animals are often incorporated into site design. Activities that contribute to the system include: foraging to cycle nutrients, clearing fallen fruit, weed maintenance, spreading seeds, and pest maintenance. Nutrients are cycled by animals, transformed from their less digestible form (such as grass or twigs) into more nutrient-dense manure. Multiple animals can contribute, including cows, goats, chickens, geese, turkey, rabbits, and worms. An example

2025-518: Is an online social media network platform for people and organizations to create custom social networks. Ning was co-founded by Marc Andreessen and Gina Bianchini and launched in October 2005. By June 2011 there were over 90,000 social websites running on the Ning Platform. Ning started development in October 2004 and launched its platform publicly in October 2005. At its launch, Ning

2100-555: Is chickens who can be used to scratch over the soil, thus breaking down the topsoil and using fecal matter as manure. Factors such as timing and habits are critical. For example, animals require much more daily attention than plants. Masanobu Fukuoka experimented with no-pruning methods on his family farm in Japan, finding that trees which were never pruned could grow well, whereas previously-pruned trees often died when allowed to grow without further pruning. He felt that this reflected

2175-449: Is in fact largely without ecological or social value. Permaculture derives its origin from agriculture, although the same principles, especially its foundational ethics, can also be applied to mariculture , particularly seaweed farming . In Marine Permaculture , artificial upwelling of cold, deep ocean water is induced. When an attachment substrate is provided in association with such an upwelling, and kelp sporophytes are present,

2250-477: Is not yet a mainstream scientific tradition and lacks the resources of mainstream industrial agriculture. Rafter Ferguson and Sarah Lovell point out that permaculturalists rarely engage with mainstream research in agroecology , agroforestry , or ecological engineering , and claim that mainstream science has an elitist or pro-corporate bias. Julius Krebs and Sonja Bach argue in Sustainability that there

2325-543: Is suggested that this process can help companies increase profitability by reducing raw material and waste disposal cost, reducing carbon emission, making their by-products a source of revenue to be bought by other business. It also suggests that repairing old items rather than throwing them away should be considered. The Transition Network proposes an alternative from business as usual, or from 'shocked/doomladen' reactions to peak oil and an end to unlimited economic growth. According to Southend-on-Sea in Transition, A theme of

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2400-530: Is that very few sustainable systems are designed or applied by those who hold power, and the reason for this is obvious and simple: to let people arrange their own food, energy and shelter is to lose economic and political control over them. We should cease to look to power structures, hierarchical systems, or governments to help us, and devise ways to help ourselves. - Bill Mollison Holmgren articulated twelve permaculture design principles in his Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability : A guild

2475-453: Is the accumulation and storage of rainwater for reuse before it runs off or reaches the aquifer . It has been used to provide drinking water , water for livestock, and water for irrigation , as well as other typical uses. Rainwater collected from the roofs of houses and local institutions can make an important contribution to the availability of drinking water. It can supplement the water table and increase urban greenery. Water collected from

2550-752: Is the efficient utilization of space. Wildfire journal suggests using methods such as the keyhole garden which require little space. Neighbors can collaborate to increase the scale of transformation, using sites such as recreation centers, neighborhood associations, city programs, faith groups, and schools. Columbia, an ecovillage in Portland, Oregon , consisting of 37 apartment condominiums, influenced its neighbors to implement permaculture principles, including in front-yard gardens. Suburban permaculture sites such as one in Eugene, Oregon , include rainwater catchment, edible landscaping, removing paved driveways, turning

2625-404: Is the idea of "people care". Seeking prosperity begins within a local community or culture that can apply the tenets of permaculture to sustain an environment that supports them and vice versa. This is in contrast to typical modern industrialized societies, where locality and generational knowledge is often overlooked in the pursuit of wealth or other forms of societal leverage. The tragic reality

2700-527: Is the practice of burying wood to increase soil water retention. The porous structure of wood acts like a sponge when decomposing underground. During the rainy season, sufficient buried wood can absorb enough water to sustain crops through the dry season. This technique is a traditional practice that has been developed over centuries in Europe and has been recently adopted by permaculturalists. The Hügelkultur technique can be implemented through building mounds on

2775-1074: The Centre for Alternative Technology suggests that most of what passes for permaculture has no relevance to real problems. Defenders of permaculture reply that researchers have concluded it to be a “sustainable alternative to conventional agriculture,” that it “strongly” enhances carbon stocks, soil quality, and biodiversity, making it “an effective tool to promote sustainable agriculture, ensure sustainable production patterns, combat climate change and halt and reverse land degradation and biodiversity loss.” They further point out that most of permaculture’s most common methods, such as agroforestry, polycultures, and water harvesting features are also backed by peer-reviewed research. In 1911, Franklin Hiram King wrote Farmers of Forty Centuries: Or Permanent Agriculture in China, Korea and Japan , describing farming practices of East Asia designed for "permanent agriculture". In 1929, Joseph Russell Smith appended King's term as

2850-775: The Tao -philosophy of Wú wéi , meaning no action against nature or "do-nothing" farming. He claimed yields comparable to intensive arboriculture with pruning and chemical fertilisation. Agroforestry uses the interactive benefits from combining trees and shrubs with crops or livestock. It combines agricultural and forestry technologies to create more diverse, productive, profitable, healthy and sustainable land-use systems. Trees or shrubs are intentionally used within agricultural systems, or non-timber forest products are cultured in forest settings. Forest gardens or food forests are permaculture systems designed to mimic natural forests. Forest gardens incorporate processes and relationships that

2925-524: The Totnes pound , which was redeemable in local shops and businesses, helped to reduce food miles while also supporting local firms. In 2008, the idea was also considered by three Welsh transition towns, including Cardiff. The Stroud pound and Totnes pound became defunct in 2013 and 2019 respectively. As of November 2019, the Lewes pound and Brixton pound are active. Transition towns have been featured in

3000-519: The Transition towns concept. They then presented their ideas to Kinsale Town Council, to which the councilors decided to adopt the plan and work towards energy independence. Hopkins moved to his hometown of Totnes , England , where he and Naresh Giangrande developed these concepts into the transition model. In early 2006, Transition Town Totnes was founded and became the inspiration for the founding of other Transition initiatives. In early 2007,

3075-567: The association négaWatt provides a theoretical support to the transition movement. After the 2008 global financial crisis , the Transition Network added financial instability as further threat to local communities (alongside peak oil and climate change). It suggested a number of strategies could help, including fiscal localism and local food production. Further, it saw the creation of local complementary currencies as reinforcing moves toward sustainable low carbon economies as well as being socially beneficial. Additionally, Hopkins also wrote that

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3150-577: The copyright page , "The contents of this book and the word PERMACULTURE are copyright." Eventually Mollison acknowledged that he was mistaken and that no copyright protection existed. In 2000, Mollison's U.S.-based Permaculture Institute sought a service mark for the word permaculture when used in educational services such as conducting classes, seminars, or workshops. The service mark would have allowed Mollison and his two institutes to set enforceable guidelines regarding how permaculture could be taught and who could teach it, particularly with relation to

3225-739: The 1930s. Another pioneer, George Washington Carver , advocated for practices now common in permaculture, including the use of crop rotation to restore nitrogen to the soil and repair damaged farmland, in his work at the Tuskegee Institute between 1896 and his death in 1947. In his 1964 book Water for Every Farm , the Australian agronomist and engineer P. A. Yeomans advanced a definition of permanent agriculture as one that can be sustained indefinitely. Yeomans introduced both an observation-based approach to land use in Australia in

3300-671: The 1940s and in the 1950s the Keyline Design as a way of managing the supply and distribution of water in semi-arid regions. Other early influences include Stewart Brand 's works, Ruth Stout and Esther Deans , who pioneered no-dig gardening , and Masanobu Fukuoka who, in the late 1930s in Japan, began advocating no-till orchards and gardens and natural farming . In the late 1960s, Bill Mollison , senior lecturer in Environmental Psychology at University of Tasmania , and David Holmgren , graduate student at

3375-447: The 1988 publication of his global reference work, Permaculture: A Designers Manual . Mollison encouraged graduates to become teachers and set up their own institutes and demonstration sites. Critics suggest that this success weakened permaculture's social aspirations of moving away from industrial social forms. They argue that the self-help model (akin to franchising ) has had the effect of creating market-focused social relationships that

3450-553: The Indian subcontinent and southern Africa. By the early 1980s, the concept had broadened from agricultural systems towards sustainable human habitats and at the 1st Intl. Permaculture Convergence, a gathering of graduates of the PDC held in Australia, the curriculum was formalized and its format shortened to two weeks. After Permaculture One , Mollison further refined and developed the ideas while designing hundreds of properties. This led to

3525-475: The PDC, despite the fact that he had been certifying teachers since 1993. This attempt failed and was abandoned in 2001. Mollison's application for trademarks in Australia for the terms "Permaculture Design Course" and "Permaculture Design" was withdrawn in 2003. In 2009 he sought a trademark for "Permaculture: A Designers' Manual" and "Introduction to Permaculture", the names of two of his books. These applications were withdrawn in 2011. Australia has never authorized

3600-851: The TN's guide the '12 ingredients', or the 'revised ingredients', when setting up their group. The Transition Network's (TN) stated aim is to promote awareness of sustainable living and building local ecological resilience . The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resiliency by Rob Hopkins provides much of the framework behind the Transition Initiative and outlines ways for local Transition Towns to get involved. Communities are encouraged by The Transition Network to seek out methods for reducing energy usage as well as reducing their reliance on long supply chains that are totally dependent on fossil fuels for essential items (see environmental calculator ). According to The Transition food

3675-506: The Transition Network UK charity was co-founded by permaculture educator Rob Hopkins, Peter Lipman and Ben Brangwyn. Totnes based, it was initiated to support the Transition initiatives emerging around the world. It trains and supports people involved with the initiatives as well as disseminating the concepts of transition towns. In 2008, the number of communities involved in the project had increased with many localities in

3750-411: The Transition Network is acknowledging the emotional impact of changing to a low energy world. Some Transition Network groups have 'Heart and Soul' groups to look at this aspect. The psychological work reframed as inner continued through to 2024 Transition towns aim to reduce dependency on fossil fuels, and one way they do this is by developing a community Energy descent action plan (EDAP). As shown in

3825-571: The UK. It receives funding from the National Lottery community fund Transition Together runs a social networking platform called Vive to support activity in the UK In the United States, transition initiatives have been started in many communities. Transition US is the national hub with a stated vision, "that every community in the United States will have engaged its collective creativity to unleash an extraordinary and historic transition to

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3900-413: The beneficial use of water resources. It was developed in Australia by farmer and engineer P. A. Yeomans . Keyline refers to a contour line extending in both directions from a keypoint. Plowing above and below the keyline provides a watercourse that directs water away from a purely downhill course to reduce erosion and encourage infiltration. It is used in designing drainage systems. Vermicomposting

3975-562: The built environment around the world. For example, land is used more ecologically in Jaisalmer , India than in American planned cities such as Los Angeles: the application of universal rules regarding setbacks from roads and property lines systematically creates unused and purposeless space as an integral part of the built landscape, well beyond the classic image of the vacant lot. ... Because these spaces are created in accordance with

4050-511: The case of Totnes, the term "community" is broadly defined to include local people, local institutions, local agencies and the local council. Development of an EDAP requires the active engagement of local initiatives at a variety of levels. The first comprehensive plan was created for Totnes in 2010, entitled Transition in Action: Totnes & District 2030 . In France , where the movement is called Villes et Territoires en Transition ,

4125-423: The designers understand to be valuable in natural ecosystems. A mature forest ecosystem is organised into layers with constituents such as trees, understory , ground cover , soil , fungi, insects, and other animals. Because plants grow to different heights, a diverse community of organisms can occupy a relatively small space, each at a different layer. The fundamental element of suburban and urban permaculture

4200-661: The free service would be suspended, and 41% of the employees would be laid off . Users of the free service had the option to either upgrade to a paid account or transition their content from Ning. In 2011, Ning was purchased by Glam Media and then officially acquired by Mode Media . Ning allows users to create their own communities and social networks around specific interests with their own visual design, choice of features and member data. Ning provides several core features, including opportunities for monetization, integration with other social networks, chat, email services, forums, polls and analytics. Customers are also able to map

4275-411: The ground as well as in raised garden beds . In raised beds, the practice "imitates natural nutrient cycling found in wood decomposition and the high water-holding capacities of organic detritus, while also improving bed structure and drainage properties." This is done by placing wood material (e.g. logs and sticks) in the bottom of the bed before piling organic soil and compost on top. A study comparing

4350-422: The ground, sometimes from areas which are specially prepared for this purpose, is called stormwater harvesting . Greywater is wastewater generated from domestic activities such as laundry, dishwashing, and bathing, which can be recycled for uses such as landscape irrigation and constructed wetlands . Greywater is largely sterile, but not potable (drinkable). Keyline design is a technique for maximizing

4425-575: The local environment. Permaculture maximizes synergy of the final design. The focus of permaculture, therefore, is not on individual elements, but rather on the relationships among them. The aim is for the whole to become greater than the sum of its parts , minimizing waste , human labour, and energy input, and to and maximize benefits through synergy . Permaculture design is founded in replicating or imitating natural patterns found in ecosystems because these solutions have emerged through evolution over thousands of years and have proven to be effective. As

4500-665: The movement could exert influence over positive agroecological transitions. In 2024, Reiff and colleagues stated that permaculture is a "sustainable alternative to conventional agriculture", and that it "strongly" enhances carbon stocks, soil quality, and biodiversity, making it "an effective tool to promote sustainable agriculture, ensure sustainable production patterns, combat climate change and halt and reverse land degradation and biodiversity loss ." They point out that most of permaculture's commonest methods, such as agroforestry, polycultures, and water harvesting features, are backed by peer-reviewed research. Ning (website) Ning

4575-632: The movement does have an understanding of global economics and is critical of its systemic problems such as being "growth-based". Some transition towns have been involved in launching local currencies including the Totnes pound , the Lewes pound , the Stroud pound and the Brixton pound . To help further these aims the Transition Network setup the REconomy Project, circa 2012. Launched in 2007,

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4650-471: The originators initially opposed. The ethics on which permaculture builds are: Mollison's 1988 formulation of the third ethic was restated by Holmgren in 2002 as "Set limits to consumption and reproduction, and redistribute surplus" and is elsewhere condensed to " share the surplus" . Permaculture emphasizes patterns of landscape , function, and species assemblies. It determines where these elements should be placed so they can provide maximum benefit to

4725-411: The permaculture expert Robert Kourik found the supposed advantages of "less- or no-work gardening, bountiful yields, and the soft fuzzy glow of knowing that the garden will ... live on without you" were often illusory. Harper found "many permacultures" are based on ideas ranging from practical farming techniques to "bullshit ... no more than charming cultural graces." Defenders respond that permaculture

4800-419: The plot line of the long-running BBC Radio 4 series The Archers . This is an example of mainstream media attention the movement received a few years after being founded. The transition movement featured in the 2015 film Demain A number of books have been published on specific topics, including: how communities can develop their Transition town initiative. Unless stated, the following books were published as

4875-543: The process of becoming "official" Transition towns. This was also the year that the Transition Handbook was published. The initiative spread and by May 2010 there were over 400 community initiatives recognized as official Transition towns in the United Kingdom , Ireland , Canada , Australia , New Zealand , the United States , Italy and Chile . The term transition initiatives became common to reflect

4950-517: The range and type of communities involved – e.g. villages ( Kinsale ), neighbourhoods of cities ( Portobello , Edinburgh), through council districts ( Penwith ) to cities and city boroughs ( Brixton ). By September 2013, there were 1130 groups registered (462 Official, 654 Muller) in 43 countries. By May 2024 there were 992 groups registered and 21 hubs Influences include permaculture concepts as described in Bill Mollison ’s Permaculture,

5025-549: The subtitle for Tree Crops: A Permanent Agriculture , which he wrote in response to widespread deforestation, plow agriculture, and erosion in the eastern mountains and hill regions of the United States. He proposed the planting of tree fruits and nuts as human and animal food crops that could stabilize watersheds and restore soil health. Smith saw the world as an inter-related whole and suggested mixed systems of trees with understory crops. This book inspired individuals such as Toyohiko Kagawa who pioneered forest farming in Japan in

5100-409: The task of applying permaculture principles to the concept of peak oil . The output of this student project was the ‘Kinsale Energy Descent Action Plan'. This looked at across-the-board creative adaptations in the realms of energy production, health, education, economy and agriculture as a "road map" to a sustainable future for the town. Two of his students, Louise Rooney and Catherine Dunne, developed

5175-657: The then Tasmanian College of Advanced Education started developing ideas about stable agricultural systems on the southern Australian island of Tasmania . Their recognition of the unsustainable nature of modern industrialized methods and their inspiration from Tasmanian Aboriginal and other traditional practises were critical to their formulation of permaculture. In their view, industrialized methods were highly dependent on non- renewable resources , and were additionally poisoning land and water, reducing biodiversity , and removing billions of tons of topsoil from previously fertile landscapes. They responded with permaculture. This term

5250-541: The transition approach to community empowerment and change". A large number of state sites have also been set up using the Ning social networking platform . These state sites, under the umbrella of a national Ning site, were set up to help facilitate, network, inform, monitor, and house regional and organizational transition initiatives. Thus, furthering the spread of the transition movement while networking related organizations, projects, ideas and activities. Some projects use

5325-582: The water retention capacities of Hügel raised beds to non-Hügel beds determined that Hügel beds are both lower maintenance and more efficient in the long term by requiring less irrigation. Mulch is a protective cover placed over soil. Mulch material includes leaves, cardboard, and wood chips. These absorb rain, reduce evaporation, provide nutrients, increase soil organic matter, create habitat for soil organisms, suppress weed growth and seed germination, moderate diurnal temperature swings, protect against frost, and reduce erosion. Sheet mulching or lasagna gardening

5400-557: The work by traveling and teaching a three-week program that became known as the Permaculture Design Course. It addressed the application of permaculture design to growing in major climatic and soil conditions, to the use of renewable energy and natural building methods, and to "invisible structures" of human society. He found ready audiences in Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Britain, and Europe, and from 1985 also reached

5475-456: Was a free-form platform for the development and hosting of open-source "social applications". The source code for Ning applications was available to users so that anyone could fork a Ning application, modify its PHP code and run it as their own. In late September 2006, Ning narrowed its focus to offering a group website, a photos website, and a videos website for people to copy and use for any purpose. These three templates were later superseded by

5550-466: Was first made public with the publication of their 1978 book Permaculture One . Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labor; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system . Following the publication of Permaculture One , Mollison responded to widespread enthusiasm for

5625-446: Was less than either national median household income ($ 51,017) or national median farm household income ($ 68,680). A 2019 study by Hirschfeld and Van Acker found that adopting permaculture consistently encouraged cultivation of perennials, crop diversity, landscape heterogeneity, and nature conservation. They found that grass-roots adopters were "remarkably consistent" in their implementation of permaculture, leading them to conclude that

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