by David Holmgren

Peak Oil & Permaculture Australian Tour Spring 2006

9/5/06 © 2006 www.holmgren.com.au 2
 A design system for
sustainable living and land use

Based on universal ethics

and design principles

A grass roots and

international movement
of practitioners, designers
and organisations

An empowering process for

reclaiming our place in nature
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 Permaculture One (1978)
Bill Mollison & David Holmgren

Permaculture: A Designers’ Manual

(1988) Bill Mollison

Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability

(2002) David Holmgren

9/5/06 © 2006 www.holmgren.com.au 4

 Climax
(post-modern Techno-Explosion
cultural chaos)

Green-Tech Stability

ism ent
Energy & Resource Use

ern Asc
)

Cr erm
Population

ea a
(M trial

(P
Pollution

tiv cu
e D ltu
us
od
Ind

es re)
ce
nt
Earth
stewardship

Pre-industrial Collapse
sustainable culture
Historical Time Future Time

Agriculture Industrial Baby Boom Great Grand Old Growth

10.000yrs
9/5/06 BP Revolution
© 2006 www.holmgren.com.au Children Forest 5
 How will we cope with the
energy descent future?

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Gardening for Food security, Garden greens & vegetables,
greenhouse tomatoes
Health & Conservation

Kitchen garden raised beds Melliodora

Harvesting pears

Potatoes: staple food

from the garden

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http://www.holmgren.com.au/
Organic soil fertility building & maintenance
Worm Farming

Living soil; the basis of food security

Mulching potatoes with cut grass

Hot 9/5/06
Composting ©2003Holmgren Design Services 8
http://www.holmgren.com.au/
Seasonal Food Culture
Pasta making with children Sun drying fruit

Pasta making
9/5/06 ©2003Holmgren Design Services Bottled fruit in earth cellar 9
http://www.holmgren.com.au/
Planinca eco community Slovenia
Working with animals: yields & ecological services
Black Australorp poultry; old breed suited to free range systems

Milking goats: healthy food & living

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Ducks in garden pond: suburban Sydney
http://www.holmgren.com.au/
 Tree crops: a perennial agriculture
Fungi: food from recycling biomass
Pistachio nuts, Food Forest,
South Australia

Shitake mushrooms on oak

9/5/06 ©2003Holmgren Design Services
http://www.holmgren.com.au/
Swalmann Netherlands 11
 Water and nutrient harvesting

Galvanised
rainwater tank,
Melliodora

Compost toilet, Food Forest, South Australia

Gravel reed bed treating

9/5/06
grey water; Fryers Forest ©2003Holmgren Design Services 12
http://www.holmgren.com.au/
Passive solar design &
natural materials
New Construction Melliodora:
Mud brick thermal mass floors
& load bearing walls,
Salvaged timber flooring & joinery

Eco retrofit CERES Melbourne

attached greenhouse

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http://www.holmgren.com.au/
Energy from wastes and forest thinnings
Austrian wood pellet furnace/solar
central heating cabin, Kinsale Ireland

Melliodora wood supply for

cooking & hot water
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http://www.holmgren.com.au/ (gas back up for cooking)
Frugal transport solutions Motorbike “prime mover”
Vietnam
Photo Darren Doherty
Chinese electric bicycle

Pig tractor Krameterhof Austria (Sepp Holzer’s)

Wood gasifier powered ute Finland

9/5/06 ©2003Holmgren Design Services 15

http://www.holmgren.com.au/
Carpooling & Hitchhiking
 Creative Reuse & Recycling

New fashion clothes made from

Hand9/5/06
basin cabinet made from metal©2003Holmgren
drum Design Services 16
recycled fabrics Olympia, USA
http://www.holmgren.com.au/
Fairview Gardens
Santa Barbara
Urban Agriculture
USA 2005 & Community
Gardens

9/5/06 ©2003Holmgren Design Services CERES Melbourne 1984 17

http://www.holmgren.com.au/
Northy St Brisbane 2003
 New ways of Community Supported Agriculture
Trading & Finance

LETS
local
currency
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 New ways of
sharing land
•Ecological building

•Common infrastructure

•Community governance

Village Terrace
Co-housing at
Earthaven N. Carolina

Earthsong Co-housing
Community,
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Auckland N.Z. http://www.holmgren.com.au/
 Seven Domains of Permaculture Action
Living Source

Land & Nature Built Infrastructure

Stewardship Environment

Craft, Tools
Technology
Land Tenure and Ethics
&

W 7
Community

th

ea do
Design
Governance

vi
Principles

ng a
to ns
m

ge
i

th
Culture and

er
Finance and Education
Economics
Health and
Spiritual Emerging applications
Well-being (Invisible structures)

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 Can Permaculture Design save the Suburbs?

1. Understand the history and obstacles

2. Read the landscape and resources
3. Sidestep the obstacles, grasp the opportunities
4. Turn the problem into the solution

Lets start at the beginning

 Suburbia in the 1950’s
The typical elements of suburban living
• Single income ($250/week in today’s money)
• Housewife & three children
• 12 square house on 1/4 acre block (1000m2)
• House proud self reliance & domestic frugality
(Vegies, fruit trees, chooks, the septic and lawn)
• Consumer icon of cleanliness, leisure and mobility

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 Foundations For Growth of Suburbia

The post war economic boom of the 1950’s

• Cheap and abundant fossil fuel and timber
• Australia riding on the sheep’s back (wool $2.40/kg)
• War service homes and low interest rates
• Public infrastructure for suburban growth
(Sealed roads, power, water and sewerage)

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 Chook pen
People
Vegie
Countgarden 19 Vegie garage Vegie garden
garden shed
Fruit trees
Gravel
shed Drive
shed
Back yard mechanic
Fruit trees
Fruit trees

garage
Hills hoists

verandah verandah verandah verandah

14 square
Married couple Married
14 squarecouple 14 square
Married couple 14 square
Married couple
brick & tile carport brick & tile
no kids & 3 kids
brick & tile
& 5 kids &brick
3 kids& tile
war service war service war service war service
home home home home

porch porch porch porch

Ornamental garden beds

Gravel
Drive Gravel
Drive

1 2 3 4
Aussie
9/5/06 Street (bitumen) 1950’s:©The
2006Golden Age of Suburbia
www.holmgren.com.au North
24
 Sewerage main

Chook pen
People
Vegie
Count garden 17 Vegie 70’s double
garage
garage/
Vegie garden
garden games room shed
Fruit trees Concrete
Gravel
shed drive
Drive
shed Back yard
Fruit trees mechanic
Fruit trees

garage
Hills hoists

70’s addition
verandah
60’s verandah enclosure verandah verandah
60’s verandah enclosure &verandah
renovation

Married couple Married couple Married

New couple
owners: Married couple
carport carport
no kids & 3 kids & 5 kids
couple & 3 kids & 3 kids

porch porch porch porch

Ornamental garden beds

70’s native garden

Gravel
Drive Gravel Concrete
Drive Drive

1 Nature strip and2native street trees 3 4

Kerb & Channel
Aussie Street
9/5/06 1960’s© & 70’s:
2006 Rising Affluence & Addition
www.holmgren.com.au North
25
 Problems with Suburban Growth
Urban sprawl
•Poor use of public infrastructure (sewerage)
•Car based transport
•Loss of agricultural land

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 Problems with Suburban Growth

Dysfunctional Economics
•Unproductive capital investment
•Speculative land values
•Declining household production (food, crafts etc)
•Household debt and consumer addiction

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 Problems with Suburban Growth

Dormitory suburbs
•Declining household size
•Empty houses and streets
•Lack of community & increased crime

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 Conventional Responses
Planning Regulations to encourage increasing density
•Smaller house blocks (500M2)
•Dual occupancy infill development
•Medium density redevelopment

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 Conventional Responses
Lifestyle responses
• Holidays away
• Live out; the mobile lifestyle
• The renovation obsession
• Move to inner city: apartment living
• Move to country living (the super suburb)

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 Conventional Responses
Environmental responses
• Improved public transport
• Building insulation and energy efficiency
• Urban green space, water sensitive urban design
• Native landscaping for water conservation & biodiversity

9/5/06 © 2006 www.holmgren.com.au 31

 Chook pen
People
Veggie
Countgarden 11 70’s double
garage/
Fruit trees games room 1990’s infill development
Unirrigated mown grass 180sq brick veneer
Concrete
drive
Fruit trees Young working
couple, no kids

garage
Concrete drive
& garage
70’s addition
& renovation
Separated
Empty nest New developer
carport working
carport
Elderly couple baby boomers owner & 2
mother
Elderly couple
Moving to nursing retiring to Qld teenage kids
home

Storm water Drip irrigated

Detention tank ornamental
70’s native garden garden
Gravel Concrete
Drive drive

1 2 1 Native street trees

3 4
Aussie Street Kerb & Channel
1990’s:Aging & Infill North
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Falling Energy

• A falling energy base

– Expands the problems (services, food, water)
– Brings problems home ( terrorism, refugees, recession)
– Make current urban design strategies ineffective

• Positives of energy descent

– Drive creative adaption and innovation
– Help overcome obsessions and addictions
– Renew community spirit and solidarity

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 Suburban Prospects ?
The End of Suburbia or the Retrofit of Suburbia?
• Home based work, telecommuting, cottage industry
• Extended families, lodgers and shared households
• Fertile soils, water supply & infrastructure for urban agriculture
• Recycle of storm water and human waste
• City Farms, CSA’s, Farmers Markets

Lets paint the picture

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 50klit rain tank, metal racks, header tank & wind turbine

People Count 15 Orchard/chook run Metal workshop/

PV grid feedback
Compost 1990’s infill development
bays Berry 180sq brick veneer
Unirrigated mown grass Chook house
Greywater fruits
Tool store Straw yard
Reedbed Young working
Grape couple, no kids
pergola
G/house

CSA chook tractor

vegie production Passive solar
12 sq eco-addition Concrete drive & garage
Shade
House
& Kiwi Fern garden Grape 70’s addition
vine pergola & renovation

Nut trees Baby boomer couple,

Nursery Separated working
Young couple young adult son mother & 2 teenage
Elderly couple
& baby children
Boarder: single
mother & baby

G/house
G/house
Verandha
Storm water
Nursery Bread
oven/ Detention tank
stock
Herb/perennials
70’s
firewood native garden
kitchen
store garden

Native street trees

1 2 3 4
Kerb & Channel
Aussie
9/5/06 Street Late 2000’s: Permaculture Retrofit
© 2006 www.holmgren.com.au North
35
Kick starting Relocalisation

• Network for inspiration and information

• Get producing and support local producers
• Involve kids and their friends
• Make contact with neighbours, barter
• Review needs, reduce consumption
• Share your place: take in a boarder
• Share your car: carpool and pick up hitch hikers
• Creatively work around regulatory impediments
• Pay off the debt / work from home
• Retrofit for the future, not speculative gain

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 Solutions for the Energy Descent Future

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