Recommendation of a Strategy

What can permaculture guilds teach us about resilience?

Overview

Introduce permaculture

Define permaculture guilds

Examine their principles and likely sources of resilience

Open up topic for discussionSuggested application: Urban planning/zoning

Brainstorm actions each of us can take away from this discussion

Permaculture:
An excessively short introduction

A design system for the creation of sustainable human settlements (Rob Hopkins)

Originated with Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in 1970s

Values wisdom of indigenous peoples along with contemporary sciences

Seeks to observe nature and build/regenerate ecosystems, not fight nature with monocultures

Selected Permaculture Principles:
Ethics

Follows three primary ethical principles:Earth care

People care

Fair share

What are permaculture guilds?

Combinations of complementary plants (and sometimes animals) known to thrive and build resilience together

Example: the three sisters guild of Native American agriculture (corn, beans, and squash)

Substitutions welcome

Some guilds have ten or more members

Selected Permaculture Principles at Work in Guild Design

Principles that may foster resilience include:

Prioritizing observation of nature

Preferring native plants to exotics

Favoring perennial plants over annuals

Selecting/siting plants for relationships to others

Valuing diverse elements and relations

Choosing elements that have multiple functions

Ensuring each function is supported by multiple elements

Matching inputs and outputs to close loops

Stacking plants, other elements in space and time

Conversation starter:
Are lessons from permaculture guilds relevant to urban planning?

Are monocultures inherently fragile?

How can we tell what combinations (of businesses, schools, residences, spaces, etc.) work well together?

What challenges might we face in applying lessons from permaculture guilds to regenerating urban environments?

Brainstorm your action plan

What discussion points resonated most with you?

Can you point to steps you can take in your life or work based on our discussion?

Alternatively, what would you tell others about permaculture guilds and what they could learn from them?