Talk:Urban Permaculture

This is our shared space, lets use it!

Just click the edit button next to any of the topics to add anything you like!

Please remember to check this page a few times through out your week, so that we can be learning through out our time rather than just on friday afternoons!

Urban Permaculture Tree Diagram
This is a space we can start sharing ideas for how we view the creation of our tree that will be a sprouting point for this new study of urban permaculture!!

Research and Contribution to the Zine
I looked through some of our notes and saw the main themes of what we spoke of interests and made some temporary ideas for sections of the zine, which in no way need to be how it is. I just thought it may help think about what it is each of us wants to focus on. So feel free to delete/add/or change the headings of sections!

Please just write your name and then your plans. Or if you are interested in something that some one has already posted than please add what ever thoughts you have on it and try to provide an additional source for inquiry!

How To urban permaculture
tumbell:

I will be doing some diagraming and writing describing how to sprout seeds, where to get them, and the reason it is worth the effort. I will be getting a lot of information from the book The Sprouting Book, by Anna Wigmore, as well as other resources i find online. If there is space, i think there is also writing that could be done on the politics in relation to dependence on capitalist modes of production and so on..., though I will focus more on the bodily, and economic health of sprouting. I would call this the HOW TO section

zemora:

i think i will do a section on urban soil health. i intend to talk about 1) soil remediation using plants to help get rid of contaminants and heavy metals 2) a few case studies of brownfields (former industrial sites) that have been converted into either food production spaces or community centers, focusing on the methods they used to improve the soil 3) a list of resources on soil health for people beginning urban gardening projects, including where and how to get your soils tested, processes of remediation, etc. i might also include 4) a bit of info on soil-less alternative food production options such as hydroponics: pros and cons.

one resource i plan to use is this EPA report titled "Building Vibrant Communities: Community Benefits of Land Revitalization" which can be found here: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/policy/comben.pdf.

i'd be happy to collaborate if anyone else is interested in exploring urban soil health

ALIMA---I am interested in plants that will be best for urban spaces. I have been thinking lately about what it means to be trying to enact design principles in different spaces and I think a major difference of urban vs. rural spaces are the actual plants that can go in these spaces and how they can be placed in these spaces. I would like to do a chapter that creates a catalogue of different categories of plants (with examples) that serve different functions but all have some kind of advantage—or simply do well (for one reason or another) in an urban environment. This will include, how to find these plants, how they are grown, why they are special for urban planning, how to figure out what plants work well together—a rather simple guide to this part.

Investigations may include:

-plants that clean air or soil—aka remove toxin from soil or even do well with toxins

-plants that do well indoors or without much direct sunlight

-plants that minimize input and labor and maximize output

-malleable plants/can move around and form around other things

-hardy plants

-food plants best suited for urban growth

(and please add more)

Also I would like to reflect on current urban spaces and their lack of accessibility and disconnection as often parks or even potted plants, roof plants in many urban spaces includes decorative invasive plants simply for aesthetic value. I want to explore how to have more dynamic and accessible spaces in an urban environment that include living plants.

Oh and Zemora maybe this could also include some stuff about soil health?

Also--- Lindsey and I are interested in doing a piece about native pollinators and industrial agriculture.

Here are some articles on that subject

http://www.extension.org/pages/Native_Bees_Thrive_in_California_Urban_Gardens

http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/permaculture/2009-May/033157.html

http://www.nappc.org/PollinatorFriendly P ractices.pdf &lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal;" /&gt; &lt;span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial" /&gt;

Bárbara

I was initially interested in writing about gentrification, claiming spaces, using land as means of resistance, etc... I think Emelia might already touch on all of that though? If so, Emelia, you should check out the book Urban Wilds: Gardeners’ Stories of the Struggle for Land and Justice!! If you think that we can split the topic and we each narrow down to something more specific about "claiming spaces", then we should talk;)

I was also thinking about how implementing permaculture on campus would look like, so I might do "Permaculturating Hampshire": I'd draw what I think Hampshire would look like if we were to implement permaculture in the entire campus (with the lowest possible budget). I'd probably have to make several drawings of different areas, seeing that the zine would probably be too small to draw the entire campus on one page... Then I'd write a couple pages about the process behind the drawings, what changes we'd have to make on campus, how long it would take, how much it would cost... something along those lines...

feedback?

Lyla

ok i finally came to a decision. im remaking Bill Mollison's permaculture "oval egg" design as an urban permaculture design. Mollison's is a rainbow snake coiled around soil, water, and a tree. mine instead includes four sections: A-practical, B-social, C-$, D(the oval)- water. in A, there are 4 sections: A1- verticle space, A2- community space, A3- indoor space, A4- vacant lot (concrete/asphalt) space. So its kinda hard to fit all of this on small paper, but its very basic and done in pictures so its easy to see whats going on. B addresses issues like education, community organizing, youth invovlement, art activism, reclaiming space; C's issues are distribution, acess, local production/consumption, cheap DIY methods, grocery stores, etc. on the 2nd page is a key for the oval design, an explanation of what urban permaculture is/what basic permaculture overlooks, and a few other surprises. cool.

Kristie- critique of industrial agriculture/benefits of agrarianism/permaculture

I would like to look at industrial agriculture practices and issues with that, that are not issues in permaculture practitioners...basically write about the susceptibility of clones and the fact that genetic diveristy within a single crop and crop diversity within a field provides natural resistance (sexual reproduction evolved for a reason- to provide species with genetic diversity, and hence be more resilient to environmental stresses), making pesticides, herbicides, GM, etc. not necessary except in some extreme cases, such as the tomato thingy this summer. i know that my local CSA ended up using some organic fertilizers and sprays because it was so bad, but then that crop wasn't organic...anyway, i'm using two farms as examples, on rural out in idaho which grows 16 varieties of potatoes and actually saves money by not using newleaf or whatever or growing only the russet burbank, which is what most industrial potato farmers grow ("our version of Ireland's Lumper") and a farm in Brooklyn that has topsoil on an old asphalt playing field which runs school programs, hires and youth from the neighborhood, and grows over 40 crops in that small area, fueling two farmers markets and a CSA. I'm using sources from readings through the term we've done, as well as PBS/Michael Pollan's documentary, the botany of desire, a section of the book produced by the convention on biological diversity, and articles found about the two farms mentioned.

Theory urban permaculture (?)
David-racial and culture divide re: urban permaculture, food insecurity, use of public land for urban permaculture; is urban permaculture a white experiment carried out by black people in pubic spaces? What can urban permaculture do to bring together people of different backgrounds without making some people feel marginalized? Not sure of what resources I'll be using. It's a broad topic and I want to get an idea of what resources are avaliable that I can use to discuss the issue. Open to sharing this topic so we can thoroughly examine food insecurity and use of public space for urban agricultre in a racial context.

Emelia-Im thinking of doing something regarding reclaiming spaces via permaculture-- reclaiming social space and physical/green space...guerilla gardening as community building endeavor. collaborative permaculture design, what that might look like in an urban setting- horizontal social spaces and vertical physical spaces? I obviously am not too sure and I don't know how exactly this would fit into the zine.

some potential resources:

"social production of urban space" by mark gottdiener

http://www.growingcommunities.org.au/main/

Beau-

What I have been doing throughout the time ya'll have been meeting (know I haven't been to much of them, I have been wrapped up in my life, and feeling silenced and discouraged) is researching ecoableism. I know it exists because I can't find any articles on it, you dig? Sometimes the biggest monsters are the invisible, silent ones. My contribution to the zine will my construction of the theory of ecoableism, and what good an anti-ableist perspective would do for intentional, sustainable living, particularly in urban areas. I also am examining the contradictions to be found in the work and writings of those striving to be intentional. Because we are all striving, we haven't gotten anywhere yet.

www.dowlingcommunitygarden.org- striving to be anti-ableist

http://www.twinoaks.org/gallery/sustainable- ableist

http://www.efn.org/~dlamp/ - striving to be anti-ableist

http://directory.ic.org/22493/Ventura_Urban_Homestead_Cooperative - classist, but has a pretty good non-discrimination policy

directory.ic.org (directory of intentional communities all over the world)

www.komaja.org- claims very anti-oppressive structure however seems like it is held in fairly inaccessible locations

planetida.com- queer and ableist as hell

http://zinelibrary.info/dealing-distractions-confronting-green-capitalism-copenhagen-and-beyond ( this is a path from the main site zinelibrary.info)

Dana Lee Xander Lee Xanderly Dana-

I am interested in looking at the popularized culture behind the development of Urban Permaculture theory and practice, and particularly in tying these developments into environmental racism and classism. (Id also like to look at white priveladge and class background priveladge in terms of accessibility and goals within permaculture and urban permaculture, as well as organizing and social justice programming in general) I would like to look at programs which have and have not worked well within their environments, as well as efforts made by various groups of people in the implementation of urban permaculture. I will be specifically addressing program design, intention, population, and when people need to stick their foots in their mouths and back off. &lt;span id="fck_dom_range_temp_1258011118343_494" /&gt;

Resources so far: Leonard/Wright "Environmental Racism" "Class Matters"  ANNNDD Ageyman, J and Running Grass "Reorienting Environmental Education for Environmental Justice"

Science/History of permaculture (?)
Ally: I will write up a piece or two for the zine that would explain the science &amp; process of designing a permaculture landscape- kind of like what I shared with you all Friday, but primarily through the lens of what urban designs could look like (city gardening, etc) as all inclusive spaces. If no one else is interested, I can also write up a brief piece on the history of permaculture and how it is being translated into urban areas, why this is important, so on &amp; so forth- this could also be a collaborative piece if anybody would like to team up!

A few resources that I plan on using are:

Yang, L. (2002) The City Gardener’s Handbook. North Adams, MA: Storey Books

Hemenway, T. (2009) Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.

Register, Richard. Ecocities Rebuilding Cities in Balance With Nature. New York: New Society, 2006. I

Lindsey: I'm interested in writing about composting human waste for urban gardens, "humanure" as a way to close nutrient loops in the systems we're looking at and as a way to reduce dependence on outside resources. I've been looking at some projects happening around the country, some legal, some not. There is a book called the Humanure Handbook, which can be access online, that I'll probably use.

JAAAASSSOOOOOONNN:

I've been thinking primarily thinking of three things; looking at permaculture philosophy and practice throughout its history; looking at how the philosophy and practice of permaculture fits with/can be integrated with resistance and social movements, community outreach and community building; and problems of racism, classism, sexism, and ableism within the permaculture movement. Im still kind of unsure exactly what direction I want to take, but Ill ramble a bit to lay out some of my ideas. they're real broad:

1) It is important to understand the philosophy (or philosophies!) behind permaculture movement, and how they translate into reality. Here, it is important to present the philosophy of permaculture in a way that is strictly not dogmatic, addressing criticisms and discussing its practicality. by "how do they translate into reality," i mean an inquiry into the successes and failures of permaculture. This means looking at examples of permaculture in different areas (urban, rural, low income and high income), by different people of differing race, class, etc, and looking at the ways it has been beneficial and effective or not in these specific cases, and why/how it has been as such. some people have claimed that permaculture is dogmatic and unrealistic; is this claim valid, even in part? how can we confront the dogmatism of permaculture? --how can the theories and practices of permaculture be incorporated into social/resistance movements and community building? By this, I am talking about a number avenues of inquiry. Firstly, how do the philosophies of permaculture fit with other ideological philosophies, particularly (for me) those on the radical left. How can they/do they fit with anti-authoritarianism, anti-racism, anti-ableism, anti-classism, anti-sexism? how does permaculture fit into building autonomous, supportive, empowered and inclusive communities? how can permaculture be used as a WAY to spark community interaction, particular in highly alienated and oppressed areas as a way to unite people and begin building towards supportive communities (low-income urban communities of people of color in particular)? --what things about the permaculture movement as it exists and is developing is problematic? With this, I intend to confront issues of racism, classism, sexism and ableism within the urban permaculture movement. From what i hear/see about the Urban permaculture movement (which is limited), it is dominated by white people, with design courses costing quite a bit of money. agriculture in general, i feel, is dominated by men, and most often does not concern itself with being designed in such a way so as to be accessible to people with disabilities. i see urban permaculture as being deeply engrained in radical notions of resistance and community, and we must confront these issues in all of these areas.

for my sources, I really dont know right now. I am seeing a lot of overlap amongst the topics about the politics behind and around permaculture, and i feel as if i would like to talk with folx doing these things to see if we can collaborate and write a bunch of things that work real well together. I have a few ideas, including that green permaculture book that i think was by holmgren, that Nowtopia book, and the punk-rock permaculture e-zine.

but yeah. thats just some stuff on my mind.

Dear Jason,

I love you.

Love, Beau

Resources for urban permaculture (?)
Ally, I would be really interested in writing a piece about the history &amp; core ideologies of permaculture, as well as another section about how urban permaculture can be a practical choice for communities. I have no background knowledge of permaculture outside this class and would need some help with research. I think it would be really cool to put the zine online as well, so people outside of the Hampshire community can have access to it (this is something I could probably incorporate into my web page design class). -Rae

Any thoughts/questions/discussion from class
Optional Potluck Meeting Time.... we're all real busy. but since we do have limited class time, I'd be interested in having an optional 'class' once a week (or less) to discuss topics we wouldn't normally have time to during friday meetings. we'd have to make sure that this wouldn't exclude the people who aren't able to desiring to be there, but rather build on what we mention but don't fully get into during classes. maybe the people who meet could do teach-ins? thoughts?

i'm down. is there a day that's good for people? just an idea- what about meeting during lunch?

Our Lunch schedules:
wednesdays, fridays anytime before 2pm. also usuablly free tuesdays, thursdays before 3pm - Ally

monday, wednesday, friday before 2 after 11:30 -tumbell

monday and wednesday before 230 after 1150- Emelia

monday before 4, tuesday and thursday at any time-- Jason

tuesday and thursday from 1150-1230, friday from 12-1 dana

monday and wednesday 1-4, thursdays anytime --lyla

mon 11-1, t/th till 2, wed 11-4, fri anytime-- alima

MW 10:30-2, TTh after 1:30, F anytime- B.

Spring Semester Urban Permaculture Independent Study Availabilities:
The idea of extending this independent study into next spring has been brought up multiple times. If this were to happen, it would be important that the folks who are interested also provide a timeframe of when they could meet.

Monday-Friday: After 2pm looks best --&gt; From, Ally --&gt; (Side Note: I would only be able to "audit" this independent study next semester since I will be last semester Div III, but I am psyched at the prospect of it continuing/developing and contributing to that process in some way).

Reading for 11/13 Urban Agriculture:
What are ways to make urban areas more self-sustaining, such as recycling urban waste water and using rainwater catchment systems?

What are ways we can be proactive in creating inclusive &amp; respectful urban (agriculture/garden) spaces?

How can we confront the white supremacist methedology of change within our culture- rich white people controll higher learning, where design for change is manipulated and in turn create a class of people to go enforce these changes upon the poor?

- responding rather than leading, sharing rather than selling, creating relationships of understanding rather than relationships of dominance...

Can we imagin a diveristy of tactics in the relm of urban permaculture? i.e. guerrilla gardening, seed/food exchanges, workshops, public school curriculum, policy changes, grass root organiziations, local media campaign (graffiti, posters).. ect..

can anyone speak to the privatization of public grounds in cities? I know new york city has been doing, but other examples and more details or resourses?- What kind of organizing stragies is nessasry to reclaim these privatized lands?

What are the differences between urban agriculture and urban permaculture?

Reading for 11/20 Urban Agriculture:

How does eco-capitalism create and continue environmental racism/isms?

How can contemporary alternative environmentalism address top-down power dynamics within global and local environmental movements?

How has your experience of environmental education included and or excluded multicultural perspectives, and/or worked within a racist/classist framework?

In redefining the word "environment" to be a broader concept, and specifically to be relevant and applicable in the city, what issues need to be addressed? How would you expand or recreate the idea of "the environment"?

Notes from Class!!!
ok i was going to post the notes here, but am not sure how: if i try to paste them, the format is all messed up, and i'm not sure how to post them as a pdf which would be the best option b.c. it would save space-- help?