A slide-show of pictures from The New York Times about Permaculture, some of it’s participants, and some of the techniques that are used.
I like this article because it welcomes the idea that Permaculture is finally coming into the mainstream and that folks here in the United States and elsewhere can turn it into a more broadly available career option.
Permaculture Emerges from the Underground
Saskia Esslinger and her husband, Matt Oster, are taking part in the Alaska Food Challenge and aiming to eat locally for a year. To that end, they have converted their property into a garden, while both practice Permaculture.
Farmers On The Block: One Couple Aims to Eat Local All Year.
I’ve been doing some research lately into Aquaculture and Aquaponics lately because of my involvement with urban agriculture here in Harrisburg. The group who is overseeing the project has an opportunity to obtain a large commercial greenhouse for use and is considering what the options are for generating revenue and employment opportunities. One such possibility that has been discussed is raising fish for sale. Though there are many books and resources available on how to do so, in the context of operating and running a setup, we didn’t know what the legal and other requirements are.
Thankfully, there are not many hurdles to overcome if you want to raise fish commercially. The exact details of wanting to sell them for food is another question that has yet to be answered.
The requirements are an Artificial Propogation License, and to follow the laws governing what fish are appopriate to raise in which systems. In order to get the license, as of this writing (25.July.2011), the person to contact is Mary Bates at the Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services. Her phone number is 717.772.2852. In addition to the license she can get you any other paperwork you may need. My experience when walking with Mary was very pleasant; she was extremely knowledgable and helpful within her area of work, and thoroughly explained the process of working to get a license, where on the web to find additional information, and so on.
In addition to the license, you will also want to get copies of the approved species lists. They are currently being updated and only the older regulations are available.
The process for getting the APL:
1. Call Mary and ask her for the license form and the approved species lists. If you, and she, have the time, discuss your project. She can then point you to any other paperwork specific to your needs.
2. Fill out the license. For the site information include GPS coordinates. This helps the inspecting officer.
3. Submit the form. Though there is a $150 fee, you do not pay it until you are approved.
4. Your form will be reviewed and then handed over to the Fish and Boat Commission, who will assign it to one of their officers to come out and inspect the site with you and insure everything meets the appropraite requirements.
5. The report from the Fish and Boat officer will be passed back to the Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services for approval or denial.
6. You will be informed of the decision, at which time you will submit payment for the license, which is good for 5 years.
7. The total process can be expected to take 2-3 months, so please consider that when planning your project.
Lastly, you do not need a license to raise fish at home. It is only needed for commercial operations.
Anthony Anderson, who contributes to The Huffington Post and a practices permaculture in Minnesota, advocates that we begin rebuilding paradise by planting large scale food-forests in order to combat rising food prices, our emerging health care issues, energy decline, and climate change. Like Bill Mollison in the Designers’ Handbook, he implores us to take this action NOW.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anthony-anderson/replanting-paradise-is-th_b_905314.html
Green Shopping has made 17 Permaculture and Sustainability related e-books, in PDF format, available for free download. From the e-mail that I received with the order, they are intending to make more titles available as they are able, which will require additional time, money, and bandwidth to do. If you do decide to add some of these books to your library, please consider making a donation to them.
The titles at this time are:
Laura Fryer, current VP and General Manager of WB Games and a former executive producer on the wildly successful Gears of War franchise, is looking to bring Permaculture to the video game business. She sees the model used by many companies at this time, of hiring a team to produce a game, putting them under incredible pressures until they burn out, then fire them and move onto a new group of fresh and willing employees, to be unsustainable and wants to build something better.
I come from an IT background and understand the disconnect between company ownership and the technical side of the house. For reasons that have yet to be fully revealed to me, Information Technology, Programming, and Computer Science are only one step removed from witchcraft and sorcery. Those in the know are expected to do whatever is necessary to complete the job while meeting the deadlines of people who don’t understand. No wonder these folks burn out.
Something better can be built and Ms. Fryer is starting that conversation.
Develop: WB Games’ Fryer Calls Slash And Burn Management ‘Unsustainable’
If you are not familiar with these two, they were behind the excellent BBC Documentary A Farm for The Future. Since that time, they have gone back to her father’s small farm in Devon and begun taking up the call to reskill, implement permaculture on the farm, and prepare for energy descent. An admirable plan, it has lead to many articles from them at Permaculture Magazine where you can read their thoughts, get recommendations, and check in on various experiments.
Articles at Permaculture Magazine by Rebecca and Tim