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The conversation about Holmgren’s Principles of Permaculture continue in this episode covering Principle 5: Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services. Rather than go through a list of renewable resources, instead the episode is geared towards what defines something as renewable for our needs, what resources we should use, and how to decide what how to best use a resource when we decide to use it, based on it’s usefulness and durability.
Because much of my thinking on Permaculture is steeped in the idea of energy descent and an end to cheap fuels, particularly fossil, there is also an emphasis on maintaining what we have and developing alternative resources now while we are able to do so in a quick and affordable manner. Once these are developed, to make the most use of them, and borrow from Principle 6: Produce No Waste, there is a need to insure we get the most out of each product which leads to another brainstorm on the yields of a tree. Using sawdust in a composting toilet for Humanure.
The episode wraps by talking about information and the importance of community as resources. Rebuilding community is one of our most important things we can do moving into the future. From it is a wealth of knowledge and resiliency we cannot possibly build on our own.
