2019/01/20

The Permaculture Handbook: Garden Farming for Town and Country: Peter Bane, David Holmgren: 9780865716667: Amazon.com: Books



The Permaculture Handbook: Garden Farming for Town and Country: Peter Bane, David Holmgren: 9780865716667: Amazon.com: Books


Permanent agriculture - abundance by design

The urban landscape has swallowed vast swaths of prime farmland across North America. Imagine how much more self-reliant our communities would be if 30 million acres of lawns were made productive again. Permaculture is a practical way to apply ecological design principles to food, housing, and energy systems; making growing fruits, vegetables and livestock easier and more sustainable.

The Permaculture Handbook is a step-by-step, beautifully illustrated guide to creating resilient and prosperous households andneighborhoods, complemented by extensive case studies of three successful farmsteads and market gardens. This comprehensive manual casts garden farming as both an economic opportunity and a strategy for living well with less money. It shows how, by mimicking the intelligence of nature and applying appropriate technologies such as solar and environmental design, permaculture can:
Create an abundance of fresh, nourishing local produce
Reduce dependence on expensive, polluting fossil fuels
Drought-proof our cities and countryside
Convert waste into wealth

Permaculture is about working with the earth and with each other to repair the damage of industrial overreach and to enrich the living world that sustains us. The Permaculture Handbook is the definitive, practical NorthAmerican guide to this revolutionary practice, and is a must-read for anyone concerned about creating food security, resilience and a legacy of abundance rather than depletion.

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Editorial Reviews

Review



Review - Transition Voice Vicki Lipski, July 26th

Peter Bane's handbook, while not quite encyclopedic, is nothing if not authoritative. I can honestly say, without fear of exaggeration, that I hold my head a little higher as I stride about my miniscule fiefdom, now that I've read The Permaculture Handbook: Garden Farming for Town and Country.
The stones Bane leaves unturned are few and far between. Once you've digested the author's ruminations on mapping, patterns, and garden elements, perennials, water, soil, plants, crops, seeds, and animal husbandry, not to mention his lists of plants and the jobs to which they are best suited, there's little chance you'll walk away dissatisfied.

Bane's treatment of these various aspects of garden farming (his preferred term) is methodical and complete. It was a relief and a delight to find that he allows both his sense of humor and political sensibilities to creep in from time to time.

He never forgets, however, that his purpose in writing is to distill over thirty years' experience in the science and the art of permaculture. There is much to be learned. The complete novice may, in fact, find the author's thoroughness a bit blinding. In this case, a piecemeal approach could well be the best one.

Bane himself advises the reader to start small, and good advice it is. As you proceed to branch out beyond the basics, the book's tidbits of information and advice will take on more and more relevance.

Pass the salt
For instance, did you know that if your fruit isn't sweet, or your vegetables are the object of an insect infestation, it's probably because your soil suffers from a mineral deficiency? Your soil is in need of amending (most everybody's is, to one degree or another).

It has been my contention, almost from the day we moved to the Cincinnati area, that the foods here are extremely bland. Now I understand why! The soil here is just awful - a tan, clumpy clay that is utterly devoid of worms and organic matter, and therefore completely unable to hold onto water. If it's possible to be deficient in everything, then this soil is. For folks in these parts, permaculture could literally spice up their lives. Good soil is the beginning of good eating.

Here's some more great advice that, by itself, is worth the purchase price of the book On page 88, we learn to,
... keep all soil growing some crop at all times
...Seed or transplant the next crop as soon as or, better, before the maturing one is harvested.

This book is packed with wisdom gleaned from decades of working the soil. Assuming I get my sonic mole repeller in time (they're tunneling me out of house and home), the winter squash will go in and around my thriving tomato plants. If I can lay my hands on some more cabbage seeds, they'll go in at the same time (the first planting was a washout).

With a cluck, cluck here...
The animal husbandry section offers a cornucopia of down-to-earth knowledge and advice.

I've long harbored the desire to raise chickens, but here - as elsewhere - we belong to a homeowners' association, so I've been frustrated yet again.
For those among you lucky enough to be able to own livestock, take a close look at chapter 14, "Animals for the Garden Farm." Interestingly, there are three animals which Bane believes the garden farmer should steer clear of: horses (not worth the upkeep), sheep (prone to parasites, need lots of land), and donkeys (need land).

He also takes on the ethical conundrum of raising animals for meat, as well as the importance of their breeding.

There is a lovely, lengthy section on beekeeping. Yet I believe this section includes a rare, important oversight; that is the failure to discuss Colony Collapse Disorder. This is just too important a problem to ignore. I hope it will be covered in the inevitable second edition.

The Permaculture Handbook is liberally adorned with black and white drawings and photographs. As can sometimes be the case with garden and farming pictures, the subjects of photos are occasionally difficult to determine. This problem is further exacerbated by the fact that permaculturists (I include myself) do not necessarily pride themselves on a tidy garden farm. Everything tends to be a "work in progress," and it shows. Such concerns notwithstanding, the color photos are particularly well done; the numbered captions are easily understood. The photos appear to have been carefully selected, and truly do add a needed dimension that bolsters the book's authoritativeness.

If they can, you can!
Finally, Bane's case studies include an up-to-the minute analysis of his own Renaissance Farm, in Bloomington, Indiana (also home to the magazine The Permaulture Activist). His year-by-year history of the progress he and partner Keith Johnson have made in turning their .7 acre into a working farm makes for genuinely interesting reading. As Bane describes the endlessly cyclical nature of what they do:
Self-reliance and food storage are both increasing. Soils are improving. The growing season is now year-round.
Would that we could all say the same.

Working examples
Other operations are described, as well: Jerome's Organics, of Basalt, Colorado; Old 99 Farm, in Dundas, Ontario; and Radical Roots Farm, of Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Jerome's is far and away the oldest of the four farms described, established in 1982. It's also different in that its primary mission is educational, both insofar as garden design is concerned, and with regard to producing successful yields. Jerome Osentowski welcomes students and visitors to his demonstration garden and educational programs year-round.

The other two garden farms were much more recently established. In the case of Old 99 Farm, operator Ian Graham sells winter vegetables, eggs, dairy and cow-shares. Radical Roots operators Dave O'Neill and wife Lee Sturgis offer annual vegetables, nursery plants, and eggs. Dave teaches permaculture design, and consults. Lee and Dave hire paid interns, affording a valuable opportunity to up-and-coming garden farmers.

I'll leave you with a parting thought of my own - this book deserves to be a part of your gardening library - and one of Peter Bane's:
The essential work of Permaculture activism is to understand and see abundance in the world around us, often before others do, and then to help others to see it also, to bring it into being.



Review - Transition Voice Vicki Lipski, July 26th

Peter Bane's handbook, while not quite encyclopedic, is nothing if not authoritative. I can honestly say, without fear of exaggeration, that I hold my head a little higher as I stride about my miniscule fiefdom, now that I've read The Permaculture Handbook: Garden Farming for Town and Country.
The stones Bane leaves unturned are few and far between. Once you've digested the author's ruminations on mapping, patterns, and garden elements, perennials, water, soil, plants, crops, seeds, and animal husbandry, not to mention his lists of plants and the jobs to which they are best suited, there's little chance you'll walk away dissatisfied.

Bane's treatment of these various aspects of garden farming (his preferred term) is methodical and complete. It was a relief and a delight to find that he allows both his sense of humor and political sensibilities to creep in from time to time.

He never forgets, however, that his purpose in writing is to distill over thirty years' experience in the science and the art of permaculture. There is much to be learned. The complete novice may, in fact, find the author's thoroughness a bit blinding. In this case, a piecemeal approach could well be the best one.

Bane himself advises the reader to start small, and good advice it is. As you proceed to branch out beyond the basics, the book's tidbits of information and advice will take on more and more relevance.

Pass the salt
For instance, did you know that if your fruit isn't sweet, or your vegetables are the object of an insect infestation, it's probably because your soil suffers from a mineral deficiency? Your soil is in need of amending (most everybody's is, to one degree or another).

It has been my contention, almost from the day we moved to the Cincinnati area, that the foods here are extremely bland. Now I understand why! The soil here is just awful - a tan, clumpy clay that is utterly devoid of worms and organic matter, and therefore completely unable to hold onto water. If it's possible to be deficient in everything, then this soil is. For folks in these parts, permaculture could literally spice up their lives. Good soil is the beginning of good eating.

Here's some more great advice that, by itself, is worth the purchase price of the book On page 88, we learn to,
... keep all soil growing some crop at all times
...Seed or transplant the next crop as soon as or, better, before the maturing one is harvested.

This book is packed with wisdom gleaned from decades of working the soil. Assuming I get my sonic mole repeller in time (they're tunneling me out of house and home), the winter squash will go in and around my thriving tomato plants. If I can lay my hands on some more cabbage seeds, they'll go in at the same time (the first planting was a washout).

With a cluck, cluck here...
The animal husbandry section offers a cornucopia of down-to-earth knowledge and advice.

I've long harbored the desire to raise chickens, but here - as elsewhere - we belong to a homeowners' association, so I've been frustrated yet again.
For those among you lucky enough to be able to own livestock, take a close look at chapter 14, "Animals for the Garden Farm." Interestingly, there are three animals which Bane believes the garden farmer should steer clear of: horses (not worth the upkeep), sheep (prone to parasites, need lots of land), and donkeys (need land).

He also takes on the ethical conundrum of raising animals for meat, as well as the importance of their breeding.

There is a lovely, lengthy section on beekeeping. Yet I believe this section includes a rare, important oversight; that is the failure to discuss Colony Collapse Disorder. This is just too important a problem to ignore. I hope it will be covered in the inevitable second edition.

The Permaculture Handbook is liberally adorned with black and white drawings and photographs. As can sometimes be the case with garden and farming pictures, the subjects of photos are occasionally difficult to determine. This problem is further exacerbated by the fact that permaculturists (I include myself) do not necessarily pride themselves on a tidy garden farm. Everything tends to be a "work in progress," and it shows. Such concerns notwithstanding, the color photos are particularly well done; the numbered captions are easily understood. The photos appear to have been carefully selected, and truly do add a needed dimension that bolsters the book's authoritativeness.

If they can, you can!
Finally, Bane's case studies include an up-to-the minute analysis of his own Renaissance Farm, in Bloomington, Indiana (also home to the magazine The Permaulture Activist). His year-by-year history of the progress he and partner Keith Johnson have made in turning their .7 acre into a working farm makes for genuinely interesting reading. As Bane describes the endlessly cyclical nature of what they do:
Self-reliance and food storage are both increasing. Soils are improving. The growing season is now year-round.
Would that we could all say the same.

Working examples
Other operations are described, as well: Jerome's Organics, of Basalt, Colorado; Old 99 Farm, in Dundas, Ontario; and Radical Roots Farm, of Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Jerome's is far and away the oldest of the four farms described, established in 1982. It's also different in that its primary mission is educational, both insofar as garden design is concerned, and with regard to producing successful yields. Jerome Osentowski welcomes students and visitors to his demonstration garden and educational programs year-round.

The other two garden farms were much more recently established. In the case of Old 99 Farm, operator Ian Graham sells winter vegetables, eggs, dairy and cow-shares. Radical Roots operators Dave O'Neill and wife Lee Sturgis offer annual vegetables, nursery plants, and eggs. Dave teaches permaculture design, and consults. Lee and Dave hire paid interns, affording a valuable opportunity to up-and-coming garden farmers.

I'll leave you with a parting thought of my own - this book deserves to be a part of your gardening library - and one of Peter Bane's:
The essential work of Permaculture activism is to understand and see abundance in the world around us, often before others do, and then to help others to see it also, to bring it into being.

Read less
Review




"When Apollo 13 found itself hurtling through space on its way to the far side of the moon with a ruptured oxygen tank, a critical path was assembled that returned all souls safely back to Earth. In The Permaculture Handbook, Peter Bane has mapped the critical path to a safe landing for civilization in the 21st century. That path runs through the backyards of suburbia and across the rooftops and balconies of urban apartment houses. Like the Apollo mission, Bane has jury-rigged our carbon dioxide removal system by re-tasking other components — small scale horticulture, aquatic plants and foraged trash, for instance — to buy us breathing room. This is a must read."

— Albert Bates, author of The Post Petroleum Survival Guide and Cookbook, and The Biochar Solution.


"The Permaculture Handbook offers practical examples from the author's many years of experience, coupled with information from permaculture practitioners from around the country. This makes the guidebook particularly useful to American readers. The chapters covering the integration of multifunctional species and breeds of domestic animals and wildlife are especially note-worthy. These chapters address the sometimes under-recognized value of animal products and services in the Permaculture literature. This book is a joy to read while thinking about applications to one's own endeavors."

— Donald Bixby, DVM, Retired Executive Director of American Livestock Breeds Conservancy


"Peter Bane's characteristic generosity and mastery are on display in this long anticipated encyclopedia of permaculture knowledge and lore. The Permaculture Handbook offers a thorough treatment of the design principles and patterns that of necessity precede the positive, practical, and profitable solutions that are the hallmark of permaculture design. Bill Mollison famously taught that we can create the "Garden of Eatin' ". Peter Bane shows us how."

— Claude William Genest, Former Deputy Leader of the Green Party of Canada. Producer, Host of the Emmy nominated PBS series "Regeneration: The Art of Sustainable Living"


"As oil becomes more scarce and expensive, society must adapt by re-localizing food systems. The Permaculture Handbook offers us a set of essential conceptual and practical tools for doing this in a way that's intelligent, beautiful, and sustainable. Want to create a better world? Your backyard — and this book — are the places to start."

— Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow, Post Carbon Institute, Author, The End of Growth


"Here is an exquisite design manual for re-inhabiting our towns and cities, transforming them into flourishing and nourishing landscapes that provide food, fiber, energy and community. As you read this book, looking out from time to time at the paved, manicured tracts we've called home, you can almost see the world around you transforming — a fruit tree here, a greenhouse there, a hill of corn, beans and squash in the corner, a photovoltaic array that charges your electric bicycle nearby. We are not in an era of despair, of coming apart. We are in an era of creativity where strong seeds grow in the very cracks in the concrete of our old ways of living. I applaud Peter for the wisdom, intelligence and hard work he has invested in his detailed, beautiful map of the land of permaculture."

— Vicki Robin, author Your Money or Your Life and Blessing the Hands that Feed Us (Viking/Penguin 2013).


"Peter Bane offers a powerful antidote to what we might call our "ephemeraculture"— the consumerist, oil-dependent, wasteful, and ruinous way of life produced by the marriage of industrialism and capitalism. In a voice at once practical and visionary, he tells how we can achieve security, practice self-reliance, and revive local economies by shifting to a regenerative form of agriculture, beginning in our own backyards. If you're hungry for hope, good food, neighborliness, conviviality, and survival skills, here is the book for you."

— Scott Russell Sanders, author of A Conservationist Manifesto.


"Morally mature cultures live well with the Earth and with each other. Peter Bane's beautifully written book lays out a path to that maturity and wisdom. Future generations will thank him — and you if you read and use the wisdom he has gathered."

— Carolyn Raffensperger, Environmental lawyer, advocate for future generations, Executive Director of the Science and Environmental Health Network


"The wealth of practical knowledge in The Permaculture Handbook is a welcome addition to North America's canon of books on permaculture design, and will serve other regions as well. Peter Bane's broad and well-tested experience in ecological living, expressed here in clear and engaging prose, will guide homeowners, gardeners, and small farmers toward designing and living in lushly productive and harmonious landscapes."

— Toby Hemenway, author of Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture


"A book to carry us through to Eden, this keen, comprehensive design guide with its wisdom and instruction will be indispensable to any household aiming at flourishing, soil-based self-reliance. The practice is permaculture and Peter Bane is a true master."

— Stephanie Mills, author of On Gandhi's Path and Epicurean Simplicity


"With a lifetime of Permaculture immersion under his belt, Peter Bane's contribution to domestic selfreliant security in this comprehensive handbook is nothing short of remarkable. This will empower thousands of seekers to move off the bleachers and into the game. He balances beautifully the right amount of intensive ecological information with delightful case studies and practical outworkings. A gem of a manual. Thank you, Peter."

— Joel Salatin, Author, Farmer


"There are a lot of people out there who want to know how to begin making a better world, but don't know where to begin. I can't think of a better starting point for someone who wants to restore and transform their place than Peter Bane's Permaculture Handbook. Bane has taken the single most urgent question of our times "How shall we live?" and given a real and viable answer."

— Sharon Astyk, writer, farmer, teacher and author of Making Home


"The Permaculture Handbook is worth reading and rereading not only for its depth of insight but also for its storytelling charm. Peter Bane's reflections on community-based efforts to realize permaculture's potential across entire landscapes helps us realize that this set of design principles are not vague abstractions, but something that we can smell, taste and see before our very eyes."

— Gary Paul Nabhan, ethnobotanist, writer, permaculture orchardkeeper, seed saver


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Product details

Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: New Society Publishers; Original edition (June 26, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0865716668
ISBN-13: 978-0865716667
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 1 x 11 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars 52 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #103,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
#86 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Garden Design
#95 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > By Technique > Organic
#103 in Books > Science & Math > Agricultural Sciences > Sustainable Agriculture


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Iain C. Massey

4.0 out of 5 starsComprehensive, good, US-CentricDecember 22, 2012
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

You could do worse than treat this book as a comprehensive update of the "technique" material in Mollison's "Permaculture: A Designer's Manual". There's a lot of value, a lot of practical wisdom and a lot of updated science (soil science, agronomy, ecology, human and animal nutrition) in this big book. The comparatively recent technique of a pattern language as a further aid to design is also a welcome addition. Naturally, zones, sectors, stacking, succession and the rest of the thinking tools are still here as well. It's fascinating to see Permaculture insights elaborated and developed in a second generation literature. Helpful, too.

The reference point is the urban-fringe "garden farm", producing foods for its occupants, neighbours and local markets, rather than Mollison's upland valley-scale farmstead or hamlet. But it has always been clear that Permaculture aspirations and techniques apply at scales from apartment balconies to broad-acre farms.

I guess I can't complain about a North American perspective on climate, species, etc. Much of Mollison's work was very Australian-centric. But it would be an improvement in the Permaculture literature generally to get global. Mollison and Holmgren tended towards language like "pole-wards" instead of South for the shady side, and international climate type classifications instead of national ones. They weren't fully consistent, and sometimes the language gets awkward, but I think it's an effort worth making. This book would benefit.

Don't know what I'm talking about? Want to get an overview of what this Permaculture thing is? Don't start here. There are short, accessible books that introduce you to the body of thought and practice that this book covers in comprehensive detail.

If you've read those and want the full Monty, this is one of the very best.

Disclaimer: I'm not an accredited Permaculture designer/practitioner/teacher/whatever. The official side doesn't do much for me. Permaculture is a body of ideas, aspirations and techniques for land care/land use that I've danced with ever since I heard Mollison speak at a camp in the Australian bush in 1974.
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H.Hieronimi

5.0 out of 5 starsImportant and timely addition to my libaryJuly 15, 2012
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Although allready a permacultuture pracitioner and enthusiast for more than 20 years, this one had many features new to me. Peter Bane gives us really a in-depth look of permaculture principles and practices in this great book. The Graden-Farming outlook is definietly a new feature treated in depth here, very necesary-
The only flaw (for somebody like me, who is living in mexico) is that it is 100% written for the US...but I'm so used to have to translate this kind of info to other climates and circumstances, so Im NOT taking away one star, beacuse all the rest is so great.
Timely outlook to Permaculture, practical and theorectical info, Bane is also an excelent writer, and this book is in my opinion the third book that is a must in any serious PC libary, after Mollisons Designers Manual, and Holmgrens "Principles and Pathways..."
Not to be missed, excelent for beginners and advanced...

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Matt Jones

4.0 out of 5 starsA bit heavy on the threat of impending global collapse for my tasteOctober 11, 2013
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I ordered this book because I have recently been fascinated with the subject. I ordered this book as my first Permaculture book, after reading all of the positive reviews, because many of the other must-reads on the subject are out of print or prohibitively expensive.

This book has a wealth of information on Permaculture but is pretty heavy on doom and gloom worldview as well. Don't believe the cute rooster on the cover. A light, how-to on getting started with backyard Permaculture this is not. While there's a place in any book on Permaculture to lay out the many reasons why it is the best practice for our future, this book presents one predominant assumption: that a shortage of fossil fuels WILL eventually force us all to live in a much simpler manner, similar to the way our ancestors lived 100 years ago.

This assumption carries throughout the rest of the book and describes strategies for completely reinventing society to deal with the fact that we won't have transportation or be able to ship anything the way we do now. All the strategies, both for the actual agricultural aspects and the larger issues of culture in general, assume that this is very plausible and imminent. That's all well and good as a component for consideration in *a section* of a book purportedly on growing food, but when it's presented heavily throughout the remainder, it begins to look like a tinfoil hat kind of thing. A good subtitle for the book would be: "How to use Permaculture in navigating society after the fossil fuel collapse".

While I think this is absolutely a possibility, I don't think we have any idea how technology may postpone or even completely remove the threat of societal collapse due to fossil fuel dry-up. With this view, one would think that each technological advance "hurts the cause" of Permaculture because it pushes back the date of collapse a little further. But then, maybe this one potential threat to our future isn't the *only* compelling reason to put Permaculture into practice.

What if technology *does* make the fossil fuel shortage irrelevant? (The horse manure crisis of earlier centuries was averted with steam power). If the fossil fuel problem were solved with some improbable, cold-fusionish, Star Trek-style solution, we still have the problems of soil degradation, damage to the atmosphere, the relegation of farming to industry, corporate control of our food production, as well as the heavy use of chemicals and genetic engineering. Also, what about things like self-reliance, the joy of growing your own sustainable food, helping the needy, and eating more healthfully? These are all considerations that make Permaculture appealing to *me* and don't require me to jump on the apocolyptic band wagon (yet). All of these ideas are mentioned and considered in the book, but they take a major back seat to the "I Am Legend" aspect of Bane's Permaculture.

I still really enjoy the book for what it is. It has great illustrations, and there's a lot of great material on the actual growing of things and system designs. The other reviews on these aspects of the book I believe to be fair. I think this book would be much more palatable to the "idiot masses" like myself who aren't yet on board with Bane's view of our near future by including strategies for coping with collapse in a *section* of the book dedicated to that topic. Instead, topics like "redesigning your home to accommodate boarding guest workers you'll need to farm your once-suburban property after collapse" are thrown in throughout the book as if that's a very casual consideration.

I wouldn't feel comfortable sharing this book with friends who aren't already into permaculture as I feel that it would alienate them. Don't believe the happy rooster!

********************************************************************************************************************

May 2014 update: I've since acquired my own copy of Mollison's Permaculture: A Designers' Manual and am still an avid fan of permaculture. I'm currently enrolled in Geoff Lawton's online Permaculture Design Course. (I think it's absolutely worth every penny of the high cost by the way.) I say all of that just to point out that I'm not just a pedestrian reader re. permaculture who's posting a marginally negative review. Permaculture will be a major part of the rest of my life.

I still agree with what I stated in the original review. My issues with it are probably *more* pronounced having studied the subject more. You see, what really attracted me (and still does) to permaculture is how overwhelmingly *positive* it is. The world's problems are talked about everywhere, but there aren't many *solutions* offered anywhere. Permaculture is about solutions, and I don't think that any of the world's problems are addressed more fully than in the study of permaculture. The Design Manual by Mollison, itself, addresses these problems in a realistic way but is overwhelmingly positive. Also, it addresses more broadly that life is better when holistically practicing the principles of permaculture because of its benefit *now*, in addition to addressing concerns re. the future.
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M. Mindlin

4.0 out of 5 starsGreat book for the suburban permaculturistDecember 5, 2013
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is some really great work from a permaculture elder, Peter Bane. The focus is on the suburban expression of permaculture, which is probably where the majority of practitioners find themselves. However the title might lead one to think it is a more comprehensive approach, which it is not. Thus the four stars rather than five.

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larry

5.0 out of 5 starsThis is a must buy, if you are interested in Permaculture in your future.November 15, 2013
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

The author not only writes about this way of life but also lives it. He also tells the various stories in a clear understandable way. Plus the author has many You-tube videos to also help you see, hear and understand his message. If you have any doubt as to whether you want to purchase this book, just watch a few of his online videos. I'm sure you will have no doubts about purchasing this book. He is also a permaculture landscape architect.

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Permaculture Design: A Step-by-Step Guide: Aranya, Patrick Whitefield: 8601404349867: Amazon.com: Books



Permaculture Design: A Step-by-Step Guide: Aranya, Patrick Whitefield: 8601404349867: Amazon.com: Books-




Are you excited about permaculture but unclear how to put it into practice for yourself? In this unique, full colour guide, experienced permaculture teacher Aranya leads you through the design process from beginning to end, using clear explanations, flowcharts and diagrams. It is based on course worksheets which have been designed, refined and tested on students over time. Linking theory to practice, he places the ethics, principles, philosophies, tools and techniques directly into the context of the process itself. While written for anyone with a basic grasp of permaculture, this book also has plenty to offer the more experienced designer.
This guide covers:  Systems and patterns ~ Working as part of a design team ~ Land and non-land based design ~ Design frameworks ~ Site surveying and map making ~ Interviewing clients ~ Working with large client groups ~ Identifying functions ~ Choosing systems and elements ~ Placement and integration ~ Creating a design proposal ~ Project management ~ Presenting your ideas to clients ~ and much more.
A great reference for anyone who has done, or is thinking of doing, any kind of permaculture course.



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Permaculture Design: A Step-by-Step Guide Paperback – September 3, 2012
by Aranya (Author), Patrick Whitefield (Foreword)
4.1 out of 5 stars 48 customer reviews




Editorial Reviews

Review




"Permaculture Design offers the reader a full look at the design process from team formation and management to client interview to data gathering to analysis. It goes on to give guidance for presenting proposals, managing implementation (including time management), and evaluating results. Filling an important and largely empty niche, it deserves to be in the hands (or in the back pocket or handbag) of every serious designer. The book is a major addition to the permaculture literature by a deeply insightful and generous author. Highly recommended."--Peter Bane, author of The Permaculture Handbook



"Teaching/learning how to do permaculture design work takes a lifetime and, as we usually only have people for 2 weeks (and there is plenty else to do) that's a big challenge. Generally we can only provide a broad-brush overview of a design process and then a sketchy (but useful) go-though to ground the information. That's usually much more than a person knew about before they came and yet there are a million questions that the novice so rightly needs to ask. Here, in this packed volume, there is a wealth of techniques and strategies for the newbie and the not so newbie alike. I am enjoying the read and I am recommending this book to all my students at Gaia University. Thanks for gathering all this together Aranya and thanks for explaining it all in your clear, informal and yet complete style."--Andy Langford, permaculture teacher and founder of Gaia University



"For most people, taking the permaculture design course is a major life event. It opens the door on a new way of looking at the world, a new way of being in the world. It affects you on so many levels that, however well you took notes, inevitably some of what you learnt passes you by. That's why Aranya wrote this book: so that people could go away from the design courses he teaches and have a reference to the design methods he'd taught them. In effect it's a toolbox of permaculture design methods. Some people keep their tools in a higgldy-piggledy pile, chipped, blunt and uncared for. Others keep them in perfect order in a neat box, each one in its place, oiled, sharpened and ready to go. Aranya is one of the latter and this book reflects the keen clarity of his mind. Open its pages and you can put your finger right on the design tool you need, from triangulation to the enticingly-named desire lines. It's all there, described and illustrated, clearly and comprehensively."--Patrick Whitefield, author of The Earth Care Manual, and How to Make a Forest Garden


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About the Author




Aranya has been experimenting with what permaculture can do since his design course epiphany in 1996. In the years that followed he designed a collection of gardens, along with a few other non-land based designs, writing them all up to gain his Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design 2003. Since that time he's followed a teaching pathway, that now involves delivering on average ten two-week design courses a year. Along the way he's met many amazing people that give him hope for the future and who in no small way have influenced the content of this guide. Aranya is also a long-term barefooter, certain that this helps him be more aware of nature, stay grounded and walk lightly on the Earth. He is the author of Permaculture Design: A Step-by-Step Guide.




Product details

Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Permanent Publications; Reprint edition (September 3, 2012)
Language: English
48 customer reviews

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Top Reviews

CelVel

1.0 out of 5 starsNOT the "step by step" practical guide that I was looking for.... very disappointedAugust 26, 2016
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is definitely NOT what I thought it would be. The only diagram/layout is the one on the cover. This book is about a lot of esoteric babble that goes off into tangents about balancing your life, and blah blah blah. I just wanted something that showed me where to put which plants to achieve a certain effect. (IE: here's a "step-by-step guide" to making a shade garden.....) yeahhhhh, THIS is not the right book for me. I will be donating it to the local library. :(

32 people found this helpful

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danny

5.0 out of 5 starsStep by Step Indeed!August 14, 2017
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Permaculture Design by Aranya fulfills the purpose that the author intended for the book: to be a straightforward guide that you can pick up and read just the section you need or all of it. Each chapter is well-written and uses plain language anyone can grasp. The parts, chapters, sections organization of the book makes it easy to find what you're looking for, and I appreciated the many online resources provided as well.

The book is a bit of a slow read if have already read Permaculture: A Designer's Manual by Bill Mollison, and that would indicate Aranya took sufficient time to explain the basics to someone with no prior knowledge of permaculture. There is redundancy in the book, but again, this book is meant for anyone to be able to read in any order, so yeah, I think the author's objective for the book was accomplished.

I did learn some new things from this book, too, so I find my time and money was well-spent on this book.

4 people found this helpful

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Montims

5.0 out of 5 starsAn excellent guide for the beginnerJuly 2, 2015
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is an excellent guide for the beginner - permaculture design can be daunting, but this talks you through each step, in a clear and humorous way, with lots of examples.

3 people found this helpful

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Rai R

5.0 out of 5 starsOur friend loved the book and read it in a dayJanuary 25, 2017
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Our friend loved the book and read it in a day! He is excited about how detailed and well laid out the information was put.

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jeremeyweeks

5.0 out of 5 starsA nuts and bolts book about permaculture designJanuary 3, 2014
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

So many permaculture books don't get specific. This book is all about prepping your design for the customer. It shows techniques, helps you manage your team and gives lots of resources.

This book should cost a lot more.

3 people found this helpful

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Vincent VPK

5.0 out of 5 starsWill Save you over and over again.January 26, 2013
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I can not say enough about this handy small paperback (to be carried about) that this generous man put together to provide us with a "map" to the permaculture design process in a logical thoughtful manner.
This book is meant to be used out in the field and crimped up....a working tool and having taken a design course is worth every penny and more. I bought several copies and plan to share them with other...you will too.
It is top quality heavy gloss paper (FCS sustainable certified) with color photos.
Aranya provided an index to other references and even a website of his own that provides larger pictures in the book, along with much more.
One of the best Permaculture books I have (along with Peter Bane's new book, "Garden Farming for Town and Country". Buy both at the same time and also view these two on Youtube for a at home permaculture course.

8 people found this helpful

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Terra Kosako

4.0 out of 5 starsA good book to have on the shelf for referenceAugust 29, 2018
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

A good book to have on the shelf for reference ....


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Steve

5.0 out of 5 starsThoroughly enjoying this textMarch 23, 2013
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I have just finished a six week introductory course in permaculture. This text is an excellent follow up to that experience. Aranya has distilled much of what I was exposed to making for a efficient reference tool. This text has served as an excellent resource as I start implementing the concepts I learned in the course.
I highly recommend it for those starting out as I did. My sense is that it would useful to experienced practitioners as well.

The Resilient Farm and Homestead: An Innovative Permaculture and Whole Systems Design Approach: Ben Falk: 8601200664270: Amazon.com: Books



The Resilient Farm and Homestead: An Innovative Permaculture and Whole Systems Design Approach: Ben Falk: 8601200664270: Amazon.com: Books

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Publishers Weekly-



STARRED REVIEW: "This intelligent, challenging book, rooted somewhere between back-to-the-land idealism and radical survivalism, sees resilience as both planting and building for the use of future generations, but also as preparing food, water, shelter, and the human body and psyche for the onset of any imaginable extreme emergency. The result is a comprehensive, open-ended, theoretical and practical system for a post-carbon-dependent life―including site design; water and earthworks; perennial farming that integrates gardening, animal husbandry, and soil building; energy; architecture; and personal health―a system that is not only sustainable but restorative of the biosphere. Readers just dipping their toes into sustainability may be overwhelmed by Falk’s comprehensive vision and intimidating appendices listing homestead vulnerabilities and crucial skills for emergencies, but more seasoned 21st-century homesteaders, permies, and possibly also survivalists will appreciate Falk’s realism and his belief that 'the process is an enjoyable, vitalizing one, and the results are staggering and humbling ... life wants to live.'"



Foreword Reviews-

"Permaculture can seem like a too-large umbrella term attempting to bring together a range of concepts and strategies, and many authors have tried to articulate the discipline in an accessible way. Ben Falk stands out for this highly successful effort at addressing how farmers and homesteaders can select, design, develop, and manage resilient properties that adapt to changing environmental conditions.

Bringing his decade of experience managing a ten-acre permaculture farm in Vermont, as well as teaching about whole-systems design, Falk conveys the importance of better-designed agriculture and systems in The Resilient Farm and Homestead. Going beyond how-to advice on vegetable growing or chicken coop management, he delves into topics like fuel wood production, nutrient-dense food production, and gravity-fed water systems, which rely on moving water downhill instead of utilizing mechanical pumps. Natural strategies are emphasized, like silvopasture, a practice that combines livestock grazing and forestry to enhance soil protection and provide wind protection for animals.

The material, seemingly overwhelming in scope, is presented artfully with numerous sidebars and bullet points that break information into digestible chunks. For example, a chapter on food production includes a chart on annual vs. perennial labor and input costs, a diagram of a “living security fence” made of black locust trees, and a list of storage options for harvested vegetables. Particularly compelling are a number of appendices, from a “resiliency aptitude quiz” to a crucial skill list for emergencies to a vocabulary of concepts.

Also useful, the book’s abundant photography presents a bucolic, serene series of images that make urban dwellers sigh with longing. Burlap sacks brimming with potatoes grace one page, while a lush summer garden pops from another. Farm volunteers are shown picking elderberries, raising a timber-framed wall, and grafting fruit trees. Falk also includes plenty of practical illustrations as well, such as a drawing of how to grow rice in buckets, or a diagram of a wood-heated hot water system.

The combination of these inspiring images and Falk’s deeply integrative approach provide a much-needed permaculture guide that will likely kick off an array of reader projects. The mix of resources, practical advice, and land design offered here is a strong starting point for anyone interested in regenerative agriculture and modern homesteading."



"With The Resilient Farm and Homestead, Ben Falk has definitely planted the seeds of a positive, abundant legacy. This book outlines the process of designing one's homestead with not just the future in mind, but the imminently practical NOW! This one is going on my shelf next to Helen and Scott Nearing."--Mark Shepard, author of Restoration Agriculture



"Ben Falk extends the conversation about resilience to deep resilience--resilience from the level of personal attitudes and skills to the design and creation of the maximally resilient homestead.The Resilient Farm and Homestead weaves together permaculture theory as modified by actual practice on a ten-acre Vermont farm with a thorough preparedness guide for times of climate change and greater uncertainties of all kinds and sizes. The book is greatly enhanced by numerous glorious photos of permaculture plantings as hedge rows, rice paddies, people swimming in swale-enclosed ponds, fruit and vegetable harvesting, and foraging sheep, chickens, and ducks. I particularly appreciate that Falk tells us what didn't work as well as what did. This book will be essential reading for the serious prepper as well as for everyone interested in creating a more resilient lifestyle or landscape."--Carol Deppe, author of The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times



"Imagine. Honoring biodiversity in a place we each commit to for the long haul is what it takes to address a rapidly changing climate. Problem solved! Plant trees, let greenness thrive, learn the ways of fungi, be joyful. Ben Falk provides the encouragement and critical know-how to create your own food-producing sanctuary in The Resilient Farm and Homestead. The time is now to engage in healing the land and secure an ongoing future for generations to come."--Michael Phillips, author of The Holistic Orchard



"The Resilient Farm and Homestead is a terrific book. Simultaneously inspiring and practical, Ben Falk takes you from the why to the how...a journey where you will create a present and future filled with optimism and joy."--Shannon Hayes, author of Long Way on a Littleand Radical Homemakers



"In The Resilient Farm and Homestead, Ben Falk gives us a delightful and inspiring description of his years developing a 10-acre permaculture farm in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Readers from regions outside New England, however, should not assume that Falk’s practical, hard-won knowledge will not apply to them. His discussions invariably transcend the specific applications revealing principles which should be useful to homesteaders everywhere."--Larry Korn, editor of The One-Straw Revolution and Sowing Seeds in the Desert by Masanobu Fukuoka



"Ben Falk calls his book about reviving a wornout hill farm in Vermont an example of resilience and regeneration; I call it pure natural magic. Grow rice in New England? Yes. Heat water to 155 degrees F on cold winter days at a rate of gallon a minute by piping it through a compost pile? Yes. How about dinner tonight of your own rack of lamb garnished with homegrown mushrooms? Yes. Your choice of scores of different vegetables and fruits even in winter? Yes. Plus, your own dairy products from your own sheep. All the while, the soil producing this magic, on a site once thought little more than a wasteland, grows yearly more fertile and secure from natural calamity."--Gene Logsdon, author of A Sanctuary of Trees and Small-Scale Grain Raising


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About the Author




Ben Falk, M.A.L.D, developed Whole Systems Design, LLC, as a land-based response to biological and cultural extinction and the increasing separation between people and elemental things. Life as a designer, builder, ecologist, tree-tender, and backcountry traveler continually informs Ben's integrative approach to developing landscapes and buildings. His home landscape and the WSD studio site in Vermont's Mad River Valley serve as a proving ground for the innovative land developments featured in the projects of Whole Systems Design. Ben has studied architecture and landscape architecture at the graduate level and holds master of arts in landscape design degree. He has taught design courses at the University of Vermont and Harvard's Arnold Arboretum as well as on permaculture design, microclimate design, and design for climate change. He recently served on the board of directors at the Yestermorrow Design-Build School, where he also teaches from time to time. He is the author of The Resilient Homestead: Innovative Permaculture Systems for the Home and Farm.

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Product details

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing; n edition (June 3, 2013)
Language: English
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ben falk highly recommend farm and homestead resilient farmwell written sepp holzer great book bill mollison rice paddiesclimate change fantastic book good information anyone who wantstheory and practice small farm great resource information in this bookrecommend this book several years permaculture principles


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N. Anderson

5.0 out of 5 starsThe best permaculture book to start withJune 8, 2013
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

The title really says it all. For those unfamiliar with the concept, permaculture, as defined in this work, is "applied disturbance ecology". The fundamental idea being that working with the land allows an optimized native ecosystem which is productive, supports life, and requires minimal maintenance. The term was first proposed by Bill Mollison and Dave Holmgren and first published in book form in Permaculture One: A Perennial Agricultural System for Human Settlements, and more extensively fleshed out in Permaculture: A Designers' Manual, but these are the kinds of works which beg for explanation. They are full of practical advice, plans and drawings for homestead design, water usage, and crop selection, but for all their visionary qualities, Mollison and Holmgren are not as organized or easy to follow as many would like. Additionally, the practical examples, with before and after pictures, and case studies demonstrating effectiveness are minimal in those works. This, I think, is the reason for the explosion of works like Shephard's Restoration Agriculture, and Hemenway's Gaia's Garden. This work is very much in the same tradition, but I liked it better than either of those.
The first chapter is a "why permaculture?" discussion. It hits the high points of Mollison's idea, and though it doesn't say much you won't find elsewhere, it is clearly written and provides a solid foundation to the rest of the book. The second chapter discusses the design process, how to go about planning the transformation of a plot of land into a permacultured homestead. In this, it summarizes prior works, but does so every bit as extensively as the one dedicated work I've read on the subject: Permaculture Design: A Step-by-Step Guide. You do not need that book if you have this one. Chapter three is a summary of earth works and water planning, and while not as extensive as Yeoman's Water For Every Farm, it explains well enough that you could forgo that in the short term. It does not discuss contour plowing as extensively as Mark Shephard or Yeoman does. But it will give you the basic ideas behind the process. Chapter four discusses recycling of fertility, composting, and the how to use the cycle of decay and regeneration to benefit every living thing on your homestead. Chapter five discusses food crops, which centers around perennial crops and how to integrate grazing animals, poultry, and plant life to generate yields greater than the sum of the parts. Here again the discussion and the examples are better than in Restoration Agriculture, though some of the choices are tailored specifically to the northern temperate climate of Vermont. Enthusiasts in other climes will need to look elsewhere for specific choices. Intriguingly, the staple crop Mr. Falk grows is rice, and there is some good discussion of why this crop. Certainly unique in American agriculture, which has been solidly dominated by wheat and corn, but probably not as useful to permaculturists in more arid areas. Chapter six discusses fuel, and why wood burning, coupled with energy efficient housing design, is the most ecologically sound choice for a homestead. He also discusses building design, including how to plan for passive water conservation and use. Chapter seven is a "putting it all together" discussion. These chapters are followed with appendixes of tool lists, checklists, and design outlines.
Overall, probably the best introduction to the topic, in a practical sense with examples, that I have read. While the details are specific to his location, it could not be otherwise, and for homesteaders in that climate, it will be even more useful. For those in the Midwest, the practical examples in Restoration Agriculture will be better, but that work is not as clear, nor as good on topics outside crop selection and planting as this one is. Additionally, while details of some aspects of sustainable living are glossed over here, it does not purport to be a self-contained manual to every aspect. For those interested in this topic for the first time, I would recommend this work, followed by Introduction to Permaculture as a starting point. You probably don't need much else if you have imagination, helpful neighbors, some understanding of local ecology, and a desire to experiment. For those already widely read on the subject, this is a solid addition to a permaculture library, demonstrating the feasibility and success of these principles in well photographed detail. Highly recommended.
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Cindy Lynn Anderson

5.0 out of 5 starsIncredible resource! 6 stars out of 5.August 19, 2013
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I've been gardening, homesteading, medium scale farming/ranching in three states (MO, northern CA & NM) and five properties in the past nearly 50 years, have an extensive library, subscribe to several excellent relevant publications, am constantly learning and expanding my skills & horizons. This is, hands down, one of the best, most comprehensive and HELPFUL books of which I am aware. Yes, I have and love resources from John Seymour, Gene Logsdon, Sepp Holzer, Joel Salatin, a HUGE amount of permaculture texts, gardening, homesteading, grass farming, sustainability, etc., WHICH ARE IMMEASURABLY VALUABLE, but this is right up there with the best. I enthusiastically echo several other excellent reviews, but cannot understand the scathingly negative ones. For my purposes, Ben has written a wonderfully refreshing blend of PRACTICAL and possible permaculture homesteading book from his PERSONAL experience. I've plenty of books gathering dust telling me what to do and what should work...but not many willing to admit when it doesn't (particularly the permaculture books). It is concise despite covering an impressive array of material. Not everything that "experienced" old-timers do works equally well in all situations and I appreciate the author's honest reporting of what is or is not working historically and currently on his particular property at various stages of its development/reclamation. It often takes several years of working with a property to get a feel for what it wants and needs in terms of plants, animals, water, amendments...especially if one's experience is with vastly divergent enterprises and climatic challenges. Regardless of what we know (or think we know), one can always learn from others' successes, mistakes, ideas, experience. While most of the charts & graphs were not helpful for my personal learning styles, no doubt other folks loved them. He wisely presented the material in various formats to reach the widest audience. I appreciate Ben's willingess to share their project journey thus far and look forward to his subsequent reports...books.
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L. Buck

5.0 out of 5 starsMind blowing!July 2, 2013
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I am not quite finished with this book. In fact, I keep re-reading the first few chapters. I have several permaculture books, but for some reason this one is combining the theoretical and philosophical with the 'nuts and bolts' in a way that is clear and, most importantly, encouraging and inspiring for ME, on MY property. I have been carrying this book with me everywhere and reading it in digestible bits (there is a LOT there). Mean while, I find I am seeing the world around me in new ways. This book is transforming me from a person who only sits on the couch and reads good books, to a person who is out there actually creating what the books inspire me to dream.

P.S. Everyone in America should read the chapter on systems principles: I have even been applying the ideas to my work place and housework schedule to make the function more appropriately! Not what the author intended, I am sure, but it does speak volumes about applicable nature of the ideas presented.

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Tending the Soul's Garden: Permaculture as a Way Forward in Difficult Times: Denise Rushing: 0880306884739: Amazon.com: Books



Tending the Soul's Garden: Permaculture as a Way Forward in Difficult Times: Denise Rushing: 0880306884739: Amazon.com: Books





Tending the Soul's Garden: Permaculture as a Way Forward in Difficult Times Paperback – February 7, 2012
by Denise Rushing (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 11 customer reviews





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About the Author


Denise Rushing has been empowering organizational and cultural transformation for over thirty years. She is an environmental engineer, organic grower and permaculture designer. An engineering graduate of Stanford University, she studied environmental science and later earned her Master's Degree in Culture and Spirituality from Holy Names College. Her business career as an energy-efficiency and environmental technology executive spans two decades. More recently, she was elected to public office on a platform of stewardship of the land, water and resources. Today, she "gardens" on her farm, in her community and within organizations. Her personal mission is to empower the positive transformation of people and places through insight, inspiration and permaculture. Visit her on the web at: DeniseRushing.com.


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Paperback: 184 pages
Publisher: Dancing TreePeople Publications (February 7, 2012)
Language: English


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Biography
A three-time #1 bestselling author, engaging speaker and avid treehugger, Denise Rushing is passionate about human-scale solutions to global challenges. She is the founder of New Story Center, dedicated to re-enchanting Planet Earth with a New Story.

An engineering graduate of Stanford University, Ms. Rushing's career in energy technology includes senior executive roles in some of the energy industry's most innovative companies and the launch of award-winning energy efficiency programs modeled by utilities around the world.

Business success notwithstanding, she recognized that humanity’s relationship with Earth’s living systems required a deeper response. After earning her Masters in Culture and Spirituality, she co-founded Rockhaven eco-spiritual center and was later elected to serve two terms in local office. She is best known for her environmental advocacy and community revitalization efforts, including championing two of the largest public solar energy installations in the Western United States.

Denise Rushing advises entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders, and she writes and speaks, on a variety of topics including:
-Making a Difference,
-Social and Spiritual Permaculture
-Ecological Design
-The New Story,
-New Economy
-Sustainable Living
-Passion and Purpose
-Social Entrepreneurship
-Renewable Energy

You can contact Denise Rushing via her website www.deniserushing.com or at www.newstorycenter.com.

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Lisa Oliver

5.0 out of 5 starsA system for lifeMay 15, 2012
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

To be honest I thought this book would be about a lot of spiritual dogma and rhetoric. I was so pleasantly surprised to see that wasn't the case. This author has spent a lot of time researching the ideals behind permaculture and has applied them beautifully into a system that anyone can adapt in their own lives. First the author takes you through an honest account of the world we live in and how the neglect and depletion the human species are wrecking on the world impacts our own soul. In particular I loved the story of the candle and how just one small candle can light a room.

The author explains permaculture as having three distinct aspects - ethics, principles and practices. They explain how these three things interact with each other and how these can be used to effect change both in your own life and on a global perspective. Indeed the authors' own personal dream bought tears to my eyes - so simple yet so accessible by anyone.

But as I mentioned earlier this is not just about the theories behind this mode of living, the authors have outlined a complete step by step process on how anyone can use these principles to create their own garden. It includes both practical and spiritual steps that all work together to achieve a positive footprint on this earth. If you follow this book and start small, believe me good things can grow.
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Summer Olsen

5.0 out of 5 starsThe wisdom of mother natureMay 14, 2012
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This book is a well-written introduction to Permaculture, a set of spiritual principles based on the observation of how the Mother Earth works. These principles are very profound and show you the way to a more harmonious and hassle-free life. By hassle-free, I don't necessarily mean that the stressful outer circumstances would change; rather, the way you react and respond to those circumstances change. As the author points out, we are in a crisis as a species collectively, and this book is a gentle invitation to a more functional way of living and being. Just reading the principles, you can see how your life can be more peaceful and you might even feel youself becoming more peaceful.

Final thought: as far as I understand, Permaculture is a way of living, not necessarily an exclusive and dogmatic spiritual tradition. I think this is compatible with any spiritual tradition you might identify yourself with. If you are at all interested in getting peace of mind, I highly recommend this book. This is a very short and easy read, but the effect of the words on you will be profound.

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Peggy

5.0 out of 5 starslove her beautiful and practical approachJune 16, 2013
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I have read a number of permaculture books and taken classes. Denise brings such insight to the process while encouraging the reader to join her in a personal relationship with nature. She writes, "Returning to the principles of permaculture time and again, we can engage in a way that is life giving, renewing and satisfyng." She also clearly understands and practices the ethics and principles of permaculture.

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Ernest Reader

5.0 out of 5 starsTransformativeNovember 5, 2012
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Excellent book--offers hopeful action for the future. Poetic and practical. Many will be able to relate to the author's issues and will find inspiration in her solution.

4 people found this helpful

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Stuart & Laura Nottingham

4.0 out of 5 starsLoved the systemic approach!April 29, 2013
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a quick read--kept me company on a sick day. The authority draws the connections between our various levels of existence in a simple, yet profound, style!

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Heather Jay

5.0 out of 5 starsLife ContinuityFebruary 13, 2014
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Praising the peaceful way forward!! Read this, get real and move the world and your life forward through peaceful goodness!!

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katb

5.0 out of 5 starsWonderful Read!February 25, 2014
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Great read in these troubled times. Offers real solutions and peace for your soul. I would encourage anyone who loves to grow to read this book.

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Carol M. Bettencourt

5.0 out of 5 starsMade me thinkMarch 6, 2014
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

A thoughtful read. I have to study it more and digest the content. It definitely made me think about life and its complications.

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Permaculture: A Student's Guide to the Theory and Practice of Ecovillage Design: Jan Martin Bang: 9781782501671: Amazon.com: Books



Permaculture: A Student's Guide to the Theory and Practice of Ecovillage Design: Jan Martin Bang: 9781782501671: Amazon.com: Books





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Praise for Jan Bang's previous books on Ecovillages and Eco-communities:

'A comprehensive review for those who seek to initiate an ecovillage or for those in existing community who seek a transformation to a more sustainable way of life.'
– International Communal Studies Association Bulletin

'The book has a clear and anecdotal style, and the details of the worldwide communities keep you inspired.'
– Clean Slate: The Practical Journal of Sustainable Living

'A useful guide if you are considering planning or even joining an ecovillage.'
– Building for a Future: The Independent Journal for Green Building

'A comprehensive guide to the principles and practice of sustainable communities.'
– Scientific and Medical Network Review

'Part life testimony, part textbook for all kinds of sustainable living. An important snapshot of how community life has evolved since the communes of the 1970s. Life-affirming.'
– Camphill Correspondence

'Jan Bang clearly has hands-on experience. This is a veritable source book.'
– New View

'This book weaves together permaculture and ecovillage design as coherent strategies for sustainable living and is full of practical hands-on information as well as inspiration and insight.'
– Permaculture

'Takes an inspiring, serious look at sustainability in alternative communities across the world, Food for thought for anyone wanting to rationalise their carbon footprint.'
– Wave Magazine

'Practical in its approach and with a critical eye, the book paints a vivid picture of a variety of communal lives. For those of us not living in communities, it gives an excellent introduction to the problems faced and the joy in overcoming them.'
– Living Lighty

'If you are part of a community, are thinking of establishing one or just wondered what makes a successful one work, this book will guide you through the thorny issues and how they can be dealt with. An invaluable handbook.'
– Juno Magazine

'A candid, inspiring and practical book - essential reading.'
– Positive News


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About the Author


Jan Martin Bang was born in Norway and educated in England. He has taught Permaculture design for nearly two decades, and has lived in income-sharing communities for twenty-five years, in Israel and Norway. He is a former chair of the International Communal Studies Association, and is a Fellow of the Findhorn Foundation. He lives in rural Norway. His four previous books, Ecovillages, Growing Eco-Communities, Sakhnin, and A Portrait of Camphill, are published by Floris Books.


Product details

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Floris Books (July 15, 2015)
Language: English