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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Editorial Reviews

Review




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

Paradise Lot: Two Plant Geeks, One-Tenth of an Acre, and the Making of an Edible Garden Oasis in the City: Eric Toensmeier, Jonathan Bates: 0884433754064: Amazon.com: Books

Paradise Lot: Two Plant Geeks, One-Tenth of an Acre, and the Making of an Edible Garden Oasis in the City: Eric Toensmeier, Jonathan Bates: 0884433754064: Amazon.com: Books







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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist


With their shared passion for plants and a commitment to creating as self-sustaining a garden as possible on a minuscule lot in a small New England city cursed with a terrible climate and even worse soil, Toensmeier and Bates set about converting their urban backyard into a permaculture paradise. Informed by his work on a seminal, two-volume encyclopedia devoted to the concept of forest gardening, Toensmeier transformed the infertile and debris-laden property behind the duplex he shared with Bates into a natural ecosystem teeming with edible plants. As the authors’ postage-stamp-size front yard morphed into a lush, tropical showcase that astounded their Massachusetts community, the backyard incorporated all the components necessary to produce fresh fruits and vegetables year-round using cold-hardy, mostly native plants that would ideally require a minimum amount of work for a maximum output. As a memoir of a purposeful life, Toensmeier’s work is engaging, honest, and natural. As a directive to other gardeners eager to establish natural ecosystems in unlikely settings, his work is instructive, illuminating, and inspirational. --Carol Haggas
Review




Publishers Weekly-

In this charming, true-life tale of urban regeneration and the birth of a forest garden movement, Toensmeier, famous among permaculture enthusiasts for his Perennial Vegetables and as coauthor of Edible Forest Gardens, tells the story behind the Holyoke, Mass., garden featured as a test case in the latter, which, in the course of eight years, he and Bates transformed from a bare backyard wasteland into a flourishing, edible Eden. In true permaculture fashion, the book follows not only the progression of the garden but also its influence on and relations with its creators’ lives―including a surprisingly Austen-like romantic element―their neighborhood, and the larger permaculture and forest gardening community. Bates, whose nursery business, Food Forest Farm, is an offshoot of this garden, contributes philosophical and personal essays interspersed throughout the narrative. Fans of Toensmeier and Bates’s work will be thrilled to read the details of their experiments with polycultures, their problems with and solutions for pests and overly aggressive plants, and their idiosyncratic plant choices. Adventurous readers with conventional gardens and lawns may be inspired to venture into the more integrated, evolutionary approach that this book so vividly and appealingly portrays.



Booklist-

With their shared passion for plants and a commitment to creating as self-sustaining a garden as possible on a minuscule lot in a small New England city cursed with a terrible climate and even worse soil, Toensmeier and Bates set about converting their urban backyard into a permaculture paradise. Informed by his work on a seminal, two-volume encyclopedia devoted to the concept of forest gardening, Toensmeier transformed the infertile and debris-laden property behind the duplex he shared with Bates into a natural ecosystem teeming with edible plants. As the authors’postage-stamp-size front yard morphed into a lush, tropical showcase that astounded their Massachusetts community, the backyard incorporated all the components necessary to produce fresh fruits and vegetables year-round using cold-hardy, mostly native plants that would ideally require a minimum amount of work for a maximum output. As a memoir of a purposeful life, Toensmeier’s work is engaging, honest, and natural. As a directive to other gardeners eager to establish natural ecosystems in unlikely settings, his work is instructive, illuminating, and inspirational.



Kirkus Reviews-

The front yard was a short, steep slope of asphalt with a tiny strip of sterile gravel and subsoil," write Toensmeier and Bates, with a "backyard that looked like a moonscape, sparely populated with tufts of crabgrass." It was the perfect place to launch their experiment: Could two men with horticultural experience and a love of nature turn a typical compact backyard into a garden full of lush plants and edible food? The authors chronicle their 10-plus years of trials and experiments, as they transformed their "moonscape" into a permaculture of "trees, shrubs, vines, and herbaceous perennials" that produced food at every level. By analyzing their soil and plotting the movement of shade and sun for a year, the authors discovered the prime locations to build a greenhouse and tool shed. They knew where to plant trees and perennials so that they could bring their site to life, and they developed a deeper kinship with the space and with each other. Along the journey, the authors present ideas like sheet mulching, which can transform a lawn into a useful garden plot capable of growing tomatoes and sweet corn in the first year. They also share their thoughts on the plants that can become noxious weeds despite their culinary uses. Toensmeier and Bates discuss both their triumphs and their defeats, as they experimented with chickens, nitrogen fixers, ground covers, numerous kinds of berry bushes and water plants. Although not a how-to guide, the authors give readers plenty of choices and ideas to think about when deciding whether to embark on this kind of gardening.



ForeWord Reviews-

“Urban agriculture is becoming a hot topic in sustainable farming circles as more people become interested in organic foods, healthy eating choices, and environmental topics. Given population densities in some areas, “urban agriculture” might seem like an oxymoron to some, but with careful planning and a sense of adventure, even a tiny plot of land can yield a bumper crop.

Longtime friends Eric Toensmeier and Jonathan Bates certainly demonstrate the type of strategy and passion required for the effort. In their charming, insightful description of their tiny urban garden in Holyoke, Massachusetts, the two cover twelve years of growing, from their initial reaction to seeing the compacted, gravel-edged soil, to the moment when they have to consider the long-term future of their growing families, which likely means leaving their garden paradise.

Along with relaying various missteps and challenges, Toensmeier (with occasional contributions from Bates) layers together their experiences with natural pesticide controls, wild mushroom foraging, city regulations, berry plants, forest gardens, chickens, having girlfriends move in, trellis systems, and an array of other topics.

Dividing the garden’s history into four sections―sleep, creep, leap, and reap― Toensmeier creates a combination of personal memoir and permaculture guide. Filled with insight, but not too technical, he strikes an artful balance between giving useful detail and geeking out on gardening nuances. Although readers who want to learn more about compost and chicken coops may get the most out of their journey, Paradise Lot will still be a delight for someone who can’t even grow a houseplant.

As Toensmeier and Bates demonstrate, it doesn’t take twenty acres to start a garden filled with nourishing vegetables and gorgeous flowers; it just takes some vision, especially if the potential garden is a scruffy urban lot.

Part gardening guide, part personal story, the book is ultimately a call to action, with the pair proclaiming that it doesn’t matter what a patch of land looks like, as long as someone is willing to explore its potential. “We made our little paradise here,” Toensmeier writes. “Imagine what would happen if we as a species paid similar attention to all the degraded and abandoned lands of the world.”



Library Journal-

STARRED REVIEW "Part handbook, part memoir, this book details the evolution of a permaculture garden on an urban lot in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Having spent years describing permaculture gardens in a theoretical manner, Toensmeier (Perennial Vegetables) and his friend Bates (owner, Food Forest Farm Permaculture Nursery) put these theories into practice when they bought and moved into a duplex situated on a 1/10 acre rundown lot. Nearly a decade later, the lot is unrecognizable―a tropical paradise in the front and a wealth of more than 200 edible plants in the back. Toensmeier clearly explains the processes―needless to say, nothing changed overnight―that achieved this near-miracle. VERDICT: The authors’ prose pulls the reader into their lives, sparking a desire to see the result and try this kind of gardening. The appendixes are filled with useful information for readers who may be intrigued enough to create their own paradise. All readers interested in urban renewal or environmental issues will welcome this book."



“Although many of us dream of creating our ideal urban homestead from scratch, the reality is far less pristine: toxic soil, rampant exotic species, outdated codes, and all the other grit of city life. Paradise Lot is a practical manual, based on hard-won lessons, for working positively with the realities of our cities to create a sustainable, peaceful, and abundant oasis in the urban jungle. In this vivid and engaging work, Eric Toensmeier entices us with his journey as an example, explaining what to do, and what mistakes to avoid, to develop our own versions of an edible urban paradise.”--Toby Hemenway, author of Gaia’s Garden



“Our connection to place defines us as gardeners and farmers just as much as the plants we choose to grow. The integration of perennial plantings, microclimate, and natural beauty comes about by listening to the land. What a delight to then have one of America’s preeminent permaculture teachers share his personal story with both place and partner. Sometimes that meaningful insight we need in shaping our own garden path comes from hearing of the successes and foibles other gardeners found on their path. The gift Eric Toensmeier and Jonathan Bates offer in Paradise Lot is their heart for all things green.”--Michael Phillips, author of The Holistic Orchard and The Apple Grower



“Paradise Lot is a magnificent story about how two young broke landless 'plant geeks' transform an urban lot into a permaculture heaven capable of producing all their fruit and vegetables as well as attracting suitable mates. The book is a groundbreaking work on temperate-climate permaculture as well as a personal saga, as the author’s discovery and discussion of the differences between theory and practice goes beyond anything in the current permaculture literature. The book has a lot of information on growing and using various perennial food plants and, of particular value, it includes specific accounts of what didn’t work and why as well as what did. Paradise Lot should be particularly useful to those with small lots or poor or abused soil. Much writing in permaculture is for people with plenty of land and money. This is permaculture for the rest of us. Best of all, Paradise Lot is fun to read. It overflows with love―love of plants, love of land, love of adventuring on the edge of knowledge, and love of living. It’s hard to put down. I read it in two large gulps.”--Carol Deppe, author of The Resilient Gardener and Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties



“Paradise Lot is a timeless classic of urban permaculture in action that clearly shows design evolution over time. This is a true model of the change the world needs.”--Geoff Lawton, founder of Permaculture Research Institute and creator of Greening the Desert



“Just when I figured I had heard it all in growing food, comes a book that makes me realize I don’t know the half of it. Paradise Lot is an amazing, almost unbelievable account of how to grow some 150–200 food- and nitrogen-producing plants on a measly one-tenth of an acre, providing food year round in a cold climate. The authors reveal in great detail how they do this, starting with poor urban backyard soil and using totally organic and permaculture methods. They have raised 400 pounds of perennial fruits and vegetables in addition to many annual vegetables per year in this tiny garden. With more time, knowledge, and labor, they are sure they can produce appreciably more. If you want your imagination challenged and intrigued, this is the book for you. As the authors say, here is proof positive that with proper knowledge and will there is no such thing as food scarcity.”--Gene Logsdon, author of A Sanctuary of Trees and Small-Scale Grain Raising


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Product details

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing (2013)
Language: English
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107 customer reviews
4.6 out of 5 stars
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5 star 77%
4 star 14%
3 star 8%
2 star 1%
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Showing 1-8 of 107 reviews
Top Reviews

Zannah Marsh
5.0 out of 5 starsCompelling narrative, excellent permaculture resourceFebruary 8, 2013
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I bought this book because I'm a budding urban gardener curious about permaculture (a sustainable, low maintenance, ecosystem-focused approach to growing food)... and I like a good story. Eric Toensmeier is a self-described "plant geek" and permaculture expert who also co-wrote "Edible Forest Gardens" a 2-volume, 1000+ page epic reference on the theory and practice of permaculture. Unlike EFG, "Paradise Lot" is a comparatively short, accessible, narrative account of Toensmeier's experience turning a barren urban lot in Holyoke, MA into a "food forest."

At the start of the book, Toensmeier and his co-gardener Jonathan Bates (who contributes short essays scattered throughout the book) are single, impoverished, lonely 30-something plant geeks struggling to start a business, find a place to settle down, and get girlfriends. 

Part of the fun and suspense of the book is following their personal stories, which are skillfully and unobtrusively interwoven into the central narrative of the garden. The book is also a terrific introduction to key concepts in permaculture. 

Toensmeier describes the entire process, from selecting and mapping a site to designing the garden, collecting seeds, working the soil, planting, harvesting and even preparing some of the unusual edibles, troubleshooting invasives and dealing with pests. There's lots of juicy details, but the technical information isn't overwhelming. If you're inspired (as I was) to learn more, there are comprehensive lists of resources (books, organizations, suppliers, etc) plus plant lists and garden maps in the book's appendicies.

Toensmeier writes beautifully, with a deeply-felt passion for plants and the natural world. In a broader sense, the book is about being creative, resourceful, and strategic in building a life and community that's both sustainable and satisfying.

Very inspiring! A wonderful book.
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67 people found this helpful

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Frank G. Risalvato
4.0 out of 5 starsTurns traditional concept of "gardening" up on its head - Thanks!May 8, 2014
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Ever since my dream girl and I got married and bought our first house, I couldn't wait to work in the yard and garden. Been through 4 houses now (I hope my last!) and this book made me realize just how I've been doing it ALL WRONG.

In my current home I hired a "Professional landscape designer" (term used loosely as anyone can call themselves such) to help me with the frame work while I filled in areas later. I wound up getting what 90% of landscapers suggest: Tons of garbage Asian plants that are easy to care for but completely unproductive and actually damage the environment by invading natural woods nearby.

My Japanese Privet (Ligustrum), Laurel, and burning bush achieve nothing. I am now considering ripping out about 50 burning bushes that form a hedge and replace with native blueberry. I could have had many pounds of blueberries (which I LOVE) all this time. What was I thinking!

I'm slowly replacing other hedges with native plums, (also a great hedge that keeps kids out) and Elderberry and have begun slowly planting/replacing.

While the author took things to the extreme - to develop a self-contained eco-system - we can all learn from the trails (garden paths) they blazed (mulched).

Great read. But be forewarned - You will want to spit on your backyard and tear everything out when you realize what you've been doing all wrong!
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10 people found this helpful

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Farrardavisrd
4.0 out of 5 stars

Perfect stepping stone for beginner permiesSeptember 24, 2015
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I've been reading, reading, reading any permaculture book I can get my hands on. Ultimately, I am hoping to integrate this type of agriculture and way of living into my family's life so we can lead a more sustainable lifestyle. That being said, I've been completely overwhelmed and not sure where to start-we have 5 acres and I don't want to overwhelm myself! 

This book is a great intro on how to take those first steps in a very practical manner without jumping in too deep. Other books I've read tell me what to do but I really needed it broken down to something a bit more manageable for our lifestyle at the moment (young kids, work, busy, busy, busy...). This book is perfect if you just need a little direction!

7 people found this helpful

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Jennifer Reynolds
3.0 out of 5 stars

Not quite what I expected, but not bad, either.February 12, 2013
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I expected more of the book to actually be devoted to the lot in question, rather than being basically an autobiography of two men who happened to garden in a small urban lot. I expected more of an in depth of: In year one, we planted x y and z and only y thrived. In year two y had grown W feet, etc. etc. I expected more before and after pictures or descriptions of the lot. That being said the book IS all about permaculture and forest gardens (even if the majority is about what happened BEFORE the lot or something tangential about their time on the lot, and not actually about the lot itself) and etc, and I learned more than I would have thought from a biography. I also appreciated that a lot of the plants described in the actual lot section appear to be available for sale on their website (Often I get frustrated about hearing of some great plant that it turns out is virtually unobtainable).

81 people found this helpful

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Stuart & Laura Nottingham
4.0 out of 5 starsGreat account of a permaculture experienceJuly 31, 2013
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. We are just beginning our permaculture journey on a half acre in Omaha, Nebraska. Reading about Paradise Lot provided lots of ideas for what we will try.

The book is very readable and both authors bring their experiences to the pages in different ways. Eric writes more about the methodology, while Jonathan tells more about the personal/emotional experience. At least, this was my perception of their styles.

Overall, a very enjoyable book that is pragmatic and entertaining!

12 people found this helpful

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The Community-Scale Permaculture Farm: The D Acres Model for Creating and Managing an Ecologically Designed Educational Center: Josh Trought: 8601423607887: Amazon.com: Books

The Community-Scale Permaculture Farm: The D Acres Model for Creating and Managing an Ecologically Designed Educational Center:

 Josh Trought: 8601423607887: Amazon.com: Books

With practical examples of alternative building, renewable energy, holistic forestry, no-till gardening, hospitality management, community outreach, and more

The Community-Scale Permaculture Farm describes not only the history of the D Acres project, but its evolving principles and practices that are rooted in the land, its inhabitants, and the joy inherent in collective empowerment.

For almost twenty years, D Acres of New Hampshire has challenged and expanded the common definition of a farm. As an educational center that researches, applies, and teaches skills of sustainable living and small-scale organic farming, D Acres serves more than just a single function to its community. By turns it is a hostel for travelers to northern New England, a training center for everything from metal- and woodworking to cob building and seasonal cooking, a gathering place for music, poetry, joke-telling, and potluck meals, and much more.

While this book provides a wide spectrum of practical information on the physical systems designed into a community-scale homestead, Trought also reviews the economics and organizational particulars that D Acres has experimented with over the years.

The D Acres model envisions a way to devise a sustainable future by building a localized economy that provides more than seasonal produce, a handful of eggs, and green appliances. With the goal of perennial viability for humanity within their ecosystem, D Acres is attempting an approach to sustainability that encompasses practical, spiritual, and ethical components. In short: They are trying to create a rural community ecology that evolves in perpetuity.

From working with oxen to working with a board of directors, no other book contains such a wealth of innovative ideas and ways to make your farm or homestead not only more sustainable, but more inclusive of, and beneficial to, the larger community. Readers will find information on such subjects as:

• Working with pigs to transform forested landscapes into arable land;
• Designing and building unique, multifunctional farm and community spaces using various techniques and materials;
• Creating and perpetuating diverse revenue streams to keep your farm organization solvent and resilient;
• Receiving maximum benefits and yields for the farm without denigrating resources or the regional ecology;
• Implementing a fair and effective governance structure;
• Constructing everything from solar dehydrators and cookers to treehouses and ponds; and,
• Connecting and partnering with the larger community beyond the farm.

Emphasizing collaboration, cooperation, and mutualism, this book promises to inspire a new generation of growers, builders, educators, artists, and dreamers who are seeking new and practical ways to address today’s problems on a community scale.

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Editorial Reviews


Review




Publishers Weekly-

"In this meticulously detailed book, Trought relates the lessons gleaned from 17 years of establishing and running D Acres, a nonprofit, community service–oriented farm in the challenging soil and climate of northern New Hampshire. 

With a serious, pedantic style more common to business books than to the cheerful permaculture genre, he provides extensive descriptions of historical precedents; local geography, geology, climate, and economy; fund-raising; marketing; and community governance and decision-making (there’s a whole chapter on meetings). 

In addition, there’s more-typical discussion of soil-building, animal husbandry, alternative building techniques, cottage industries, ecological integration, and community engagement. The exposition is threaded with political commentary and seasoned with a strong dose of an admirable but dauntingly earnest ethic. Despite Trought’s sincere love for his work and willingness to share abundant knowledge and experience, his somber, didactic tone may discourage budding eco-villagers still at the initial dreaming and planning stages. His lessons may be more useful and inspiring to those already ankle-deep in their own land-based community ventures.”



Booklist-

"The word permaculture, a shorthand term fusing permanent agriculture with permanent culture, is a recent innovation based on the ecological ideal of caring for the earth and for people by reinvesting any surplus back into the system to minimize waste. Although there are still only a handful of fully functioning permaculture farms worldwide, D Acres near Dorchester, New Hampshire, serves as a role model for other communities aspiring to a high level of sustainability. In this sumptuous handbook of tools and ideas, D Acres cofounder Trought provides a comprehensive blueprint for creating an environmentally and culturally balanced community homestead and shares some of the economic and organizational experiments he and his collaborators have tried over the years. Twenty detailed chapters cover all the fundamentals of running a permaculture-based farm, from governance to budgeting and communication philosophy, as well as designing buildings, setting up water irrigation systems, and managing no-till agriculture. An immensely useful guidebook for organic farmers, cohousing advocates, and anyone interested in learning about a place where sustainability is truly possible."

"Josh Trought shows how society can be brought together in harmonious fashion with ecological systems to produce healthy food, close-knit communities, land stewardship, and beauty in a sustainable way. What I love most about the D Acres model is that from the start, their intent was to experiment AND share the learning. That’s exactly what this book does, describing the philosophical and historical roots of collective living and permaculture, as well as the day-to-day work of growing and building, all with clear and compelling storytelling. Nothing short of miraculous!"--Tim Traver, author of Sippewissett



“I haven’t been to D Acres, but The Community-Scale Permaculture Farm made me want to go. And as any good permaculture project should, this book stacks functions. It’s at once a chronicle of the reinvention of an old family property as a 21st-century enterprise, a first-hand guidebook for developing a successful community, and a useful how-to for ecological homesteading and farming. If you are doing any of those―or thinking about it―this book should be in your hands.”-

-Toby Hemenway, author of Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture and The Permaculture City



"Josh’s manual offers a wealth of practical advice that will be very useful to those adventuring in the direction that D Acres has developed over twenty years in intentional living and permaculture farming. Truly inspiring!"--Andrew Faust, founder, Center for Bioregional Living



"At a crucial crossroads in our history, this book chronicles a life-giving response to a society bent on self-destruction. With uncommon honesty, Josh Trought lays bare the lessons of once wide-eyed beginners, now seasoned and savvy leaders in the permaculture movement. The journey presented here is inspired and instructive, though nonformulaic and a work in progress. When the dust settles upon our epoch, what will stand out are places like D Acres, which built a living alternative to the ubiquitous, me-centered society. As readers will soon discover, it is hard work turning dreams into reality, but with Josh as your trusty guide, your body will ache for this ‘real’ work."--Jim Merkel, author of Radical Simplicity and founder of the Global Living Project



“Every community should be so blessed to have a permaculture learning center and demonstration farm in its midst. Josh Trought and company provide pure inspiration for learning essential earth skills. Pick up this book and you too can help people connect with the land and a sustainable way of living.”--Michael Phillips, author of The Holistic Orchard



"One cannot discuss sustainable agriculture without considering its community context, nor vice versa. Trought has given a lot of thought to both, and his experience and observations are well worth sharing. I've visited D Acres and been very impressed at the depth of its vision, which is clearly expressed throughout the book.”--Will Bonsall, author of Will Bonsall’s Essential Guide to Radical, Self-Reliant Gardening and Through the Eyes of a Stranger



"Homesteading on a hamlet scale, teaching ecological design, building for the future, and creating new family and tribal bonds in a time of dissolution, the D Acres vision sheds light on the uses of adversity to counter the centrifugal forces of our culture. With many rich vignettes and inventive solutions on offer, this book will reward careful reading."--Peter Bane, author of The Permaculture Handbook and publisher of Permaculture Activist magazine



“If we want people to live ecologically, get along, and heal the Earth, we need to build a local, ecological economy. Josh Trought’s detailed guide points the way to localizing where we get our basic needs and at the same time stay flexible and practical, not utopian-egalitarian. D Acres started with almost nothing, but through permaculture and perseverance, and a lot of hard knocks, it’s getting to where it’s doing everything right. The Community-Scale Permaculture Farm is not merely a model for farmers or for an education center, but for a great kind of life.”--Albert Bates, author of The Post-Petroleum Survival Guideand The Biochar Solution

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About the Author




Josh Trought helped to found D Acres of New Hampshire in 1997, and today serves as its director. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder with a degree in environmental conservation, and has worked for organizations as diverse as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Costa Rica’s Tapantí National Park. Currently he is a member of the Artistic Roots co-op in Plymouth, New Hampshire, and serves as treasurer of the Pemi-Baker Solid Waste District. His proudest accomplishments are as a participant at the Bread and Puppet Theater; at La Caravana Arcoiris por la Paz, a mobile ecovillage that traveled across Central and South America; and at D Acres, where he has specialized in forestry, construction, gardening, and administration. The primary motivation behind his life’s work is the healthy perpetuation of our species within its various, diverse ecologies.

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Product details

Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing (March 24, 2015)
Language: English










Will Ferullo
5.0 out of 5 starsHighly recommend. A must read for permaculturists or anybody interested in making the world a better place.September 18, 2017
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This book is ahead of its time. If this model were adopted globally or even just in the USA this world would be a much different place. Many key takeaways and insight into how to keep a community going and thriving for 20 years.
Beautifully put together and pictures galore.

One person found this helpful

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Christin
5.0 out of 5 starsFive StarsAugust 1, 2018
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great book!


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david johnson
5.0 out of 5 starsFive StarsAugust 25, 2015
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Great book, written by a great Author!!! It has been very useful at the homestead.I highly recommended it without reservation!

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CH
5.0 out of 5 starsFive StarsJune 16, 2015
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This is the piece of permaculture information that we've been missing.

3 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsFive StarsJuly 19, 2016
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Excellent book and invaluable reference. Highly recommend.


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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsFive StarsNovember 15, 2016
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
gift....seems to fit the bill


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Rachel Wade
5.0 out of 5 starsThis book is fantastic!May 25, 2015
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
My husband and I are currently working on setting up a similar project in our area and have found the content very helpful.
It is written in a easy yet informational way.
The photos are great.
I would recommend it to anyone!

3 people found this helpful

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Dunstan
5.0 out of 5 starsWhat an adventure!April 23, 2015
Format: Paperback
as someone who has been interested in becoming more self sufficient and disillusioned with our modern way of eating and consumption this book was the perfect find. It deals with a larger scale operation then I see myself doing but it is applicable on all levels. I love reading about peoples trials and early successes and failures. The book is littered with funny tales of Josh's and company's adventures just starting out in an area not well suited for farming, armed only with a vision, a little knowledge and loads of determination you're able to learn from their experiences and hopefully not make some of the same mistakes and have perhaps a fraction of the success that dacres has accomplished year to year. I also like that josh and dacres doesn't measure success in terms of quantity, or finances but in creating a system that makes sense for their community and the environment they live. Working with nature and not against it folks! Get with the program and do the next right thing so we can give our grand children a planet that's healthy! Permaculture is what's up!

8 people found this helpful




Malcolm Salovaara
5.0 out of 5 starsreading the book has reinvigorated me to keep getting out there to make the world a better place.April 26, 2015
Format: Paperback
the work and progress that can be learned about in this book is inspirational. going to this place is what first inspired me to become involved in the regenerative agriculture movement. josh's tour in particular got me really pumped. reading the book has reinvigorated me to keep getting out there to make the world a better place.

6 people found this helpful

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matthew stuart
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat reference for anyone, amazing guide for those looking to start getting serious about permacultureMay 20, 2015
Format: Paperback
If you are at all serious about starting your own homestead, permaculture garden, educational non-profit, or are just interested in how to make the northeast viable for subsistence farming, this book is a great read, great reference, and inspiring. These are just some of the reasons why I find this book useful and pleasurable.

I recommend buying this book as a reference book and recommending your local library to stock it.

4 people found this helpful

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S Whitman
5.0 out of 5 starsThe one we have been waiting for...June 17, 2015
Format: Paperback
This is a book I have been waiting for! Having visited D Acres many times since the early days of the project it is exciting to see the story told along with so much additional experience and wisdom that Josh shares. This is a very special place and the diversity of work being woven together on this rugged New England property is inspiring!

4 people found this helpful

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Katherine Raymond
5.0 out of 5 starsThe book was an amazing journey to read about and filled with an abundance ...June 5, 2017
Format: Paperback
The book was an amazing journey to read about and filled with an abundance of knowledge in community organization, permaculture and farming practices, and how to build a sustainable local homestead. Josh and all the helpers at D Acres over the many years are an inspiration for local sustainable economy and development.


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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsIt's greatest strength is it's indefatigable pursuit of "doin' itDecember 6, 2015
Format: Paperback
D Acres is a leading example in how to live and do Permaculture, beyond the planning phases. It's greatest strength is it's indefatigable pursuit of "doin' it!" This book is a valuable resource for anyone looking to gain understanding of how permaculture practices can be realized and expressed at the community level.


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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsRelevant readingNovember 28, 2015
Format: Paperback
a solid, thorough account of both the development process & story of a fascinating place -- a unique social, communal, ecological landscape in the world. <3 .

One person found this helpful

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jtreibitz
5.0 out of 5 starsThis book is the Joy of Cooking for homesteadersNovember 19, 2015
Format: Paperback
I don't know a lot about gardening but I found deep inspiration in reading about the D Acres farm. I've always been fascinated by how people can be self-sufficient and raise their own food in a sustainable way but this is the first book I've encountered that really makes me feel like it could be a possibility for me, too. This is an indispensable and accessible guide not only to permaculture farming, but also to living your life listening to the land and to your community. This book is like the Joy of Cooking for homesteaders.

One person found this helpful

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Nancy Conklin
5.0 out of 5 starsFive StarsJune 19, 2015
Format: Paperback
This is an excellent study in community gardening and permaculture farming. Well written and beautifully photographed. I

One person found this helpful

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Randle England
1.0 out of 5 starsDon't botherApril 21, 2015
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Poorly edited, if at all. Somewhere between an ADHD manifesto from "Occupy Wallstreet" protesters and a stoner's utopian daydream, this book is as difficult to read as attempting a conversation with someone who is off his meds. 

What little it has to say about applied permaculture, organic farming, or even intentional community is hidden deep within corrupted syntax and a misguided, unsuccessful attempt at pedantry. There are other, more understandable and easily applied resources available.

7 people found this helpful

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Michelle Dunn
5.0 out of 5 starsYour new homesteading guidebook - a book that will inspire and motivate youApril 22, 2015
Format: Paperback
Being fairly new to gardening and to learning about sustainable living I found "The Community-Scale Permaculture Farm" a great resource for learning more about how to use my land in a way that helps me and my family to be more sustainable, and make less trips to a grocery store. My yard is gradually becoming a place where I can go outside to gather food for dinner without making a trip to a store and spending money. I know nothing has been sprayed with any chemicals and is healthy for us to eat straight out of the greenhouse or ground. This book is not just for "farms" or large scale operations - this is a great resource for anyone with a bit of yard that they want to use productively. This book isn't just a guide to small scale sustainability it is also the history of D Acres and how it came to be, the mission, purpose and long term goals of the farm and the people on it. It is very interesting and quite a journey that will inspire you to make changes in your own way of life. This book embraces community and how we can all work together to be successful. Something that at times seems to have fallen by the wayside - people no longer know their neighbors and instead of helping or visiting with neighbors it is just a competition between neighbors to see who can have the best house or more expensive car - when the reality is that none of that really matters in the big picture.
The photo's in this book are outstanding and beautiful and really help you to see how much work is really involved if you want to apply any of these practices to your own life. Living in the society we live in, this book can be a life saver not just for you but for your children and anyone who will be here long after we are gone. There is so much information in this book, it is really your new permaculture and sustainable living bible, keep it nearby as you begin your journey and you will refer back to it often.

8 people found this helpful

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Permaculture: A Spiritual Approach - Kindle edition by Craig Gibsone, Jan Martin Bang. Crafts, Hobbies & Home Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Permaculture: A Spiritual Approach - Kindle edition by Craig Gibsone, Jan Martin Bang. Crafts, Hobbies & Home Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.





Permaculture design as divine creative activity. Permaculture looks for the patterns embedded in our natural world as inspirations for designing solutions to the many challenges we are presented with today. It is a philosophical, spiritual and practical approach to the use of the land, integrating microclimate, functional plants, animals, soils, water management and human needs into intricately connected, highly productive systems. 



In essence, permaculture uses observation as basis for creating sustainable and effective human settlements.



 The authors discuss the components Earthshare, Fairshare and Peoplecare, with a specific emphasis on the spiritual aspects of the design process. 



Topics range from soil and plants, energy sources and house design to alternative economics, group process, governance, and spiritual nurturing and enquiry. 



Examples of existing permaculture structures from around the world, most notably from the Findhorn Community Eco-Village, bring the concepts to life. 



First-hand accounts of how people got started on their permaculture project lend a personal touch. The first book to look at the spiritual aspects as well as the practical implementation of permaculture design.

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Review
"Since it's founding in the 1960's the Scottish community of Findhorn has always been ahead of its time. It's widely believed that the 'green movement' has it roots in Findhorn's Community Eco-Village. 



In Permaculture: A Spiritual Approach. Craig Gibsone and Jan Martin Ban, who lives in Eco-villages like Findhorn, take an in depth look at the development of agricultural eco-systems through natural and edible landscaping. The focus specifically on the permaculture components of Earthshare, Fairshare and Peoplecare and on the spiritual aspects of permaculture design as a divine creative activity. 



The book is a philosophical spiritual and practical approach to integrating microclimate, functional plants, animals, soils, water managements and human needs into the intricately connected, highly productive systems of permaculture. 



The authors also look for the patterns embedded in our natural world as inspirations for designing solutions to the many challenges of creating sustainable architecture. The book covers a range of permaculture issues from soil conditions and plant choices, energy sources and house design to alternative economics, managing group process and governance. Spiritual nurturing and enquiry are also central to the authors' point of view and they point to the Findhorn Community Eco-village as an example of how many of these issues can be addressed and solved. They include personal examples and accounts of how they and others got started on permaculture projects and focus on the most effective and spiritual approaches to creating sustainable and effective human settlements." (OM Times)
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About the Author
Craig Gibsone has lived at the Findhorn Ecovillage since the early days of the community, witnessing many organic developments in this place. He is a permaculture and ecovillage designer and educator as well as a potter and much involved in community life. 



Jan Martin Bang was born in Oslo, Norway, and grew up in England. In 1984 he moved to Israel where he was a co-founder of the Israeli Permaculture Association. In 2000 he moved to Camphill Solborg in Norway. Jan has a diploma in Permaculture and is an active member of the Norwegian Permaculture Association. 



He is also chairperson of the Norwegian Ecovillage Association (NØF) and has written several books about environment and community. Since 2008, Jan has been a freelance Permaculture Designer, teacher and author.
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Print Length: 178 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1844096572
Publisher: Findhorn Press (June 22, 2015)
Publication Date: June 22, 2015
Sold by: Simon & Schuster Digital Sales Inc.

AJ BISHOP
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent readFebruary 2, 2018
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

It's something I already knew and it was wonderful to see it incorporated within permaculture. And understanding how people can connect together to grow within themselves and becomes oneness with nature

Sustainable Landscaping – Permaculture - Landscape Design Brisbane QLD — RUBI Landscape Design Brisbane

Sustainable Landscaping – Permaculture - Landscape Design Brisbane QLD — RUBI Landscape Design Brisbane






Sustainable Landscaping - Permaculture



Environmentally compatible landscapes

In response to current environmental issues we offer a design service to help implement sustainable landscaping and permaculture practices. These landscapes are designed to be attractive and in balance with local climate and environment. When new buildings are constructed a new ecology is formed. We concentrate on:
finding solutions that restore the environmental balance,
encourage bio diversity,
reduce your ecological footprint,
improve air quality,
reduce waste and
prevent air, water and soil pollution.

If people are looking to grow their own food, we encourage the implementation of permaculture practices. Permaculture is a branch of sustainable landscaping. It concentrates on developing a self-maintained agricultural system that are modelled on patterns in our natural ecosystems.

There is no such thing as a maintenance free landscape, however sustainable landscaping and permaculture practices assist in reducing energy and water requirements. Management and observation is still required to progressively enhance your landscape as it develops and matures.

Listed below are the fundamental features we consider when designing sustainable landscapes
Embracing natural and local products
Environmentally friendly
Maintainable
Implement integrated pest management systems
Avoid or minimize use of chemicals
Compost fertilization
Appropriate plant choice, choosing plants that perform well in your local area
Diverse plant palette from different structural categories to encourage wildlife
Water harvesting
Re-using site materials
Where possible using recycled materials or salvaged goods
If recycled timber is unavailable use sustainable managed plantation timbers or timber composite in preference to rainforest timbers
Growing fruit, vegetable and herbs to help reduce your ecological footprint
Smaller energy and water requirements

“Permaculture is a philosophy of working with rather than against nature”— Bill Mollison