Permaculture Sydney North

August 16th, 2010: Geoff Lawton

This month we are sure to have full house with world renowned Permaculturist Geoff Lawton presenting at our meeting on Monday 16th August. Geoff is the Director of the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia, world renowned permaculture designer, and frequent co-teacher with Bill Mollison. He holds a diploma in permaculture design. Since 1995 he has specialized in permaculture education, design, implementation, system establishment, administration and community development. In 1996 he was accredited with the Permaculture Community Services Award by the permaculture movement for services in Australia and around the world Since 1985, Geoff has undertaken a large number of jobs consulting, designing, teaching and implementing in over thirty countries around the world. Clients have included private individuals, groups, communities, governments, aid organizations, non-governmental organizations and multinational companies.

Geoff's aim is to establish self-replicating educational demonstration sites. He has currently educated over 6,000 students in permaculture worldwide. Lawton's 'master plan' is see aid projects being replicated as fast as possible to help ameliorate the growing food and water crisis. Geoff will speak about Food Forest Design, Jordan and the next IPC, Masdar City Update and for the balance of the time take questions from PSN members on aspects they may be interested in. Geoff Lawton is the managing director of The Permaculture Research Institute.

 

July 19th, 2010: Angus Stewart

July Guest Speaker Angus Stewart - Permaculture Food Gardens

This is a must see presentation for all avid permaculture gardeners. Angus Stewart is one of Gardening Australia.s foremost presenters. He is going to provide us with a host of interesting tips and techniques to make our Sydney permaculture food gardens much more productive. Come hear Angus. Angus Stewart is a specialist in urban horticulture. Angus worked full-time in the nursery and cut flower industries from 1981-1987, then continued part-time as a horticultural consultant while lecturing horticulture at Ryde College of TAFE from 1987-2001. In 1991, Angus debuted on ABC Radio 702 as a regular guest on the John Doyle (aka Rampaging Roy Slaven) afternoon program. Dubbed "Doctor of the Dirt, Surgeon of the Soil, Professor of the Paddock", Angus continued on this program for five years before joining a range of other presenters and becoming a regular on the Saturday morning Weekend Program with Simon Marnie. Angus has authored 3 books for the ABC - 'Gardening on the Wild Side', 'Let's Propagate' and 'Australian Plants for Year Round Colour'. In addition to these media experiences, Angus is a horticultural consultant and an avid plant breeder.

 

June 21st, 2010: John Champagne

June Keynote Speaker: John Champagne - Permaculture Community Developments This month we are fortunate to have as keynote speaker long time permaculture activist John Champagne. We will be hearing more about the Bend, community settlement, and other eco-neighbourhoods such as the local Sydney permaculture development, Illabunda that is in the midst of getting into a construction phase.  John has been very active in the BEND project in Bega and the thriving alternative economy that is flourishing on the Far South Coast of NSW.

John will also speak about his recent permaculture journey in Africa.  John attended the 9th International Permaculture Convergence in Malawi, Africa late last year. Following this, he toured Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe visiting 25 permaculture sites with a tour group of 15 people in an overlander. That completed he went north through Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and finally to his country of birth - The Democratic Republic of Congo.  John will speak about the role permaculture plays in lifting the well being of the average African as well as the lessons learnt that we should be applying here in Australia. John is one of the premier permaculture instructors in Australia. John received his  Permaculture Design Certificate from the Permaculture Institute in Tasmania in 1992. and completed a Diploma in Permaculture Design in 2004. John is especially active with permaculture initiatives in the Bega area. John is a busy local journalist and an editorial member of Sustain magazine. John and his family live on a broadacre permaculture property on the South Coast of New South Wales. .

 

May 17th, 2010: Robin Clayfield

Business is Not a Dirty Word

PSN’s May Keynote Presentation by Robin Clayfield, one of Australia’s most passionate permaculturalists. Robin has been involved in Permaculture since doing a PDC in 1983. She's lived it, breathed it, taught about it and written about it. Robin's presentation for Permaculture Sydney North will cover three general themes. One focus will be on the growth of her 'tiny' Permaculture business, Earthcare Education' and express the theme 'Business is Not a Dirty Word'. She's also lived at Crystal Waters Permaculture Eco-Village for over 22 years within the Maleny Bio-region, famous as the home of Co-op's and LETsystems within Australia. Robin will give a brief PowerPoint slide show titled 'Wealthy Communities' which showcases co-operative and community strategies that support the creation of real wealth.

Robin's primary passion is interactive group work and creative learning so, to complete the evening, you'll get to experience an activity that will support teamwork and the deepening of connections and networking within Permaculture Sydney North.  Robin Clayfield is in Sydney in May specially to present to Permaculture Sydney North and Permaculture Sydney South and to offer her 'Dynamic Groups, Dynamic Learning' 4 day Creative Facilitation Intensive to people involved in Permaculture. Robin is a facilitator, trainer, author and musician with a passion for Creative, Interactive Group work, Permaculture, Deep Ecology, Ceremony and Empowerment work. She taught over 30 PDC's through the late eighties and nineties, created and taught Advanced Permaculture Creative Teachers Facilitation courses with Skye, led many Wild Women’s Wisdom weekends and now co-trains the Cert IV in Training and Assessment course for Permaculture teachers and others in creative and sustainability industries. Robin is the founder of 'Dynamic Groups, Dynamic Learning', a holistic learning theory and workshop program and runs the business 'Earthcare Education'.  She facilitates at conferences and festivals and offers her consultancy work and courses all around Australia and by invitation in other countries.  Robin has birthed three books and a CD of guided journeys set to music. She also finds time to play in a band, potter in the garden, home educate her teenage son and be a Grandma.

 

April 19th, 2010: Dr Terry Leahy

IPC9 - Problems and Solutions for Africa This is a must attend talk for all permaculturalists! Dr Terry Leahy presents us with the IPC9 happenings in Malawi! Terry follows with an examination of food security and sustainability problems in agriculture in Malawi, Uganda and South Africa. He will recount interesting stories that highlight African permaculture projects that address these problems. In the last decade Dr Terry Leahy interests lay in the environmental problems of the world and why it has been so difficult to get an effective political response. Dr Leahy has a particular interest in agricultural sustainability in developing countries. His work has included anarchist gift economy utopias and how reformist strategies might help us to move in this direction. Dr Leahy's published works includes "Permaculture Strategy for the South African Villages", which can be seen among the links below: Permaculture Strategy for the South African Villages Types of Agricultural Projects for the South African Villages

. Dr. Terry Leahy Newcastle University www.gifteconomy.org.au

Global Food Crisis 2008

March 15th, 2010: Nicholas Roberts

Permaculture and Cooperatives Nicholas was born in Sydney and grew up on a small chicken farm on the rural fringe of the western suburbs of Newcastle in the Hunter Valley. Nicholas has founded a number of Permaculture cooperatives including Permaculture Groups, Permaculture NEWS Cooperative and Permaculture TV and he makes the case that cooperative are a key structure that Permaculturalists can use to organise and work effectively together.

In the early 90s he completed a PDC at Crystal Waters with Max Lindegger as teacher and followed this by WWOOFing at Bill Mollison's Tyalgum farm and a few other properties in Australia and Italy. The last 5 years Nicholas has been making a wiggly transition from an IT media career in the big end of town (with stops, starts and backtracks) into sustainability and media, with most of his efforts going into research and publishing and the formation of a global Permaculture Cooperative. Taking sanctuary in Robyn Francis' Djangbung Gardens (now Permaculture College Australia) he did more experiments with a Permaculture cooperative project that became PermacultureTV. During 2009, Nicholas toured Australia, California, New York, France, Basque Country, Spain, England, Scotland and Denmark researching Permaculture cooperation in the context of climate change and peak debt. In 2010 Nicholas and his partner plan to be the USA and Europe researching and working with Permaculture cooperatives. They will continue to use media to spread the concepts and developments of Permaculture cooperatives.

February 15th, 2010: Dr Mark Diesendorf

"Life after Copenhagen"   February Keynote presentation by Dr Mark Diesendorf Dr Mark Diesendorf is world renowned for expertise and experience in energy policy and campaigning to governments and political leadership for climate change solutions. Tonight we are privileged to have him share with us his analysisof the road forward after the Copenhagen failure, practical tips when engaging political leaders, and much much more.
Since the failure of global leaders at Copenhagen with climate change, many of us may feel very justified in largely practising permaculture in our own backyards. However, our individual permaculture actions, while valuable, are not likely to be sufficient, according to Dr Diesendorf. Furthermore much of the Australian public recognise the need for effective climate change action and have put political leaders on notice to provide solutions and action. We must throw our weight into this social movement. Permaculture Sydney North members should ensure that significant time and effort is deployed advocating permaculture solutions and policies to encourage energy efficiency and renewable energy to local, state and federal political leaders. Dr Mark Diesendorf is Deputy Director of the Institute of Environmental Studies at University of New South Wales. Previously, at various times, he was a Principal Research Scientist in CSIRO and Professor of Environmental Science at University of Technology Sydney. In volunteer capacity, he has been President of the Australia New Zealand Society for Ecological Economics and President of the original Australasian Wind Energy Association. His recent books are "Greenhouse Solutions with Sustainable Energy" and "Climate Action" A campaign manual for greenhouse Solutions", both published by UNSW Press.
For some more info on Mark Diesendorf go here.

 

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2009 MEETINGS

November 16th, 2009: PSN Members' Show & Tell Night

 

November is one of the most exciting meetings of the year when our own PSN members show and tell us what they have been doing throughout the year. They share with us their success and sorrows, new ideas and innovations, and future plans and dreams. They get us excited about trying new things. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, they say, and this night proves it. Come and see for yourself what can be done, what you can do and how Permaculture can improve people’s lives and help the planet. Our members will impress you with their Permaculture projects and passions. See what they’re doing in their homes and gardens, for their communities and the movement. It’s all about sharing, learning and caring and it’s one of the most inspirational evenings all year so it’s well worth the effort to get there.

October 19th, 2009: Movie Screening "The Age of Stupid"

A much sterner and more alarming polemic than “An Inconvenient Truth,” “The Age of Stupid,” directed by Franny Armstrong, will be taken by some as an emergency wake-up call to do everything possible to avert impending catastrophe. In the film Mark Lynas, the British environmental activist and author of “Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet,” warns of a tipping point around 2015 if the world doesn’t immediately act to reduce carbon emissions. Once global temperatures warm more than two degrees, he says, all will be lost.

The Age Of Stupid is at its best when detailing the failure of good intentions, rather than demonising the politicians and oil companies that serve as its major villains and specific targets. In India, for instance, an entrepreneur attempts to democratise air travel for the country's poorest classes, while a family in the UK swears off aeroplanes for the environmental devastation that they cause. Meanwhile, in New Orleans, an ex-oil man and hurricane hero explains the legitimate and myriad benefits of petroleum, subtly and honestly defending the very corporations that are simultaneously destroying West Africa.  While there is a touch of television amateurism in The Age Of Stupid's pithy humour and animated interludes, its short, interconnected segments are accessible to any audience. Moreover, by speaking directly to the disaffected and disinterested, its light tone successfully disguises an intent that could not be more serious or more urgent, which is no small feat. The Age of Stupid Global Premiere Trailer The Age of Stupid Website

September 21st, 2009:  Michel & Jude Fanton

Michel and Jude Fanton - bio, September 2009 In 1986 Michel and Jude Fanton founded The Seed Savers' Network, a charitable institution that has conserved over 8000 varieties of food plants and devolved into a hundred Local Seed Networks around Australia They coordinate The Seed Savers' Network from one acre of bio-diverse Permaculture gardens in Byron Bay. Together they wrote “The Seed Savers' Handbook” with a distribution of over 30 000 in sixteen years, and a similar number distributed in other languages. They have produced two other books, “Seed to Seed: Food Gardens in Schools” and “Local Seed Network Manual” and maintain an extensive website.

Michel and Jude have travelled extensively in Third World countries to train and consult on the establishment and extension of community-based seed saving systems for food plants, always with a Permaculture slant. In recent years they turned their hand to film and travelled to fifteen countries to document the guardians of diversity. They released “Our Seeds: Seeds Blong Yumi” a year ago. It has a target audience of Melanesian people, but it appeals to all interested in the important issue of the genetic basis of our food. Michel and Jude are passionate about caring for our soil, conserving biodiversity of useful plants and eating well. Their garden has over 900 perennial plants and an extensive vegetable garden. Read more at http://www.seedsavers.net/

August 17th, 2009:  Geoff Lawton

Earth’s ecosystems are in crisis. Permaculture offers practical, sustainable solutions. Come listen to Geoff Lawton speak about permaculture design solutions used for carbon capture, carbon neutral cities, brand new sustainable cities, establishing life in the soil, and much much more! Expand your horizons! Find out about Geoff’s permaculture approaches and experiences in his exciting positive world change adventure. Permaculture design solutions used for carbon capture, carbon neutral cities, brand new sustainable cities, establishing life in the soil, and much much more. Geoff Lawton is world renowned for field expertise and extensive teaching experience in the ecological “badlands” of Earth, areas of extreme cultural conflicts, as well as more friendly environments. Founding Director of the far reaching Permaculture Research Institute. Geoff is working in more countries and co-ordinating more projects on the ground than any other Permaculture Teacher/Designer today. Permaculture Consultant, Designer & Teacher, Geoff was awarded a Diploma of Permaculture Design in 1995. In 1996 he was accredited with the Permaculture Community Services Award by the Permaculture movement for services in Australia and around the world.

Since 1985, Geoff has undertaken thousands of jobs consulting, designing, teaching and implementing in seventeen different countries around the world. Geoff and his wife Nadia have just finished a cross country lecture and workshop tour of the Unites States and are presently travelling through the Middle East in route to set up an eco-village there, perhaps the first in the Islamic world. Clients have included private individuals, groups, communities, governments, aid organisations, non government organisations and multi-national companies. In October 1997 Bill Mollison, upon his retirement, asked Geoff to establish and direct a new Permaculture Research Institute on the 66 hectare Tagari Farm previously developed by Bill. Geoff Lawton further developed the site over three years and established The Permaculture Research Institute as a registered charity and global Networking centre for Permaculture projects. Geoff Lawton is the managing director of The Permaculture Research Institute.

20th July, 2009:  David Arnold

I will tell the story of my permaculture journey over the last 20 years, how it weaves in with the development of Murrnong, with actions and events in my local community, and with the Permaculture Calendar and Diary.
Michele Margolis and David will launch the 2010 Permaculture Diary and 2010 Permaculture Calendar at the July Permaculture Sydney North Meeting. David is a designer, teacher and permaculture activist who works from Violet Town in NE Victoria. He is presently working towards planning approval to realise his design for a permaculture community subdivision at Murrnong, and is active in local community development, localisation, in preparation for energy descent. He has also been active in organising learning events and facilitated group processes for the Violet Town Action Group, and the Violet Town Seedsavers and Permaculture Group. Murrnong is an 8ha property on the edge of the Violet Town township.
Since 1995, while developing the Murrnong property, David has operated a permaculture planning and contracting business which has planned and managed a broad range of projects across NE and North Central Victoria. Those projects have included planting more than a million trees over very diverse sites, and contributing to the development of a regional farm forestry resource through the management of farm forestry sawlog plantations. He has experience with low irrigation tree crops such as olives, stone pine, and bunya pine, and has provided professional assistance to many smaller scale home self-reliance permaculture projects. In 2006 he lead the design and planting of the Violet Town Community Forest, an example of analogue forestry, designed to mimic the structure and functions of native forest. Through all of these projects David has gained a tremendous range of planning and practical experience, and has an extensive understanding of the landscapes of the region. David and Michele publish the Permaculture Calendar and Diary to bring permaculture stories and images into daily life, through these daily use items. The Calendar and Diary reinforce the Permaculture Design Principles, to promote understanding of locally and culturally appropriate solutions. David will compare examples of applying design principles with the more simplistic application of a 'permaculture way'. For more information on David's Farm and work please check the following link: Murmong Farm: http://www.youtube.com/user/murrnong

15th June, 2009:  Dr Karen Bridgman, Herbal Medicine

Coming from a Nuclear Medicine background, Karen has been working clinically as a Naturopath for over 20 years, the last twelve in an holistic medical practice (Gordon) and a private pathology laboratory (Sydney). She lectures at the University of Sydney in the Masters of Herbal Medicine. She has been on the Academic Review Committees of the Southern Cross University School of Complementary Medicine (Lismore) and the University of New England (Armidale). Apart from currently being the Vice President for NHCA (Natural Health Care Alliance), Karen was on the Health Claims and Consumer Protection Advisory Committee for the Department of Health (NSW) and is currently on the National Scientific Advisory Committee for the Australian Centre for Complementary Medicine and Research, a joint venture between the University of Queensland and Southern Cross University. Karen is the managing director of Starflower Pty Ltd/Starflower Herbals, a small business selling Australian grown organic dried herbs and herbal books as well as a director of Biological Medicines Australia Pty Ltd. Karen speaks regularly at seminars and conferences and consults for the manufacturing industry. She has been on the Board of the International Cancer Association Network and was an executive director and examiner of the National Herbalists Association of Australia. Here is a link to the very interesting Powerpoint Presentation she gave at the meeting and her website can be found at www.starflower.com.au.

18th May, 2009:  Local Energy Trading Scheme (LETS) Sydney

Eve Lichtnauer is a key person working with the Sydney LETS. This is an online trading system that does not use money, rather a denomination called OPERAS to exchange goods and services between members. LETS now being online operates with the similar convenience of EBAY but without dollars. LETS trading system should not be confused with one on one barter exchange.  OPERAS can be exchanged between any Sydney LETS members. Furthermore Sydney LETS has trading arrangements outside of Sydney with other LETS groups.Check out the Sydney LETS web page

20th April, 2009:  Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

Robert Pekin is founding coordinator of Food Connect, an ethically charged Brisbane business harmoniously linking farmers and consumers. A former dairy farmer, for a long time Robert has been driven by the belief that societies need to work together to share food affordably across the world as a basic human right. As one of the country’s most forward-thinking, passionate and intuitive souls when it comes to utilising soil, he’s committed to big-picture dreaming about new and daring paths that Australians might start to tiptoe along in the way we think and act about food. Food Connect is Brisbane’s only CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and now services about 1000 families.

16th March, 2009:  Overloading Australia

Mark O’Connor is speaking on a sustainable population for Australia. He has just launched his new book “Overloading Australia”               Mark’s recently released book, Overloading Australia, aims to show how Australia “might and must become smaller, greener and happier”. At the Sydney launch, former New South Wales Premier Bob Carr said “the debate on population is long overdue Permaculture North will host a keynote presentation by controversial co-author Mark O’Conner based on his newly released book Overloading Australia. Mark’s new book looks at the issue of a sustainable population in Australia and “how governments and media dither and deny on population”. Co-author Mark O’Connor presents the title at Permaculture North’s next meeting on the 16th March The book, a follow up to Mark’s earlier title The Tired Brown Land, aims to show how Australia “might and must become smaller, greener and happier”. The book’s launch in Australia last month sparked a war of words with former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, and continues to fuel debate on the heated topic of population growth in Australia. At the Sydney launch, former New South Wales Premier Bob Carr said “the debate on population is long overdue”, and Overloading Australia has also been endorsed by Dr Robert Birrell, Director of Monash University Population Centre, as “the most informed and accessible analysis of the implications of Australia’s high rate of population growth”. In response to criticism aimed at the book, Mark highlights the fact Australia’s population growth reached 1.6 per cent per annum in 2008, “a rate more typical of Third World countries”. Population growth is something the world grapples with on an almost daily basis. As permaculturalists we know we need to manage growth and in a way that is sustainable. It is going to be very interesting to hear Mark speak, and hear his approach to the population challenge, particularly as it relates to permaculture. To omit population from the permaculture equation is a formula for failure.  On page 2 of the Permaculture: A Designers Manual, Bill Mollison clearly sets out, “SETTING LIMITS TO POPULATION AND CONSUMPTION”, as one of the three ethical basis of permaculture. When looking at Transition Towns is it imperative to differentiate between avoidable and unavoidable growth and the influencing factors? Mark’s well-researched book provides a valuable insight for consideration of these types of issues. Mark is a committed environmentalist, poet and author of more than 20 books (on subjects ranging from poetry about the Great Barrier Reef and the Blue Mountains, to literary criticism and population and the environment). He will be available to sign copies of the Overloading Australia and copies will be available for sale. To read Mark O'Conners presentaion click here.