Happiness Squared.
“If you want to be happy in this life for one day, you get drunk, but if you want to be happy forever, become a gardener.”
— Old saying
Why not, we ask, do both? And who knows, maybe someone will pull out a beer at one of the exciting upcoming permablitzes. More on that below in this latest permablitz newsletter. We’ve also got some HOT upcoming courses to fight off the encroaching cold. And much in the way of tasty info sourced from the only the finest quality ingredients, including anarchy meets babysitting, getting back to nature — the course, and reports of permablitzes all around the country, read on!
~~~ Upcoming blitzes: ~~~
This weekend brings you two great blitzes outside the city:
Geelong Blitz #1 Sat April 18
Come and help Robyn, Christopher and Abigail sink some carbon and put in more of their food producing garden, learn new things and have fun… If you’re coming from the city contact Monica via the following link for carpooling or train pick up. More info…
Blitz #63 PBPB = Pre-birth PermaBlitz Smiths Gully Sun April 19
Come to Smiths Gully – less than one hour Nth East of Melbourne – to help Shaun and Susie make progress on their 3 acre property less than one month before they begin parenthood. Lots of fantastic things to do and pick up from the station available: More info…
Kooweerup Follow-Up Blitz Sat May 2
In April 2008 Permablitz volunteers came together to begin the installation of the permaculturally designed Kooweerup community garden. 1 year later, Aileen from Kooweerup is inviting you to see the progress made and to help reinvigorate the garden. Get down…
Also blitz the docklands with Future Canvas on Sun May 17 — with word on the street is that there may be bicycle and solar powered beer courtesy of The Good Brew Co. Get boozy guilt free with eco-righteousness vibes. You can’t beat that not double but triple happiness hit.
More urban blitzes coming soon…
~~~ Upcoming Courses ~~~
“Fantastic, potentially life changing”
“Lovely people, great communicators, infectious passion for gardening and another way of living.”
“Energetic, informative and empowering.”
“I expected enthusiasm and knowledge but didn’t really expect such good teaching styles.”
Book now for the fantastic two day Intro to Urban Permaculture course running over two Saturdays: 25th April and 2nd May at the Port Philip Ecocentre in St Kilda. A must!
Also this week, still places available:
Thurs 23 Apr Drought Proofing Your Garden (Fitzroy) 6:30-8:30pm. Learn abundance with low water.
And coming up:
Sat 2 May Beginners Guide To Compost And Worms (Yarraville) 6:30-8:30pm
Thur 7 May Beginners Guide To Chickens (Fitzroy) 6:30-8:30pm
Sun 17 May Living Food: Wild Fermentation And Raw Foods For Your Health (Yarraville) 10am-5pm
Sun 21 May The Backyard Ecosystem: Organic Pest Control and Adventures in the Microcosmos (Fitzroy) 6:30-8:30pm
~~~ Permablitz Eudlo! ~~~
Inspirations Sonya Wallace, Janet Millington and the team from SEAC and Transition Town Eudlo on the Sunshine Coast are world leaders in the Transition movement out of the UK, looking at creative, positive community responses to peak oil and climate change. They’ve just posted a great article about their permablitz efforts in Eudlo.
~~~ Permablitz Bega! ~~~
Another Transition initiative, this time in Bega where another great inspiration John Champagne is based, have just held their first blitz, and it sounds like it was a ripper including building a cob pizza oven!
~~~ Permablitz Mullumbimby! ~~~
Tim Winton, the forest planting permaculturist, not the playwright with the ponytail, writes: “Permaforest Trust up in Byron Bay has done two Permablitzes as part of our Diploma program in Accredited Permaculture Design and we are working on our third. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?
~~~ Backyard Revolution on 60 Minutes ~~~
Don’t you love that feeling, of being ahead of the curve. People are left in the trail of dust you’re leaving, trying to collect it into piles to make mudcakes. And then — something terrible happens and ruins it all.
60 Minutes took the arguments for growing your own food and did a quite solid, one might even say very impressive job of it (judging by the transcript): <http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.
It included our friend Karen from Edible Eden design. This stuff is getting well mainstream. Before you know it, we’ll be living in an urban eco-utopia surrounded by habitat and natural edible abundance, vibrant community networks and closed cycle fertility building systems providing for all our physical, mental and spiritual needs. And what will we have left to say? Frightening.
~~~ Survival Skills and Nature Awareness April 29 to May 3 ~~~
Some permablitzers have been getting very enthused about these Nature Philosophy courses: “About bush and nature skills, but so much more, the Nature Philosophy 4 day residential in pristine wilderness (near Apollo Bay) makes traditional skills and wisdom accessible to contemporary Australia. This course teaches the art of observing nature and how to become more in tune with it through survival skills, skills that are applicable in permaculture and daily life.” For details see www.naturephilosophy.com.au
~~~ Hi, My Name is Pip ~~~
Permablitzer and all round wonder Sas and her friend Kylie have a great new business where you can subscribe to get regular heirloom and organic vegetable seeds deliveries in the mail — seasonal seeds, ready for planting, right when you need them!
Check out the new website: Send Me Seeds Pip
~~~ In The Hot House Festival ~~~
“The ‘In the Hot-House’ festival combines the celebration of music, art, craft, dance, films and food with an exploration of the environmental and social challenges that exist in our own backyards and around the world. Learn how to take action on climate change as some of the best of Melbourne’s environmental and community groups show you ‘What you can do’ and present alternatives perspectives on the crises facing us today. “ This weekend!
~~~
That’s all the unqualified good news for this fortnight but if you want some of the gritty stuff read on …
~~~
~~~ Nine Meals from Anarchy? ~~~
Last month The Age Epicure magazine published an article about The Soil Association president Patrick Holden’s view that we’re facing a food crisis more serious than the credit crisis. The title of the piece comes from a quote from Lord Cameron of Dillington, who reported on a study into the 2000 fuel blockade in the UK and said: “The nation is just nine meals from anarchy.”
The Soil Association believe organic agriculture can feed the world and promote holistic efforts (like the fore mentioned Transition movement) to help achieve it. Holden also appeared on ABC Radio National as part of his visit.
As permablitz shows, building food security in the suburbs can be lots of fun, and rewarding at a whole lot of levels. Whether you do it because you’re worried about global issues or just to get a better carrot, it makes sense.
~~~ Babysitter Clubs, Anarchy and Resilience ~~~
Since we’re talking anarchy, most people know that it has two separate definitions – one use, as used by Lord Cameron, is that of a state of chaos and confusion. The other use of anarchy is as a political philosophy, one which encourages community based self organisation rather than top-down governance. The distinction between the two definitions is often missed by the mainstream media, but to their credit, some younger so called anarchists can seem to sometimes blur the distinction also.
This article by a real life self described anarchist argues that babysitter clubs, which often exist outside the formal economy and are based on favours rather than money, are a modern example of co-operative anarchism. That makes baby sitting pretty cool and edgy in my book.
Russian American Dmitry Orlov, author of Reinventing Collapse (interviewed recently on ABC radio) has argued that the dysfunctional distribution systems in pre-collapse USSR meant that informal economies based on favours and barter had to fill the gap. These informal economies survived in times of collapse and helped keep people from going hungry.
Permablitz is an example of the non-monetised economy of favours. Maybe even an accidental form of anarchy. Whatever happens to the financial system, permablitz (and babysitting) will go on!
~~~
Inject some of that pure gardening happiness, and see you at a blitz!
Adam @ Permablitz Decentral
