Permaculture Solutions: A Brighter Future
If you often feel powerless or hopeless about climate change and social upheaval then this article is for you. As we stare down the barrel of supply-chain interruptions, soaring energy costs, climate change, and inflation, security can be found through local and regional resilience. This boils down to abundant food, clean water, healthy ecosystems, and thriving communities. Permaculture provides the knowledge and skills to create security through local resilience. Here’s what you need to know.
Peter Zeihan, a geopolitical strategist and acclaimed author of The End of the World is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization, meticulously lays out the convergence of trends in age-demographics, geography, global supply chain (disruptions), and climate shifts that herald massive changes for all of us. This is not a doomsday prophecy but a clear sign of the changing times ahead.
We barely notice that the products we use on a daily basis like our computer, cell phone, and car have components created in countries all over the world. Simultaneously we have also become accustomed to meals with food that is sourced from across the globe. When there are supply-chain disruptions in our food supply coupled with inflation and soaring energy costs we are likely to see social upheaval — unless we are prepared for these changes.
Permaculture is the Solution: We are witnessing a shift from globalized/centralized systems to regional, local, and decentralized systems. Each region has its own strengths and weaknesses based purely on the landscape, climate, availability of agricultural land, mineral resources, and access to water. Permaculture is the science of maximizing efficiency, stacking functions, and utilizing natural resources in a regenerative way that assists nature in doing her job more effectively. This provides abundance as well as a better quality of life for humans, the environment, and the animals.
At the zenith of global free trade it was possible for communities rich in mineral resources but without much water or farmland and far from population centers to still thrive. This is all about to change.
For years experts knew that the globalist system was unsustainable but we never quite imagined how to transition out of it. Global trade based on an extraction economy allowed people in one region to deplete resources or workers in another region without barely noticing the environmental or social impacts. Whereas when everything is sourced closer to home (regionalism) we will feel the impacts of unsustainable practices and exploitation sooner. This will cause us to learn more regenerative and sustainable practices.
Past Meets Future: Though we have been living in one of the most affluent and abundant times in human history, many of us grew up with stories from our grandparents or great-grandparents who lived through the depression era. Back then people were more resilient in that they grew food in their backyard, canned vegetables for winter months, hunted, and were generally frugal or less wasteful. We have an opportunity to integrate some of these past practices while maintaining many of the modern comforts we have become accustomed to well into the future.
What You Need to Know: Individuals who see these coming trends and have the tools to help ease our transition into the Post-Globalism Era will continue to thrive. They will be highly valuable to their community. Getting ahead of the curve is empowering because it allows you to be part of the solution.
“The greatest change we need to make is from consumption to production, even if on a small scale, in our own gardens. If only 10% of us do this, there is enough for everyone.” -Bill Mollison
Getting Ahead of the Curve: Andrew Millison is an instructor at Oregon State University and a permaculture visionary who has been preparing for this global transition for two decades. He is an agent for change who shares his wisdom through educational expressions of art, design, and multimedia storytelling. This information is valuable for a wide range of people including families who want to live more sustainably, the urban planning department, intentional communities, the the city planning department, and beyond.
Andrew’s Youtube Channel is loaded with inspiring, informative, and often humorous videos that give a blueprint for how humanity will navigate the coming changes. It is a collection of success stories that are both entertaining and educational. For people who have been overwhelmed by a barrage of terrifying climate predictions, supply-chain nightmares, and apocalyptic nightmares about the future, this resource is like finding water in the desert. For everyone else it is still worth checking out!
A Free Offering: Andrew and Raleigh Latham, an ecology educator and film producer, are offering an online Permaculture Water Summit this coming October 13–15 in collaboration with Oregon State University. Details about the event can be found on the website, or by watching the video below. You can also register for free here.
Leading Edge Thinkers: There are 9 renowned workshop instructors/presenters including Andrew and Raleigh confirmed so far with more to be added in the coming weeks. One of them is Darren Doherty, a land manager, developer, author and trainer who has been involved in the design and development of well over 3000 projects across 6 continents in more than 50 countries, ranging from 1 million hectare cattle stations in Australia to 110,000 acre farms in Patagonia.
Natalie Topa will also be presenting. She is a global ecosystem restoration consultant who has worked in 60 countries across the world, including Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia, Congo and Tanzania. Most notably she has worked with the Danish Refugee Council and other NGO’s to bring peace to regions in conflict through ecosystem restoration. Other instructors include Geoff Lawton, Rhamis Kent, Elham Abbadi, Penny Livingston-Stark, Zach Weiss, and Neal Spackman.
Apocalypse or Evolutionary Leap? War, violence, and hunger are often the result of depleted resources, broken supply chains, failing political systems, and social upheaval. Permaculture is literally a safety net that can help us avert catastrophe while guiding us in designing a more healthy, sustainable, and regenerative society for future generations.
When distribution of goods and supply chains falter, everything from industry to food production will need to be sourced closer to home. The centralized, energy-intensive, unsustainable, corporate-dominated extraction economy is collapsing before our eyes. In its’ place will come efficient, resilient local and regional communities that thrive by utilizing regenerative permaculture practices and principles.
Join us for this exciting journey of global transformation. Sign up for the workshop and become a leader who can bring solutions to your community while easing the anxiety associated with facing the challenges of our day. We may not be able to accurately predict every detail of the future but we certainly can plant seeds for the future we would like to see.