Dear E d ito r,
In December of 9 3 I was for tunate enough to
p a rtic ip a te in a design course based on the p rin c ip le s of
P e rm a c u ltu re
Since that tim e people have been ask ing
me to describe what P e rm a c u ltu re is
W h ile l
g e n e ra lly enjoy repeating m y s e lf, I thought I would
save some tim e and w r ite something about the topic and
how I feel about it
In a n u ts h e ll. P e rm a c u ltu re means perm anent
a g ric u ltu re
As defined by its c re a to r. B ill M o ll ison,
"Pc is the conscious design and m aintenance of
a g ric u ltu ra lly p roductive ecosystems w hich have the
d iv e rs ity , s ta b ility , and re s ilie n c e of n a tu ra l
ecosystems
It is the harm onious in teg ratio n of
landscape and people p ro vid in g th e ir food, en erg y,
s h e lte r . and other m ater tai and non- m ater ial needs in a
sustainable w a y '
The concept is about understanding
the en viro n m en t we liv e in to the extent we can design
sustainable human habitat
Such a habitat s triv e s to
include h um anity in the n a tu ra l web of life
It w o rk s
hard not to p erpetuate the common trends which
alien ate people fro m liv in g as a functioning p a rt of the
ever adapting whole
L iv in g in and m a in ta in in g sustainable habitat
g e n e ra lly necessitates an u n certain amount of human
ethics and a whopping dose of design x ie n c e and
methattology
Mosf im po rtant of a ll . indeed the
catalyzin g e le m e n t, is common sense
1 he veh ic le for
that elem ent is basic observational s k ills
A blending
of these ingredients y ie ld an unoer ,a m amount of
wisdom
Such wisdom doesn t answer a ll the questions
of our existence
H o w e v e r, it does help in the e ffo rts of
liv in g life in the tu lle s , sense of the w ord
The p ra c tic e
of Pc respects n a tu re s e x is tin g designs, observes and
uses them as mock»Is to benefit a ll the n a tu ra l cycles of
life , including human cycles
The e a rth would be b e lte r o ff w ithout human
beings1' I h a te , ha, a ll too common statem ent
It
presupposes we have some knowledge the, supersedes
the biological strategy of n a tu re
It assumes that we
don , have a position in the n a tu ra l fa m ily of life
indeed such a though, w o rks to p erpetuate an attitu d e of
ignor ance by fu r th e r distancing the m ind from the one
teacher that can teach us our place in life n atu re its e lf
Of course it would be easier for us if we didn , face our
ignorance and ju s , quit tr y in g
If nothing else, we have
a re s p o n s ib ility to w o rk hard to c o n trib u te to the
regeneration of that which we have destroyed or
sickened
W e can never re c re a te wha, has been
destroyed
But we can re -e s ta b lis h the connections
that constitute the cycles of n a tu ra l systems so that
they have a chance to s u rv iv e
And because we a re p a rt
of n a tu re , that means re -e s ta b lis h in g our connection as
w e ll
N a tu ra l system s often w o rk to cycle energy to
produce a s e lf - r e p h eating system
Such systems tend
to evolve and r a r e ly re m a in static
Conventional
a g ric u ltu ra l systems w o rk h ard to suspend evolution at
a low point
There is no continuous energy cy c le , stop
p u ttin g energy in and production collapses
In the same
sense, the ty p ic a l housing development i s n , designed to
cycle energy on v e r y many levels
M o re often than no,,
the ones that do fa ll short of th e ir potential
systems a re e n tro p ic
The
That is to say dissipating energy
leads to the erosion of the system instead of the
s e lf-m a in ta in in g ot it
en tro p y
The object of Pc is to a rre s t
BioloQica) systems tend to do ju st that
As
bio systems evolve they often manage energy w ith
increasing e ffic ie n c y
Pc s triv e s to create systems
that accom plish s im ila r goals
I am attracted to Pc because it o ffe rs hope and
CLEARCUT
TUF. T R A G E D Y
IN D U S T R IA L FORESTRY
respect for the seven gener ations to come
It is about
tu rn in g p ro blem s into solutions that can be applied on
any scale, s im p le or complex
'T h e m ajor elem ents of
S e a s id e Y o u th C e n t e r In c , in co operation » i,h
Pc a re w afer , s o il, fo re s t, a g ric u ltu re , a n im a ls ,
the C ity of Cannon Beach, is operating a f r e e s h u t t le
a g ja c u ltu re , a rc h ite c tu re , en erg y, and people
s e r v i c e for youth
elem ents a re th o u g h tfu lly planned in harm onious
The S huttle w ill depart the Seaside
These
Youth Center at 6 3 0 PM on Mondays. Tuesdeys and
re la tio n to each s ite , to provide an energy e ffic ie n t,
F rid ays and take you to your destination in Cannon
balanced ecosystem '
Baach
You can a rra n g e to rid e the S hu ttle to Seaside at
6 P M by c a llin g 7 3 8 - 3 1 9 2
The purpose of th is
If you have an in terest in educating y o u rs e lf in th is
p ra c tic e a n d /o r a re interested in me w r itin g about
sh uttle s e rvice is to allow youth to take p a rt in after -
specific e x is tin g cases that a re now functioning, p it
school a c tiv itie s , sp o rts, c iv ic groups and Youth Center
feel fre e to w r it e me
events
The s e rvice is funded through g ran ts from the
P a rk s and C om m unity S ervices Com m ittee of Cannon
Jason Merson
Beach, and Clatsop County Commission on C h ild re n and
Box 1 0 4 4
F a m ilie s , plus youth center fu n draising and donations
Cannon Beach, Ofi 9 7 1 , 0
Suggestions a re welcome fo r fu rth e r uses of the
s h u ttle
C all Kim Bosse and don t f o r g e t - - If you don t
use it , you could lose i t 1 Souse it '
Bruce Johnston
Saturday March 26th
Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce
Gormral C ontractor
CCB #71672
Auction
Maae Zapea
Bnnti i'a k n h a flhari >» f loarA Zxe». tt9J
'For forestry to have a fu tu re, the fu tu re must have a fo re st."
legralatna». pubin a g ria r otfaiala, n m b a m duairr ra ri uu rra, and ia»h
era tabu infine n. e turra» p o te r
w m ught b» iix lu ttn a l toante» ihroogh orar 100 n u n n in * tuli (**gr.
color imaget ot n a m a f the m m l ho m tu li t a n u i t m N o rth A m e ru a
Furar» lore»» A lb a n i» «re «lining together m • lo n ta n a ti W alt tam
A c to m p a n n n g ibi» ptcrniiaj m dictm eni » n ovet •
l. i t n
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edared H» Bdl I ir r a li, the h a n k i inninbuloa» natude D a v a ! Rnaavrr,
C K t m M a t a , C olleen M c C ro ry , Keed No««, M m k I u n á t . P a ra
Foreman dc H e ib H am m ond
Th e honka puipnae ia to te rra aa an oegam trng liani Z u r l o i e t r
aum at» n» highlight local, naramal, and m rrinaiioual paubl» u ta v a t
«oalinona a i o Hiena m io n in i to ptrtent C i f . S K C U T to the parat,
i m Ltf T tö&L IAMLCHIW
■
David Brewer
C L U ^ C V T Z h t Z > e fr /» t / / a n i m a r Aerear»» n a k l l ^ r n ’
itfn am a» « » I» hook thai u e n p a e h rn a o rrlr dm urnenta the d ra m a lio n
leading rcokogiar» and acttvMti « p ia n u n g the in n h i and l a u r a ot
f oda» » dom inan! turrar management pinatar» w tuir nvilrnm g »• « n
tem baarit aukioon»
C o pubiiahed b» Saara C lu b Bonk» and F a rtb Itla n d IV taa and
\
over 100 items to bid on
6 30-7 30 PM Viewing 5. Refreshments
8 00 PM Auction
at the Chamber building in Cannon Beach
R a in fo ira r A c tio n N e tw o r k , T h a S ia tta C lu b , and C a n a d a »
paign lo d u tn b u tr orar 1Z.OOO copan o f tha book m the (trac quarter
of
Copte» o f C l t S H C V T wiC he provaiml »I no charge lo
tu o n a ti » tu agree to peeaent the hook ( a i lo (aie lo lo m m u iu rr leni
ri» »lui ¡m k irm a k rn
A llin » » » a m a » Canada and tha U S are uaang C L M A C U T ro
Remodel • New Coratroction • Service Call»
Electrical A General Coniracunc
dem anding f»4a»m aker» adopt • profoundly different «et o f principie»
BBW76569
I Mid a n d O a u g h t e r K le c tr ic
bated on reaper t. integrine and Mabdity for torrar» and toreel comma
rune» F ra r» pernia involved m herat p re a rra n a n u rra -urgnged to
Box 995 - Cannon Beach. OR 97110
rd u . »ie the pubia oo the ru m ar» » drraataiw n o f naie harat» W » are
parta apre in ibat rffort to alert (he pubia w ith image» that »peak h e
the m alv e»
4 3 6 -1 4 1 4
I m ensed and Bonded
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201 Spnaro
G ooftw rt. O regon
97138
(503) 738-66? 1