Permaculture Principle 2: Catch and Store Energy

Catch and Store Energy

Energy, the life sustain-er of the universe. It comes in many forms and by many avenues. Sometimes comforting us with its warmth, and other times bugging us with its blinding shine or blistering motion. However we can't escape its presence if we are to live and enjoy life, and it is an absolute necessity of our survival. Unfortunately, most of society is very poor at managing the energy around them. Designing their populated areas to divert it, only to have it brought back with artificial avenues. By simply changing our designer mind's perception of energy, we might work with it much more effectively and efficiently.

We have only to look to nature for a shining example of how this can work.

By its existence, the natural world must harness the energy it is provided with in order to survive.  

The sun ought to be our example. Not only is it's existence necessary for life on our planet but it also has the largest diversity of uses, and conversions. We can catch the solar energy from the sun organically. Every tree we plant turns into a solar catching powerhouse, converting the suns energy into it's own and using it to produce biomass, lots and lots of biomass.

One tree can produce over 3,600 pounds of leaves over the course of a 60 year lifespan (source), and a mature oak can weigh anywhere from 2 - 3 tons (source). That is a lot of biomass! now imagine acres of trees! 

Of course biomass isn't the only thing a tree can produce for us. we can harvest nuts, fruits, firewood, and lumber from trees as well. There is so much that we can do with the energy from the sun simply by planting trees. And we haven't even gotten into all of the other possibilities yet. Thermal masses, solar heaters, solar panels, solar ovens, and many more.

If we take all of the possible energy sources into account when designing a system, what excuses do we really have for letting them pass by us, only to have to bring them back again using lots of other energy to do so? Catching and storing energy is a crucial part of any whole system design. Overlooking it can lead to unnecessary work, time, and energy used that could be put towards other productive tasks.

For centuries, the energy provided to us by gravity was used in the form of waterwheels. Traditionally these were used to grind grains and spin fibers. Today however we can use the same methods to convert the flowing water into electricity and store it in batteries.

Permaculture Principle 1: Observe and Interact

Observe and Interact

"Good design depends on a free and harmonious relationship between nature and people, in which careful observation and thoughtful interaction provide the design inspiration." -David Holmgren

The first Permaculture principle is a foundation for all of the rest. In altering and adjusting the patterns of nature it is important to understand the patterns and attributes of the particular system you plan to work with. A Permaculture system is something that is always changing, therefore this principle is crucial because we must always take note of these changes and decide how to react to them. In doing this we can insure that we use any changes to benefit us, rather than work against us.

Using the Scientific method:

Because of this principle we can call Permaculture a design “science.” To observe and interact effectively it is helpful to remember the scientific method. The Scientific method is a long proven methodology for getting results from this concept.

• Ask a Question
• Do Background Research
• Construct a Hypothesis
• Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment
• Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion
• Communicate Your Results

When intending to create a Permaculture system we must first, above all else, make careful observations to decide what we should alter. In a piece of land we observe the soil, its consistance and make up in different sections of our property, the water, how it flows across the property, the watershed it is sourced from, how much the land holds it in. The wind speeds and directions, sunlight angles and hours, shady areas, vegetation types, forest stages, wildlife activity, and just about anything else you could possibly observe in a landscape.

Example: a scientific approach to design

I might make the observation that a lot of erosion is taking place in stream banks, and along other areas of water flow. Because this is something I want to prevent I ask myself what is creating that pattern. In heavy rainfall I notice that the stream fills up quickly runs swiftly through my property and resides rather quickly after the rain ceases, leaving maybe a trickle behind. I ask myself again what is causing that swift and destructive cycle to take place.

Ponds & Swales

After observing this cycle and its effects on the landscape I create a hypothesis. If I am able to slow down as much water as possible I could potentially ease the pressure on the stream banks and surrounding soil. So I create several ponds in the ravines that flow into the stream as well as some swales on contour to connect them.

Over the course of the next few months I begin to notice that during rainfall the water in the stream isn't rising as high and moving as swiftly, greatly reducing the erosion on the banks.

Continuing observations I see that the water level isn't dropping as drastically between rainfalls anymore. Now, not only do I know that slowing the water-flow down will decrease erosion, but I can also make a new hypothesis, that by slowing down the water I am also allowing it to infiltrate the water table. If this hypothesis is correct then I should theoretically be able to make dry springs start running again, or even create new ones.

The example of water breaks and infiltration above is something often used in permaculture designs, but it gives good insight to how observation and interaction plays a critical role in our developments of a landscape. The same method can be applied to any observation you make. It's important to remember that the Observation and Interaction is a continuous cycle, we must always observe our results and make new observations.

Patience is key:

taking note of observations for base map

Often times Permaculture people will become too anxious about the design process and forget to make very careful observations. This can result in placing certain systems in where another probably should have been resulting in a loss in potential and sometimes even destructive results. It is good practice to push all designing out of your mind during the observation process and the creation of base maps.

Every system should be considered in all of it's functions before anything is to be interacted with, usually each system effects another in some way. We must start looking at an ecology as a whole system made up of several different parts. That being said it is often the case where one might observe, analyze, theorize and plan so much that they never interact much at all. It should still be remembered that this is a two part principle and that each are equally important. Paralysis by analysis should be avoided.

What is Permaculture

Permaculture: the development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient.

"Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labor; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system." - Bill Mollison

The term Permaculture was originally coined by David Holmgren a student of Bill Mollison in the 1970’s. The term was originally a combination of the words “permanent agriculture”  but has since been changed “permanent culture” in order to encompass more than just agriculture. It became apparent in the later years of Permaculture that this creative methodology can apply to many more systems including social structures and business. Geoff Lawton of the Permaculture Research Institute in Australia often deservingly refers to Permaculture as a “design science.” In designing we make observations of natural systems and use the conclusions of our observations to assist (or create new) the natural system in becoming more productive, regenerative, self-sufficient, and useful.

This philosophy of design science is built on a foundation of these three core ethics:

1.  Care of the earth 
2. Care of people
3. Return of surplus

The first ethic “Care of the Earth” is ahead of the second simply because it is apparent that it is a requirement for the health and survival of people. The earth provides us with everything, and if it is unhealthy, so are we. The second is to be expected, we place it above surplus because ultimately surplus does us no good unless the people are here to manage it. And finally the third ethic refers to surplus. That is returning it to the system from which it came, in order to regenerate and grow that system.

It is not easy to say which of the ethics is most important. Ultimately two and three are not possible without the first, however  the third is required if the first is to be fulfilled , and one and three really don’t matter (to us) without the second. For what then would be our intent for caring for our planet if we were not likewise taken care of.  It is most pragmatic to say that each are of equal importance. These three principles are what mold the philosophy of Permaculture. In the future we will right another post in detail on each.

The design of a Permaculture system traditionally takes into account twelve principles set in place by David Holmgren. In many circles, wording has been changed and ideas have been altered. This is not necessarily a bad thing according to Holmgren’s last principle, but for the sake of a solid foundation of what permaculture design is we will stick with the original. These twelve principles are:

1. Observe and Interact
2. Catch and Store Energy
3. Obtain a Yield
4. Apply Self-Regulation
5. Use and Value Renewable Recourses
6. Produce No Waste
7. Pay Attention to Patterns and Detail
8. Integration over Segregation
9. Implement Small Slow Solutions
10. Use and Value Diversity
11. Use Edges
12. Creativity and Response to Change

Each of these Principles will be further explored in Future posts.

Permaculture has been a steadily growing practice since its fruition in the 1970’s. Geoff Lawton, a student of Mollison, has brought Permaculture to one of the most beaten down pieces of land in the world, Jordan, and helped spawn the greening the desert movement by creating a forest of food in a place that was considered to be completely dead due to overgrazing, poor agricultural practices, lack of water, and salted soil. Watch a video on this particular project here.

There are several other notable examples of Permaculture in practice. A couple of which include:

Beacon Food Forest: In Seattle Washington a community project is under way called “The Beacon Food Forest.” It is currently the most notable public food park in the continental U.S. at present time.

Miracle Farm: In Quebec there is an Orchard that recently converted from traditionally monocrop organic to Permaculture. They do not spray anything there, including organic products, and have an incredibly high harvest of a variety of fruits with a very very small pest population. You would have to spend several hours in this orchard in order to spot a fruit worm.

Designing with the ethics in mind and using zones and sectors(discussed in a later post) to implement principles. Permaculture is a promising solution to destructive agriculture as well as many other non-sustainable systems. Humanity is smart, and has lots of potential. Imagine what we could accomplish if we put that potential towards intelligent and well thought out  productive designing as opposed to systems that force the earth into a breaking point. We are meant to be stewards of Earth.

“All of the worlds problems can be solved in a garden.”  - Geoff Lawton