Re: ecovillage and sustainability

>
>from my point of view as long we don't question the fondation of agri
>cultures that is reduction in biodiversity ,plowing of soils ,and
>hierarchisation of social structure , there is no way to stop the
>impoverishment of EARTH no matter which form human settlements takes.
>
>jean-claude
>

Wow! I like this turn of discussion a lot! Permaculture holds out a lot of
promise, but only if we can figure out how to put back more than we have
taken, willingly control human population numbers, willingly redistribute
the robbed wealth, willingly return to a less mobile and consumer oriented
life-style.

Putting back means planting lots of fruit and nut trees and shrubs and
vines and letting them grow wildly EVERYWHERE. Also perrenial greens &
other reseeding annuals that can be fertilized by the natural composting of
their leaves. We may have to add earthworms and even bacteria to help the
process along. Chickens can eat the excess worms and other insects and give
us eggs. Putting back means turning away from water waste systems and
building dry waste systems for human and animal wastes and then returning
the wastes to the fields and forests and orchards.

matters of population, wealth redistribution, consumption and mobility will
require really radical political and psychological solutions.

jean-claude there IS a net gain from solar energy falling on the earth each
day and year. if we harness that gain with enough efficiency and use the
result close enough to where we live, we can develop a form of human
settlement that does not impoverish the Earth and all our relations. but it
won't be easy or fast in arriving!

I've just returned from a virtual tour of John Schinnerer's site
http://eco-living.net and some of the many links there and am greatly
encouraged. Working models, well-organized resource links and more people
DOING could eventually lead to political will-the needed ingredient for
substantial change in human behaviour.

David Cameron



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