It is important that we promote a holistic vision in which human happiness or wellbeing are seen as inseparable from ecological wellbeing. This means integrating the wealth of information about the human need for community and contact with nature, with the information about the need for biodiversity. In this way, we can spell out the multiple benefits of human-scale adaptation to the natural world, and shift the direction of the economy away from monoculture, towards diversity - a fundamental … Read more
Solutions
- Lifelong Education
- Diversity & Cohesion
- Trust & Communication
- Health & Healing
- Leadership & Governance
- Conflict Resolution
- Wisdom & Innovation
- Art & Celebration
- Vision & Purpose
- Nature Connection
- Mindfulness & Self Reflection
- Defend & Protect
- Leading from the Future
- Contextualised Design
- Whole Systems Thinking
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Intervention & Transformation
- Alliance Building
- Prototyping & Feedback
- Rank & Privilege
Decentralised renewable energy The multiple benefits of appropriate technology in the form of passive solar, solar electricity, small-scale hydro, ram pumps
To raise awareness about the potential for a human and ecological development path, based on a diversity of decentralised renewable energy technologies. We need to devote time, money and effort to counter the corporate energy path through educational campaigns. At the same time, we need to provide information about the multitude of renewable energy solutions. These range from those suited for high-rise, urban living, to those appropriate for rural villages in the global south: solar electricity, … Read more
Localisation-economics of happiness Promoting the renewal of local communities, economies and cultures
The answer lies in shifting away from economic globalization towards localization. Whereas the global economy demands monoculture, both human and ecological, localisation is a process that adapts economic activity to diversity -- a fundamental principle of life. The worldwide localisation movement, including local food and finance, ecovillages, permaculture and transition towns, demonstrate that local economies rebuild our connections to one another and to the natural world – connections that … Read more
Bush Care regenerating native flora and fauna
Detailed studies of vegetation followed by development of comprehensive management plans for properties that have been degraded or disturbed provide a framework for restoration of native flora that can in turn aid the recovery of native fauna. Education programmes and work experience for youth groups can provide labour and resources to help with regeneration as well as providing valuable learning opportunities for both residents and schools groups. Many programmes can qualify for government … Read more
Intergenerational Living Creating spaces for young and old to live together
By designing our communities to encourage and facilitate a wide diversity of ages and stages of life from day care and preschools to assisted living and aged care we can reclaim the extended family that is often non-existent in the modern world. Day to day mixing in town/village centres and gathering places for recreation, play, entertainment, sport, music, theatre and art can add richness and texture to our community fabric. … Read more
Intergenerational Living Creating spaces for young and old to live together
By designing our communities to encourage and facilitate a wide diversity of ages and stages of life from day care and preschools to assisted living and aged care we can reclaim the extended family that is often non-existent in the modern world. Day to day mixing in town/village centres and gathering places for recreation, play, entertainment, sport, music, theatre and art can add richness and texture to our community fabric. … Read more
School yards to fruit forests Productive multi-purpose school grounds/ greening school yards or compounds/ school food forest/ school orchard gardens
Integrated land use design (ILUD) is an inclusive and participatory process that is used by the SCOPE and ReSCOPE Programmes in east and southern Africa to green the schools and turn the bare school grounds into food forests. In the ILUD process parents, teachers and the students come together and redesign the school environment into a functional landscape that meets the needs of the stakeholders at the school. They plan, implement and monitor together the establishment of a multi-purpose and … Read more
Swales – harvesting rainwater to rep Rain water harvesting into the ground/ contour ridges/ swales
The ‘S’ Principles: Looking at the rain as the main source of water, we need to harvest it at the source by slowing it down and stopping it from flowing using swales and mulch or ground cover. Swales are ditches on the ground that are dug truly on contour. Swales cause flowing water to spread slowly and thus more of it will get a chance to sink into the ground thereby recharging the ground water store. Over time the springs that may have disappeared in the past will spring back to life. The … Read more
Permafacture Twin sister of permaculture that rarely any ecovillage knows about
As permaculture is to agriculture, "permanent agriculture", so Permafacture is to manufacturing, "Permanent manufacture": ways of producing goods which meet the criteria of permaculture - activities which could be done in the same space for 10,000 years. Permafacture: open source technology for sustainable living; digital fabrication; breakthrough economic systems; lifetime design; design-for-disassembly; absolute … Read more
Biofuels Use of vegetable oil as an alternative fuel in villages.
Guneskoy Cooperative developed a project for using vegetable oil as an alternative fuel for tractors used in agriculture. The project was supported by UNDP. According to this project farmers allocate about 10% of their land for growing the oil crop and vegetable oil was extracted using an oil press. Vegetable oil has higher viscosity compared to diesel fuel and it does not flow easily at lower temperature. However, the viscosity of vegetable oil decreases significantly when heated and at about … Read more
