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Permaculture
goes to school...
An education and networking tool from Pacific Edge Permaculture
Permaculture Paper No. 2 — Autumn1997




... ideas and bibliography
    for permaculture educators


                                                      ideas for permaculture educators   1
By way of introduction...
                                                  If there are titles you consider should be
    A work of                                     included, please send them in the format
                                                  which appears in the bibliographic listing

    many people...                                to Pacific Edge Permaculture. We can
                                                  include them in updated listings.



    T
           he Permaculture in Schools
           information kit had its origin at      Courses
           the Sixth International                Courses on permaculture in schools are
    Permaculture Convergence which took           occasionally offered.
    place during October 1996 in Bridgetown,
    Western Australia.                            Readers are referred to the course listings
                                                  pages of the Permaculture International
    Pacific Edge Permaculture undertook to        Journal (PIJ) for details.
    publish the information assembled by
    participants and distribute it.
                                                  How-to information
                                                  The PIJ carries a regular, two-page
    Aims                                          section on working with children in
    The aim of the kit is to bring together the   permaculture.
    titles of publications and other resources
    of potential use to people working in         The section is produced by Brisbane-based
    permaculture projects in schools or           permaculture in schools consultant,
    who are working in permaculture with          Carolyn Nuttall, author of
    children in other circumstances.              A Children’s Food Forest.

    Most of the resource listings were
    contributed by participants at the
                                                  Approaches
                                                  The articles which follow describe
    Permaculture in Schools Networking Day
                                                  different approaches to designing
    following the 1996 Convergence.
                                                  permaculture in school projects.
    Others were contributed by participants
                                                  Whether you find an informal, small
    in Robyn McCurdy’s Children in
                                                  projects approach, or a more formal,
    Permaculture course which took place
                                                  larger project approach more applicable,
    immediately prior to the February 1995
                                                  we hope you find this education kit of
    national Permaculture Convergence at
                                                  benefit to your work.
    Black Forest Primary School in Adelaide,
    South Australia.


    Content
    As well as the bibliography and resource
    listing, there are a number of articles.
                                                               P a c i f ic • E d g e
                                                               P ermaculture
    Thanks are due to all who attended the
                                                   Æ Permaculture Design Courses —
    permaculture in schools sessions at the
                                                     part time in Sydney
    convergences and who contributed to this
                                                   Æ Home and community gardens —
    resource package, as well as to those who
                                                     design and implementation
    have contributed since.                        Æ Desktop publishing and design —
    The package is not intended as a                 brochures, newsletters, publicity material
    complete listing of all publications of        Æ NSW state contact — Australian City
                                                     Farms and Community Gardens Network
    relevance to the practice of permaculture
    in schools or to working with children in      Æ Approved EarthWorks program trainers.
    permaculture. It simply aims to record         Contact us at:
    those resources identified as useful           ITVYV >WZX IXe`TVh_gheX
    by participants of the permaculture            Fiona Campbell and Russ Grayson
    convergences.                                  PO Box 446, Kogarah NSW 2217 Australia.
                                                   Phone: 02 9588 6931
                                                   Email: pacedge@magna.com.au


2   permaculture goes to school
Permaculture goes
                           to school...
                           A
                                  t a time when school curricula         Environmental education and
                                  are crowded and teachers are           permaculture are natural allies.
                                  stretched almost to breaking point
                                                                         Their focus, however, is somewhat
                           trying to get through everything they
                                                                         different, with environmental education
                           are supposed to teach, the chances of
                                                                         concentrating on the wellbeing of the
                           permaculture making incursions into the
                                                                         natural environment and permaculture
                           education system appear minimal.
                                                                         focusing on the production of human
                           But the unexpected is happening.              needs.
                           Permaculture is making inroads into
                                                                         Given the widespread perception of
                           schools.
                                                                         incompatibility between the wellbeing
                           Not only is this happening in the affluent    of natural systems and the provision of
                           world where permaculture originated, it is    human needs — an erroneous notion
                           also happening in developing countries.       perpetuated by some environmentalists
                                                                         and others quoted in the popular media
                           There, the link between food, shelter,
                                                                         — it would appear that permaculture
                           clean water and communities is
                                                                         and environmental education should be
                           frequently more direct than in the
                                                                         incompatible.
                           developed world. Because permaculture is
                           primarily concerned with access to these      The truth, as practitioners of
                           basic human needs, it has a pertinency in     permaculture design know, is that
                           developing countries often lacking in the     positive environmental outcomes flow
                           Western world.                                from good design which incorporates the
                                                                         needs of human populations and the
    The two artilcles      An Australian trend                           environmental contexts in which they
which follow describe      In Australia, permaculture’s move into        live.
different approaches to
                           schools is a trend mainly of the past five    It is in this sense that permaculture
permaculture in schools
                           years.                                        education and environmental education
     project design.
                           There were permaculture in school             are compatible and are natural allies.
 The first was used in a
                           projects before that time, of course, but     As practitioners of a whole systems design
 project in inner-urban
                           permaculture in schools only really           methodology, permaculture designers and
 Sydney. The second,
                           opened up in a substantive way as a           permaculture in schools educators know
by Robyn McCurdy,was
  developed for the        new area of permaculture application in       that good design plans for the wellbeing
Tlhelego Development       comparative recent times.                     of both human societies and the natural
    Project in rural       Now, it is building its own body of           environments they occupy and derive
     South Africa.         knowledge and practical skills. Experience    their livelihood from.
The ideas are presented    is leading to the development of people
    only as a guide.       with some expertise in the area, not all of   Current status
                           them with formal teaching qualifications.     With several years of experience now
    It is important to
                                                                         behind it, where does the practice of
design projects so they
  are compatible with      Environmental education                       permaculture in schools currently stand?
  local circumstances,     Links are being made with the existing        One thing which is evident is that it is
 environments, human       teaching of environmental education in        becoming more widely accepted as a
 cultures and resource     the school system for which there exists,     valued input into the school experience,
        availability.      in a number of states, formal curricula       particularly for primary students.
                           material, structures and experience.

                                                                                        ideas for permaculture educators   3
conservation of these resources and the
    Food gardens                                 will of school administration to act on the
    Characteristically, permaculture enters      data resulting from the audits, have the
    into the school in the form of food          potential to reduce energy and water use
    gardening.                                   and to reduce school expenditure on these
    Permaculture designers are well aware        resources.
    that gardening is only one component
    of permaculture design, however it is        Auditing wastes
    perhaps the easiest to use as an opening     The waste audit, having identified types
    into the schools and the most interesting    of wastes, their sources and quantities,        blah
    for the students.                            has the potential to be developed into a        blah
                                                 strategy for dealing with them.                 blah..
    Permaculture food gardens, true to
    the permaculture design principle of         This would involve:
    multifunction, can be linked with science,
                                                 Æ   waste separation
    mathematics, studies of local and global
                                                 Æ recycling of food and garden wastes
    food systems and other curricula subjects
                                                   through the school’s permaculture
    and become truemultiuser sites.
                                                   garden composting or vermiculture
    This encourages greater use and makes          (worm farming) system
    the garden’s sustainability more assured.    Æ reuse and recycling of paper and other
                                                   wastes
    An urgent role                               Æ strategies for the reduction of wastes,
    There is an urgent role which
                                                   which normally go to landfill, such as
    permaculture school gardens may have
                                                   introducing the practice of minimal-
    potential to fill.
                                                   waste lunches (packaging reduction).
    Nutrition and health are seldom a
    primary use for the school permaculture      Whole school design
    garden in affluent countries where people    A further use of permaculture design in
    see food as something to be bought rather    schools is in the development of whole         ...a further
    than self-produced.                          school design.
                                                                                                   use of
    Given the will, it may be possible to link   This involves a thorough analysis of
    these issues with initiatives such as the    the existing school ground — a role
                                                                                               permaculture
    Healthy Breakfast program operating          for sector and site analysis as practiced       design in
    in some Sydney council areas. This is a      in permaculture design — and the
    response to children turning up at school    participative development of plans to          schools is
    without eating breakfast or without
    having a lunch.
                                                 enhance:                                           in the
                                                 Æ individual and class learning
    To fulfil this role, permaculture school                                                   development
                                                   opportunities
    garden projects would have to be
                                                 Æ shade and shelter from unpleasant             of whole
    upgraded to a higher level of organisation
                                                   winds
    and planning.                                                                                  school
                                                 Æ the internal climate of buildings by
    In some developing countries, school food      shading and solar access through              design...
    gardens already fulfil a nutritional role.     the use of evergreen and deciduous
                                                   plantings, and structures such as
    Resource auditing                              pergolas and trellising
    Other roles for permaculture education       Æ areas for active, imaginative and
    within the school system other than food       creative play
    gardening include auditing the school        Æ areas for useful plants and animals
    use of energy and water and auditing the
                                                 Æ natural areas
    production of wastes.

    Energy and water audits, when combined
    with the development of strategies for the

4   permaculture goes to school
Æ areas presenting opportunities for          Project sustainability
                     quite reflection, small and large group     The designer is unlikely to be able to
                     discussion and socialising                  contribute to the same project for years
                   Æ areas for adults.                           on end, unless they are a parent of a
                                                                 student at the school or a teacher or
                   Students, parents, local community
                                                                 groundsperson.
                   people, teachers and school
                   administration should rightly be involved     It follows that planning for project
...facilitation,   in a design of this magnitude, no matter      sustainability in the absence of direct
                   how protracted its implementation.            designer involvement be a part of design.
 negotiation,
                                                                 Education is the key to this — education of
    conflict       People skills a necessity                     interested teachers and local supporters of
                   Participative design calls for well
                                                                 the school.
  resolution       developed people skills in the
                   permaculture designer if they are to lead     Work in this area in Australia has been
      and a        the process and implement its community       started by Robyn McCurdy, Ross Mars and
    range of       input stages.                                 Salli Ramsden, among others. However,
                                                                 it will have to become more widespread
participatory      Facilitation, negotiation, conflict
                                                                 if projects are not to go into decline if an
                   resolution and a range of participatory
                                                                 enthusiastic teacher is transferred or if the
    skills are     skills are useful techniques for the
                                                                 permaculture designer moves on to other
                   permaculture in schools activist to acquire
     useful        through appropriate adult evening
                                                                 things.

techniques..       college courses, books and audio tapes.
                                                                 Networks to worknets
                   Techniques developed by Edward de Bono,       If permaculture is a means to taking
                   such as the Six Thinking Hats, positive/      local action on global issues as well as of
                   negative/ interesting comparisons,            addressing local concerns, then we need to
                   organising and exploring diagrams would       develop effective networks which include
                   prove of benefit in simplifying the process   people in different countries as well as
                   and maintaining participant focus.            people from our own regions.

                                                                 The idea is to turn these networks into
                   Challenges                                    worknets through which we can advise
                   If permaculture designers are to become
                                                                 and, where possible, physically assist each
                   further involved in education, then           other.
                   there will be a need to develop skills in
                   participative design, the groundwork          This was a reason for organising the
                   for which was laid by Robyn McCurdy           Permaculture in Schools networking day
                   at the 1995 Permaculture Convergence          at the 1996 International Permaculture
                   workshops in Adelaide.                        Convergence in Bridgetown, Western
                                                                 Australia.
                   Development of design skills and those
                                                                 A large core of people active in the area
                   pertinent to working successfully with
                                                                 came together on that occasion. More
                   groups of people will be of advantage.
                                                                 have signalled their interest since.
                   So will the ability to develop designs
                                                                 It is now up to individuals to take the
                   which are achievable within budget,
                                                                 initiative and use the skills, knowledge
                   which are constructed to a timeline and
                                                                 and experience available through this
                   which can be integrated into the curricula.
                                                                 network. Then we will be on our way
                                                                 to turning the permaculture in schools
                                                                 network into a functioning worknet.




                                                                                  ideas for permaculture educators   5
Participatory                                                                             Permaculture
                                                                                                 ethics

    permaculture design...                                                                    The ethics guide the
                                                                                               overall direction of
                                                                                               permaculture and
    Permaculture works when the designer                                                           provide a
    takes the principles of permaculture
                                                 Work chunks                                  reference by which
    design and adapts their application to       Even within a small stage, further             projects can be
    the circumstances and characteristics of     dividing the job into chunks of work leads        assessed.
    different sites and groups of people.        to its completion in a logical order. The
                                                 work chunks can be placed on a timeline          Permaculture
    This is how the designer adapts              if necessary; those requiring finishing         ethics provide
    permaculture to different design contexts.   before the next step started and those           a framework,
                                                 which can be done in parallel identified.        encouraging
    These contexts consist of:
                                                                                              designers to address
                                                 Doing small work chunks in parallel,
    Æ the physical characteristics of the site                                                the real needs of the
                                                 providing there are enough people to do
      and the surrounding catchment                                                           Earth and its people.
                                                 the work, saves time.
    Æ the needs of the client group
    Æ availability of funding, time and other
      resources
                                                 Let’s imagine...
                                                 developing a whole school plan
                                                                                                   Care of
    Æ the motivation and commitment of
      participants.                              This might be broken down into a                 the Earth
                                                 number of discrete but connected stages:
                                                                                              • caring for the soil,
    Small, manageable stages                     Æ site and sector analysis including         water, atmosphere,
    Implementing a larger project as a             analysis of the surrounding catchment         plants, forests,
    connected series of small stages rather,       area                                              animals
    than dissipating energy and motivation       Æ survey of school and community needs
    by tackling too large a segment at a time
                                                 Æ energy/ water/ waste audits                     Care of
    or by trying to implement bits of several
    stages over a longer time period. This       Æ developing the brief, a vision for the          people
    makes a large project manageable and           school grounds
                                                                                              • providing essential
    achievable.                                  Æ permaculture participatory design
                                                   process
                                                                                                 needs of food,
    The idea is to break larger projects into                                                     shelter, clean
                                                 Æ presentation to school community
    smaller stages, tackle them one at a time,                                                  water, healthcare,
    consolidate each as it is completed (don’t   Æ plans of action
                                                                                                   education,
    leave small bits unfinished), then move      Æ implementation:                                 livelihood,
    on to the next small stage.                      workshops                                    conviviality
    The completion of each small stage can           food garden
    be treated as a milestone on the way to          rainforest garden                        Contribution
    the successful completion of the entire          bush food forest                        • distributing surplus
    project.
                                                     plantings for shade and wind                  resources
    Don’t forget to celebrate your milestones.         protection
                                                                                                    • limiting
    A few well chosen words with the group,          pergola/ trellis construction               consumption
    participants explaining what they liked/
                                                     pond/ mini-wetland for ecology
    didn’t like about the work and a mini-                                                           • taking
                                                       studies
    celebration helps maintain morale and                                                        responsibility
    motivation.                                      active and passive, creative and
                                                                                                for our lifestyles
                                                       imaginative play areas
                                                                                                  and actions
                                                     Rotary Trees for Survival, native
                                                       tree propagation shadehouse
                                                       installation
6   permaculture goes to school
 community arts component                It follows that project sustainability is
Permaculture                 adult areas                             something which should be considered
                                                                      during the design stage.
principles...                access to the various components
                             manual for teachers on integrating      Education of particpants is one way to
    Attitude...                project into the school curriculum.    ensure sustainability. Another means
• see solutions, not                                                  of doing this is to form a design team
                         These, together, constitute the              of people from the local area who have
     problems
                         redevelopment of the school grounds and      some permaculture training. They can
 • be effective as       link to the academic life of the school.     be supplemented by others with relevant
  well as efficient
                         Designed to complement one another,          skills such as teaching, facilitating,
• co-operate rather                                                   appropriate technology, architecture,
                         the components may be implemented
  than compete.          over a protracted period of time as          horticulture or landscape design
                         separate mini-projects, so that they are     knowledge.
 Taking action...        manageable and so they can be started as     A team approach to design accomplishes
    • minimise           finance, time and other resources become     two main things:
 maintenance and         available.
                                                                      Æ it enables the project to continue in
energy inputs while      The most appropriate stage is selected as      the event of a designer leaving
 maximising yield        the starting point.
                                                                      Æ it upgrades the skills of permaculturists
  • work where it        A school food garden or food forest, for       and sets up a team of people capable
  counts; educate        instance, is a stage of the total project      of taking on other projects in their
   people who            which can be broken down into a                local area.
   want to learn         series of smaller steps to be carried out
                                                                      Breaking the project into smaller stages
 • assist people to      in sequential order — site and sector
                                                                      and, if useful, breaking those stages down
become self reliant.     analysis, site clearance, measuring
                                                                      into work chunks may make the sequence
                         and marking out garden beds, soil
                                                                      of events clearer to participants, make a
The biosphere...         improvement, plant propagation,
                                                                      large project seem achievable and make
                         planting out and maintenance.
 • work with nature                                                   implementation more manageable.
rather than against it   Work chunks such as propagation can be
                                                                      Working with a design team ensures
 • use diversity to      carried out in parallel with other works
                                                                      project sustainability and improves
                         if a small amount of time is dedicated to
encourage stability.                                                  the design skills of team members by
                         the activity at each work meeting. This
                                                                      experience on a real project with all its
                         provides a variety of work for students.
   Design for                                                         opportunities and limitations.
     human               The completion of each of these work
                         chunks is marked by a participatory
  settlement...
                         appraisal of how it was carried out,
   • bring food          providing a review of procedures and
 production back         reinforcing the learning for the students.
  to the cities to
                         The process is then followed by a mini-
minimise impact on
                         celebration to mark the completion of
      the land
                         the segment and the transition to the
 • use everything to     next, creating an acknowledgement of
its highest capacity;    the value of the student’s work and an
  recycle all wastes     anticipation of the next stage.
    and design for
     multifunction       Teams for sustainability
 • make the least        When key personnel, those with technical
  change for the         knowledge, enthusiastic teachers
 greatest possible       or permaculture designers from the
  effect through         community, leave a project, the entire
                         process may be placed in jeopardy and, in
   good design.
                         the worst cases, may collapse.

                                                                                      ideas for permaculture educators   7
The mindmaps on the following pages may be useful in planning
          the various stages of a permaculture in schools project.
      The order in which they are implemented would depend on the
                  circumstances of the particular project...


    The design project...
    A   school
        permaculture
    project starts with an
    idea.

    The idea is developed,
    then taken to the
    school principal to
    get some indication
    of school interest and
    project feasibility.

    Then, it’s time to
    present the idea to
    teachers and school
    groundspeople,
    parents and interested
    community members.

    A playground
    committee made
    up of parents,
    teachers, students
    and community
    members can be set
    up to work on and
    develop the design
    brief (a description
    of the project’s aims
    and purposes) and the
    design process.

    Successfully
    completed, the design
    moves into the
    implementation stage.




8   permaculture goes to school
Identifying outcomes...
                T   he first stage of any design project is
                    the asking of three questions:
                                                                 permaculture activists with skills
                                                                 appropriate to achieving our aim
                                                                 (skills may be identified)
                Æ where do we want to get to?
                                                              Æ we will implement the garden project
                Æ where are we now?
                                                                through a strategy made up of
                Æ how are we going to get there?
                                                                achievable steps and implement the
                This is the situation analysis. The aim of      project as resources permit.
                asking these three questions is to obtain     The situation analysis has identified our
                group agreement on the aims of the            goal — the point we want to reach — our
                project. Once this is done and recorded,      present situation and the need for a broad
                everybody is working towards clear aims       strategy to achieve our aim. We have now
                which have been agreed upon — they are        identified and identified our project.
                heading in the same direction.

                The answers to our three questions            Visioning — where do we
                should be short and concise, such as:         want to get to?
                                                              As part of this process participants
                Æ we will design, construct and plant
                                                              visualise what the site might look like in
                  out a permaculture garden using
                                                              future, what components there will be in
                  participatory techniques and with
                                                              site and who has helped to develop the
                  student, teacher and community
                                                              site.
                  involvement
                Æ we are a group of people including          This information is then sorted to develop
                  teachers, community members and             a group vision for the site.




Broad aims
identified...




                                                                              ideas for permaculture educators   9
Permaculture in schools
     — the benefits
     W     hen proposing that a school take
           on a permaculture project, it might
     help to identify the benefits. These may
                                                    presenting their different perspectives. No
                                                    judgements are made at this stage about
                                                    the content of the columns. Its important
     be broad benefits common to most               to get down the ideas.
     permaculture in school projects or a set of
                                                    Then, list the negative, staying with that
     benefits peculiar to the school’s situation.
                                                    category until it is completed.

     Brainstorming                                  The Interesting column will contain items
     Brainstorming ideas with a group of            which do not fit readily into the Positive
     participants or a design team is one way       or Negative columns as well as those
     of building up a list of benefits.             resulting from ‘what if’ type of questions.

     People will have concerns about the            The separate items can then be assessed.
     project, so it’s useful to deal with these
     openly and promptly.

     One way of doing this is to identify
     concerns at the same time that benefits
     are identified. This reduces the likelihood
     that the negative thinkers in the group        A few broad benefits...
     will dominate the meeting with
     doom and gloom reasons why the
     project cannot work.

     Edward de Bono’s
     Positive/Negative/
     Interesting table
     A Positive/ Negative/ Interesting
     (PNI) table enables permaculture
     designers to identify aspects of the
     project in a graphic framework. It
     brings together participant visions,
     fears, concerns and other points
     that don’t fit into positive or
     negative catagories.

     To make a PNI table, draw up
     three columns on a blackboard or
     on butcher’s paper and head these
     Positive, Negative and Interesting.

     Start by brainstorming and writing
     up the positive. Do not move on
     to the negative until positive ideas
     are exhausted.

     It doesn’t matter if there is
     disagreement on which column
     the idea belongs, people are just

10   permaculture goes to school
Permaculture in schools
            — the concerns
            T   eachers and parents will be capable
                of listing numerous concerns about a
            proposed permaculture in schools project.
                                                           circumstances may be different, they
                                                           could provide a general guide to the
                                                           reality of fears and concerns and how
                                                           they have been dealt with.
            Some of their concerns will be valid for
            particular sites, some not.                    Some concerns may be ongoing while
                                                           others will be episodic. Vandalism,
            All concerns should be treated as valid
                                                           an issue which always comes up, has
            as they have probably all happened at
                                                           proven to be a sporadic event rather than
            different times and in different places. All
                                                           constant event in some schools.
            deserve careful consideration.
                                                           A risk assessment identifying potential
            It may prove useful to be aware of
                                                           hazards and ways they can be minimised
            how these concerns have been dealt
                                                           may prove useful during this stage.
            with in other projects. Although their
                                                           It is the role of the designer to develop a
A few broad concerns...                                    plan which minimises negative concerns.

                                                                          Teacher/ parent/
                                                                          community concerns may
                                                                          include:

                                                                          Æ drain on school
                                                                            resources
                                                                          Æ ongoing maintenance
                                                                            of site, particularly in
                                                                            school holidays
                                                                          Æ vandalism
                                                                          Æ risk management and
                                                                            safety
                                                                          Æ supervision of students
                                                                          Æ use by after-school-
                                                                            hours drug users
                                                                          Æ developing teacher/
                                                                            parent/ community
                                                                            motivation and skills to
                                                                            sustain project
                                                                          Æ aesthetics/ visual
                                                                            presentation
                                                                          Æ lack of parent and
                                                                            teacher time to put into
                                                                            site development
                                                                          Æ crowded curriculum,
                                                                            lack of time to use and
                                                                            develop the site
                                                                          Æ being left by designer to
                                                                            fend for themselves.

                                                                           ideas for permaculture educators   11
Having completed the visioning process      the brief/ site and sector analysis/ design
     and brainstormed benefits and concerns      master plan/ working drawings and so          In the action plan
     around the project, we assess whether       on.                                            template below,
     our design group is capable on achieving
                                                 Responsibilities may be assigned or small        the objective
     them.
                                                 teams formed to carry out the stages.            would be the
     A SWOT analysis is a means to assess this                                                      stage of the
                                                 We identify the stages and plan when we
     because it discloses the groups strengths
                                                 envisage achieving them, when we should          project to be
     and weaknesses and identifies factors
     which could limit achievement of the
                                                 start them, how long each stage is likely         planned; the
                                                 to last, which could be happening at the          steps would
     vision.
                                                 same time and which need to be finished
                                                                                                   be the work
     SWOT analysis                               before the next step can be started.
                                                                                                  chunks which
     Now is the time to do a SWOT analysis       This produces a timeline or action plan       are implemented
     of our team to assess our capability of     and our stages become a set of objectives
     enacting the strategy and reaching our                                                    to complete the
                                                 to be achieved.
     goal. The SWOT analysis identifies our:                                                        stage.
     Æ S — strengths; those
       things working in our
       favour
     Æ W — weaknesses; those
       skills and knowledge we
       lack but which we need to
       reach our goal
     Æ O — opportunities;
       factors beyond our own
       knowledge, skills and
       capabilities which would
       work in our favour
     Æ T — threats; those things
       which are likely to stand
       in our way of threaten
       the implementation
       and sustainability of the
       project.

     We now have a broad
     knowledge of where we stand
     and can assess whether we
     can achieve our vision.


     Scheduling the
     steps
     To implement our vision we
     proceed to action planning
     in which the key question is:
     What are the most important
     things to do to move towards
     our vision?

     This is where we identify
     and prioritise the stages of
     the project such as: develop



12   permaculture goes to school
Techniqies, organisational and teaching
Implementation                                  methods are assessed and he actual time of
Having reached group agreement on the           completion of the various stages are plotted
design and timing for implementing the          against the estimated time.
project, it is time to start the first stage.
                                                This is prepared as a report to the school
We choose an easy-to-implement activity         and other participants.
of comparatively short duration to
achieve a visible, quick result. This should    Evaluating
motivate participants.                          At the conclusion to a suitable period —
                                                after one year, for instance — an evaluation
It should be preceded by an introduction
                                                is carried out and written up in a report
to site safety — how to use tools safely,
                                                distributed to participants.
appropriate clothing (shoes, hats,
suncream), caution near cliffs or water         This assesses the implementation of the
and the importance of cleaning up the           project and the effectiveness of:
site on conclusion of the activity.             Æ teaching methods
                                                Æ organisational structure
The activity should involve the use of
imagination, appropriate tools and skills       Æ decision making processes
which make use of learning relevant to          Æ tools and components used in design
school subject areas. An example would            implementation
be setting out garden beds and paths            Æ problem areas, their causes and
which utilises skills in measuring, map           solutions
reading and spacial relationships.              Æ areas of success and the reasons they
                                                  succeeded
With tools and other inputs organised
                                                Æ the actual with estimated completion
to be on site on time, it is the role of
                                                  times for the stages of the project.
the designer and teachers to supervise
implementation, turning the activity into       The evaluation lists suggestions for
a learning experience, co-ordinating the        project reorganisation. It is a document
work and overseeing safety.                     of considerable value to other working in
                                                permaculture in schools.
Concluding and reinforcing
At the conclusion to the activity it might      Arrangements are made for the next stage
prove useful to reinforce feelings of           of project design and implementation.
accomplishment.

Gather participants into a circle, relax them
and ask what they liked most and least
about the activity, what was one thing they
learned and how the work could be done
better next time. Decide the date and time
of the next work meeting.

This is the concluding phase to the
activity.

Monitoring
Monitoring is done at regular intervals to
assess how the project is progressing, to
identify problems and reinforce strengths.

The conclusion of each school term may be
an appropriate interval for monitoring and
lessons learned can be used to modify the
following term’s program.




                                                                ideas for permaculture educators   13
It's olives and vegies at Black Forest...
     A   delaide's Black Forest Primary School
         operates a successful and long-
     running school food garden project,
                                                            “If I was involved in this type of program again”, Grahan
                                                            explained, “I would want more time to support teachers in their
                                                            knowledge and skill development.
     thanks to the expertise and enthusiasm
     of project co-ordinator/teacher, Graham                “If you or your school are considering aspects of environmental
     Hunt. Graham has integrated the project                education, I would recommend that you develop a vision and
     into the school curriculum.                            school-wide commitment to achieve it. The relevance to children
                                                            and their increased learning make it worthwhile.”
     Funding for the project was obtained
     as grants from the National Landcare                   Black Forest Primary School is probably unique in that the
     Program, Greening Australia, Trees for Life            students are involved in the processing of olives into olive oil
     and from the parents of students.                      and its marketing to parents.

     Graham had to meet a number of                         The olive trees in the school are remnants of an old orchard which
     challenges, such as the development of                 occupied the site long before the school was built.
     staff support and training, production of
     written curriculum guidelines and lesson
     ideas and production of a resource file.                           Arts: Mime,         Maths: Counting,
                                                                       drama, song,           measuring,
     To allay fears that he was stuffing more                                                                      Health/ PE:
                                                                    television, painting,      graphing,          Environmental
     into the curriculum than teachers and                             construction           calculating           health, air
     students could handle, Graham made sure                                                                     monitoring, water
                                                                                            Integrating Black        pollution
     that environmental education at Black
                                                                                             Forest primary
     Forest involved hands-on activities across                                                garden with
     the curriculum.                                                                        school curriculum         Science:
                                                                    Technology: Design,                            Ecosystems,
                                                                      construction of
     For any permaculure food growing                                                                               processes,
                                                                     mini-glasshouses,                            investigations,
     development to succeed, according to                            compost bins and        English: Story
                                                                                            writing, speaking,      energy, gas
     Graham, a co-ordinator with gardening                            energy efficient                              emissions,
                                                                          systems             newsletters,
     knowledge and communications skills is a                                                                        research,
                                                                                                posters.
     necessity. So is the participation of parents                                                                   resources
     and the support of teachers.


         School needs
         Integration of project with curricula
                                                                               Assessing needs...
         Identification of educational outcomes of project                    Designers needs
         Low establishment and maintenance costs                              Clear brief about needs of school and students
         Safety of students and staff; risk minimisation                      Knowledge of curricula and how project will be
         Supervision of students                                              integrated
         Positive public image                                                         Good communication and people skills
         Attractive appearance                                                              Information about resources school will
         Assistance with integration into                                                    make available to maintain project
         curricula, ongoing project                                                           Co-operation by and education of
         maintenance                                                                         grounds and maintenance staff
                                                                                           Support from parent groups
         Student needs
         Learning opportunities                                               Parents/ community needs
         Space for recreation, quiet sitting, socialising                     Children's and community safety
         Project design which stimulates interest                             Visually attractive
         Practical, innovative integration in curriculum                      No pollution - noise, odour, visual
         Adventurous but low-risk environment


14   permaculture goes to school
CASE STUDY

Particpatory design of school grounds...
...designed and trialled by Robyn McCurdy,
   Tlholego Development Project, South Africa

In 1995, Robyn McCurdy, from
Tui Community, New Zealand,
                                        Survey                                     a representative sample of what is
                                                                                   taking place on a particular piece of
began working with the Tlholego         Base survey                                land.
Development Project in South Africa.    Construct a survey relevant for the
                                        age and abilities of the students,         Starting from one perimeter,
The Tlholego rural development          including language abilities, for use      walk across the land to the other
training and living centre utilises     in small groups.                           perimeter. Observe closely what
permaculture and a host of allied                                                  lives along that line, mapping it
strategies in pursuit of their aim of   If short on time, each group may
                                        take a different aspect of the survey      as you go to gain a cross-section
self reliance.
                                        and report their findings back to the      of the natural features.
This is an outline of participatory     class. If there is plenty of time, each
processes developed at Tlholego for                                                Method
                                        group completes the entire survey.
the design of school grounds.                                                      1. Divide the class into groups of
                                        Map                                           three to seven students
The areas covered are:
                                        The teacher supplies a scale map on           — equip each group takes a
Æ Needs assessment                      A3 paper on which students draw                 map showing fixed features,
Æ Survey                                and write information. Alternatively,           pencil, pressing board,
                                        take the time to teach the students in          masking tape, trowel and
Æ Water storage assessment              groups of three to five to draw up a            large bag
Æ Inventory of bioregional              scale map.
  resources                                                                           — allocate each group a
                                        For a rough approach, stride out the            letter such as A,B,C for
Æ Ideas from other schools and          perimeter of your school grounds,               identification, and write all
  permaculture teaching sessions        then, with a sharp stick, draw in the           the members names on the
                                        soil the shape of the grounds and               top of the map
Æ Visioning exercise
                                        work out where buildings and fixed
Æ Decision-making process               features are located in this.                 — each group takes a different
                                                                                        starting point so a variety of
Æ Identifying necessary materials       Change the lines, shapes and                    cross-sections are produced.
Æ Budgetting                            placement of buildings until the
                                        group agrees.                              2. Choose a beginning place on one
Æ List priorities for implementation                                                  perimeter and an ending place
                                        Count the number of strides                   on the opposite peritmeter
Æ Funding                               between structure and features and
Æ Allocation of tasks and               scale this down proportionally. Draw          — students walk an imaginary
  reponsibilities                       another map and compare with the                line from perimeter to
                                        original. Put in co-ordinates for north,        perimeter, looking carefully at
Æ Go for it, and have fun!                                                              the ground up to one metre
                                        south, east and west.
                                                                                        either side of the imaginary
Needs assessment                        You now have the beginnings of a                line
Carry out a brainstorming session       map for your school.
                                                                                      — students note what is seen
and draw up as a mind map on a big      Draw a grid on a large sheet of paper           — vegetation, hollows, moist
chart in front of the class.            and transfer your drawing in soil onto          spots, erosion, trees, changes
Use headings of students, teachers,     this paper, again using proportional            to soil type, insects, humps
the environment, local community.       scaling.                                        etc.
Do the process with the wider           You could do a rough sketch map            3. In their plastic bags groups
community.                              first then a neater one later.                collect specimens of plants, soil
                                                                                      types, litter etc
Needs will become evident as you        Transect
conduct your survey.                    A transect is an important part of            — specimens are labelled with
                                        the survey. The purpose is to gain              masking tape or paper labels

                                                                                           ideas for permaculture educators   15
in the numeric order (1,2,3          specimen numbers.                         amount of rain would be caught




                                                                                                        Participatory school design...
            etc) that they are gathered                                                    as if there was a roof of whatever
                                              11. Remove plant pressings after             slope in between as rain falls
         — the name of the group is               several weeks.                           down like a sheet); it is easier to
           written alongside each                                                          measure the floor area rather than
           number and the sample              12. Stick plant pressings onto the
                                                  large map                                climbing onto the roof to take
           number recorded on the map                                                      measurements
           where the specimens are               — groups write the names of
           gathered.                               specimens alongside them on          3. Knowing these two figures, you
                                                   the map                                 will be able to work out the
     4. Soil samples are taken at regular                                                  amount of harvestable rainfall
        intervals along the transect to a        — the result is a map showing             over the rainy season; multiply
        total of about five samples about          what the entire school                  the average monthly rainfall by
        three hands deep (filling the hole         grounds is made up of                   the surface area of your roof and
        afterwards)                                                                        you get the amount of rainfall it is
                                                 — draw in the prevailing wind,
         — each is placed in a separate            areas receiving most sunshine,          possible to catch and store each
           bag labelled with the location          shade etc.                              month
           along the transect where it                                                  4. Determine the school’s water
           was taken                          13. The map and the soil study
                                                  allows students to interpret areas       consumption over a period by
         — after returning to class,              in need of erosion control, low          adding together calculations for
           students place each sample             damp places for wetlands and             drinking, toilets, washing and
           in a jar of water, shake it,           water-loving plants, dry flat areas      garden use:
           and leave it to settle for a           for sports, fertile soil for garden      — drinking: show students one,
           few hours to determine                 areas and so on.                           two and five litre containers
           the composition of the soil                                                       and ask what amount of a
           — clay, sand, silt, loam etc       Water storage                                  container they would drink in
                                                                                             a day;
         — the type of soil will affect
           what use can be made of the
                                              assessment
                                              To calculate the capacity of water               add all answers for a class
           particular area of land.                                                            total then divide by the
                                              storage tanks appropriate to the
     5. If the plant samples can be           situation, you need to determine                 number of students in the
        identified, students write the        the amount of water the school uses              class to get an average for the
        information on their map or on a      over a given period, the available               whole class — ie representing
        separate sheet.                       catchment area and the amount of                 one student;
                                              water which can be harvested.
     6 Unidentified species are                                                                multiply this by the number
       researched and identified by           Method (these are mathematics                    of students in the school,
       local common name and botanic          lessons in their own right):                     then by the number of
       name later.                                                                             days a month to gain an
                                              1. Find the annual rainfall and the              approximation of the amount
     7. On completion of thefirst                rainy months — ask weather                    of water drunk by students
        transect, make another transect          bureau, find closest source of                over a month
        between two other perimeters,            weather information; for the
        carrying out the same sampling.          future, set up a rain gauge and           — toilets and washing: if you
                                                 keep regular records; add the               use water for toilet flushing,
     8. Each group makes a presentation          rainfall figures for each month of          how much water per flush
        upon completion of the                   the year to get the annual total            multiplied by the number of
        transects.                               and divide by 12 to find the                flushed a day, average student
     9. Collected plant specimens are            average monthly rainfall                    visits to the toilet;
        pressed between newspaper             2. Calculate the total catchment                  to calculate a monthly
        and something heavy placed on            area from school building roofs               average for the whole school,
        top so the plants are pressed flat.      by measuring the surface area of              multiply the number of
     10. Draw a large map of the school          the floor (length multiplied by               students by the number of
         area, enlarging the scale of fixed      breadth) of the building which                days a month at school
         features from the original maps         has rainfall catchment guttering
                                                                                               for washing, place a basin
         using a grid system; draw every         on its roof (imagine the building
                                                                                               beneath the tap and pour
         group’s transect onto the large         without a roof, with rain falling
                                                                                               the collected water from the
         map and include the location of         onto the floor — the same

16   permaculture goes to school
basin into a receptacle of          to install several smaller tanks      — it uses verbal expression and




      Participatory school design...
      known capacity;                     (perhaps one for each roof area)      creative expression through art
                                          amounting to the same volume as       media; it begins by looking at the
      similarly for dish washing;         one large tank.                       broadscale through class interviews,
      multiply this daily water use                                             key questions and mind maps as
      for washing by the number        7. Cost the materials to make
                                                                                tools; the wider community can be
      of students by the number of        the tanks, investigating cost
                                                                                involved in this process.
      days at school in a month           for different materials such as
                                          fibreglass, plastic, wire mesh and
   — garden: mark out a square            cement; determine whether the         Decision making
     metre of garden and run a            labour would be without cost or       Selection panel
     hose onto the soil until the         would be added to the budget.         Narrow down the ideas listed in the
     soil shows a sheen of water;
                                                                                visioning exercise by applying the
      time how long the hose ran       Inventory of                             following checklist:
      from turning on the tap to
      turning it off;
                                       bioregional resources                    Æ is it popular
                                       Survey industrial by-products in
                                                                                Æ does it bring about healthy
      take two buckets and run the     the region available for recycling
                                                                                   conditions
      water again for the same time,   and under what arrangements; eg
      counting the number of filled    cardboard boxes, grass clippings,        Æ is it useful to the majority of
      buckets for the time;            sacks, wood offcuts etc; ask family         students
                                       and friends employed in such places
      multiply the result by the                                                Æ is it relatively simple to make
                                       to make enquiries and put aside
      number of square metres
                                       useful materials for times the school    Æ does it require regular
      of garden plus trees in the
                                       can arrange its collection; businesses      maintenance over the longer term
      early establishment stage and
                                       and local authorities are generally
      you have an approximate                                                   Æ are the costs reasonable
                                       sympathetic to school projects.
      water usage for one watering
      session;                                                                  Æ does it fit the school’s broad
                                       Ideas from other                            vision/ mission/ purpose.
      multiply this by the number
      of waterings a day and the       schools and                              Have a panel — elected or
      number of watering days          permaculture                             appointed — of no more than seven
                                                                                people, preferably less, decide on
      a year (subtracting the
      approximate number of rainy      teaching sessions                        the design for the school.
      days) and you have some          Inspiration and ideas can come
      idea of your total garden        from audio-visual documentation          Scale model
      water consumption.               of what other schools have done,         Using paper machee make the
                                       regardless of where they are in          topography of the land thick enough
5. Look up annual rainfall figures     the world; sophisticated designs         to stick things onto and support
   and find out the average longest    can often be modifies and made           them; the group makes (or has
   period between good falls of        simpler; expensive materials can         made) a model of the grounds
   rain;                               be substituted with cheaper or           and fixed features, to scale - and
                                       recycled materials; direct teaching      adds to this model all of the new
   — work out how much water
                                       of permaculture themes and               design features, using representatvie
     you would use during this dry
                                       approaches to design can provide         symbols to convey additions. The
     period;
                                       information to fuel inspiration and      model should show the design as
   — by multiplying the number         commitment.                              implemented and at maturity. Stages
     of days of dry period by                                                   of the design (eg. at one year on, 5
     the amount of daily water
     consumption you can
                                       Visioning exercise                       years, 10 years) should be shown
                                                                                separately on large paper, preferably
                                       There is a difference to providing
     calculate how much water                                                   with overlays.
                                       what you need and what you
     you need to store; take this as
                                       want; it is important to identify and    Grounds layout
     a minimum amount.
                                       provide for essential needs; it is       Prepare the grounds for presentation
6. Estimate the size of tanks or       empowering to create what you            so that people who have input
   storage to hold this amount         want — as long as it is attainable       can see what the design really
   and determine what size             and fits the purpose and character       means on the ground; use ropes
   tanks need to be installed and      of the school; the visioning exercise    to shape representations of the
   whether it is more appropriate      focuses on both needs and wants          gardens and tall sticks for specimen

                                                                                        ideas for permaculture educators   17
trees and other visual aids which
     indicate the actual shape and size
                                               Budgeting                               Funding
                                               Check your inventory of locally         Once there is something to show,
     of the recommended changes and
                                               recycled materials, then cost other     apply for funding for the next step;
     additions.
                                               items and make up a budget.             begin with parents and school
     Presentation to staff,                                                            supporters, then the local village,
                                                                                       town or suburb; first, try the places
     students, the wider                                                               which supply the materials to see
     community                                                                         if they will donate materials, then
     Invite people to the presentation                                                 approach businesses for finance
     at which the panel gives a talk and                                               with the attitude of ‘partnership’
     uses the scale model and ground                                                   so they feel they are receiving
     layout to show how the design will                                                something in return for their support,
     develop; invite feedback and put                                                  even if it is simply goodwill
     the design to the vote conditional        Prioritise
     upon financial needs being met.
                                               implementation                          Allocate tasks
                                                                                       Allocate tasks and responsibilities
     Identify necessary                        Decide on what should be done first
                                               and go for the simplest, cheapest
     materials                                 thing which will give the best result   Go for it
     Ask for specialised help in drawing       for the shortest period of labour       ... and have fun!
     up technical details of the design        input; this helps build momentum
                                                                                       Robyn Mc Curdy
     where necessary and to identify           and confidence.
     suitable plant species etc; locate                                                Acknowledgements to PELUM,
     sources for all materials for the first                                           Zimbabwe, for introducing me to
     stage of implementation and aim for                                               the map and transect process.
     subsequent stages as well.


       Opportunity to help                     Dear permaculture people,
                                               There is a green school in Hachnop village (Andra Pradesh,
       a school in India...                    India) in the protected area.
       One of the outcomes of                  The school was started in 1991-92 and is being managed by the
       the Permaculture in Schools             Deccan Development Society.
       workshop at the Sixth                   Most of the children are from a deprived community of dalit
       International Permaculture              families - those who cannot afford to send their children to
       Convergence was the move for            school.
       permaculture to become a more           All the children and staff at the school are involved
       self-supporting movement.               in the implementation of the school design by practical
                                               participation and exposure to aspects of permaculture.
       Implicit in this idea is the need       Highly efficient soil and water conservation works such
       to support each other’s projects.       as trenches and bunds constructed on the contour, gully
       We do this by distributing surplus      plugging, diversion channels and farm ponds have been
       funds, goods and services —             completed and are functioning well.
       implementing, in effect, the third      The land is becoming greener and has already started to
       ethic of per,maculture —                provide some yields.
        the sharing of surplus.                We have been struggling to evolve a regular permaculture
                                               curriculum or subjects for the students. So far, due to lack
       Narsanna Koppula presents               of resources, progress has not been very satisfactory.
       us with the opportunity to
                                               In this region of India, we need your help in providing some
       implement the third ethic               materials and small funds to ensure the poorer students are
       by assisting his worthwhile             able to continue their studies.
       permaculture education project          If resources are not there, it is difficult for the students
       in rural India.                         to learn the permaculture ethics.
       While visiting Australia as a           I hope I will satisfy you with this small amount of
       sponsored delegate of India’s           information about our work.
       Deccan Development Society              Any kind help would be welcome.
       for the Sixth International             Narsanna Koppula
       Permaculture Convergence,               Deccan Development Society, Pastapur, Zahirabad, Medak,
       Narsanna wrote this letter...           Andra Pradesh, India 502 318


18   permaculture goes to school

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Permaculture Goes to School

  • 1. Permaculture goes to school... An education and networking tool from Pacific Edge Permaculture Permaculture Paper No. 2 — Autumn1997 ... ideas and bibliography for permaculture educators ideas for permaculture educators 1
  • 2. By way of introduction... If there are titles you consider should be A work of included, please send them in the format which appears in the bibliographic listing many people... to Pacific Edge Permaculture. We can include them in updated listings. T he Permaculture in Schools information kit had its origin at Courses the Sixth International Courses on permaculture in schools are Permaculture Convergence which took occasionally offered. place during October 1996 in Bridgetown, Western Australia. Readers are referred to the course listings pages of the Permaculture International Pacific Edge Permaculture undertook to Journal (PIJ) for details. publish the information assembled by participants and distribute it. How-to information The PIJ carries a regular, two-page Aims section on working with children in The aim of the kit is to bring together the permaculture. titles of publications and other resources of potential use to people working in The section is produced by Brisbane-based permaculture projects in schools or permaculture in schools consultant, who are working in permaculture with Carolyn Nuttall, author of children in other circumstances. A Children’s Food Forest. Most of the resource listings were contributed by participants at the Approaches The articles which follow describe Permaculture in Schools Networking Day different approaches to designing following the 1996 Convergence. permaculture in school projects. Others were contributed by participants Whether you find an informal, small in Robyn McCurdy’s Children in projects approach, or a more formal, Permaculture course which took place larger project approach more applicable, immediately prior to the February 1995 we hope you find this education kit of national Permaculture Convergence at benefit to your work. Black Forest Primary School in Adelaide, South Australia. Content As well as the bibliography and resource listing, there are a number of articles. P a c i f ic • E d g e P ermaculture Thanks are due to all who attended the Æ Permaculture Design Courses — permaculture in schools sessions at the part time in Sydney convergences and who contributed to this Æ Home and community gardens — resource package, as well as to those who design and implementation have contributed since. Æ Desktop publishing and design — The package is not intended as a brochures, newsletters, publicity material complete listing of all publications of Æ NSW state contact — Australian City Farms and Community Gardens Network relevance to the practice of permaculture in schools or to working with children in Æ Approved EarthWorks program trainers. permaculture. It simply aims to record Contact us at: those resources identified as useful ITVYV >WZX IXe`TVh_gheX by participants of the permaculture Fiona Campbell and Russ Grayson convergences. PO Box 446, Kogarah NSW 2217 Australia. Phone: 02 9588 6931 Email: pacedge@magna.com.au 2 permaculture goes to school
  • 3. Permaculture goes to school... A t a time when school curricula Environmental education and are crowded and teachers are permaculture are natural allies. stretched almost to breaking point Their focus, however, is somewhat trying to get through everything they different, with environmental education are supposed to teach, the chances of concentrating on the wellbeing of the permaculture making incursions into the natural environment and permaculture education system appear minimal. focusing on the production of human But the unexpected is happening. needs. Permaculture is making inroads into Given the widespread perception of schools. incompatibility between the wellbeing Not only is this happening in the affluent of natural systems and the provision of world where permaculture originated, it is human needs — an erroneous notion also happening in developing countries. perpetuated by some environmentalists and others quoted in the popular media There, the link between food, shelter, — it would appear that permaculture clean water and communities is and environmental education should be frequently more direct than in the incompatible. developed world. Because permaculture is primarily concerned with access to these The truth, as practitioners of basic human needs, it has a pertinency in permaculture design know, is that developing countries often lacking in the positive environmental outcomes flow Western world. from good design which incorporates the needs of human populations and the The two artilcles An Australian trend environmental contexts in which they which follow describe In Australia, permaculture’s move into live. different approaches to schools is a trend mainly of the past five It is in this sense that permaculture permaculture in schools years. education and environmental education project design. There were permaculture in school are compatible and are natural allies. The first was used in a projects before that time, of course, but As practitioners of a whole systems design project in inner-urban permaculture in schools only really methodology, permaculture designers and Sydney. The second, opened up in a substantive way as a permaculture in schools educators know by Robyn McCurdy,was developed for the new area of permaculture application in that good design plans for the wellbeing Tlhelego Development comparative recent times. of both human societies and the natural Project in rural Now, it is building its own body of environments they occupy and derive South Africa. knowledge and practical skills. Experience their livelihood from. The ideas are presented is leading to the development of people only as a guide. with some expertise in the area, not all of Current status them with formal teaching qualifications. With several years of experience now It is important to behind it, where does the practice of design projects so they are compatible with Environmental education permaculture in schools currently stand? local circumstances, Links are being made with the existing One thing which is evident is that it is environments, human teaching of environmental education in becoming more widely accepted as a cultures and resource the school system for which there exists, valued input into the school experience, availability. in a number of states, formal curricula particularly for primary students. material, structures and experience. ideas for permaculture educators 3
  • 4. conservation of these resources and the Food gardens will of school administration to act on the Characteristically, permaculture enters data resulting from the audits, have the into the school in the form of food potential to reduce energy and water use gardening. and to reduce school expenditure on these Permaculture designers are well aware resources. that gardening is only one component of permaculture design, however it is Auditing wastes perhaps the easiest to use as an opening The waste audit, having identified types into the schools and the most interesting of wastes, their sources and quantities, blah for the students. has the potential to be developed into a blah strategy for dealing with them. blah.. Permaculture food gardens, true to the permaculture design principle of This would involve: multifunction, can be linked with science, Æ waste separation mathematics, studies of local and global Æ recycling of food and garden wastes food systems and other curricula subjects through the school’s permaculture and become truemultiuser sites. garden composting or vermiculture This encourages greater use and makes (worm farming) system the garden’s sustainability more assured. Æ reuse and recycling of paper and other wastes An urgent role Æ strategies for the reduction of wastes, There is an urgent role which which normally go to landfill, such as permaculture school gardens may have introducing the practice of minimal- potential to fill. waste lunches (packaging reduction). Nutrition and health are seldom a primary use for the school permaculture Whole school design garden in affluent countries where people A further use of permaculture design in see food as something to be bought rather schools is in the development of whole ...a further than self-produced. school design. use of Given the will, it may be possible to link This involves a thorough analysis of these issues with initiatives such as the the existing school ground — a role permaculture Healthy Breakfast program operating for sector and site analysis as practiced design in in some Sydney council areas. This is a in permaculture design — and the response to children turning up at school participative development of plans to schools is without eating breakfast or without having a lunch. enhance: in the Æ individual and class learning To fulfil this role, permaculture school development opportunities garden projects would have to be Æ shade and shelter from unpleasant of whole upgraded to a higher level of organisation winds and planning. school Æ the internal climate of buildings by In some developing countries, school food shading and solar access through design... gardens already fulfil a nutritional role. the use of evergreen and deciduous plantings, and structures such as Resource auditing pergolas and trellising Other roles for permaculture education Æ areas for active, imaginative and within the school system other than food creative play gardening include auditing the school Æ areas for useful plants and animals use of energy and water and auditing the Æ natural areas production of wastes. Energy and water audits, when combined with the development of strategies for the 4 permaculture goes to school
  • 5. Æ areas presenting opportunities for Project sustainability quite reflection, small and large group The designer is unlikely to be able to discussion and socialising contribute to the same project for years Æ areas for adults. on end, unless they are a parent of a student at the school or a teacher or Students, parents, local community groundsperson. people, teachers and school administration should rightly be involved It follows that planning for project ...facilitation, in a design of this magnitude, no matter sustainability in the absence of direct how protracted its implementation. designer involvement be a part of design. negotiation, Education is the key to this — education of conflict People skills a necessity interested teachers and local supporters of Participative design calls for well the school. resolution developed people skills in the permaculture designer if they are to lead Work in this area in Australia has been and a the process and implement its community started by Robyn McCurdy, Ross Mars and range of input stages. Salli Ramsden, among others. However, it will have to become more widespread participatory Facilitation, negotiation, conflict if projects are not to go into decline if an resolution and a range of participatory enthusiastic teacher is transferred or if the skills are skills are useful techniques for the permaculture designer moves on to other permaculture in schools activist to acquire useful through appropriate adult evening things. techniques.. college courses, books and audio tapes. Networks to worknets Techniques developed by Edward de Bono, If permaculture is a means to taking such as the Six Thinking Hats, positive/ local action on global issues as well as of negative/ interesting comparisons, addressing local concerns, then we need to organising and exploring diagrams would develop effective networks which include prove of benefit in simplifying the process people in different countries as well as and maintaining participant focus. people from our own regions. The idea is to turn these networks into Challenges worknets through which we can advise If permaculture designers are to become and, where possible, physically assist each further involved in education, then other. there will be a need to develop skills in participative design, the groundwork This was a reason for organising the for which was laid by Robyn McCurdy Permaculture in Schools networking day at the 1995 Permaculture Convergence at the 1996 International Permaculture workshops in Adelaide. Convergence in Bridgetown, Western Australia. Development of design skills and those A large core of people active in the area pertinent to working successfully with came together on that occasion. More groups of people will be of advantage. have signalled their interest since. So will the ability to develop designs It is now up to individuals to take the which are achievable within budget, initiative and use the skills, knowledge which are constructed to a timeline and and experience available through this which can be integrated into the curricula. network. Then we will be on our way to turning the permaculture in schools network into a functioning worknet. ideas for permaculture educators 5
  • 6. Participatory Permaculture ethics permaculture design... The ethics guide the overall direction of permaculture and Permaculture works when the designer provide a takes the principles of permaculture Work chunks reference by which design and adapts their application to Even within a small stage, further projects can be the circumstances and characteristics of dividing the job into chunks of work leads assessed. different sites and groups of people. to its completion in a logical order. The work chunks can be placed on a timeline Permaculture This is how the designer adapts if necessary; those requiring finishing ethics provide permaculture to different design contexts. before the next step started and those a framework, which can be done in parallel identified. encouraging These contexts consist of: designers to address Doing small work chunks in parallel, Æ the physical characteristics of the site the real needs of the providing there are enough people to do and the surrounding catchment Earth and its people. the work, saves time. Æ the needs of the client group Æ availability of funding, time and other resources Let’s imagine... developing a whole school plan Care of Æ the motivation and commitment of participants. This might be broken down into a the Earth number of discrete but connected stages: • caring for the soil, Small, manageable stages Æ site and sector analysis including water, atmosphere, Implementing a larger project as a analysis of the surrounding catchment plants, forests, connected series of small stages rather, area animals than dissipating energy and motivation Æ survey of school and community needs by tackling too large a segment at a time Æ energy/ water/ waste audits Care of or by trying to implement bits of several stages over a longer time period. This Æ developing the brief, a vision for the people makes a large project manageable and school grounds • providing essential achievable. Æ permaculture participatory design process needs of food, The idea is to break larger projects into shelter, clean Æ presentation to school community smaller stages, tackle them one at a time, water, healthcare, consolidate each as it is completed (don’t Æ plans of action education, leave small bits unfinished), then move Æ implementation: livelihood, on to the next small stage.  workshops conviviality The completion of each small stage can  food garden be treated as a milestone on the way to  rainforest garden Contribution the successful completion of the entire  bush food forest • distributing surplus project.  plantings for shade and wind resources Don’t forget to celebrate your milestones. protection • limiting A few well chosen words with the group,  pergola/ trellis construction consumption participants explaining what they liked/  pond/ mini-wetland for ecology didn’t like about the work and a mini- • taking studies celebration helps maintain morale and responsibility motivation.  active and passive, creative and for our lifestyles imaginative play areas and actions  Rotary Trees for Survival, native tree propagation shadehouse installation 6 permaculture goes to school
  • 7.  community arts component It follows that project sustainability is Permaculture  adult areas something which should be considered during the design stage. principles...  access to the various components  manual for teachers on integrating Education of particpants is one way to Attitude... project into the school curriculum. ensure sustainability. Another means • see solutions, not of doing this is to form a design team These, together, constitute the of people from the local area who have problems redevelopment of the school grounds and some permaculture training. They can • be effective as link to the academic life of the school. be supplemented by others with relevant well as efficient Designed to complement one another, skills such as teaching, facilitating, • co-operate rather appropriate technology, architecture, the components may be implemented than compete. over a protracted period of time as horticulture or landscape design separate mini-projects, so that they are knowledge. Taking action... manageable and so they can be started as A team approach to design accomplishes • minimise finance, time and other resources become two main things: maintenance and available. Æ it enables the project to continue in energy inputs while The most appropriate stage is selected as the event of a designer leaving maximising yield the starting point. Æ it upgrades the skills of permaculturists • work where it A school food garden or food forest, for and sets up a team of people capable counts; educate instance, is a stage of the total project of taking on other projects in their people who which can be broken down into a local area. want to learn series of smaller steps to be carried out Breaking the project into smaller stages • assist people to in sequential order — site and sector and, if useful, breaking those stages down become self reliant. analysis, site clearance, measuring into work chunks may make the sequence and marking out garden beds, soil of events clearer to participants, make a The biosphere... improvement, plant propagation, large project seem achievable and make planting out and maintenance. • work with nature implementation more manageable. rather than against it Work chunks such as propagation can be Working with a design team ensures • use diversity to carried out in parallel with other works project sustainability and improves if a small amount of time is dedicated to encourage stability. the design skills of team members by the activity at each work meeting. This experience on a real project with all its provides a variety of work for students. Design for opportunities and limitations. human The completion of each of these work chunks is marked by a participatory settlement... appraisal of how it was carried out, • bring food providing a review of procedures and production back reinforcing the learning for the students. to the cities to The process is then followed by a mini- minimise impact on celebration to mark the completion of the land the segment and the transition to the • use everything to next, creating an acknowledgement of its highest capacity; the value of the student’s work and an recycle all wastes anticipation of the next stage. and design for multifunction Teams for sustainability • make the least When key personnel, those with technical change for the knowledge, enthusiastic teachers greatest possible or permaculture designers from the effect through community, leave a project, the entire process may be placed in jeopardy and, in good design. the worst cases, may collapse. ideas for permaculture educators 7
  • 8. The mindmaps on the following pages may be useful in planning the various stages of a permaculture in schools project. The order in which they are implemented would depend on the circumstances of the particular project... The design project... A school permaculture project starts with an idea. The idea is developed, then taken to the school principal to get some indication of school interest and project feasibility. Then, it’s time to present the idea to teachers and school groundspeople, parents and interested community members. A playground committee made up of parents, teachers, students and community members can be set up to work on and develop the design brief (a description of the project’s aims and purposes) and the design process. Successfully completed, the design moves into the implementation stage. 8 permaculture goes to school
  • 9. Identifying outcomes... T he first stage of any design project is the asking of three questions: permaculture activists with skills appropriate to achieving our aim (skills may be identified) Æ where do we want to get to? Æ we will implement the garden project Æ where are we now? through a strategy made up of Æ how are we going to get there? achievable steps and implement the This is the situation analysis. The aim of project as resources permit. asking these three questions is to obtain The situation analysis has identified our group agreement on the aims of the goal — the point we want to reach — our project. Once this is done and recorded, present situation and the need for a broad everybody is working towards clear aims strategy to achieve our aim. We have now which have been agreed upon — they are identified and identified our project. heading in the same direction. The answers to our three questions Visioning — where do we should be short and concise, such as: want to get to? As part of this process participants Æ we will design, construct and plant visualise what the site might look like in out a permaculture garden using future, what components there will be in participatory techniques and with site and who has helped to develop the student, teacher and community site. involvement Æ we are a group of people including This information is then sorted to develop teachers, community members and a group vision for the site. Broad aims identified... ideas for permaculture educators 9
  • 10. Permaculture in schools — the benefits W hen proposing that a school take on a permaculture project, it might help to identify the benefits. These may presenting their different perspectives. No judgements are made at this stage about the content of the columns. Its important be broad benefits common to most to get down the ideas. permaculture in school projects or a set of Then, list the negative, staying with that benefits peculiar to the school’s situation. category until it is completed. Brainstorming The Interesting column will contain items Brainstorming ideas with a group of which do not fit readily into the Positive participants or a design team is one way or Negative columns as well as those of building up a list of benefits. resulting from ‘what if’ type of questions. People will have concerns about the The separate items can then be assessed. project, so it’s useful to deal with these openly and promptly. One way of doing this is to identify concerns at the same time that benefits are identified. This reduces the likelihood that the negative thinkers in the group A few broad benefits... will dominate the meeting with doom and gloom reasons why the project cannot work. Edward de Bono’s Positive/Negative/ Interesting table A Positive/ Negative/ Interesting (PNI) table enables permaculture designers to identify aspects of the project in a graphic framework. It brings together participant visions, fears, concerns and other points that don’t fit into positive or negative catagories. To make a PNI table, draw up three columns on a blackboard or on butcher’s paper and head these Positive, Negative and Interesting. Start by brainstorming and writing up the positive. Do not move on to the negative until positive ideas are exhausted. It doesn’t matter if there is disagreement on which column the idea belongs, people are just 10 permaculture goes to school
  • 11. Permaculture in schools — the concerns T eachers and parents will be capable of listing numerous concerns about a proposed permaculture in schools project. circumstances may be different, they could provide a general guide to the reality of fears and concerns and how they have been dealt with. Some of their concerns will be valid for particular sites, some not. Some concerns may be ongoing while others will be episodic. Vandalism, All concerns should be treated as valid an issue which always comes up, has as they have probably all happened at proven to be a sporadic event rather than different times and in different places. All constant event in some schools. deserve careful consideration. A risk assessment identifying potential It may prove useful to be aware of hazards and ways they can be minimised how these concerns have been dealt may prove useful during this stage. with in other projects. Although their It is the role of the designer to develop a A few broad concerns... plan which minimises negative concerns. Teacher/ parent/ community concerns may include: Æ drain on school resources Æ ongoing maintenance of site, particularly in school holidays Æ vandalism Æ risk management and safety Æ supervision of students Æ use by after-school- hours drug users Æ developing teacher/ parent/ community motivation and skills to sustain project Æ aesthetics/ visual presentation Æ lack of parent and teacher time to put into site development Æ crowded curriculum, lack of time to use and develop the site Æ being left by designer to fend for themselves. ideas for permaculture educators 11
  • 12. Having completed the visioning process the brief/ site and sector analysis/ design and brainstormed benefits and concerns master plan/ working drawings and so In the action plan around the project, we assess whether on. template below, our design group is capable on achieving Responsibilities may be assigned or small the objective them. teams formed to carry out the stages. would be the A SWOT analysis is a means to assess this stage of the We identify the stages and plan when we because it discloses the groups strengths envisage achieving them, when we should project to be and weaknesses and identifies factors which could limit achievement of the start them, how long each stage is likely planned; the to last, which could be happening at the steps would vision. same time and which need to be finished be the work SWOT analysis before the next step can be started. chunks which Now is the time to do a SWOT analysis This produces a timeline or action plan are implemented of our team to assess our capability of and our stages become a set of objectives enacting the strategy and reaching our to complete the to be achieved. goal. The SWOT analysis identifies our: stage. Æ S — strengths; those things working in our favour Æ W — weaknesses; those skills and knowledge we lack but which we need to reach our goal Æ O — opportunities; factors beyond our own knowledge, skills and capabilities which would work in our favour Æ T — threats; those things which are likely to stand in our way of threaten the implementation and sustainability of the project. We now have a broad knowledge of where we stand and can assess whether we can achieve our vision. Scheduling the steps To implement our vision we proceed to action planning in which the key question is: What are the most important things to do to move towards our vision? This is where we identify and prioritise the stages of the project such as: develop 12 permaculture goes to school
  • 13. Techniqies, organisational and teaching Implementation methods are assessed and he actual time of Having reached group agreement on the completion of the various stages are plotted design and timing for implementing the against the estimated time. project, it is time to start the first stage. This is prepared as a report to the school We choose an easy-to-implement activity and other participants. of comparatively short duration to achieve a visible, quick result. This should Evaluating motivate participants. At the conclusion to a suitable period — after one year, for instance — an evaluation It should be preceded by an introduction is carried out and written up in a report to site safety — how to use tools safely, distributed to participants. appropriate clothing (shoes, hats, suncream), caution near cliffs or water This assesses the implementation of the and the importance of cleaning up the project and the effectiveness of: site on conclusion of the activity. Æ teaching methods Æ organisational structure The activity should involve the use of imagination, appropriate tools and skills Æ decision making processes which make use of learning relevant to Æ tools and components used in design school subject areas. An example would implementation be setting out garden beds and paths Æ problem areas, their causes and which utilises skills in measuring, map solutions reading and spacial relationships. Æ areas of success and the reasons they succeeded With tools and other inputs organised Æ the actual with estimated completion to be on site on time, it is the role of times for the stages of the project. the designer and teachers to supervise implementation, turning the activity into The evaluation lists suggestions for a learning experience, co-ordinating the project reorganisation. It is a document work and overseeing safety. of considerable value to other working in permaculture in schools. Concluding and reinforcing At the conclusion to the activity it might Arrangements are made for the next stage prove useful to reinforce feelings of of project design and implementation. accomplishment. Gather participants into a circle, relax them and ask what they liked most and least about the activity, what was one thing they learned and how the work could be done better next time. Decide the date and time of the next work meeting. This is the concluding phase to the activity. Monitoring Monitoring is done at regular intervals to assess how the project is progressing, to identify problems and reinforce strengths. The conclusion of each school term may be an appropriate interval for monitoring and lessons learned can be used to modify the following term’s program. ideas for permaculture educators 13
  • 14. It's olives and vegies at Black Forest... A delaide's Black Forest Primary School operates a successful and long- running school food garden project, “If I was involved in this type of program again”, Grahan explained, “I would want more time to support teachers in their knowledge and skill development. thanks to the expertise and enthusiasm of project co-ordinator/teacher, Graham “If you or your school are considering aspects of environmental Hunt. Graham has integrated the project education, I would recommend that you develop a vision and into the school curriculum. school-wide commitment to achieve it. The relevance to children and their increased learning make it worthwhile.” Funding for the project was obtained as grants from the National Landcare Black Forest Primary School is probably unique in that the Program, Greening Australia, Trees for Life students are involved in the processing of olives into olive oil and from the parents of students. and its marketing to parents. Graham had to meet a number of The olive trees in the school are remnants of an old orchard which challenges, such as the development of occupied the site long before the school was built. staff support and training, production of written curriculum guidelines and lesson ideas and production of a resource file. Arts: Mime, Maths: Counting, drama, song, measuring, To allay fears that he was stuffing more Health/ PE: television, painting, graphing, Environmental into the curriculum than teachers and construction calculating health, air students could handle, Graham made sure monitoring, water Integrating Black pollution that environmental education at Black Forest primary Forest involved hands-on activities across garden with the curriculum. school curriculum Science: Technology: Design, Ecosystems, construction of For any permaculure food growing processes, mini-glasshouses, investigations, development to succeed, according to compost bins and English: Story writing, speaking, energy, gas Graham, a co-ordinator with gardening energy efficient emissions, systems newsletters, knowledge and communications skills is a research, posters. necessity. So is the participation of parents resources and the support of teachers. School needs Integration of project with curricula Assessing needs... Identification of educational outcomes of project Designers needs Low establishment and maintenance costs Clear brief about needs of school and students Safety of students and staff; risk minimisation Knowledge of curricula and how project will be Supervision of students integrated Positive public image Good communication and people skills Attractive appearance Information about resources school will Assistance with integration into make available to maintain project curricula, ongoing project Co-operation by and education of maintenance grounds and maintenance staff Support from parent groups Student needs Learning opportunities Parents/ community needs Space for recreation, quiet sitting, socialising Children's and community safety Project design which stimulates interest Visually attractive Practical, innovative integration in curriculum No pollution - noise, odour, visual Adventurous but low-risk environment 14 permaculture goes to school
  • 15. CASE STUDY Particpatory design of school grounds... ...designed and trialled by Robyn McCurdy, Tlholego Development Project, South Africa In 1995, Robyn McCurdy, from Tui Community, New Zealand, Survey a representative sample of what is taking place on a particular piece of began working with the Tlholego Base survey land. Development Project in South Africa. Construct a survey relevant for the age and abilities of the students, Starting from one perimeter, The Tlholego rural development including language abilities, for use walk across the land to the other training and living centre utilises in small groups. perimeter. Observe closely what permaculture and a host of allied lives along that line, mapping it strategies in pursuit of their aim of If short on time, each group may take a different aspect of the survey as you go to gain a cross-section self reliance. and report their findings back to the of the natural features. This is an outline of participatory class. If there is plenty of time, each processes developed at Tlholego for Method group completes the entire survey. the design of school grounds. 1. Divide the class into groups of Map three to seven students The areas covered are: The teacher supplies a scale map on — equip each group takes a Æ Needs assessment A3 paper on which students draw map showing fixed features, Æ Survey and write information. Alternatively, pencil, pressing board, take the time to teach the students in masking tape, trowel and Æ Water storage assessment groups of three to five to draw up a large bag Æ Inventory of bioregional scale map. resources — allocate each group a For a rough approach, stride out the letter such as A,B,C for Æ Ideas from other schools and perimeter of your school grounds, identification, and write all permaculture teaching sessions then, with a sharp stick, draw in the the members names on the soil the shape of the grounds and top of the map Æ Visioning exercise work out where buildings and fixed Æ Decision-making process features are located in this. — each group takes a different starting point so a variety of Æ Identifying necessary materials Change the lines, shapes and cross-sections are produced. Æ Budgetting placement of buildings until the group agrees. 2. Choose a beginning place on one Æ List priorities for implementation perimeter and an ending place Count the number of strides on the opposite peritmeter Æ Funding between structure and features and Æ Allocation of tasks and scale this down proportionally. Draw — students walk an imaginary reponsibilities another map and compare with the line from perimeter to original. Put in co-ordinates for north, perimeter, looking carefully at Æ Go for it, and have fun! the ground up to one metre south, east and west. either side of the imaginary Needs assessment You now have the beginnings of a line Carry out a brainstorming session map for your school. — students note what is seen and draw up as a mind map on a big Draw a grid on a large sheet of paper — vegetation, hollows, moist chart in front of the class. and transfer your drawing in soil onto spots, erosion, trees, changes Use headings of students, teachers, this paper, again using proportional to soil type, insects, humps the environment, local community. scaling. etc. Do the process with the wider You could do a rough sketch map 3. In their plastic bags groups community. first then a neater one later. collect specimens of plants, soil types, litter etc Needs will become evident as you Transect conduct your survey. A transect is an important part of — specimens are labelled with the survey. The purpose is to gain masking tape or paper labels ideas for permaculture educators 15
  • 16. in the numeric order (1,2,3 specimen numbers. amount of rain would be caught Participatory school design... etc) that they are gathered as if there was a roof of whatever 11. Remove plant pressings after slope in between as rain falls — the name of the group is several weeks. down like a sheet); it is easier to written alongside each measure the floor area rather than number and the sample 12. Stick plant pressings onto the large map climbing onto the roof to take number recorded on the map measurements where the specimens are — groups write the names of gathered. specimens alongside them on 3. Knowing these two figures, you the map will be able to work out the 4. Soil samples are taken at regular amount of harvestable rainfall intervals along the transect to a — the result is a map showing over the rainy season; multiply total of about five samples about what the entire school the average monthly rainfall by three hands deep (filling the hole grounds is made up of the surface area of your roof and afterwards) you get the amount of rainfall it is — draw in the prevailing wind, — each is placed in a separate areas receiving most sunshine, possible to catch and store each bag labelled with the location shade etc. month along the transect where it 4. Determine the school’s water was taken 13. The map and the soil study allows students to interpret areas consumption over a period by — after returning to class, in need of erosion control, low adding together calculations for students place each sample damp places for wetlands and drinking, toilets, washing and in a jar of water, shake it, water-loving plants, dry flat areas garden use: and leave it to settle for a for sports, fertile soil for garden — drinking: show students one, few hours to determine areas and so on. two and five litre containers the composition of the soil and ask what amount of a — clay, sand, silt, loam etc Water storage container they would drink in a day; — the type of soil will affect what use can be made of the assessment To calculate the capacity of water add all answers for a class particular area of land. total then divide by the storage tanks appropriate to the 5. If the plant samples can be situation, you need to determine number of students in the identified, students write the the amount of water the school uses class to get an average for the information on their map or on a over a given period, the available whole class — ie representing separate sheet. catchment area and the amount of one student; water which can be harvested. 6 Unidentified species are multiply this by the number researched and identified by Method (these are mathematics of students in the school, local common name and botanic lessons in their own right): then by the number of name later. days a month to gain an 1. Find the annual rainfall and the approximation of the amount 7. On completion of thefirst rainy months — ask weather of water drunk by students transect, make another transect bureau, find closest source of over a month between two other perimeters, weather information; for the carrying out the same sampling. future, set up a rain gauge and — toilets and washing: if you keep regular records; add the use water for toilet flushing, 8. Each group makes a presentation rainfall figures for each month of how much water per flush upon completion of the the year to get the annual total multiplied by the number of transects. and divide by 12 to find the flushed a day, average student 9. Collected plant specimens are average monthly rainfall visits to the toilet; pressed between newspaper 2. Calculate the total catchment to calculate a monthly and something heavy placed on area from school building roofs average for the whole school, top so the plants are pressed flat. by measuring the surface area of multiply the number of 10. Draw a large map of the school the floor (length multiplied by students by the number of area, enlarging the scale of fixed breadth) of the building which days a month at school features from the original maps has rainfall catchment guttering for washing, place a basin using a grid system; draw every on its roof (imagine the building beneath the tap and pour group’s transect onto the large without a roof, with rain falling the collected water from the map and include the location of onto the floor — the same 16 permaculture goes to school
  • 17. basin into a receptacle of to install several smaller tanks — it uses verbal expression and Participatory school design... known capacity; (perhaps one for each roof area) creative expression through art amounting to the same volume as media; it begins by looking at the similarly for dish washing; one large tank. broadscale through class interviews, multiply this daily water use key questions and mind maps as for washing by the number 7. Cost the materials to make tools; the wider community can be of students by the number of the tanks, investigating cost involved in this process. days at school in a month for different materials such as fibreglass, plastic, wire mesh and — garden: mark out a square cement; determine whether the Decision making metre of garden and run a labour would be without cost or Selection panel hose onto the soil until the would be added to the budget. Narrow down the ideas listed in the soil shows a sheen of water; visioning exercise by applying the time how long the hose ran Inventory of following checklist: from turning on the tap to turning it off; bioregional resources Æ is it popular Survey industrial by-products in Æ does it bring about healthy take two buckets and run the the region available for recycling conditions water again for the same time, and under what arrangements; eg counting the number of filled cardboard boxes, grass clippings, Æ is it useful to the majority of buckets for the time; sacks, wood offcuts etc; ask family students and friends employed in such places multiply the result by the Æ is it relatively simple to make to make enquiries and put aside number of square metres useful materials for times the school Æ does it require regular of garden plus trees in the can arrange its collection; businesses maintenance over the longer term early establishment stage and and local authorities are generally you have an approximate Æ are the costs reasonable sympathetic to school projects. water usage for one watering session; Æ does it fit the school’s broad Ideas from other vision/ mission/ purpose. multiply this by the number of waterings a day and the schools and Have a panel — elected or number of watering days permaculture appointed — of no more than seven people, preferably less, decide on a year (subtracting the approximate number of rainy teaching sessions the design for the school. days) and you have some Inspiration and ideas can come idea of your total garden from audio-visual documentation Scale model water consumption. of what other schools have done, Using paper machee make the regardless of where they are in topography of the land thick enough 5. Look up annual rainfall figures the world; sophisticated designs to stick things onto and support and find out the average longest can often be modifies and made them; the group makes (or has period between good falls of simpler; expensive materials can made) a model of the grounds rain; be substituted with cheaper or and fixed features, to scale - and recycled materials; direct teaching adds to this model all of the new — work out how much water of permaculture themes and design features, using representatvie you would use during this dry approaches to design can provide symbols to convey additions. The period; information to fuel inspiration and model should show the design as — by multiplying the number commitment. implemented and at maturity. Stages of days of dry period by of the design (eg. at one year on, 5 the amount of daily water consumption you can Visioning exercise years, 10 years) should be shown separately on large paper, preferably There is a difference to providing calculate how much water with overlays. what you need and what you you need to store; take this as want; it is important to identify and Grounds layout a minimum amount. provide for essential needs; it is Prepare the grounds for presentation 6. Estimate the size of tanks or empowering to create what you so that people who have input storage to hold this amount want — as long as it is attainable can see what the design really and determine what size and fits the purpose and character means on the ground; use ropes tanks need to be installed and of the school; the visioning exercise to shape representations of the whether it is more appropriate focuses on both needs and wants gardens and tall sticks for specimen ideas for permaculture educators 17
  • 18. trees and other visual aids which indicate the actual shape and size Budgeting Funding Check your inventory of locally Once there is something to show, of the recommended changes and recycled materials, then cost other apply for funding for the next step; additions. items and make up a budget. begin with parents and school Presentation to staff, supporters, then the local village, town or suburb; first, try the places students, the wider which supply the materials to see community if they will donate materials, then Invite people to the presentation approach businesses for finance at which the panel gives a talk and with the attitude of ‘partnership’ uses the scale model and ground so they feel they are receiving layout to show how the design will something in return for their support, develop; invite feedback and put even if it is simply goodwill the design to the vote conditional Prioritise upon financial needs being met. implementation Allocate tasks Allocate tasks and responsibilities Identify necessary Decide on what should be done first and go for the simplest, cheapest materials thing which will give the best result Go for it Ask for specialised help in drawing for the shortest period of labour ... and have fun! up technical details of the design input; this helps build momentum Robyn Mc Curdy where necessary and to identify and confidence. suitable plant species etc; locate Acknowledgements to PELUM, sources for all materials for the first Zimbabwe, for introducing me to stage of implementation and aim for the map and transect process. subsequent stages as well. Opportunity to help Dear permaculture people, There is a green school in Hachnop village (Andra Pradesh, a school in India... India) in the protected area. One of the outcomes of The school was started in 1991-92 and is being managed by the the Permaculture in Schools Deccan Development Society. workshop at the Sixth Most of the children are from a deprived community of dalit International Permaculture families - those who cannot afford to send their children to Convergence was the move for school. permaculture to become a more All the children and staff at the school are involved self-supporting movement. in the implementation of the school design by practical participation and exposure to aspects of permaculture. Implicit in this idea is the need Highly efficient soil and water conservation works such to support each other’s projects. as trenches and bunds constructed on the contour, gully We do this by distributing surplus plugging, diversion channels and farm ponds have been funds, goods and services — completed and are functioning well. implementing, in effect, the third The land is becoming greener and has already started to ethic of per,maculture — provide some yields. the sharing of surplus. We have been struggling to evolve a regular permaculture curriculum or subjects for the students. So far, due to lack Narsanna Koppula presents of resources, progress has not been very satisfactory. us with the opportunity to In this region of India, we need your help in providing some implement the third ethic materials and small funds to ensure the poorer students are by assisting his worthwhile able to continue their studies. permaculture education project If resources are not there, it is difficult for the students in rural India. to learn the permaculture ethics. While visiting Australia as a I hope I will satisfy you with this small amount of sponsored delegate of India’s information about our work. Deccan Development Society Any kind help would be welcome. for the Sixth International Narsanna Koppula Permaculture Convergence, Deccan Development Society, Pastapur, Zahirabad, Medak, Narsanna wrote this letter... Andra Pradesh, India 502 318 18 permaculture goes to school