Permablitz: Near Instant Permaculture for the ‘Burbs
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 04. 1.08
Permaculture is a tricky thing to define. (See our attempts here.) Kinda like trying to describe a forest. All that interdependency is just too complex to squeeze into a sound bite. But that doesn’t stop Permablitz from trying:
“As an integrated design science, however, food is just one part of the permaculture equation. Permaculture equally addresses and integrates water, energy, waste, shelter, community, local economy, governance and all other aspects of sustainable living. It's broad, it's exciting, and it's blindingly relevant to the challenges we all face.”
Permablitz’s core focus is “helping people sustainably grow food where they live, building healthy community in the process.” ‘Before’ pic above. ‘After’ pic in the fold.
The same front yard after it was Permablitzed.
The word is a contraction of permaculture and blitz, "where a blitz simply means a focused application of energy or a concentrated effort to get something done." Two years ago, this month, it all started when permaculture students collaborated (got things done) with a South American community group in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia.
Basically permaculture designers visit a suburb block. They design a food system relevant to that site and locale and gather together a bunch of enthused individuals who spend a day converting boring household blocks into an almost instant organic food garden. People participation, sustainable agriculture, local food, community self-reliance, etc, all rolled into one event.
Well, not just one, More than 40 permablitzes have been undertaken within Melbourne and it has spread to Sydney and beyond. Rally the citizens like this and maybe there is hope for cities yet. ::Permablitz.
I'm not at all sure that this is a good idea. Slow is sane. This appeals to the makeover mentality. Will this be valued in the same way as things done over a couple of years to turn a suburban plot into a network of fertility/energy cycles, with fine-tuning as you go?