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.
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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?
Good Ideas aren't very useful, so don't worry. Only good actions count. People into 'green' often love being right, hate messing up, and prefer to do things in their heads. Me too.
But a permablitz is a joyful day for participants, and joy is the main fuel of a sucessful permaculture. Parts of the instant garden will live, parts will die, and you will Learn by Doing how to make a sustainable world. Most of the Permaculture achievements in my life have come through a combination of Slow and Steady, and Observe and Interact (you don't really have to capacity to see whats going on, until you get in there and try to do something you cannot yet do). Try designing a logo for your business, and all the logos around you spring into focus. Commit to mulching your garden, even if it comes from Bunnings at first, then from the very next day, you will see free mulch lying around everywhere.
I wasted a lot of my youth with too much Slow and steady, too much being right in theory, and having nothing to show in practice. Now Im training myself to have more fun, make more mistakes, and expect the unexpected. Most mistakes are compostable.
Hi people
Posting here as this is general as well as health,when people say don't eat meat in India does that include normal type hotels (I mean not really cheap backpacker places)? If we stay in ,say , a 3* or 4* place in Goa does that mean we can't eat the yummy looking food there too?