Creating a Sustainable Sunshine Coast - Nambour to Mooloolah

As part of their plan for a year of focussing on relocalisation, the first meeting for 2007 of the Yandina Community Gardens was last night and they screened the talk David Holmgren (co-founder of Permaculture) gave here last August.

I went to the original talk, but it was great to see it again, Holmgren said so much and you miss a lot the first time.

One of the things he spoke about at length is the need for relocalisation and how Permaculture fits with that.

He spoke of the need for an ‘Earth stewardship scenario’ post peak oil – where we care for the natural resources of the Earth to ensure there will be enough bio physical resources for future generations. This isn’t some hippy dream – if we don’t have rainfall and living soil, we cannot produce food and the world will starve - simple.

Care of the soil, water, air, plants… it all made so much sense and he presented such a positive scenario for the future, rather than the gloom and doom coming from our pollies, the media and science.

I made some notes and thought I’d add them to this site – they are paraphrased, I don’t do shorthand, but here they are…

The need for what he calls a ‘bottom-up’ movement in response to peak oil. Ideas and action coming from the grassroots in the community, rather than government. This mirrors what Professor Ian Lowe says – he uses the examples of the abolition of slavery, women’s right to vote and the inclusion of indigenous people in the Australian census as actions that have been driven by a groundswell in the community, not politicians. Community gardens, Permaculture and organic gardening courses, networks, and sites just like this play a very important part in that movement.

A need for ‘connection’ and ‘transfer’ – bartering, knowing your neighbours, building networks within local communities, skills sharing. Again this website is an important part of that connection and transfer of information.

He pointed out that rice uses 7459 litres of water per one dollar of value. Fruit and veg bought in the supermarket comes with a price tag of 103 litres of water per dollar value that you buy. He compared this with his own home food production which he has calculated to be about 20 litres of water per dollar value. Growing food at home saves water - again a simple equation.

Holmgren also stated that the most energy efficient way to provide food security for the future was to learn how to grow food at home.

He urged us all to “resist the restriction of water use in home food production” – something I feel very strongly about. He also urged us to seed save, particularly heritage varieties.

Holmgren concluded his talk with an action plan of what we can all do to build more sustainability into our lives and ensure a better future post peak oil.

 Network – for information and inspiration – Permaculture groups and community gardens are a great place to start. (As is this website!)

 Start producing your own (food, goods, services) and/or support local producers

 Know your neighbours – establish bartering systems, LETS, PETS,

 Teach children how to grow their own food (this is already well underway on the Sunshine Coast with more and more permaculture gardens being established in schools)

 Reduce consumption – recycle, reduce, repair, reuse, return.. etc etc.

 If you have extra space, take in a lodger, share your place, (also has economic benefits for you)

 Share your car – car pool, organise a local group to share driving, make your trips count, do more than one thing on a trip

 Work around impediments (don't let people tell you something can't be done)

 Pay off your debts / work from home

 Retrofit your home and garden for the post peak oil future, not for the $ value

Although Permaculture is so much more than gardening, Holmgren’s talk focused on food growing in the future as this is one thing that is not being addressed by governments in Australia. Apparently only South Australia’s sustainability planning includes any mention of food growing (then it is only two lines), no other State is preparing for the scenario of how we are going to eat when peak oil forces the price of fertilisers, refrigeration and transportation to affect the cost of food at the supermarket checkout. The kiwi fruits from Italy, the oranges from California, the garlic from China... it's all going to have to stop.

As we sat in the lovely surrounds of our last remaining community garden here on the Sunshine Coast, it became even more important to me to ensure that the Yandina garden not only survives, but thrives and becomes a hub of information, social interaction, community development and most importantly, learning these important new skills for the future.

If you would like to get involved in the Yandina Community Garden's plan for a series of relocalisation projects in 2007, the next meeting will be the first Tuesday of March, or drop in on any Saturday morning, or all day on a Monday or Tuesday for a cuppa, a tour, to buy some plants or to have a chat.