Permaculture Classics

Essential Reading from Permanent Publications Publishers of Permaculture Magazine

whose inspirational authors include:

Ben Law – the self-build woodsman who appeared on Channel 4’s Grand Designs Patrick Whitefield – the teacher seen on the BBC 2 TV series It’s Not Easy Being Green

THE WOODLAND HOUSE

This book is the story of how one man turned his dream into a reality

This house is pure permaculture design: a beautiful low impact structure, hand-built with locally resourced materials

Illustrated with nearly 100 colour photos, this is a stepby-step guide to how Ben Law built his home, hewn

from his own woodland. It covers all the basics, including why we love to self-build and gives details of the evolving design process, the identifying of materials, costings, project management and the actual building stages, from foundations and frames, through to interior features.

“Ben Law has proved that it’s possible to design and construct a truly environmentally friendly home. You couldn’t find a house that has a more intimate relationship with people and place.” From the Foreword by Kevin McCloud, presenter of Channel 4’s Grand Designs 96pp. 98 colour photos. HBK £14.95

THE EARTH CARE MANUAL

A Permaculture Handbook For Britain & Other Temperate Climates

The critically acclaimed and definitive Permaculture Design book

“You’ve probably never though of yourself as the ultimate ‘eco-warrior’, but this book will make you think again... essential reading.” Kitchen Garden

Written by Patrick Whitefield, one of world’s foremost teachers and practitioners of temperate permaculture, The Earth Care Manual gives a vision of a sustainable future and the practical steps we can take towards it, both large and small, urban and rural.

It contains an overview of permaculture and its approach and clearly shows how to apply permaculture to buildings, gardens, orchards, farms, woodland and biodiversity. 480pp. 250 photos, 145 line diagrams & numerous tables. HBK £39.95

Other classics available by Patrick Whitefield:

THE WOODLAND WAY A Permaculture Approach To Sustainable Woodland Management

Acknowledged as a standard text for woodland managers, students and everyone who loves trees and woodlands

This practical book by Ben Law features his innovative methods of sustainable woodland management which create a healthy, biodiverse environment, add value and give high yields. 256pp. 13 colour + 116 b&w photos. PBK £16.95

PERMACULTURE IN A NUTSHELL An accessible introduction to permaculture International bestseller clearly describing how we can practically live more sustainably fruitful lives. This is the perfect first step to take in engaging with permaculture. 96pp. 14 line drawings. PBK £4.95

HOW TO MAKE A FOREST GARDEN A step-by-step DIY guide to creating a beautiful food producing forest garden Practical, yet inspiring, giving you everything you need to know. 192pp. 10 col + 35 b&w photos, 65 dwgs. PBK £16.95

For a complete list of Permanent Publication titles please contact us

Available in the UK, Europe and Rest Of World from: Permanent Publications The Sustainability Centre, East Meon, Hampshire GU32 1HR, UK Tel: 0845 458 4150 (local rate UK only) or +44 (0)1730 823 311 Email: enquiries@permaculture.co.uk Web www.permaculture.co.uk

Available in North America and Canada from: Chelsea Green Publishing Company PO Box 428, White River Junction, VT 05001, USA Tel: +1 802 295 6300 Fax: +1 802 295 6444 Web: www.chelseagreen.com Contents

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REGULARS

14 Solutions!

15 Product Review

32 Permaculture News

52 Letters

54 Reviews

57 Courses

61 GEN News

64 GEN Bulletin Board

65 Classified Exchange

68 Subscriptions & Renewals

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FRONT COVER PHOTO Harland family in their raised bed vegetable garden Photo: Christine Seaward Back Cover Photo Credit: Ximagination / Shutterstock

FEATURES

3 POWERDOWN & PERMACULTURE Rob Hopkins asks how permaculture can influence the mainstream and introduces Transition Town Totnes.

7 WAR GARDENING How living history is teaching kids to grow food in Essex by Graham Burnett .

9 PM BUSINESS Maddy Harland , tells the story of Permanent Publications and the permaculture design thinking behind the company.

16 RAISED VEGETABLE GARDENING How to design and make productive raised beds by Patrick Whitefield .

19 SOMETHING FOR NOTHING Introducing Freecycle, the free community exchange system that really works.

21 10 STRATEGIES FOR AVOIDING BURN OUT Working hard and feeling the pace? How to stay healthy and effective with Dr Chris Johnstone .

23 TRANSITION CULTURE Fritjof Capra speaks to Rob Hopkins about learning how to live in an uncertain future.

27 EDUCATION IN THE JUNGLE Jennifer Gray visits a Krishnamurti school in Tamil Nadu and explores its green credentials.

31 PERMACULTURE PEOPLE Introducing Dr Jimmy Altham , permaculturist and former university lecturer in philosophy.

36 A FEW ACRES IN THE COUNTRY Chris Smaje describes how his family cleverly integrated the advantages of town and country.

41 THE MAGICAL SOILS OF EL DORADO The story of Terra Preta, the highly fertile selfsustaining ‘black earth’ of the Amazon.

45 FAR FROM WOOLLY THINKING How one PM article has launched a new social enterprise in rural Somerset.

47 EXTREME SALADS One man’s quest to grow as many edible salad plants as he can near the Arctic Circle in Norway.

49 GROWING POSITIVE YOUNG ADULTS Sami Grover reports on a permaculture project that is changing young lives in down town Durham, North Carolina.

www.permaculture.co.uk

No. 50

Permaculture Magazine

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