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Contents:
1 What is a Permaculture Ecovillage?
2 Why a Stewardship Covenant?
3 What Does Covenant Consist Of?
What is a Permaculture Ecovillage?
Permaculture is a contraction of two words, Permanent and Agriculture. According to popular legend the term was coined by an Australian/Tasmanian forester named Bill Mollison. It is probably contracted from the title of J. Russell Smith’s 1929 volume “Tree crops: a Permanent Agriculture”. This work advocated for multistory and multipurpose production units which kept perennials as the living core of the system and placed annuals in the interstices, much as natural forest systems do. Observing the decline of world agriculture systems in the 1930’s a as a child, the disastrous effects of the so called green revolution when it nose dived in the 1970’s and the global catastrophe that is modern forestry, Mollison and Holmgren became determined to develop a system of landscape management that actually maintained itself using the basis of biotic interactions found in a undisturbed ecosystem.
As foresters Mollison and Holmgren were undoubtedly familiar with J.S. Russell’s work. Defining the concepts of Permaculture according to larger meta-systems than Smith had originally outlined, Mollison and Holmgren observed underlying principles at work which allowed undisturbed forests to stabilize at a small but steady state of production across large geographical scales. Realizing that biological and genetic diversity of life are bound in interaction matrixes, and that the principles driving these interactions were the basis of that constant productivity, they set out to understand the meta-patterns which allowed for feral fecundity. What they developed over the next 20 years had far more implications than either had originally intended.
The Grecian word ‘oikos’ means ‘home’. We’ve pared that down to eco for our two common words ‘ecology’ and ‘economy’. Thus, ecology is the study or our home, and economy is the management of the home. Most of our economic wealth today comes from the earth, whether it is plants for agriculture, minerals mined from the soils, or synthetics made from raw ingredients pulled from and modeled after chemicals found in rain forests flora or the microbiology of the deep seas. We know now that our global ecology is in danger of a catastrophic collapse- already we’ve seen a steep increase in extinction rates, desertification, and air and water quality problems. Agriculture systems, arguably the first source of economic wealth on the planet, are facing a failure far greater than the five branched disaster of erosion, salinification, pollution, disease and vector evolution engendered by the green revolution. We are now witnessing the deleterious effects of these at a global scale. In addition we humans face water shortages and wars, increases in disease viability coupled with decreases in immunity, and increasing malnutrition and hunger.
Permanent Agricultural Forestry Ecological Villages (Permaculture Ecovillages) offer alternatives to the juggernaut of industrialized modernity. By encouraging healthy, diverse, productive forests- called permanent multipurpose polycultures by David Jacke in his book “Edible Forest Gardens”-we ensure the production of food, fiber, fuel, and recreation while balancing ecosystem needs, from root structures that hold and cultivate soil, to the foliage that makes breathable air while it feeds and shelters wildlife. We can plan synergistic plant associations that supply us with food while providing habitat for species which form the web of life around us. We can bolster biodiversity while we create a deeper sense of place, which is the psychic axis of our germinal identity. As our homes become enlivened with natures tendency towards abundance we also grow healthier in spirit, mind and body. By doing this as a community, we form a village. Thus, Permaculture Ecovillage.
Why a Stewardship Covenant?
A Stewardship Covenant is a written agreement in which the landowner makes a legal commitment to protect and manage the land in specified ways. The covenant lasts in perpetuity and binds the current and future owners of the land. It is an effective tool for creating consistency and integrity in land use decisions. CWAPI will practice the ethics and principles it advocates. More than proposals, greater than ideals, residents of CWAPI will live daily in a demonstration of practical choices for living a sustainable life.
The Stewardship Covenant will outline general procedures and considerations for persons and parties who wish to engage in activities or develop relationships at CWAPI. The Stewardship Covenant will place the principles, practices, and ethics of Permaculture high amongst the standards guiding actions on any given initiative (see Appendix D, Methods and Materials, Section #1: Ethics and Principles). Residents, guests and their visitors will be bound to the agreements outlined in the Stewardship Covenant
Any act which modifies the landscape (whether engaging in a physical project or enduring as a resident or guest), whether for educational, recreational, or other purpose, is therefore potentially subject to the outlines of the Stewardship Covenant. It is suggested that the Stewardship Covenant address the handling of disparity or failure to comply with its directive. Consideration for internal punitive or legal action dependant on resident and/or peer review is encouraged.
Members of the Abundance community will likely assume a variety of highly individualized relationships with the physical location and the CWAPI organization. Those involved in the development of the Stewardship Covenant will assume differing levels of unique responsibilities and benefits; the exercise and development of stakeholders personal communication, facilitation and listening skills will be essential. Please see Appendix C, ‘API Articles of Incorporation’ for more information.
What does the Covenant consist of?
The covenant consists of a series of legally binding agreements. Intended to facilitate community decisions about land use, the Covenant should be both broad, so as to allow for flexibility, and clear, so that misinterpretation of its aims and goals is not an issue. The covenant will include agreements of how residents and guests will engage with each other and the landscape which begins with their personal space and extends outward to the entire biosphere. The covenant will specifically regard all activities which take place on the physical property (Abundance) where CWAPI resides. The Stewardship Covenant will set definitions and guidelines about how construction projects should be managed, where they can be executed, and various parties/councils responsibility for design approval, maintenance and other relevant issues. The stewardship covenant will define how stakeholders, residents and guest are organized. It will also be an expression to the county, state, and other entities of the commitment to conserve, preserve and cultivate certain characteristics of the site which are valuable to the larger communities general welfare. It will outline how staff may continue progress made regarding site specific projects such as development of a sustainable ecovillage, and offsite initiatives aimed at positively affecting the local watershed and region.
Despite the limited size of the mature forest fragment at Abundance, the complex matrix of relations in this fragment is vital and diverse. This web of relations, highly complex, and barely understood, should not be acted upon rashly. Rash decisions all too often lead to cascade effects which result in lost resources and creation of conflict. This can be a model for understanding our natural world not only as a home, bt a teacher. By establishing clear processes for coming to consensus on a wide scope of personal and ecological relationships and activities, the Stewardship Covenant will ultimately allow residents and guests of CWAPI to spend more time being in and enjoying nature and less time in stewardship related processes.
1 What is a Permaculture Ecovillage?
2 Why a Stewardship Covenant?
3 What Does Covenant Consist Of?
What is a Permaculture Ecovillage?
Permaculture is a contraction of two words, Permanent and Agriculture. According to popular legend the term was coined by an Australian/Tasmanian forester named Bill Mollison. It is probably contracted from the title of J. Russell Smith’s 1929 volume “Tree crops: a Permanent Agriculture”. This work advocated for multistory and multipurpose production units which kept perennials as the living core of the system and placed annuals in the interstices, much as natural forest systems do. Observing the decline of world agriculture systems in the 1930’s a as a child, the disastrous effects of the so called green revolution when it nose dived in the 1970’s and the global catastrophe that is modern forestry, Mollison and Holmgren became determined to develop a system of landscape management that actually maintained itself using the basis of biotic interactions found in a undisturbed ecosystem.
As foresters Mollison and Holmgren were undoubtedly familiar with J.S. Russell’s work. Defining the concepts of Permaculture according to larger meta-systems than Smith had originally outlined, Mollison and Holmgren observed underlying principles at work which allowed undisturbed forests to stabilize at a small but steady state of production across large geographical scales. Realizing that biological and genetic diversity of life are bound in interaction matrixes, and that the principles driving these interactions were the basis of that constant productivity, they set out to understand the meta-patterns which allowed for feral fecundity. What they developed over the next 20 years had far more implications than either had originally intended.
The Grecian word ‘oikos’ means ‘home’. We’ve pared that down to eco for our two common words ‘ecology’ and ‘economy’. Thus, ecology is the study or our home, and economy is the management of the home. Most of our economic wealth today comes from the earth, whether it is plants for agriculture, minerals mined from the soils, or synthetics made from raw ingredients pulled from and modeled after chemicals found in rain forests flora or the microbiology of the deep seas. We know now that our global ecology is in danger of a catastrophic collapse- already we’ve seen a steep increase in extinction rates, desertification, and air and water quality problems. Agriculture systems, arguably the first source of economic wealth on the planet, are facing a failure far greater than the five branched disaster of erosion, salinification, pollution, disease and vector evolution engendered by the green revolution. We are now witnessing the deleterious effects of these at a global scale. In addition we humans face water shortages and wars, increases in disease viability coupled with decreases in immunity, and increasing malnutrition and hunger.
Permanent Agricultural Forestry Ecological Villages (Permaculture Ecovillages) offer alternatives to the juggernaut of industrialized modernity. By encouraging healthy, diverse, productive forests- called permanent multipurpose polycultures by David Jacke in his book “Edible Forest Gardens”-we ensure the production of food, fiber, fuel, and recreation while balancing ecosystem needs, from root structures that hold and cultivate soil, to the foliage that makes breathable air while it feeds and shelters wildlife. We can plan synergistic plant associations that supply us with food while providing habitat for species which form the web of life around us. We can bolster biodiversity while we create a deeper sense of place, which is the psychic axis of our germinal identity. As our homes become enlivened with natures tendency towards abundance we also grow healthier in spirit, mind and body. By doing this as a community, we form a village. Thus, Permaculture Ecovillage.
Why a Stewardship Covenant?
A Stewardship Covenant is a written agreement in which the landowner makes a legal commitment to protect and manage the land in specified ways. The covenant lasts in perpetuity and binds the current and future owners of the land. It is an effective tool for creating consistency and integrity in land use decisions. CWAPI will practice the ethics and principles it advocates. More than proposals, greater than ideals, residents of CWAPI will live daily in a demonstration of practical choices for living a sustainable life.
The Stewardship Covenant will outline general procedures and considerations for persons and parties who wish to engage in activities or develop relationships at CWAPI. The Stewardship Covenant will place the principles, practices, and ethics of Permaculture high amongst the standards guiding actions on any given initiative (see Appendix D, Methods and Materials, Section #1: Ethics and Principles). Residents, guests and their visitors will be bound to the agreements outlined in the Stewardship Covenant
Any act which modifies the landscape (whether engaging in a physical project or enduring as a resident or guest), whether for educational, recreational, or other purpose, is therefore potentially subject to the outlines of the Stewardship Covenant. It is suggested that the Stewardship Covenant address the handling of disparity or failure to comply with its directive. Consideration for internal punitive or legal action dependant on resident and/or peer review is encouraged.
Members of the Abundance community will likely assume a variety of highly individualized relationships with the physical location and the CWAPI organization. Those involved in the development of the Stewardship Covenant will assume differing levels of unique responsibilities and benefits; the exercise and development of stakeholders personal communication, facilitation and listening skills will be essential. Please see Appendix C, ‘API Articles of Incorporation’ for more information.
What does the Covenant consist of?
The covenant consists of a series of legally binding agreements. Intended to facilitate community decisions about land use, the Covenant should be both broad, so as to allow for flexibility, and clear, so that misinterpretation of its aims and goals is not an issue. The covenant will include agreements of how residents and guests will engage with each other and the landscape which begins with their personal space and extends outward to the entire biosphere. The covenant will specifically regard all activities which take place on the physical property (Abundance) where CWAPI resides. The Stewardship Covenant will set definitions and guidelines about how construction projects should be managed, where they can be executed, and various parties/councils responsibility for design approval, maintenance and other relevant issues. The stewardship covenant will define how stakeholders, residents and guest are organized. It will also be an expression to the county, state, and other entities of the commitment to conserve, preserve and cultivate certain characteristics of the site which are valuable to the larger communities general welfare. It will outline how staff may continue progress made regarding site specific projects such as development of a sustainable ecovillage, and offsite initiatives aimed at positively affecting the local watershed and region.
Despite the limited size of the mature forest fragment at Abundance, the complex matrix of relations in this fragment is vital and diverse. This web of relations, highly complex, and barely understood, should not be acted upon rashly. Rash decisions all too often lead to cascade effects which result in lost resources and creation of conflict. This can be a model for understanding our natural world not only as a home, bt a teacher. By establishing clear processes for coming to consensus on a wide scope of personal and ecological relationships and activities, the Stewardship Covenant will ultimately allow residents and guests of CWAPI to spend more time being in and enjoying nature and less time in stewardship related processes.
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