David Holmgren’s Future Scenarios
Eat the Suburbs! passes along news of a new site by Permaculture co-founder David Holmgren, discussing four possible outcomes of where the combined forces of peak oil and climate change could take us. Biking around the Boston area today & noticing all the near- or over-$4/gallon gas, the former is looking realer and realer.
As I’ve mentioned before, it’s concern with these two horsemen of the apocalypse that in large part motivates my interest in local food systems. Holmgren’s widely regarded as a deep and experienced thinker on the topic, but his works have been pretty hard to get into. Future Scenarios is certainly a briefer, more focused look into Holmgren’s thoughts on possible futures.
What’s the local connection, you ask? As you may have read here a couple of posts ago, Bostonians have two nearby options for getting some hands-on permaculture training in the coming season, so there’s a chance to make something of any inspiration/perspiration you might get from reading your Holmgren. The first design course is just a few weeks away, starting June 11 at Plowshare Farm, in Greenfield, NH (pdf info sheet). In September, the same course is being offered down on the Vineyard (pdf).
Look for me at the latter of the two — I’ve never made it down to the Vineyard, and a week hanging out with permaculturists in the early fall sounds like a great way to get introduced to a place. Not to mention it being high time to get more familiar with a great body of knowledge and practice
that seems likely to be of ever greater importance.