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Published: February 10th 2008
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Those familiar with Permaculture will know of a man called David Holmgren: http://www.holmgren.com.au David, along with Bill Mollison (another well known name in Permaculture circles) co-originated the concept of Permaculture back in the 70s. David and Su (his partner), and their son Oliver live and work at their beautiful homestead in Hepburn Springs near Daylesford. It’s about an hour and a half’s drive NW from Melbourne. It’s sOOoo gorgeous here. David, Su and Oliver have been extremely welcoming, and we pretty much felt like we were part of the family from day one. Their place is spectacular, as you would imagine to be. Nearly all of the food consumed here comes from the land. The fruit, veggies, nuts, meat, corn, goats cheese, honey, herbs, tea etc.. apart from they buy their wheat grain and a few other bits and bobs from local farmers and shops. So their level of self-sufficiency is amazing.
It’s very inspiring here, Dee and I are learning so much, not only from Su, David and Oliy, but also through observing and discussing issues & ideas whilst working. We get up around 7am (no alarm clock needed, just seems to happen naturally), do about 45mins of yoga,
then join the family for brekkie. Breakfast usually consists of brown rice (hot in Winter, cold in Summer), fresh fruit, ground seeds & nuts, and goats yoghurt. This is often followed by an even more nutritious discussion with David. Most of the time we just listen. It’s a great way to start the day, especially as David is such a wealth of knowledge. Quite often Su has to give us a nudge in the direction of ‘work’. It’s very easy to get carried away listening to David talk.
The jobs so far have consisted of: weeding, foraging, fruit picking, feeding the animals, hacking down brambles, picking & making lunch, mulching, and pruning for kindling.. I’m sure there’s more to come! I am especially interested in Su teaching us some home cooking, fermenting, and preserving techniques. She has made some delicious cakes, sauces and vinegars. I can’t wait to start experimenting with these when I get home. The food here is so fresh and wholesome, carrot tops cooked in ginger with a splash of tamari has been one of my favorites so far. Nothing is wasted, everything is used, and all cycles are closed as much as poss. Even the
swatted flies are fed to the goldfish! If you really think about it, then everything can be used as a positive resource. Everything is connected.
It’s worth taking a look at what our inputs and outputs are on a daily basis, then by making connections, we can close cycles, and therefore reduce waste. “Analysis of these inputs and outputs are critical to self-governing design. A deficit in inputs creates work, whereas a deficit in output use creates pollution” - Bill Mollison & David Holmgren, Permaculture One
Some of the closed cycles here are simple and obvious, but very important. All peeing is done outside on the plants. ‘Ones urine’ actually contains nitrogen, a valuable ‘soil fixer’ which helps plants to grow. So stop flushing your wee down the bog folks, and start pissing on your neighbors window boxes! ;c) You can also wee in your veg/garden compost if you have one, it helps to break it down. All 'shitting' is done in the compost loo which is in the garden shed. To some this may sound disgusting, but once you understand and get used to it, you’ll never want to go back! I’ve been thinking about the way
we dispose of our human waste for a while now, and whoever came up with the idea that shitting into water (one of the most valuable necessary resources for life), and then flushing it into the sea and/or processing it with hundreds of horrible chemicals should have their brain removed.. or maybe their hands so that they can’t wipe their bottom anymore ;c) Ok.. that’s a bit strong, BUT.. mammals aren’t suppose to be shitting in the sea! Most mammal poop is naturally absorbed back into nourish the earth, back into the cycle of decay & growth, death & life. So, that’s what they do here at the Holmgren residence. The compost toilet is emptied into a pit, which once full, is left for 6 months to breakdown and is then used as a valuable fertilizer. So two pits are used on rotation.
OK.. I know that having compost toilets in built up densely populated areas is bound to be a logistical nightmare. But surly there is some kind of composting solution to the ridiculous amount of time, money & energy spent on flushing our resourceful waste and water into the already over polluted seas. I’ve been using a compost toilet down in Devon for a while now, but for those who haven’t had the pleasure yet, let me just tell yA.. No they are not disgusting, no they don’t smell, and yes they do help you connect back to the cycles of nature, back to the cycles of you! Perhaps it’s time we stopped flushing our problems away, and started facing up to shit ;c)
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Maya
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Shit happens!
Totally agree with you on the toilet stuff - there's a compost toilet in Aune Farm campsite just up the road from me and an open cold shower. The toilet doesn't stink and there's no backsplash. I read in a toilet once, "In some countries they don't understand why you would take perfetly good drinking water and shit in it!" Craziness...Also on the same topic - my Mum gave me a brilliant book called "How to shit in the woods" it's brilliant, funny and mostly informative on the most eco way of dumping without damage. It's a must have book for everyone!