Discussion 2: Case Study 2

Courtney Johnson

Why Case Study 2? Case study 2 was the most interesting to me because I am very

concerned with the situation in California I have frequently thought about moving to the West, but for the

reasons mentioned in the video such as Drought and other natural disasters, I have been hesitant

I am spending a bit of time hiking in CA this upcoming summer and am concerned about wildfires and such due to the severe drought

Their conditions do not seem to get much better and I was very surprised more of the design this “neighborhood” has is not seen more frequently

I thought it was an interesting contrast to what the given solutions are for the everyday person (i.e. use less water, take shorter showers). I could not believe how much more efficient this was and how much they have been able to do with that plot of land in 3 years

Ethics: People Care

This design system cares for people in multiple ways He mentioned that it is called the Neighborhood

because they encourage people to come and educate themselves on what they are doing

He showed some of the fresh fruits and vegetables that are used to feed people

He talked about fusing together trees through their natural growth to give people a little more privacy

Designs systems that relinquish power so humans can be productive in other ways

Ethics: Earth Care I felt this design was especially strong in the way it takes

care of the Earth Completely transformed a barren asphalt area in 3 years Provides clean water for the plants and soil without causing

harm to the Earth Allows for easy pollination and growth support by building a

habitat for insects like bees to do this allowing the natural growth of plants vs. pesticides Utilizing plants that extract minerals that are otherwise

inaccessible that will then fertilize the top soil when the plant dies

Harvests water in a tank during storms in a way that relinquishes power and extends the amount of water they have for the land they are taking care of

Ethics: Fair Share

Soil Fertility Systems I consider this a Fair Share ethic because it not only is

helping the Earth get the nutrients it needs to be able to grow food, but it is ultimately leading to the abundance of food they are able to produce as well and therefore it is hard for me to not consider it fair share.

Regulating of temperature He had touched upon how they have a large clay oven

that has ventilation in it so while they are cooking things like pizzas (people care), they are also regulating the temperature surrounding the oven which helps the ecosystem flourish (Earth Care)

Ecosystem Services: Providing Water Where

it is Scarce My understanding of an ecosystem service is one that they are the

features of a system that give back to an ecosystem and make it resilient

This is one of the major services from this permaculture design case study

There are many ditches and connections to move water through the small space

Water is collected so it can be used for a longer period of time and used wisely

The drought in California makes it difficult to have the water needed, so this service is very important to the success of this Neighborhood

The filter they use allows for humans to use their energy to do other productive things within the permaculture design

Ecosystem Services: Pulling Needed MineralsPerennial and Annual Food Production takes

place within this systemThere are also plants that are used to extract

minerals that are otherwise inaccessible, so when they die the soil becomes fertilized

The amount of plants and allow for a lot of insects and micro organisms to feed and further more enrich the soil

Ecosystem Services: Stabilizing the Temperature

The idea of the oven stabilizing the temperature is also an ecosystem service

He gave the example of when it is cold and rainy, the plants need the temperature a bit more stabilized to better their growth and life

The oven stabilizes that without being very harmful and gives back to the ecosystem in that way

Image of DesignI chose this photo because I really found the water filtration interesting. I love the idea of harvesting water and the filter helping whatever is in the tank be useable immediately