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Currently Browsing: Permaculture

Video – Ecovillage Future: And How Access to Land is a Barrier (Ecological Civilisation Series)

What is an ‘ecovillage’ and how do practices and values different from ordinary life within consumer capitalist societies? And what would the world look like if there were millions of ecovillages emerging to replace industrial civilisation? In this presentation, I examine these question and draw on research which attempts to measure the energy and resource reductions of ecovillage living.... read more

Post-Capitalism by Design not Disaster: Creating Common Wealth via Degrowth

Two weekends ago I delivered a keynote presentation at the New Economy Network of Australia. I’ve had several requests for a transcript, so I’ve posted it below. POST-CAPITALISM BY DESIGN NOT DISASTER Samuel Alexander MELBOURNE SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY INSTITUTE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE (Keynote address at the New Economy Network of Australia Conference) Designing the Descent Good morning everyone,... read more

Short Film: Degrowth in the Suburbs

Recently I posted about my new book – Degrowth the in Suburbs: A Radical Urban Imaginary – co-authored with Professor Brendan Gleeson. A couple of days ago Happen Films released a short video on the topic, based on my household – see below.... read more

Degrowth in the Suburbs: A Radical Urban Imaginary

I’ve just published a new book, Degrowth in the Suburbs: A Radical Urban Imaginary, co-authored with Professor Brendan Gleeson, with a foreword by David Holmgren, and published by Palgrave Macmillan. (If anyone is interested in reviewing it on their website / blog, please leave a comment and I’ll send you a pdf). More details in forthcoming posts. This book addresses a central dilemma of the... read more

Degrowth, Permaculture, and the Simpler Way (Collected Essays)

Late last year I published my third book of collected essays – and I never got around to posting about it. The collection is called Wild Democracy: Degrowth, Permaculture, and the Simpler Way and it is available here. My first two books of collected essays are Prosperous Descent: Crisis as Opportunity in an Age of Limits and Sufficiency Economy: Enough, for Everyone,... read more

Home Biogas Review: Independent Assessment from Australia

Biogas is a renewable energy source with net-zero emissions. In an age of worrying climate change and looming fossil energy decline, wouldn’t it be great if we could produce biogas at our homes and burn it as a cooking fuel? Well, it turns out you can. That’s what I’ve been doing in recent months and it’s helped enable our household to completely disconnect from conventional (fossil) gas and... read more

Restoring Paradise through Regenerative Agriculture: A Short Film

Jordan Osmond of Happen films (co-director of A Simpler Way) has just released a new short film on regenerative agriculture, produced in association with the Simplicity Institute. Another uplifting contribution to the movement for change. read more

Composting Loos: A Short Film

Jordan Osmond of Happen Films (co-producer of A Simpler Way) has recently released a short film on composting loos (see below), produced in association with the Simplicity Institute. A fascinating and progressive film by my favourite documentary maker.... read more

Live without Dead Thyme: Photo Tour of Garden

I spent Saturday night under a 100 year old pear tree with David Holmgren, Su Dennett, and a spirited gathering of Victorian permaculturalists, for their annual summer solstice party. Fun and uplifting times. David and Su’s property Melliodora is a genuine permaculture paradise – and an inspiring example of what can be done. My household’s urban homestead doesn’t compare, but over... read more

A revolution disguised as organic gardening: in memory of Bill Mollison

Yesterday I had the following short tribute to Bill Mollison, co-originator of the permaculture concept, published in The Conversation. It is with great sadness that I acknowledge the passing of Bill Mollison on Saturday, September 24 (1928-2016). He was one of the true pioneers of the modern environmental movement, not just in Australia but globally. Best known as co-originator of the “permaculture”... read more
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