2. 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
3. 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
4. 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
5. 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)
6. 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
7. Ecosystem Services:
Pulling Needed Minerals
Perennial and Annual Food Production takes place
within this system
There 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
8. 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
9. Image of Design
I 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
