The legendary diploma presentation
At the end of the diploma process, Frederica, who was the 2nd mentor, asked me what I had learned. Jan, who was the 1st mentor, thought I should talk about anything, preferably something I wanted to talk about at the diploma presentation and preferably Jan wanted me to talk about the tools (hacksaw and axes). The tools that I wrote about in the diploma thesis do not interest me, so I made a summary of where I stood after the diploma process.
Originally, I had planned to use a blackboard and chalk for the presentation, but suddenly I see that it will not work in the 20 minutes allotted. It turns out that I make drawings that are shown as slides. The reception was so-so, the highlight was when an African exclaimed; Amen, after the launch of the 4-element design system.
This is a work that I have spent a few hours on the last few days before the presentation, and would like to make more of it later. I see now that there is a lot of material to take in in 20 minutes.
Summary here and now:
Before the presentation, I collected Bill Mollison quotes, and one of them, is that permaculture is about the continued human occupation of the planet. For me, that quote means a lot in a larger perspective, but it was certainly not equally popular with everyone. The starting point for the thesis is to keep the planet alive. What we see now is that Mother Earth has caught a fever, and we must take action if the fever is to go down. The reason lies in our Western culture's values and thought patterns. Permaculture has become a culture with a design system for weaving a sustainable existence. In the presentation, I look at movement from one culture to another.
The diploma process itself did not go as expected, seen through the eyes of Western culture. It went as it should, otherwise I would not be where I am today. The development from the PDC - thesis to the diploma thesis is not impressive. I had imagined a time of innovation and testing of inventions and new techniques, but it stood still. Why did it stand still? What did I not understand? The diploma process has given me a basis for further work. What has come to be at the end and after the diploma process is; the four elements design system, water systems and carbon, the heating system in the greenhouse and the urinary system. I also defined permaculture with the phrase; "Permaculture is a design system for weaving a sustainable existence".
In the early 1980s I was part of a group of freethinkers who used social economics as a tool for analyzing and managing society. The models are not exact, but rather a tool for understanding the machinery of society. The analysis and management tool provides an understanding of power structures and shows the direction in which society is moving. Therefore, it was natural for me to set up some simple models to show how I think.
The first drawing shows the development spiral on the time axis. It shows the factors that influence development and make the spiral go around. It shows how I push the spiral with my professional and life experience. I describe this more on the 2nd sheet.
A pagan / shamanistic experience makes me believe that there may be something subtle that will influence us to get in touch with nature, and steer development in a regenerative direction. My shaman teacher Ailo Gaup called it "the big plan", and can be compared to fate.
To build a permaculture farm requires work and energy. There is a connection between work, energy, and capital. Capital is also a necessary factor and I look at different forms of capital on the 3rd sheet.
My pedagogy is based on the fact that all people have knowledge, and the art is to extract it from the inherent knowledge. We weave together our experiences and knowledge that make us the person we are. Permaculture tools are the loom, that weaves our existing knowledge into a sustainable design.
Dag's pedagogical principle: "First you repair the foundation, then you build on".
Since I have a pagan/shamanistic background, I have experienced that there is a non-physical existence, and a non-physical knowledge. Bill Mollison was inspired by indigenous peoples, and the ethical sentences taken from indigenous peoples who also have spiritual knowledge.
I choose to make a consideration where physical knowledge (spiritual knowledge) does not exist, and put that form of knowledge at the top of the diagram on sheet 4. At the bottom of the diagram I put exact scientific knowledge. My claim is that we move between these extremes. Feelings, experiences, values make us move around in areas. I would like to be aware of which areas I use when I do design.
The 2nd sheet deals with life experience, which is the basis for moving forward. Knowledge is woven together with new insights to be able to create new designs.
The 3rd sheet takes capital as a common means of manifesting a design. There are forms of capital that are resource-intensive, and forms of capital that are regenerative.
Capital gives a position in society, depending on which culture one is in.
On the left side of the sheet I have listed resource-intensive forms of capital that are part of today's culture. On the right side of the sheet I have listed regenerative forms of capital.
A sustainable culture must move from using resource-intensive capital to using regenerative capital. In a transitional period, challenges arise across cultures and value systems regarding the forms of capital.
Capital does work – work gives capital
The 4th sheet shows the path from a resource-intensive capitalist industrial society to a regenerative, natural society. We want a society with a culture and values that are sustainable, but along the way I have to make compromises to move forward.
The vertical axis shows physical and non-physical science, and the horizontal axis illustrates development.
What happens when we approach a natural society is that the need for science and spirituality will decrease.
Today, large resources are spent on technology that is not necessary for a nature-based existence. In a nature-based society, a competence is used that lies between spiritual and exact competence. The need for spiritual competence will also decrease, because it is part of nature.
The 4-elements design system
The 4-element design system is a design tool for recreating the nature's system in our growing systems.
Swales in Nordic climate?
I believe in swales because we need to think about what is happening underground the clay layer must be kept moist for the roots of the trees to establish themselves there. The large roots will open up for the roots of smaller plants.
Well...with the knowledge I will go out into the fresh air and use the manual tools that I did not want to talk about.