Permaculture and Rainwater Harvesting Study Circle Journal

Greetings, The Core Members of the TM Water Working Group have invited all interested participants to a 3-month study circle that is focused on rainwater harvesting and how it relates to permaculture concepts.

The event begins at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 13, at the Pink House, 601 East Wright Street. We will be discussing Bill Mollison's Permaculture Designer's Manual. On Jan 27, the water group will be discussing material from
Brad Landcaster's Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond, Volume
1: Guiding Principles to Welcome Rain into Your Life and Landscape. ( http://www.harvestingrainwater.com/.) The study circles will continue on Jan. 27; Feb. 10 and 24; March 10 and 24 at the same location and time. We request that all interested participants send an RSVP before attending to Christopher402@gmail.com.

A diverse group of 15 participants have signed up for the discussion, Transition members from Waukesha, Wauwatosa, West Bend, Bay View, Riverwest, Milwaukee, East Side, and South Milwaukee. We would like to see more people join us. We hope to have an excellent conversation during the study circle, but are time will be limited. I have created this space to make sure everyone has an opportunity to voice their opinion. I hope you all will feel comfortable expressing your views and asking questions while reading the material. Here are a few questions to ponder and answer.

What value are you discovering in permaculture and rainwater harvesting principles and practices?

What concerns do you have about implementing whole system designs at your home, business or city?

How did the shared discussions and readings increase your personal sense of self-reliance?
Do the readings inspire you to implement whole-system water and soil solutions, adding more local resilience within your community? In what way?

Look forward to reading your comments, Chris Terbrueggen, Core Member of the Water Working Group

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Permalink Reply by Barbara Richards on January 28, 2011 at 10:02am

On January 27, 2011 fourteen participants gathered at the Pink House for a potluck supper, networking and discussion of the Introduction and Chapter One of Brad Lancaster's Rainwater Harvesting Vol I. Our discussion string of what participants gleaned from the reading follows:

Abundance/ scarcity: We often speak more of the latter when what our focus needs to be is the former.

Gray water: The practical how and the why - harvest for garden use?

Cisterns: experiences, wishes, hesitations

Watershed: the big picture Are we harvesting or hoarding?

Design.......for urban

.......for rural

need a slow approach....plant water...look for fruition

Mr. Phiri: "rhyme with nature" We have so often been separate from nature.

Individual effort vis a vis MMSD and laterals

Control water to use it: or free it up to flow through our space to others. Not necessarily opposed. How do you envision it?

Agriculture...........needs conscious evolutionary effort to become......Permaculture

.................CLIMATE.................

That on which all the rest balances

We were well fed and supplied much encouragement and offers of assistance to our co-participants.

Next Gathering: Feb 10, 6:30 Pink House 601 E Wright: Read Chapter Five, Bill Mollison's Permaculture: A Designer's Manual: contact core team for assistance in accessing. All are welcome (psst.... you can even attend if you haven't read...food and encouragement! ...sustenance for the C journey ahead ).

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Permalink Reply by Chris Terbrueggen on January 31, 2011 at 10:34pm

Thanks Barbara for posting these study circle ideas. I plan to write a journal entry on the paradigm shift between scarcity and abundance very soon. I wanted to clarify one point you made. These study circle's are meant to be content-driven discussions. We really want participants to read the material before attending the study circle. Look forward to seeing everyone at the next study circle. Chris

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Permalink Reply by Neal Styka on February 2, 2011 at 8:07pm

On Thursday we talked about steps the City and MMSD are taking to promote infiltration and reduce water runoff issues. I just got in my email today a pretty good article about it and I am still looking into how to keep these basins clean and what they do to filter out toxins from surface water runoff from parking lots and roads.

Neal

http://www.waterworld.com/index/display/article-display/3836371838/...