Civilization Made Anew
| Current Issue | Resolution | Specific Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Monoculture Reason: high densities of a single plant type leads to competition for soil nutrients |
Polyculture Reason: unity in diversity; each plant contributing constructively; all existing in complement |
• Companion Planting [e.g.: 1, 2] • Crop Rotation [e.g.: 1, 2] |
| Chemical Fertilizers Reason: having the minimum amount of nutrients available produces weak and unhealthy plants susceptible to "pests" |
Enriching Soil Reason: having the maximum amount of nutrients available produces healthy and hearty plants able to protect themselves |
• Hot Composting • Cold Composting • Mycorrhizal Inoculation • Rock Flour • "Nightsoil" from Smoldering |
| Pesticides / Herbicides / Fungicides Reason: contributes toxins to the environment and poisons groundwater supply; indiscriminately kills helpful organisms |
Constructive Alternatives Reason: non-toxic; using insects and animals to help; etc. |
• Bee Keeping • Butterfly Gardening • Fukuoka Method • Aigamo Method • Various "Organic" Approaches • Hot Water Seed Treatment |
| GMO Hybrids Reason: artificially limits the continuation of crop by making "seedless" varieties |
Heirloom Seeds Reason: seeds allow for continuation |
|
| Planting In Rows Reason: inefficient use of water and soil; instability of root structure |
Planting On Contours (In Arcs, Circles, & Spirals) Reason: maximizes water and soil use; plants physically support one another in high wind |
• Circle Gardening • Permaculture Herb Spirals |
| Irrigation Reason: may be a waste of water (i.e.: taking away from water table) when it isn't necessary |
Efficient Water Usage Reason: increases or stabilizes groundwater supply |
• Rainwater Harvesting • Greywater Recycling • Dry Farming |
| Seasonal Growing Reason: must rely completely on preservation during winter |
Year-Around Crops Reason: produces a surplus of food; creates more secure food sources |
• Greenhouses + Insulation and/or Hot Composting for Temperature Control |
...You begin to walk through your house. Slowly, systematically, you are going to look at every single item in every single room, from the light switch to the chair to each individual book on the bookcase, the TV remote, the bathroom vanity and the toothbrush holder on it. Everything.I think it is possible to extend this approach beyond simple devices, such as the building of computers. We have to become conscious of how all things are made, the impacts that they are having on ourselves and the environment, and so on. And we are going to have to channel all of it towards true sustainability soon if we want to avoid complete social disintegration and ecological collapse.
As you are looking at the things you own, you are asking these questions:
• What is it made from?
• Where was it made?
• How was it made?
• Who made it?
• How did it get to me?
[...]
The world we live in today is immensely materially complex. It is virtually impossible for most people to row backwards up the provenance stream of most of the things that we own, use, and rely on every day. Food. Water. Shelter. Clothing. Much less the thousands of other things we have added in to the mix.
[...]
Since the industrial revolution, the discovery of petroleum as a fuel source, the invention of plastic, the computer, electricity and electronic communications, so on, life has become explosively and exponentially more materially complex.
By necessity, this means that we have become increasingly detached from the objects that we own and use. The difficulties that have come out of this mode of materialism are numerous and well known. I've heard the phrase "throw-away culture" more times than I can count. Sweatshops, conscripted labor, child labor, waste, pollution - and on and on. But aside from the known and named problems, I have heard many people express a sense of "wrongness" that is sometimes difficult to pin down.
The question is: what do we need to change about modern materialism? And how?
[...]
...Even though most of us really don’t have a solid idea of what life was like at any time prior to, say, the mid 20th century, intuitively we know that it was "simpler," at least in the material sense. But what does that mean, exactly?
Take another look at the objects in your home. For each object, ask yourself the question:
Could this be made by an individual or a small shop, with relatively simple tools and materials that are reasonably accessible to the average person?
The obvious answer for many of the items will be "No." A television, a microwave oven, a cell phone - all of these require sophisticated machinery and materials that are beyond the scope of anyone or anything but a large factory. Others will be an obvious “yes”: bookshelves, most furniture, tableware, and so on. Some will fall in between: what about a cooking stove? Fine cloth? Books?
When you stop and think about it, it's a little astounding to remember that less than 150 years ago, nearly everything that people needed and wanted was made in small workshops, by skilled craftsmen using tools, techniques, and materials that were for the most part within the reach of the average person.
[...]
Today, we are in a fantastic position to look to the past and retrieve centuries-old principles, refine them with modern knowledge, to make a better more satisfying and beautiful future.
Using natural resources from the world is an absolute necessity, you can't get away from it. Additionally, everything you do is going to have an impact, period. But I believe that this is not solely a necessary evil - I believe it can actually be a good thing. Working closely with raw materials of the natural world has the potential to connect a person more closely to the natural world. Making things for use by our friends and neighbors can create connections between us. Exchange among communities creates a bond. These are all good things.