Energy and Permaculture

Join David MacLeod: A David Holmgren essay that I have been authorized to summarize in a powerpoint presentation.
The sustainability debate has shown a deep confusion about the processes
and systems which support life and humanity. The lack of conceptual tools
to incorporate previously ignored environmental “givens” into calculations
used by economists and decision makers is painfully obvious. There are no
simple answers to the complex question of costs, benefits, and
sustainability. However, there is a natural currency we can use to measure
our interdependence on our environment and assist us to make sensible
decisions about current and future action.
That currency is energy.
This presentation summarizes the important contribution of pioneering systems ecologist Howard T. Odum on the development of permaculture principles and the role of energy that should be considered in all processes.