![]() You would be shocked at the energy wastefulness of the average home, the average city, and the average person. Energy is not infinite. The sun is not always up to give its heat, it isn’t always raining, and food is not always ready for harvesting. There is a limited amount of energy provided at any one time and if we are going to be clever, we need to catch whatever comes our way and keep it there. No use catching a fish if you toss it back. No use complaining about drought when you let all your rain wash away when you get it. No use complaining about hunger when you don’t preserve your harvest when you have it. Much of permaculture is catching and storing some type of energy, particularly water. In some areas, this is more critical than others, but when it comes to growing food, you’re largest limiting factor is water. Decomposition needs a certain amount of water, so without water you cannot build soil. Swales, keyline systems, and mulching are all methods of catching and storing water. Swales slow water down so it can soak more into the soil and reduce erosion. Keyline moves water throughout a landscape for optimal absorption and use. Mulching prevents evaporation seen on barren soil. You can catch and store sunlight with plants by creating “suntraps.” In cold climates, this is particularly beneficial because it creates areas that are able to use more sunlight and keep it there for a longer period of time. Passive solar greenhouses do this as well. They catch sunlight and store the heat in thermal mass that slowly releases the heat over time. Rocket stoves trap heat from burning wood in brick or cob structures, like benches, that also function as thermal mass. If you have an energy source, find out how you can catch it, store it, and use it in as many ways as possible before it is gone. This is practicality. When you get a job, you have a salary, and that salary only goes so far. It makes complete sense to make those dollars you earned go as far as you possibly can. In the long run, you’ll be richer for it, and not as reliant on outside energies. Heat, water, and soil are like money. If you think of it that way, you will hesitate to be as wasteful with it as you were before. You will look at water running down a street and cry at the waste. Cheese is an example of catching and storing energy. Milk is one of the more perishable food items that will come into your homestead. Cheese is one of the best ways to take that milk and store it in a stable form for future use. Practicality at its tastiest. You may not have milk in winter, or when the cow is dry, but you will have the cheese. Catch the energy when you have it and later you can use it when you need it. Comments are closed.
|
Rebecca Burrow
I am a Christian permie designer trying to spread the word about Christian land stewardship through permaculture. I like goats a lot. Maaaaaaaah. Archives
September 2016
Categories
|
Burrow Permaculture Consulting | Permie Blog |