The Flywire House: A case study in design against bushfire (Free e-book)

Originally published in 1991, this classic book has been reissued as a free download as a contribution to the rebuilding of communities devastated by the ‘Black Saturday’ bushfires (Feb 7th 2009) in Victoria, Australia.
In 1983 permaculture co-originator David Holmgren responded to the tragic Ash Wednesday fires with a project called the Flywire House. The case [...]

Read Full Post »

Rudolf Steiner e-books – The Birth Of The Biodynamic Method & The Philosophy of Freedom

The Birth Of The Biodynamic Method – Agriculture Course – The Birth Of The Biodynamic Method
The Philosophy of Freedom – The Basis for a Modern World Conception – By Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner (Wikipedia)  - Biodynamic farming & gardening

Read Full Post »

15 Must-Read Books That Will Forever Change How You See the World

Some say print books are passé, but I still like curling up on the couch with a mind-expanding read. Here are my top picks for ecological and sustainable reading.
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things byWilliam McDonough & Michael Braungart. Why settle for a throwaway culture? This book inspires elegant design solutions, stating [...]

Read Full Post »

Learn Permaculture 101 in Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture

Hemenway’s 14 Principles of Permaculture

Observe. Use protracted and thoughtful observation rather than prolonged and thoughtless action. Observe the site and its elements in all seasons. Design for specific sites, clients, and cultures.
Connect. Use relative location, that is, place the elements of your design in ways that create useful relationships and time-saving connections among all parts. [...]

Read Full Post »

A Pattern Language

Summary of a book by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein, with Max Jacobson, Ingrid Fiksdahl-King and Shlomo Angel. Published by Oxford University Press.
The original book contains much essential detail behind each of the following patterns and is recommended reading.

Source
Thanks @leonardbarrett

Read Full Post »

Manifesto on climate change and the future of food security

I just read the Manifesto on climate change and the future of food security
It is an amazing document that addresses many of the issues facing our world as climate destabilizes and globalized food networks are threatened by drought, soil loss and social injustice. It is a great step forward in creating the potential for localized resilient food [...]

Read Full Post »

Small farms library – online ebooks

Please note that some of these files are quite large and may take a while to download.
The Soil and Health

An Agricultural Testament by Sir Albert Howard — the works of Sir Albert Howard
The Waste Products of Agriculture — Their Utilization as Humus by Albert Howard and Yeshwant D. Wad
Farming and Gardening for Health or [...]

Read Full Post »

Transition Handbook

The systems and institutions we rely on for survival are at risk of massive failure.
Peace, justice and sustainability demand completely new systems of economics and governance and if humanity is going to survive we must create them. Those who benefit most from the present system are not going to do this for us.
We must work [...]

Read Full Post »

KitchenGardenGuide.com Free e-Book

Part 1 – How to Plan and Prepare Your Garden (2.6 MB)
From where to locate your vegetable garden, to how to draw a garden plan, to how to improve your soil, to how to build hot beds and cold frames, to how to select seeds, you’ll learn all of the steps necessary to get a great [...]

Read Full Post »