Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design - My Portfolio

Some learning journal stuff

5/16/2012

Ok so with the diploma so far I've been working myself up quite a bit and getting rather anxious and stressed about things, and then not really getting much done, and then seeing other people's work and thinking "oh my god their work is so much better than mine I need to step up!", and then getting more worked up, and wondering if I'm even doing things right, and YADA YADA YADA YADA. BORING! Absolutely self defeating cycle of negativity that is not useful in the slightest!

I've got my day flow now from project 3 which is mapping out my day in the aim of becoming more productive. Fantastic! One of the tasks each day is to "Do something I have been avoiding"... such as tackling various projects on the diploma!

I've worked out a nice way to get out of my cycle of negativity - just start doing stuff. In the life design I had done all of the stages up to the Design stage. Before I started the design I was thinking "AHHH HAVE I DONE ENOUGH SO FAR? IS THIS GOOD? IS THIS WHAT IM SUPPOSED TO BE DOING?!" etc. Then I was confused as to what I was even going to design and how I would go about designing it. So I just opened up VUE and started doing stuff. First was a quick brainstorm about whatever came into my head. Then I started a new page and just mapped out a flow diagram of my own take on "getting things done" based on the observations and analysis that I had done so far. Then I figured that, since I work well in structured settings and also since there are loads of things that I want to try and squeeze in - that it would be good to create a flow diagram for my day. And there we have the Day Flow! These are my designs now. Nothing fancy, nothing terribly complex, but if I follow them (as I have been) then they will increase my productivity massively! Which is the whole aim in the first place. Fantastic. So in future when I'm feeling stunted and stuck - JUST DO SOMETHING! Mind maps are handy. Brain splurt.

Moving on to the garden design, and I've been feeling quite stunted on that front too. I'm worried that I haven't made enough observations of the garden to make serious changes. So while I make further observations, I am planting some annuals around the place. This stacks functions, since I'm still learning a lot of the basics about food growing - but also spending plenty of time out in the garden observing whats going on around me. Digging around has taught me lots about the types of soil we have, different pests, weeds etc. All good stuff! Many Permaculturists say you should observe for at least a year before you do a design - so I'm doing this while obtaining a yield of food. Yay!

It seems that I am quite justified in taking this approach, and also that I have had a lapse in my information gathering process! I was out in the garden talking to my mum earlier, when I noticed that we have a well grown hawthorn in one of the sunnier areas of the garden, by the patio. Excitement ensued as I pondered the possibilities of grafting some fruiting stock on, perhaps a medlar. Conveniently, this is the area that I was intending to grow a forest garden - so the established root stock was great news! There is also a crab apple on that section that I will graft onto. This is all great work towards my "Incredible Edible Appleton" guerilla gardening project - as with my newly developed grafting skills I will be able to do some guerilla grafting onto the abundance of local hawthorn and crab apples!

I've also had a block for a while about how on earth I'm going to make raised beds! I've not really done anything of the sort before. I made a bird box recently, and that applying that standard of carpentry to the construction of raised beds is worrying! But anyway, I had the idea of constructing keyhole beds with a cascading path along the slope. It seems good in my head, so I'm going to draw it out to see how it looks on paper.

Ooops! I just had a bright idea to go on justfortheloveofit.com to ask if anyone could give me a hand building raised beds. I ended up sending a rallying call to everyone within 25 miles to come together and start a Transition Town movement! EPIC!

So that's things for the moment. I sort of got distracted.

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Times are moving fast!

3/28/2012

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Lots has happened...

I've got a job! Had an assessment yesterday, and I have been offered a job with The Bushcraft Company! This is really exciting, as bushcraft is something I have been really interested in since I was about 11. The idea that I'm going to get paid to live out in the woods and teach my hobby is something I still haven't fully come to terms with!!

I taught on a Permaculture Design Course! I had a fantastic two weeks, and really came to appreciate how valuable these courses are. The students all left with their minds brimming with solutions to many of the worlds problems! Here is a write up of my lesson on Applying Permaculture to Business and Economics.

I started a blog style website (linked to above) that I hope will inspire people to really take Permaculture beyond the back garden, and make some real change in the world! It is still developing at the moment - but check it out and share on facebook/twitter/whatever if you would be so kind!

I have been offered a place on the Appleton Millenium Green Association, a community organisation that manages a large open green space in my area. This is part of my effort to get more involved in the local community, and is a step towards creating and Incredible Edible Appleton!

So things are going pretty well for me at the moment.

Checking in on my diploma progress, and I don't feel that I am "up to speed". However, when I look back to my goals articulations on my Diploma Pathway project, I guess that things are unfolding well in terms of meeting my objectives. I need to crank out more design work though. I'm still yet to draw an actual design for the garden - my fear and self doubt of my abilities is holding me back!

Times are good. Spring is here. It makes me feel alive.

The Universe is unfolding as it should :)

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Belated Happy New Year!

1/17/2012

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Happy 2012! My motto for the year is "Change the World or Die Mayan!" which I feel is a greater call to action than New Years Resolutions, which I see as transient and ineffective. I do have some goals and visions for the year, which I shall cover briefly now.

Save up and move to Thailand for a year
There is an awesome Permaculture project called Panya. Here is their website. I know a few people who have lived there previously and they had a great time. The great people at Panya have said I can go and live there for a year, when there is space to accommodate me. This will give me time to save up for all of the costs such as travel, health insurance, etc.

I am very excited about this opportunity to live and learn Permaculture in a tropical paradise! I am currently working in a job that I don't really like in order to save up - but my goal pulls me through the tough days! This is why they aren't New Years Resolutions - I see NYR's as something negative, where you have to avoid doing something and have little motivation. My goals for the year are positive drivers in my life which motivate me on multiple levels.

Develop a brand and gain experience
I am an entrepreneur. I have been advised by family and friends that I should get a job in a related area and gain experience before I start my own business. After trying this a few times, and being rejected for lack of experience, I seek to turn this advice on its head: I should start my own business to gain experience so that I can get a job in a related area. This will take hard work, but the reward will be satisfying and meaningful work that makes a real positive impact.

Be healthy and vibrant
It's really starting to sound like a New Years Resolution now! But I beg to differ. Most people go on a "diet" and have to avoid eating the food they love. Or they join the gym for a few weeks before giving up. Again I shall draw my distinction - NYR's are painful, my 2012 goals are bursting with pleasure.

I am not going on a diet - I am eating healthy and delicious food. Unhealthy snacks and sweets reduce my energy levels, whereas tasty and nutritious snacks like fruit and nuts make me feel vibrant and energetic. I am highly motivated to keep this up!

I am exercising in ways that I enjoy. I do pressups and pullups in the mornings, and gain satisfaction from improved strength and muscle tone. I play 5-aside football every week with friends, which is loads of fun and one heck of a workout! I also do Yoga, which is great for my strength and flexibility, whilst making me feel absolutely fantastic!

If you don't like being healthy, you are doing it wrong.

Make this year the best and most eventful so far!

There is a lot more that I am doing, have done, and will do this year. In the 17 days of 2012 I have already joined the Green Party and the Rifle Club (both of which I have wanted to do for years). I intend to join more associations relevant to my interests. I am going to take courses and lessons to develop my skills, such as a wild mushroom foraging course. I will attend trade fairs and events such as the Bushcraft festival. There is still so much more left unsaid!

This year will be epic.

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Diploma Output 1 Completed, and Groundwork Placement Coming to End

11/2/2011

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After a fantastic three months working for Groundwork, my placement is coming to an end. And a few weeks ago, I completed my Diploma Pathway. This is going to be a bit of an action learning review of the two, plus a little bit of whats going on currently.

I shall start with my Groundwork placement. Overall, it went really well! I have developed many new skills, from practical countryside skills such as path laying and drainage; to project management and bid writing. I have attended a range of training courses such as Volunteer Management and Income Development. A couple of weeks ago I attended the North West Social Enterprise Trade Fair as a Groundwork delegate, where I met a lot of inspiring social entrepreneurs, as well as forging some links with Bank Managers.

My largest area for improvement lies in improving my time management and overcoming procrastination! Despite this, my project officer was very happy with the work that I completed, and today I received a glowing final report. It was also brought to my attention that I have been branded 'Perfect Pete' in the office!

I developed a 'Truck Farm' workshop, involving driving a truck filled with compost around the estate and teaching residents how to grow their own vegetables! The council are very keen to fund it! So things aren't completely over with Groundwork, as I will be returning to conduct this workshop and tie up a few loose ends.

Moving on to Diploma Output 1 - the Diploma Pathway. I suppose to some extent, writing this is kind of procrastinating in the sense that I could be updating the output! There are a few things that I want to tweak and improve on. I am going to include a section with a brief description of each project, as I am aware that anyone else looking at my project mind map probably wont have a clue what half of them could be! I have also done a new and improved project mind map, that explores the potential inter-relationships between different projects. This will help inform the reordering of my project pathway.

Feedback from Richard, my Tutor, and the Peer Review from Bethany will be uploaded into an appendix section on the project.

Back to the present. I am now full on unemployed! I had an utterly ridiculous encounter with Jobseeker's the other week, which included them telling me there aren't any jobs in environmental, community, or third sector work (there are), and that I should instead apply for work at supermarkets. Your tax money kindly funded a half hour session in which an ambitious graduate was told that he should dump all aspirations and stack shelves at Tesco. Fantastic!

Next steps going forward, I have plenty of time now to work on the design of my back garden! Pretty excited about this, having wanted to do it for a few years and now have parents approval! And then in January, I am quite seriously considering going to live in a caravan on a farm for 6 months! I went on Saturday to meet the owner, and I think it would be a good opportunity to develop a lot of really useful skills. Here is the link to the farm website. It's a great place with great people and a great vision!

Some other good news, I have found two apple trees nearby! One is just past the end of my street, and I am surprised I have never noticed it before. The other is about 5 minutes walk away. I coppiced a big stick the other day, and I'm going apple picking in the coming days!

All in all, life is going great! I'm not letting stuff like the JobCentre crush my optimism. It's all just part of the journey :)

Thanks for reading my website and blog!

Big Love

Pete

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Groundwork Placement Update

9/13/2011

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Hello!

I'm really happy to be doing this placement. On Mondays, we do conservation work on a nature site called "Boarshaw Clough". This Monday we were hacking back brambles, honeysuckle, wild rose and the occasional tree branch that had eaten up one of the footpaths. It's pretty fun when you get into the swing of things. After all this windy weather, and witnessing a tree branch snap off, we were a bit worried about working in the woods... But all was ok in the end! One thing, large sections of the site are SWAMPED in Himalayan Balsam. Does anyone know any novel ways of getting rid of it, or even better using it?

On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays I work on my project. I've been super lucky to land myself a community garden and allotment project, something that I'm really interested in! I'm gaining loads of really useful experience from it. Last week I was drawing up a cost sheet for the project, which involved working out quantities of materials required, then calling up various suppliers to get quotes, before collating all of this information into a client friendly document. All in all - a highly beneficial learning activity for a budding Permaculture Designer!

My stated objective for the internship is to secure grant funding to develop the project and I am pushing hard to get as much experience out of this as possible! I am going to be spending some time with the Landscape Architects who are designing the site to get an insight into their professional design methods. I will gain experience in developing a social media campaign, as I have applied the project to the NatWest CommunityForce Competition, which will require me to generate publicity and inspire people to vote for the project to win £6000. (Details of how to get involved in a later post) I will also conduct a community wide consultation, treating everyone as a unique stakeholder and client, to try and maximise the range of needs that the project will meet. The bid-writing process itself will be a very useful process to master, and may later fund projects of my own.

There is an emerging opportunity to begin a social enterprise to ensure that this project can maximise its beneficial impact on the community. The site, with mixed woodland and grassland, is located within a deprived estate. Empowering residents with a supportive space to grow fruit and veg, whilst growing their skills and community is something I am really passionate about. An even bigger challenge is to engage the youngsters of the estate with outdoor activities such as bushcraft and horticulture, to help realise their innate potential and create opportunity in their life. This is all just the seed of an idea at the moment, but who knows, I might end up building myself a job!

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In the beginning...

8/27/2011

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Never before have I had such a sense of momentum in my life...

In June, only a few days after completing my BSc (Hons) in Politics and Economics, I was on a train down to Norfolk to begin the next stage of my life... an unforgettable two week Permaculture Design Course, followed by a week long internship. The next day, I was back on a train up to Old Sleningford Farm in Yorkshire, to spend a week working on their self reliant smallholding with a super-abundant food forest!

Next, was a two week long holiday to Tuscany, Italy with my family. Two hours after arriving back in England, and I am back on the road to York for a two day orientation; the beginning of my Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design. This is immediately followed with a two day conservation residential in the Peak District; beginning my three month placement with Community and Environmental Charity "Groundwork".

Just over a week later, and I am creating my website to document my progress.

I may include more detail about the last couple of months in later entries... but I feel there is too much to include right now! In summary, I am eternally grateful for everything that has happened. The synergistic nature of all these events, and the way that they have all tied together chronologically, has created such a momentum that I feel virtually unstoppable right now! Day by day I am becoming the change that I want to see in the world, feeling more and more empowered and realising my inner potential.

To everybody that I have met in these last few months: thankyou! Each of you have played your own unique role, and collectively you have all been truly inspirational and I am so happy to have met you all. I look forward to nurturing these friendships as we move forward in our lives.

Love, light and unity,

Pete

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Some learning journal stuff

Times are moving fast!

Belated Happy New Year!

Diploma Output 1 Completed, and Groundwork Placement Coming to End

Groundwork Placement Update

In the beginning...

Pete Kennedy

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