I’m Ross Mars from Western Australia. I’m a permaculture educator and author, having written The Basics of Permaculture Design. I’ve been doing practical permaculture for decades and now it’s time to put it all in a new book, Permaculture Practices.
Authors need proofreaders to correct typos and delinquent grammar, and to comment on what they read. That’s why I’m requesting your assistance in joining this participatory proofreading offer.
The offer
Publishing runs to deadlines. I plan to email the chapters to you in early January and it is critical that you return them by the end of the month.
In return, I offer to mention your name in the book’s acknowledgements and to offer you a copy of the new book at 50 percent discount. I will post anywhere in the world free of charge.
Here’s how it works…
Take a look at the chapter descriptions that follow, then email me your preference list, in order, of any three chapters you would like to proofread. List your favourite first.
You may only get one chapter, however, and it may not be the favourite you listed.
Chapters will be sent to you in early January, but if you take this on, you must commit to returning it by the end of January so I can stick with the publishing schedule.
Chapters usually have the theme of ‘top ten’ and can be anywhere from six to 16 pages in length.
Here are the chapter details…
Permaculture Practices
A resource book of skills, strategies and techniques for the transition to a sustainable world.
Dr Ross Mars. Illustrations: Simone Willis
Contents
1 Setting the scene
What is changing? Is there a problem? Climate change. Peak oil. Food security.
2 Sustainable living practices
Sustainability. Permaculture: designing for a sustainable future. Permaculture design fundamentals.
3 Planning a garden
Ecological principles. How ecosystems work. The design process. Designing for others. Implementation schedule. Sharing the surplus, thriving and surviving.
4 Getting the soil right
What is soil. Compost making. Soil amendments. Mulch. Green manure crops. Fermented fertilisers. Weeds as indicators of soil conditions. Simple soil tests.
5 Edible food plants
Top 10 vegetables. Top 10 garden fruit salads.
6 Fruit and nut trees
Dryland fruit and nut trees. Cool climate fruit and nut trees Warm humid climate fruit and nut trees. Some other considerations about fruit and nut trees.
7. Heavenly herbs
Herbs we use in cooking. Herbal teas. Pest repellent herbs. A herb medical cabinet.
8 Other useful plants
Dryland. Cool climate. Warm humid climate.
9. Fodder and forage shrubs and trees for farm animals
Dryland plants. Cool climate plants. Warm humid climate plants.
10 All about water
Saving water in the home. Water conservation. Irrigation practices. Greywater reuse. Rainwater harvesting. Integration of water systems. On-site domestic wastewater systems. Water in the landscape.
11 Strategies for rural properties
Organic farming. Biodynamic farming. Holistic management. Cell grazing. Polyface. Natural sequence farming. Pasture cropping. Keyline cultivation. Regenerative agriculture. Other aspects of farming.
12 Strategies for small spaces
Inside the house. Outside the house. External living areas, External garden areas.
13 Hand tools
PPE and general work clothing. 10 Basic hand tools. Handyperson set of 10 tools. Supplementary set of 10 tools. 10 Basic garden hand tools. 10 Handyperson garden tools.
14 Foods you can easily make at home
Simple foods to make. Others to try. 10 Fermented foods. Preserving your foods.
15 It’s Energy that matters
Energy-efficient housing. Embodied energy. Active solar systems. Energy generation. Saving and reducing energy.
16 Forgotten skills
10 simple skills (knots, splitting bamboo, making paper, weaving etc).
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