Facilitators-Handbook-For-Permaculture

46 Facilitator’s Handbook for Permaculture Workshops

Presentation : Introduction to sustainability

Method : Facilitator presentation, participatory brainstorm

Tools : Handout ‘Chain of Chemical Pesticides’ - PC Book CH 9 - IPM

White or black board and writing implements

References : PC Book CH 1 - What is Permaculture?

Objective : Participants understand the concepts of sustainable and unsustainable

Sustainability refers to objects, actions, events, people, and places, anything at all.

If something is sustainable it means that it, or its effect, last a long time into the

future and retains or even improves ins quality over time.

If something is unsustainable it means that it, or its effect, will not last a long time

and it will create degradation and even destruction.

Our actions affect land, air, water, and people in our environment. Sustainable actions

create positive developments. Unsustainable actions cause damage.

When deciding if something is sustainable or unsustainable, both the short-

term and long-term effects need to be considered. Long-term means what effect

the action will create after 5, 10, 50, and 100 years and even further into the future.

Do a group brainstorm with the participants. On the board create a table something like

the following; leave the answers to the questions blank so that the participants come up

with their own ideas. The answers listed here are only supplied for the facilitator if the

participants need help for prompting ideas and discussions.

Compare the effects of a natural pesticide and a chemical pesticide, then

decide together which one is sustainable and which one is unsustainable.

FAC

ILITATOR

PR
ESEN
TATIO

N