Tag Archives: sustainability

Letter to the White House for “Advise the Advisor”

This is the long version of my response to today’s prompt on Advise the Advisor, which is about innovation: Innovation doesn’t just happen in the world of the Internet. The biggest need for American innovation exists in some of the … Continue reading

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Selecting Species for Coppice Firewood

With all the snowstorms blanketing much of the US right now, I feel a bit guilty that I’m still visiting family in Florida, where I grew up and where it is a cool 72ºF/22ºC outside.  On top of that I’m … Continue reading

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Introduction to Permaculture Course

Just a short note to say I’m very pleased with the students in my introduction to permaculture course at New College of Florida this January. As so often happens in permaculture learning encounters, I learned as much from them as … Continue reading

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Evolution, resilience, and building “antifragile” systems

Via Ran Prieur, I’ve been directed to this post by Professor Nassim Taleb introducing the concept of “antifragility”—the property of systems to flourish in circumstances of disorder. In summary, it suggests that the opposite of fragility, the tendency to collapse … Continue reading

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Sustainability must include resilience

Sustainability — Of systems, practices, processes, or cultures, that which can be continued indefinitely without destroying the foundation of its own existence. Antonym: suicide. Resilience — adj. Of systems, practices, processes, or cultures, the ability to adapt creatively to a … Continue reading

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