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solid iludge led lo worms, which eonveri ii in rich
hordelillural WIL Founh|yr ihe wanM lhemselvls oan
beusedloleed hahorpouliry,
llireh siaies six principles oi nalural sysleois.
I. -Nolhing ui namre grows loiever -
mereisalonslam cycle oldeeay and rebiriiii
z ~Cernlinualron oiliie depends on ihe rnainrenariee oi
ihe global biosgeoehernieal eysles oi esienlral ele-
menls, in panreular carbon. oxygen, nllrogen, sulphur,
and phosphorus,
mm we need lo eyele ihese and olher mlnor
nulr nls lo slrmulrle growlh, and is keep ihe
amiosprrere and walers o1 earrh unpolluoed l
3. "Die probabiliry or exlrncrion o1 populalions or a
species is grealesl when ihe densiry ii very high or
very 10w,"
lboih crowding and loo iew individuals oi a
species may resull in reaching lhresholds oi
exiinelieni
a, The chance ihal species have lo survive and
reproduce is dependenl prlmanly upon one or rwo key
lesions in ille complex web oi relarrons oi ihe organism
la ils environmen -
lli we can deieianme whai ihese eddeal [mars are,
we can exclude, by design some lilaullng laciors,
eg. lrosr, and increase orhers, e g shelter, nesi
silesl
5. Our abiliry lo drange ihe tree bl ihe eanh inereases
or a lasier rare lilan our abiliiy lo loresee the
eonsequenee oi such ehange:
lHence rho lolly ol desiroying lile syslems lor
shon-ienn prolir.l
rig organisms are mil only means bul ends ln
lo lheir inslrumenlal value lo humans and
olher ving organisms, iheyliave aniriirins wonh-
mus is ihe lr/e ruin lhesrs so ollen missing lroiai
oiherwise flhlnl sysiems.)
Allhnngh ihese principles are basic and inescapable.
wlrar we as designers have lo deal wiih is survival on a
pilmculir sire, here and now Thus, we rnusl siudy
whenler lire resourves and energy consumed can be
derived iiom renewable or non—renewable resourees,
and how non—renewable resollrees can besa be used in
conserve and generale energy in living lrenewablel
syslems Famnulely lor us, ihe long-leern energy
derived from lire sun is available on earlh, and can be
used lo renew our resources illilerysielais are oarehllly
eonsiruned and preserved.
'niere are lhur several praerical design eonsidera-
lions lo observe
- The sysiems we eonslrusi should lasi as long as
possible, and lake leasl rnainlenaiiee.
. Th5: sysrems, hreled by the sun, should produce
nol only lhelr own needs, bur «he needs oi ihe people
clearing or cenrrolling rheln. 1hus, lhey are susrarn-
able, as ihey susrarn boih lbeniselves and ihose who
what! lherri.
- We can use energy lo conslruel irreso syslerns,
providing lhal in iheir lilelmie, mey slore or eonserve
more energy lhan we use in eonslruer rhem or lo
mamiain lhern.
nre lollowlng are some design prineiples lhar have
been drslilled ior “x in pennaeullure-
l. WORK wmi NATURE, RATHER THAN
AGAINST rr. We can assisl Ill-her lhan impede narural
elernene, nines, pressures, processes, agencies, and
evoluiions ln namral sureessions, grasses slowly give
way io shrubs, which evenmally give way lo liees We
can aclively assrsl (his nalural succession nol by
slashing oiil weeds and pioneers, Inn by using iliem lo
provide microclimale, nulrienis, and wind proleerron
lor ihe exolle or naiive speeaes we wanl |o eslablrsh
"I! we lhrow naiure our ihe window, she comes been
in ihe door wilh a plkhiork" lMasanobu ruxuoxal. For
example, it we spray lor pesl iidesiaiions, we end up
desiroyirig bmh pesls and ihe predalors lhal leed on
lhzm, so lhe lollowing year we gel an explosion ol
pesis because lhere are no pmdabols lo c0nlm| irrerri
Consequenlly, we spray more heavily, pulling lhrngs
runner our oi balanee. Unlorrunalely, all ihe pesrs are
never lulled, and ihe survivors breed rnore resislenl
pnigeny lnarure's ynchlark!)
2 ma PROBLEM IS THE soumow :veryihing
wurki bolh ways ll B only how we see ihings lhal
makes «hem advanlageous or nor, li ihe wind blows
cold, lei us use boil. in slrengrh and ils coolness lo
advaniage llor example, lunneling wind lo a wind
generilor, or drreelirig cold winier wind lo a cool
cupboard in a healed housel A corollary oi rhis
principle is lhal everylhing is a posilrve resourse, ii is
up lo as m worle oul haw we may use ii as such, A
designer laiay reeognlse a speerlie sire eharaderisiie as
errher a problem or as a unique leaiure capable or
several uses, e.g laggtd ioel oulerops siieh leaiures
ean only beeome problems when we have already
derided on rrnporing a speeilrc silo panel-n lhal llie
roels oulerup rnlerlerer wilh. ii is nor a problem, and
may be an age il we ioeepl ii lor ihe niariy values ii
possesses. The problem is lire solullnn" is a
Molllsonism implying lhai only our need alliludes are
problems when dealing wllh dungs lilre luck ouleiops!
A lricnd has ineluded sevrral naluial boulders in her
home wiih exielleni physual, lesihelie, and eeoriornre
benelrr, ihe builder would have removed rhem u
"pmblems", at yell expense
3 MAKE THE LEAST CHANGE FOR THE
GREATEST possum EFFECT. For example, when
choosing a darn sile. seleel ihe area where you gel ihe
moss waxer ior rile leasl amounl oi earlh moved
l, THE wall) OF A svsrzM IS THEOREIICALLY
UNLIMITED monly lrmil on be number pluses or.
resourse poslble williin a syslem is in ihe limir ul ihe
iniormarion and ihe imaginalrori ol ihe designer I! you
think you have Iufly planled an area, almosl any oilier
rnnovalive designer earl see ways In add a wine, a
lungus, a benefieisl mud, or eon see a yield polerinal
lhai has been ignored, Cahan cilledder a! ihe Garden
ol Eden in Auslmhi found an unsuspeeied niarlrel lor
oneruiloya seed. required by nurseries as seed sloelc lor
15