brook end cover sheet

8/14/2019 Brook End Cover Sheet

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In terms of SADIE, in summary the design process has involved:

Survey

Creating field maps through measuring & surveying Collating information from maps e.g. historical maps, OS/promap data Collating information from background research Undertaking a full cycle of observations Holistic surveying (see website for more information) Design Questionnaires PASTE Analysis

Analysis

Zone & Sector Analysis (for the whole site & individual designs) Applying permaculture principles Spirals of erosion


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Functions, systems, elements analysis (Orchard, Field Design) Web of connections (Brook End Orchard Design) McHarg Exclusion Method (Pollytunnel placement) PA Yeomans Scale of Permanence Random Assembly

DesignWhole-site designs

Water Management - existing sources of supply, watershed boundaries & flowpatterns, flooding, puddling & ponding areas, potential pollution sources, erosion &

other observations

Water Management possible sources of supply, storage, permaculture approaches,WET systems, design decisions for Brook End

Sewage Management Overview, design questions, compost toilets, urineharvesting, design decisions

Biodiversity Plan Overview, biodiversity goals, species lists, recommendedpractices

Harvesting, processing & storage Preserving methods, equipment needed, applyingpermaculture, design decisions

Community Outreach Food & medicine, camps & gatherings, earth-basedspirituality, permaculture demonstration, growers cooperative, learning & education

Brook End Business Ideas Mind Map Brook End Business Planning Mind Map Polylivelihood Design Earth Dragon ltd, Brook End Edibles, Wild Heart Herbals &

Wild Heart Permaculture all different business design ideas for Brook End

Kitchen garden

Base Map of this area

Permaculture Kitchen Gardens Characteristics, zone analysis, tools & strategies,design aims, design decisions

Designing for Nutritional Diversity Overview, foundations of a healthy diet, catch& store energy, wild foods, nourishing herbal infusions, the role of leafy greens,

vitamins & minerals Brook End Vegetable Patch Rotation Zone 1 Species List

Greenhouses

Field Map Greenhouses Indoor Ecosystem Management Overview, bioshelters, purposes of indoor

ecosystems, indoor ecosystem dynamics, examples

Indoor Ecosystem Management Design factors; diversity, gas exchange, fertility,watering, functions, light, energy

Medicine Garden

Designing for Medicinal Resilience Design aims, skills & knowledge, resources,yields

Designing for Medicinal Resilience continued Spring, summer & autumn, herbalantibiotics, traditional medicinal plants in Somerset, wildcrafting ethics

Picture of original medicine garden design


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ecosystems we are part of e.g. soil biota, designing structures for the long haul,

making the most of on-site and recycled materials

Produce no waste making use of all our outputs, trying to plug any spirals oferosion, composting

Design from patterns to details placing Brook End its wider political, economic,ecological and social contexts and engaging in community outreach, taking a whole-site view before making design decisions

Integrate rather than segregate each function served by many elements, e.g. food isfrom kitchen garden, orchard, pollytunnel and so forth, to ensure we are more

resilient

Use small & slow solutions designing and implementing the design at Brook End ata realistic and sustainable pace! Designing smaller subsystems in detail as and when

and working out from Zone 0

Use & value diversity huge planting diversity but also diversity in our tasks that weengage in/sharing labour, and varying our own interests so Brook End is not single

source of satisfaction/purpose/livelihood

Use edges & value the marginal optimising edges at all scales in our systems, bothBrook End itself and subsystems within it e.g. Kitchen Garden, also embracing localedge for example Glastonburys alternative streak

Creatively use & respond to change designing for long term resilience, thinkingabout succession and aging in ourselves and the land

Ethics

Earth care developing small scale intensive systems designed to optimisebiodiversity and regeneration, reducing our ecological impact, increasing our

resilience, supporting our community to learn earth care practices

People care supporting our family to be more resilient, healthy (optimumnutrition, herbal medicine, exercise), happy & fulfilled, and financially resilient.

Supporting our community with food & medicine and creating opportunities for

people to learn land-based skills and see the value in design Fair shares optimising land use/small scale intensive systems, creating community

connections, using the land for community organising events that can help challenge

inequalities e.g. for example the Radical Herbalism Gathering

Design Tools & Techniques Used

David Holmgrens Principles Functions, systems, elements analysis Random Assembly PASTE (Plants, animals, structures, tools, events) analysis Design Questionnaire PA Yeomans Scale of Permanence

Applying ecological principles Bill Mollisons permaculture principles Goal setting McHarg Exclusion Method Web of connections Spiral of Intervention Zone & Sector analysis

How this design meets the Assessment Criteria:

Learning from, and developing your permaculture practice

Effectiveness of Design & Design OutcomesPersonal & Professional Outcomes:

Massive sense of achievement Have definitely experienced an internalising of the design process


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Feel closer to Mum & Ian through feeling I am making our long-term ambitious

vision tangible and achievable.

Personal productivity enhanced. Body of design work uploaded online for my Diploma in Applied Permaculture

Design portfolio.

Outcomes for Brook End:

Detailed designs for several subsystems of Brook End Detailed design work for whole-site decision making e.g. water systems Time, money & energy saved through design process (rather than implementing un-

thought-through ideas that waste time/money)

Physical design outcomes including, but not limited to:o Path & edging creation for Kitchen Gardeno Large compost system & bins designed & builto Increased biodiversity throughout siteo Increased diversity of produce grown & harvestedo Medicine Garden built, masses of outputs in terms of medicine such as dried

herbs, oils, tinctures, medicinal vinegars and so forth, as well aslearning/teaching example

o Leylandii hedge removedo Pollytunnel built & plantedo Beds created around greenhouseso Comfrey patch & biodiversity strip near pollytunnel createdo Fruit cage constructedo Orchard trees mulchedo Summer house kitchen builto Compost toilets builto Willows coppiced & other trees/hedges prunedo Car park constructedo Herb drying shed constructedo Several events hosted including permaculture workshops, courses & the

South West convergence, oak dragon camps, the radical herbalism gathering

and more.

o Brook End website www.brookend.org.uko Becoming a LAND Learner Centre with the Permaculture Association

Evaluation SummaryWhat went well:

Communication between the family everyones openness and energy andsupportive participation in the design process

The depth of the design process & how much thinking/detailed thought has gone into each of the design sections so far

The clear practical implementation and manifestation of our familys ideas and designdecisions

The ability to take our time & embrace a full year of observation That we are not financially dependent on Brook End at present which reduces the

pressure on the design work and creates a more sustainable implementation pace

Having support and feedback from both my Diploma Tutor, Steve Pritchard, whosupported me with a Design Support Tutorial, as well as Valerie Seitz from Gaia

University who gave me extensive feedback on my work as part of my BSc work.

What was challenging:

The sheer volume of work necessary in terms of researching, surveying, makingdecisions, costing things out and then actually putting the design decisions intopractice! It can be very exhausted if not done with care and a small and slow


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solutions approach.

Differing priorities within the family and how we develop and use the land, forexample the size of events we are comfortable with.

Financial resources to implement design ideas Resource limitations through us all needing to balance work and design investment

at Brook End with other paid work, interests, community organising, social time andso forth

Coming to acceptance that the design is going to be a long term process and anoverall polished design that I was craving is unlikely and not the best format for

design decisions that we need as a family, as we are making decisions incrementally

over time

What I would have done differently:

Uploaded design work straight after creating a large body of design work Blogged more about my experiences, especially my reflections, so that I had better

documentation of my design and implementation work over time

Costings SummaryI tried at the beginning of this design to track spending on the design implementation,

however it proved ineffective as a system as there are simply too many outgoings and

different people investing in Brook End to track spending effectively. In future designs I will

design a system from the start to record receipts and encourage people to note their

spending.

In terms of the design, money was spent on printing (about 25) and books and resources

for the design research (over 150 during my diploma). All the knowledge I have

accumulated over studying should also be accounted for, as this has greatly contributed to

the design.

Learning Pathway Reflections This design has supported me to become more empathetic with other clients, and

more realistic in my suggestions as I know how much hard work is involved in

implementing a design over the long time.

During this design work process, a light bulb switched on for me when I realised thedesign isnt about the drawing at all. It is about the work, sweat, caring intent and

passion to create a lifestyle that is truly sustainable in a landscape that isregenerating. I know now the design isnt the finished A3 print out, its the process.

Each of the A3 summaries I have created about various systems at Brook End havebeen a major learning journey within themselves. Hours spent pouring over books,

looking through course notes, searching online and then walking the land in the

pouring rain. This design process has also made me realise that as much as I am emotionally

engaged with Brook End, my heart lies in ending animal oppression and I know a lot

of work lies beyond these hedgerows. However I can evaluate the role of BrookEnd in my life and design my future in a way that the problem is the solution can

Brook End offer a way to support my external goals e.g. working to end animal

agriculture? Through this work I now see that it can and that it doesnt have to beone or the other, Brook End is integrated into my pathway and heart for good.

Reflecting on this has made me value what role Brook End does play in my life:

o Its an emotional sanctuary, a centre for rechargingo Is the way to reduce my costs of livingo Is the absolute centre of my earth based life & pathwayo Is the source of nourishment on multiple levelso Is the centre for my livelihood creation abundance awaits!


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o Is a way that I can actually achieve my social change goals, meaning I can

work less allowing more time for social organising. Hence the problem isthe solution.


Applying permaculture in your own life This design opportunity has allowed me to embrace a right livelihood. This design process has supported me to optimise my project management skill sets

and improve my own time management.

This design has helped me to create a more resilient and ecological life for myselfthrough:

o Growing more of my own & my familys foodo Growing nearly all of my & my familys herbal medicineo Generating firewoodo Saving money & water through rainwater harvesting and the composting

toilets

o Traveling less as more of my social & livelihood needs are met throughBrook End

o Being more connected to the land which then influences all of my lifestyledecisions to live a more ecological life.


Applying permaculture to your work and projectsAssessment categories engaged with through this design:

Site Developmento Through designing and working on my own site, creating a working

demonstration of permaculture in action.

Art, Media, Culture and Communications this design has been disseminated via mywebsite, referenced in various articles and shared with apprentice-peers at events.

Disseminationo My design work on Scribd has received over 10,000 viewso I have shared my design journey with Positive News through my

Permaculture column

o I have written various articles referencing Brook End, including for GrowingGreen International and Permaculture Magazine

o I have used Brook End as a site for introductory permaculture workshops &other educational activities

o I have blogged about Brook End through my website which receivesthousands of hits

o I have disseminated my design work around Brook End through the GaiaUniversity community via my online portfolio

o Created a brookend.org.uk website

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