Reclaiming the Urban Commons
We are in the midst of a great shift, a fundamental transformation in our relations with the earth and with each other. This shift poses humanity with a challenge: how to transition from a period of environmental devastation of the planet by humans to one of mutual benefit? How do we transform our relationship to […]
Permaculture, Collected Writings and Julian Assange
This website and all its posts are devoted to my permaculture life and work committed to creating the world we want. It is solution- and good news-focused. But my life’s work has always been informed by a rational understanding of the intensely political world we live in. Longer-term readers may have noticed that in recent […]
2018 Venie Holmgren Environmental Poetry Prize Winner
Thank you to all the poets who took the time to compose and send in poems to the 2018 Venie Holmgren Environmental Poetry Prize – we received 154 entries. The content of the poems was beautifully varied: some were engaging, some funny, some sad, delicate, considerate, angry, political, emotive… A huge thank you to Jessica Wilkinson […]
Holmgren announced as MSSI associate
David Holmgren has just been named an associate of the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute. MSSI facilitates interdisciplinary sustainability research across faculties and centres at the University of Melbourne, and promotes research in a way that maximises engagement and impact. MSSI emphasises the contribution of the social sciences and humanities to understanding and addressing sustainability and […]
New Melliodora Tour Dates – 2018/2019
You have a small block of land and you’d like to learn how you can live more sustainably. You live on a farm with chickens and an orchard and you’re interested in seeing how you can integrate permaculture principles. You live in an inner-city apartment and you’re keen to see how you can live more […]
Is David Holmgren on Facebook?
Is David Holmgren on Facebook? The simple answer to this question is no. The reasons are complex and relate to his ambiguous relationship to new technologies through the decades. David has been inspired hearing about the thriving RetroSuburbia Community Facebook group and is very pleased that it is enabling people to share their stories, make […]
The 2018 Venie Holmgren Environmental Poetry Prize
We are thrilled to announce the launch of the 2018 Venie Holmgren Environmental Poetry Prize. The specifics are as follows: Major prize: AUD$1000 All entries must be received by 11.59 pm EST, Friday July 20 2018. The shortlist and winner will be announced during the Daylesford Words in Winter festival, August 17 – 26, 2018. […]
David reviews Heartwood by Rowan Reid
Heartwood: the art and science of growing trees for conservation and profit by Rowan Reid Heartwood by Rowan Reid is a heartfelt story by one of the pioneers of blending forestry and farming in this country over the last 30 years. His story is told through chapters focused on tree species planted on his farm […]
Charles Massy Canberra launch speech
Charles Massy (Call of the Reed Warbler) launched RetroSuburbia in Canberra last week at the 2018 ACT Permaculture Festival. Here is his wonderfully received launch speech: It is both a pleasure & an honour to help launch David Holmgren’s new book here in Canberra: a book by a person I regard as one of the […]
The Melbourne Model
The Age recently published an article entitled, Melbourne’s liveability choice: soar like Manhattan or sprawl like LA The article quoted Infrastructure Australia’s three scenarios for Melbourne in 2046. The LA model: More than one million extra people – or 40 per cent of projected population growth to 2046 – will live on the city’s edge […]