Reddit reviews Permaculture: Principles and Pathways beyond Sustainability

I would check out David Holmgren and Bill Mollisons Books. They are both co-originator of what we know as permaculture today. Bill's book is more of a reference book, which is what it sounds like your after. Also Gais Garden is generally recommended.

My opinions:

There is spiritual wisdom, and there is worldly wisdom. The former does not lead directly to the latter. To serve your fellow man effectively requires worldly wisdom. What works, and what doesn't work?

To answer that, one must go beyond the common wisdom regarding politics, economics, science, and the social sciences. All of those are spheres of power that are too corrupt to provide answers to the problems of mass suffering.

Real change happens primarily at the level of individuals working with individuals, and secondarily at the level of public discourse.

The one solution I can recommend as being the best hope for changing the world is the theory and practice of Permaculture. And the best introduction I know of is David Holmgren's https://www.amazon.com/Permaculture-Principles-Pathways-beyond-Sustainability/dp/0646418440. It's worth the price, but you will probably want to find a used copy.

Off the top of my head The transition handbook and David Holmgren's Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability.

I think that Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability by Holmgren is the best. It focuses on permaculture theoretically (but not in a boring way). A lot of permaculture books are basically gardening/farming books with a permaculture slant. This book is actually about permaculture itself - what it is, how to use it, and why to use it. All 12 Principles are explained in detail so you can apply them creatively on your own.

The Permaculture City by Hemenway just came out this year and it is fantastic. If you currently live in an apartment, city, or suburbs, I HIGHLY suggest reading this book. Most permaculture books will bum you out a bit if you don't have a yard. The Permaculture City really made me appreciate where I am and made me feel like permaculture is possible for everyone in every situation.

Looby Macnamera's People & Permaculture is really amazing. I consider it a must-read, especially if the social aspects of permaculture pique your interest. I also think it's important if you live in a city, as people are the most abundant resource in a city.

> From my perspective it seems like a bunch of self-righteous liberals using abstract concepts to recycle old ideas and selling it to rich self-righteous liberals.

Oh, shit. Someone else has figured it out. They're onto us! Quick, grab your bags and get to the airport!

EDIT:- Yes, Permaculture actually does work. More seriously however, I became disenchanted with the amount of corruption that I saw in the scene, as well. The bottom line seems to be that no movement, no matter how well intentioned, is capable of surviving a head-on collision with human nature.

My advice would be to get the following four books:-

http://www.amazon.com/Permaculture-Designers-Manual-Bill-Mollison/dp/0908228015

http://www.amazon.com/Permaculture-Principles-Pathways-beyond-Sustainability/dp/0646418440

http://www.amazon.com/Water-Every-Farm-Yeomans-Keyline-ebook/dp/B00557Z0OE

http://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Guide-Constructing-Universe-Mathematical/dp/0060926716

Study those yourself. If someone still wants you to get a certificate in order to do consulting, then look for the cheapest course you can find. Preferably find one where you can go to the site during the day, and have your own accomodation at night, which will give the people running it less of an opportunity to rip you off.

EDIT 2:- Some will say that you can skip Schneider, but I won't. You MUST, however, read Yeomans. Permaculture uses Yeomans' system itself, but Mollison did not write about it in his book. I repeat, you MUST, MUST, MUST read Yeomans.

This is exactly what I was going to say.

OP, you already have a forest. For all you know, it could already be a food forest. Observe not only the plants, but the animal visitors. What are the birds, reptiles, insects, and mammals that visit this forest?

The first thing you should do is find out the names, uses, histories, life spans, and everything else you can about as many plants as you can that are already in the forest. It's pretty easy, as most of this information is on Wikipedia. If you have a camera, take detailed pictures and post them to /r/whatsthisplant for help. If you're in Pennsylvania you likely have oak trees, but you need to be more specific. The more you learn about this, the more you will want to learn.

Pay attention to flowers, as they only open at certain times of year. Pay attention to the ground shrubs and herbs, some of them could be edible. I know there's an herb called violet that grows in Pennsylvania that is edible in small amounts.

I haven't read Gaia's Garden, but I love Toby Hemenway, and he has a great speech on YouTube that you should see if you haven't already. I recommend you read the book Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability.

Finally, make friends with your neighbors. Figure out how big your "block" is - that is, if you were to leave your property and make only right turns until you've done a full circle back to your driveway, what ground have you covered? What biozone is it in? How many people live in it, what do they do, who will they most likely vote for, and what is their favorite thing to serve for dinner? Speaking of voting, get to know your local representatives at the city, county, and state level. Also, get in contact with local universities and schools, if there are any. There are many benefits to this. First, you can get free labor from people looking to do community service projects in order to graduate. (People bitch about PDCs charging you to work, but universities have been doing this for decades if not centuries, and at a much more diabolical scale.) Also, by getting the educational/scientific community on your side, your property can become a center of education for permaculture, conservation, and sustainability around the world. Also, make sure to include a "public space" where you can sit several dozen people comfortably for luncheons and stuff, and maybe a space where somebody can address an audience. Think big.