And here is an excellent example for this, with a new discovery of a solar salamander living in symbiosis with an alga: http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100730/full/news.2010.384.html

- Scattered Work: http://downlode.org/Etext/Patterns/ptn9.html

- Web of Public Transportation: http://downlode.org/Etext/Patterns/ptn16.html

- Network of Learning: http://downlode.org/Etext/Patterns/ptn18.html

- Market of Many Shops: http://downlode.org/Etext/Patterns/ptn46.html

- Bike Paths and Racks: http://downlode.org/Etext/Patterns/ptn56.html

- Corner Grocery: http://downlode.org/Etext/Patterns/ptn89.html

- Vegetable Garden: http://downlode.org/Etext/Patterns/ptn177.html

INDIVIDUALISM:

“The basic element is to get people out of committing social relationships – out of the tribe, of the village, of the family and out of the marriage – only in such a situation is the system able to manipulate you in any direction. And that’s what it’s all is about.”

See: http://www.permakultur-danmark.dk/?Artikler:Nordic_Pamphlets:DENGLUSAUism

Science knows very well that the whole Earth is made up by a huge network of patterns, which we might call a global pattern language of nature. How can it then be that we organize our whole society in sectors and monocultures? When Permaculture is the only logical system that reflects the world as it actually is made up?

And so is Permaculture too!

“Bill: No, anarchy would suggest you’re not cooperating. Permaculture is urging complete cooperation between each other and every other thing, animate and inanimate. You can’t cooperate by knocking something about or bossing it or forcing it to do things. You won’t get cooperation out of a hierarchical system. You get enforced directions from the top, and nothing I know of can run like that. I think the world would function extremely well with millions of little cooperative groups, all in relation to each other.”

See: http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC28/Mollison.htm

See this article: http://permaculture.org.au/2010/07/21/morocco-observations-past-present-and-future-part-i/

This is the difference between Permaculture aid projects and other aid projects. Alex here uses a lot of energy to observe and understand the patterns of the land, nature, culture and history, before implementing any new design. In contrary to the specialists from the UN or the World Bank, who force alien and standardized systems upon the place and people, doing more damage than repair.

This is why I this morning set up a list of what you should claim from an aid project before you support it:

1. The project is using time and energy in observing the patterns of place, nature, culture, community and history. This must be done in cooperation with the native people they are intended to help.

2. The project is paying a lot of respect to the patterns of place, nature, culture, community and history, being very careful not to disturb any of these patterns, and that any new systems of design will enrich and strengthen the existing patterns.

3. The project leader must be skilled / experienced in decoding and implementing patterns.

If a project cannot meet these three criteria, don’t invest your time and money in it.