In service of the Whole

In Nature, a renewable resource is one that is made available again “soon” after use. Soon here is a totally subjective, human-centred concept: it is framed around human time and needs, and implies that it can be available again when our need for it re-emerges.

And Nature is full of these renewable resources and services; in fact it is nothing but renewable resources and services! One of the beauties of the living world, is that the whole system is full of life, beautiful and healthy only because plants, animals, insects, trees are able to fully be themselves, to thrive as who they are. And their full self-actualisation leads them, from the very core of their essence, to give away “freely” many resources and services for other parts of the system to take up, just as they will freely use other resources and services made available around them. Where our human systems have tended to construct individual versus group wealth as a zero sum, Nature is showing us quite the opposite: hold on to nothing, for everything is already there… or, as sacred scriptures would say: “Give, and you shall receive”.

Examples of renewable resources include:

• The sun: usually reappears every morning, except perhaps in some parts of Wales
• The wind: around most days, and even nights – Wales included
• Water: theoretically a renewable resource, though man’s tempering with Nature has destabilised our water supplies. More and more we will need to plan for both droughts AND flood in a given area
• Earthworms: reproduce quickly, and are said to form two worms if manually split in half (I’ve never tried)
• Eggs: can be produced most days, with a group of hens ensuring daily supply
• Fruit and vegetables: though we need to dry, preserve or freeze them (which raises questions of energy use) to extend their use beyond their season, but if we design our permaculture system carefully, we can ensure availability of fruit and vegetables over most of the year
• Wood: a well managed woodland can produce sufficient wood supply whilst continuing to grow
• Compost: kitchen waste turned into rich natural fertiliser within 4 to 6 months

The renewable resource provided by the sun (which includes the wind) is a bit different from the others, as it is pure energy, and as such not involved in the transformative processes of energy into matter that happen on Earth itself.

For all the other renewable resources though, we can see that they are the amount of products in a fertile ecosystem that can be used without hindering that ecosystem’s capacity to continue thriving, reproducing, and diversifying. Trouble starts of course when we start using more of it than that system has time to replace. This is the case nowadays, for example, with fish stocks, which are being depleted quicker than the time it takes for them to reproduce.

Analogies from economics

David Holmgren uses an analogy from the financial world, between capital assets and revenues from investment: the revenues are renewable, whilst the capital asset is non-renewable: eating into it will reduce it without possibility for replenishing it. In other words: if you have a cherry orchard, the cherries you produce are the renewable resources, the trees themselves are non-renewable. If you start selling them for using the wood for furniture, the amount of your renewable resource available the next season will reduce.

A renewable service, on the other hand, is one gained from a plant, tree, animal or herd without it being consumed. Whilst compost is a renewable resource supplied by earthworms, composting is a waste management service supplied free of charge (in fact they pay us with lovely, fertile compost!) by those lovely lombrics. Shade supplied by a tree is at no cost either, as is the cooling effect of a breeze passing on a river or a lake, etc. Pollinating by bees and other insects is yet another example, one that is currently under scrutiny as bee colonies tend to decline. A 2007 study done by the UK National Audit Office estimated the value of this renewable bee service at around £200m in the UK alone, whilst the retail value of what they pollinate averages around £1bn. No kidding!

Renewable resources and services in social systems

We will see in the next chapter (“Produce no waste”) that much can be done in our urban settlements (home & work) to transform “waste” into a renewable resource.

But what about renewable resources and services in human systems? What do they look like, and how might we use them and value them better?

• Human respect and warmth: smiling to your colleagues, remembering their names, valuing their opinions even when you don’t agree with them, welcoming contributions, etc. In other words, an inner disposition that invites others to be fully present and engaged doesn’t require any financial investment but brings exponential returns, whilst being freely available and renewable.

• New, creative ideas: doesn’t cost anything either, apart from the few calories needed to fuel your brain… And you can share an idea with as many people as you want, they’ll all get the full idea, whilst sharing a cake, for example, means you have to break it down into slices! However, if you want your staff to continue producing new and creative ideas, you have to behave with them as you would with a cherry tree: give them time, allow ups and downs just as we allow seasons to take their course, provide the conditions for pollination, and don’t press too much out of them – or you’ll start chopping the tree in them that is the source of their fruitful thinking.

• Open source processes: much damage is done in organisations – not just to people but to bottom lines too – because of silo mentalities, because of people holding on to information for the power that it is supposed to give them. However, a 2010 McKinsey study suggests that up to 60% of the ideas, concepts, tools and processes we build from scratch in our organisation already exists somewhere in our database… 60%! How inefficient is that! Hence any process (knowledge management, web 2.0 social networks or collaborative platforms…) that can ensure that what is produced is then made available to everyone else without damaging it, will greatly contribute to increased efficiency.

• Learning by doing: how do you teach kids about democracy, human rights, collaborative working, etc? Many education systems around the world spend much time and money sending underpaid and overstressed teachers, in highly undemocratic set-ups such as primary and secondary schools, to talk to children about parliament, majority vs. proportional election, referendums, the role of government, etc… A bit like trying to grow bananas in the Alps; you can probably do it, but at what cost? Alternatively, set up an elected student council that has authority to decide and manage decisions around a selected amount of issues (litter, lights, canteen, etc.) – and make them accountable for what they decide and manage; not only will you manage to resolve many long-unresolved issues, but you will also provide them with a hands-on understanding of what democracy and collaboration entails, and the teachers will then easily build on that to bring about a broader perspective on these issues. And that way, you’ll get both renewable energy (kids will be so energised by the process!) and resource/service (they will learn as a by-product of being involved).

Concluding thoughts

The mechanistic paradigm that spread into neo-classical economics in the 19^th century has led to a breaking-down of activities, to which we could then assign a value, and see them as an income or as a cost.

To boldly meet the challenges we face in the 21^st century, we need to shift to a systems-thinking paradigm, and seek guidance from the most evolved system of all: Nature. That’s why Permaculture, as a design method, can be so helpful. With this new paradigm, the primary focus should be on system health and vitality; so any renewable energy, resource or service that fosters that health and vitality should be welcome and encouraged – not because it’s a freebie, but because it embodies the very principles that helps Nature thrive.