Improving Your Resilience Using Zones www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

What we will be talking about What is resilience? Resilient to what? How do we become more resilient? Permaculture zones The zones of our lives – Food, water, waste, energy, finances, consumption, shelter, services What next? What we will be talking about www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Sustainable Living in the Suburbs “Resilience refers to the ability of a system, from individual people to whole economies, to hold together and maintain their ability to function in the face of shocks from the outside” – Rob Hopkins (from The Transition Handbook). What is Resilience? www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Sustainable Living in the Suburbs Natural Man Made Flood Bushfires Storms Damaging wind Earthquake Tropical cyclone Heat wave Tsunami Unemployment Economic collapse War Fuel shortage Strikes Inflation Terrorism Chemical spill Resilient to what? www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

How do we become more resilient? each element performs multiple functions, and each function is served by multiple elements How do we become more resilient? www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Each function supported by multiple elements

Each element performs by multiple functions

Permaculture Zones 0, 1, 2 Zone 0. Home: indoor production (sprouts/ferments), processing food, waste, water & energy collection, repairs and education, relax, work and where you practise reduced consumption and re-cycling. Zone 1. Nearest to the house, for elements that require frequent attention, or be visited often, e.g., salad crops, herb plants, soft fruit like strawberries or raspberries, greenhouse and cold frames, propagation area, worm compost bin for kitchen waste, etc. Zone 2. Farther from house the place for perennial plants or self-maintaining plants and elements needing infrequent work: mulching, pruning bushes, orchards, compost area, animals eg. poultry, rabbits, worm farm, bees

Permaculture Zones 3, 4, 5 Zone 3. Occasionally visited areas where main crops are grown, for domestic and for trade use. After establishment, care and maintenance is fairly minimal e.g., watering or mulching once a week or so. Self-fed animals (stock), seasonal crops e.g. corn, wheat, rice, pumpkin, bamboo. Zone 4. Semi- Wild food gathering (e.g. nuts, native fruits, mushrooms) wood for Fuel, Self seeding trees, soil microbes semi-wild. This zone is mainly used for forage and collecting wild food as well as timber production. Zone 5. Wilderness area – a rarely visited area often linked with neighbouring wildlife corridors. Sometimes managed to reduce risk of catastrophes i.e. fire/pollution/drought/hurricane. There is no human intervention in Zone 5 apart from the observation and enjoyment of natural eco-systems and cycles.

Sustainable Living in the Suburbs Most resilience work in Urban areas www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

These are the Zones of our lives www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Sustainable Living in the Suburbs Zone 0 – preserves and other stored food/ seeds Zone 1 – home garden/chook run/fruit trees /herb spiral Zone 2 – Friends/neighbours garden, community garden/ school, church, business gardens /community orchard Zone 3 – farmers market, community supported agriculture/foraged foods/food coop Zone 4 – Independent groceries with regional focus/ IGA Zone 5 – National chain supermarkets – Woollies/Coles FOOD www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Sustainable Living in the Suburbs Zone 0 – Internal water storage, hot water tank/toilet cistern Zone 1 – Rainwater tanks/bore/well/ swales on property rain garden/backyard pond Zone 2 – Friends’/neigbours’ water tanks/storage, swales off property but nearby, water from neighbours roofs diverted to your tanks Zone 3 – local streams, dams, ponds Zone 4 – larger rivers Zone 5 – reticulated water supply WATER www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Sustainable Living in the Suburbs Zone 0 – bokashi bin, greywater capture Zone 1 – greywater re-use/constructed wetland/composting system/worm beds repair capacity/skills workshop Zone 2 – friends repair capacity/skills/resources/tools/workshop etc Zone 3 – freecycle; community composting/worm farming Zone 4 – Community recycling, drop off depots Zone 5 – Landfill/centralised waste collection/ centralised composting WASTE www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Sustainable Living in the Suburbs Zone 0 – home/web based employment Zone 1 – consulting /self employment requiring work outside the home/the informal economy Zone 2 – cooperative employment/informal economy Zone 3 – paid employment within reach of public transport, Local Employment Trading Scheme Zone 4 – paid employment requiring car, local currency Zone 5 – paid employment away from home/travel/deployment, Community exchange system FINANCE/ECONOMIC www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Sustainable Living in the Suburbs Zone 0 – Skills and knowledge to enable repairs/home manufacture from produced materials Zone 1 – Workshop and tools for repairs/stockpile of reclaimed materials/home produced materials, home manufacture of items Zone 2 – Second hand materials from roadside/provided by friends & family etc. Zone 3 – Men’s shed/second hand dealers/charity shops Zone 4 – Small/local retailers and manufacturers Zone 5 – National chain stores CONSUMPTION/STUFF www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Sustainable Living in the Suburbs Zone 0 – primary dwelling Zone 1 - secondary dwelling on the property eg shed or tiny house Zone 2 – access to shelter with friends /family/ neighbours, caravan on friends land Zone 3 – Tent/mobile housing eg caravan on public land Zone 4 - Zone 5 – public shelter/hotel/motel SHELTER www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Sustainable Living in the Suburbs Zone 0 – phone, internet or post Zone 1 – accessible by walking Zone 2 – accessible by Bicycle, car pool Zone 3 – Accessible by Public transport - bus, train, tram Zone 4 – accessible requiring car/taxi Zone 5 – access requiring Plane/ship SERVICES www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Sustainable Living in the Suburbs Zone 0 Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 Zone 4 Zone 5 ENERGY www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Sustainable Living in the Suburbs Zone 0 – Solar electricity/solar hot water on house/passive heating/cooling strategies/insulation wood heater Zone 1 – external solar panels/solar oven/ rocket stove Zone 2 - wood supply for combustion heater/cooker, foraged fuel for rocket stove Zone 3 – local renewable energy project/community owned energy production Zone 4 – Reticulated electricity (renewables) Zone 5 – reticulated gas and electricity (fossil fuel) ENERGY www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

Sustainable Living in the Suburbs Use zones as a thinking tool Review each aspect and examine your current state Decide if any changes are required Prioritise your actions Develop a plant to carry out your desired actions Go go go! What Next? www.underthechokotree.com Sustainable Living in the Suburbs

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