Toby Hemenway was the author of the first major North American book
on permaculture, Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale
Permaculture, as well as The Permaculture City. After
obtaining a degree in biology from Tufts University, Toby worked
for many years as a researcher in genetics and immunology, first in
academic laboratories at Harvard and the University of Washington
in Seattle, and then at Immunex, a major medical biotech company.
At about the time he was growing dissatisfied with the direction
biotechnology was taking, he discovered permaculture, a design
approach based on ecological principles that creates sustainable
landscapes, homes, and workplaces. A career change followed, and
Toby and his wife spent ten years creating a rural permaculture
site in southern Oregon. He was associate editor
of Permaculture Activist, a journal of ecological design and
sustainable culture, from 1999 to 2004. He taught permaculture and
consulted and lectured on ecological design throughout the country,
and his writing appeared in magazines such as Whole Earth
Review, Natural Home, and Kitchen Gardener. Toby passed
away in 2016.
Visit his web site at www.patternliteracy.com
Booklist- "For the past six years, Hemenway’s acclaimed first book,
Gaia’s Garden (2009), has been the world’s best-selling guidebook
on home and garden permaculture. He now continues to champion this
environmental philosophy that involves working with nature, instead
of against it, for maximum sustainability. Although permaculture
practices originally began with small-scale farms and gardens in
mind, in his latest work Hemenway presents a much larger vision of
applying them to metropolitan settings. In what is more than simply
a handbook on finding space to grow fruits and vegetables in the
concrete jungle, the author demonstrates just how widely the
permaculture net can be cast by including advice on sustainably
managing critical urban resources such as water, shelter,
electricity, and even community centers. After introductory
chapters on permaculture principles and the history and evolution
of cities, Hemenway covers the basics of designing urban home
gardens before moving on to discuss “water wisdom” and home energy
solutions. An invaluable resource for city planners and dwellers
alike, as well as an optimistic exploration of the possibilities
for ecological well-being in our future urban landscapes.”
Library Journal- "Permaculture refers to a method of agricultural
design that uses natural approaches. While several chapters address
the unique challenges and opportunities in creating an urban
garden, Hemenway refers often to his first book, Gaia’s
Garden, the initial major volume published in North America on
permaculture principles, for further detail. Here, the author’s
focus narrows to an urban setting, where permaculture means more
than having a sustainable garden but can generate powerful change
and community growth. Combining anecdotal stories of local U.S.
neighborhoods practicing permaculture principles with
black-and-white and color photos, Hemenway describes ways in which
urban dwellers can not only create their own backyard oasis but
join with their neighbors to build shared spaces in which to
produce food, culture, and identity. Valuable tips on water
conservation via rain harvesting and graywater collection mingle
with advice on reducing energy consumption, producing local energy
resources, and decreasing your foodshed and carbon footprints.
Notes and index provide a reliable reference for further
reading. VERDICT: An enlightening read for anyone
interested in green gardening, environmental ethics, social justice
issues, and seeking positive community change.”
Publishers Weekly- "This eagerly awaited book from West Coast
permaculture expert Hemenway, author of the classic Gaia's
Garden, pushes permaculture design beyond its usual realm of
homesteading and gardening, applying it to the complex systems that
make up contemporary urban life. Other permaculturalists are also
exploring these ideas, but Hemenway's intelligent, down-to-earth
analyses, astute systems thinking, and clear organization offer a
particularly comprehensive, open-ended, and sophisticated yet
understandable overview to readers who want to discover, evaluate,
utilize, and integrate the untapped resources abundant in any city
or town. Hemenway focuses on the philosophical, ‘whetting
appetites' and providing toolkits rather than in-depth instruction,
with the goal of teaching readers 'to become adept at a
whole-systems approach to living in and finding solutions in
cities, towns, and suburbs.' Referencing livable-city innovators
such as Jane Jacobs and human-scale design thinkers such as
Christopher Alexander, Hemenway shows how permaculture concepts can
be stretched and rethought in an urban setting to include not just
one's house, garden, and yard but also neighbors, parks, and city
agencies.”
"Many people who are searching for a more fulfilling life, wanting
to reduce their ecological footprint and build resilience for
uncertain futures, grasp that permaculture might be part of the
solution but are often unsure how it applies to their particular
situation. For residents of towns and cities in the modern affluent
world, The Permaculture City shows how permaculture
design makes common sense."--David Holmgren, co-originator of the
Permaculture concept
"Toby Hemenway’s Gaia’s Garden is the go-to book I always
recommend for those interested in permaculture. His new
book, The Permaculture City, is the much-needed urban
version, a great introduction and full of important information on
adapting permaculture to an urban environment."--Starhawk,
permaculture designer and author of The Empowerment Manual
“The Permaculture City is a triumph in bringing the wisdom of
permaculture practices to city dwellers. This book is a ‘bridge
book’ for greening our urban landscapes. Rich in practical
knowledge, Toby Hemenway is a trailblazer in demystifying the art
of living sustainably within ecosystems: teaching how YOU can be a
collaborative partner in a healthy urban biosphere. This book’s
impact will be increasingly significant as we inevitably march
toward living in built environments. For urban planners,
architects, green builders, and simply citizens who want to enjoy a
higher quality of life, The Permaculture City is The Book to lead
the way.”--Paul Stamets, author of Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms
Can Help Save the World
“Permaculture is applied ecology, and its practice is evolving as
society becomes more urbanized. As Toby Hemenway puts it, ‘We’re
not just gardening plants but people, neighborhoods, and even
cultures.’ Whether you’re new to permaculture or a seasoned
‘permie,’ The Permaculture City is essential: it captures the
explorative state of the art in readable, often delightful prose.
And, like all good permaculture books, it is eminently helpful at
solving a myriad of practical problems in the home and
garden.”--Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow, Post Carbon
Institute
“Toby Hemenway combines the skill of a storyteller with the
vigour of experience and insight. He shows us an urban landscape
with gardens, food, energy systems, and architecture that can
ensure genuine sustainability. Beyond these vital elements, he also
creates a template for a new kind of city: a human scale collection
of village communities where quality of life is valued above
quantity of output. With the majority of the human race becoming
city dwellers, this is vital information for a more collaborative,
intelligent, and resilient urban landscape, one that will enable us
to face serious challenges now, and in the future.”--Maddy Harland,
co-founder and editor of Permaculture magazine and Fellow of the
Royal Society of Arts
"Toby Hemenway is among the true visionaries who can turn
vision into practical action. The Permaculture City is a landmark
book that will be used for decades as a compass and field guide to
regenerate our world and communities. Toby depicts the virtuous
circle people are already creating across the country and world,
from small acts an individual can take, to larger systemic changes
that only communities and societies can make. This is the gospel of
building resilience from the ground up, and Toby is a true hero of
our age—he shows us we’re all invited to the party.”--Kenny
Ausubel, cofounder and CEO of Bioneers
“Half the world’s people now live in cities, and as Toby Hemenway
convincingly demonstrates, they can be at the very forefront of the
revolution in how we live. This book will thrill you!”--Bill
McKibben, author of Deep Economy
“I'm someone with a strong bias towards country living and I've
always thought that the phrase 'urban permaculture' is oxymoronic.
I've often thought master planners should be working to revive
small towns, not build more cities. Toby Hemenway has shown me the
error of my ways. The function of a well-conceived city, he says,
is to inspire. His book inspires.”--Albert Bates, president, Global
Village Institute for Appropriate Technology
"We stand at a crossroads where long-held societal beliefs are
shattered and assumptions fall before knowledge and reality. Human
civilization is in the balance. Few people have grasped the
significance of the moment in the way that Toby Hemenway has. His
voice is particularly important at this time. The Permaculture
City is his attempt to understand what we are confronted with
and to skew the discussion toward sustainability. There is no doubt
that his message is timely and relevant. Read this book like the
life of your children depended on it … because it does.”--John D.
Liu, director of the Environmental Education Media Project and
visiting fellow at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology
"What a great, accessible, and timely book! The Permaculture
City is a must-read for anyone who loves where they live,
wishes to deepen their relationship and pleasure in and with it,
and realizes that our food, water, and community resilience may
depend upon it. Toby Hemenway offers great guidance for applying
the lens of intentional design to increasing food self-reliance
(and pleasure!), improving water efficiency and usage, and growing
community, three elements that promise to improve the quality of
relatedness to place as well as resilience in the face of weather
and other uncertainties. "Whether the topic is gardening in a
window box or creating a community garden, catching and channeling
rainwater, or redesigning an edible landscape around a suburban
home, this timely book offers everyone a window into the joy and
longterm fulfillment of permaculture."--Nina Simons, co-founder of
Bioneers and founder of Everywoman’s Leadership
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