This is a very brief glimpse into what Permaculture Townsville, Inc. is currently planning in collaboration with James Cook University, a world renowned University in tropical Australia.

As part of the TropECO Program (more details HERE <http://www.jcu.edu.au/tropeco/>) which I helped launch earlier this year with the blitz (60+ people) of a kitchen garden on campus, as well as a public lecture by Costa Georgiadis from the well known gardening show on SBS TV... this proposed initiative will be a hub of community engagement and resilience building for our community. 

Once this project is launched, I'll certainly create a "Project" page here on the WPN, posting regular updates on our progress.

I recently found the "Village Life" case study <http://www.northeystreetcityfarm.org.au/docs/Village%20Life%20Case%20Study.pdf> from Northey Street City Farm in Brisbane; which was (and continues to serve as) an experiment in Social Enterprise. The ideas in this document were highly relevant to what we're working towards with the PEACE Project.

So to give you a better taste, for the moment I can let you read our Introduction (current as of April 6th 2011). let me know of any comments, questions or suggestions you have.

thanks! :)

“Be the change you want to see happen.”
Mahatma Gandhi

1.     Introduction

      The aim of this proposal is to gain a commitment to action from James Cook University (Townsville campus), addressing environmental, economic and social resiliency in the Herbert and Lower Burdekin region. This proposal will outline the benefits that a Permaculture initiative will have on the JCU Townsville campus and the wider region. It will also address the issues associated with establishing and maintaining such an initiative.

       The Permaculture approach is one of positively integrating the social, economic and environmental domains of a community. This will provide an abundance of unique aspects to be researched, as well as the potential for inter-disciplinary collaboration. With the immense diversity of participation opportunities for the wider community, this initiative will amplify our understanding of tropical sustainability by generating these systems and “delivering” suitable designs throughout the region.

      This idea germinated in discussions between the individuals listed above, followed by an initial canvassing of the JCU community and Permaculture Townsville, Inc. members to determine that support existed for an on-campus Community Permaculture Garden. Many postgraduate students, academic, and administrative staff have expressed enthusiasm about participating in a Permaculture initiative in a variety of capacities such as; designing garden layouts, attending workshops, maintenance and harvesting, and creating academic projects focussing on this initiative. We propose that a campus group be established through the Student Association in order to unite interested students and staff and provide a means of communication and organizing volunteer effort. This group will be in direct contact with Permaculture Townsville, Inc. and NQ Dry Tropics; allowing rapid transfer of information, ideas and decisions; and facilitating various collaborative community events on Campus.