Never Ending Food had a wonderful opportunity to give a Permaculture presentation at the Telemark University College in Norway. This college has four campuses located throughout the county of Telemark and the presentation took place at the campus located in the city of Bø.
Stacia and Kristof Nordin spoke about their experiences in using Permaculture principles to address development work in Malawi, Africa. Their presentation was one of three presentations which were given that day to an international group of students who are interested in environmental, social, and ecological issues. The first presentation was on the Fairtrade movement in Norway, the second presentation was on Permaculture, and the third presentation was an interactive session which took place in the Bø campus school garden which is used for community outreach (including a local kindergarten which is located next to the campus). The group that tends for this garden showed us around the garden, cooked us a soup from freshly picked garden veggies, and discussed their efforts to make the city of Bø a ‘Transition Town‘. Transition towns are grassroots community projects which seek to build resilience in response to peak oil, climate destruction, and economic instability by creating local groups that uphold the values of the transition network.
Despite working a bit in Norway, we also took some time for a bit of rest and relaxation. Norway helped us to renew our commitment to using Permaculture principles to heal the earth. It is absolutely remarkable what a country can do when it commits itself to a sustainable future.
Despite having large reserves of fossil fuels, the government of Norway is investing in clean and renewable energy, offering incredible incentives for the use of electric vehicles, and working to safeguard their immense wealth of natural beauty: soaring mountain ranges, majestic fjords, crystal clear water, and trees as far as the eye can see. Let’s hope that the rest of the world can learn a few valuable lessons from Norway!
