| Sam Collins held his breath... and then it
came, thunderous applause from the cinema. The premiere had been....read more |
| Hear
an ABC Radio interview about the film
on the website of Sam Collins, director of the movie. Click the audio button under his blog 'Video killed the radio star' |
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"One of the world's best permaculture DVDs to inspire school kids, adult learners,
and policy makers that a sustainable way of living and land use is possible and enjoyable."
David Holmgren, co-originator of the permaculture concept
"Wonderful family story and history
of The Food Forest, and a way forward for our
future well-being." - Su Dennett,
joint owner Melliodora farm and permaculture lecturer
"A must-see film"
Jo Vabolis, Indaily
"Against the challenges of peak
oil, climate change and escalating population, the film articulates how
permaculture can reimagine our cities for sustainability".
Joel Catchlove, Organic Gardener
Magazine
'Design for Life is the inspiring new documentary tracing Graham and Annemarie Brookman’s transformation of a bare paddock north of Adelaide into The Food Forest, one of Australia’s iconic, certified organic permaculture farms and education centres. Beginning with their childhoods and travels among traditional cultures, Graham and Annemarie’s personal journeys provide context for their future work. Through interviews with David Holmgren, the film provides a rich illustration of how permaculture principles have been applied and continue to shape the farm’s evolution in the face of climate change and its growth as an education centre and supporter of local food systems. Against the challenges of peak oil, climate change and escalating population, the film closes by articulating how permaculture can reimagine our cities for sustainability. Engaging, beautifully shot, and complete with a virtual tour, Design for Life provides inspiration and practical advice for both aspiring and experienced gardeners and growers'. - Joel Catchlove, ABC's 'Organic Gardener' Magazine
'CAN permaculture save the planet? Farmland has
given way to urban sprawl, new homes no longer have gardens, stormwater
floods out to sea while we flush our toilets happily and watch our household
waste be driven away in the back of the council garbage truck. Can we go
on living like this? How can we make the changes necessary to save resources
for future generations but still maintain the quality of living we’re used
to?
Design for Life is the story of baby boomers
Graham and Annemarie Brookman and their world travels in search of a way
to create a comfortable and sophisticated life without destroying the environment.
Graham grew up in the Adelaide hills with parents
who passed on their love of gardening. In Holland, Annemarie’s rural childhood
lifestyle exposed her to the seasons and traditional farming methods. Their
tertiary studies in horticulture and agricultural science built on these
early foundations, leading to an increasing interest in environmentalism
and sustainability.
A posting to Malaysia during the Vietnam War
allowed Graham to observe holistic closed-cycle systems of farming – in
drastic contrast to his experience of Australia’s agricultural business
which focused on growing crops for export markets. Inspired, he travelled
widely, researching land use in Canada, Denmark, and eventually Holland,
where he met Annemarie. They continued the journey through the Mediterranean,
Africa and America, photographing, filming and collecting ideas for sustainable
food production techniques.
Eventually landing back in Adelaide, they searched
for a property with the characteristics needed to begin building a new
life and found the perfect spot near the Gawler River. The asking price
was beyond their budget but their vision impressed the landowner enough
to negotiate a special purchasing deal, and so the dream began to take
shape.
Progress was initially slow, but then a chance
reading of Bill Mollison and David Holmgren’s book Permaculture 1 provided
the spark of inspiration they needed to design ‘The Food Forest’.
Permaculture struck Graham as ‘a beautiful package
with a nice set of ethics behind it’. Sustainable growing and consuming
became the couple’s main focus, following the three core values inherent
in permaculture: care of the planet, care of the community, and taking
personal responsibility for population and consumption. The Design for
Life movie and virtual tour showcases the thriving, abundant land they’ve
created.
Output from the The Food Forest farm grew rapidly,
and now it produces a wide range of certified organic produce that is sold
at the weekly Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market. Everything grown on
the property is prepared on site, using cold room, drying and dehydrating
equipment built simply on a small scale – to show visitors how they can
replicate the ideas on their own property and maintain the machinery themselves.
There’s also a cellar door, store, and learning centre housed in old stables.
News bulletins on climate change show us the
consequences of lifestyles massively out of step with nature. Graham and
Annemarie have noticed changes in the forest – temperature fluctuations
are affecting the flowering cycles of fruit and nut trees, and since 2005
the low rainfall fails to soak the subsoil sufficiently.
The Brookmans are adapting to change by adjusting
their agricultural methods, and Design for Life stresses the importance
of spreading ideas via education until governments follow with the legislation
needed to support sustainable farming practices. The Food Forest spreads
the word by welcoming visitors to tours and weekend workshops, and hosting
longer-term residents through the WWOOF scheme (Willing Workers on Organic
Farms).
‘A society that no longer values good farmland
and the training of the next generation of farmers has surely lost its
way,’ is Graham’s final message in the film. Design for Life demonstrates
that we can take responsibility for minimising our impact on the planet,
and live a rich and rewarding life while we do it – a must see film'.
JO VABOLIS - Indaily
'Hello, Graham and family
We received the DVD of "Design for Life" on Monday
and borrowed
a video projector to watch it at home.
We enjoyed it a lot. It was emotionally touching
to see a vibrant
center of sustainable living developed by one
family.
We particularly liked that it showed how to grow
as a family towards a lifestyle
that is good for the health of the family, community
and the planet.
For the last 4 years my wife and I have been searching
for ways to
make our lives more sustainable and healthier.
We have reached the
conclusion that we need to be able to grow at
least part of our own
food ourselves.
We want our 2 small sons to learn the skills and
values that
help them live in a world that comes after peak
oil and continuing
climate change. In the near future we plan to
buy an old farm property
and start to re-design it using the permaculture
principles.
Alo Joosepson, Permaculturist, Estonia