Permaculture Information Resources 

Watershed based models of economic development looking into creating more localized ecologically informed, socially responsible and profitable directions of economic growth.

 

It is not a matter of growth or no growth regionally it is a matter of what do we want to grow and how to go about it? 

That is the central question we are exploring in this report taking the Hudson valley watershed as a base map to design a more diverse, local ecological and socially just economy and infrastructure.  We define our region as the Hudson valley watershed and all the sub-watersheds that comprise it and all the municipalities therein.

 

A Integrated regional master plan that focuses on local food security, renewable local energy production opportunities, better transportation systems and overall with a goal of achieving greater economic self-reliance with a diversity of green jobs and a more resilient infrastructure and livelihood options emerging from our vision for future generations growing up in the region. Most studies focus on a single topic and miss many potential linkages and synergies that are yielded when a range of economic activities in a community are integrated and retrofitted to be healthy and sustainable for the long-term.

 

The Report: 

Includes 3 basic sections

​

Section 1:  Analysis - with the Hudson Valley Watershed as our baseline for data collection.

 

Section 2: Assessment

 

Section 3: Recommendations for (based on the info. in 1 & 2)

​

Regional Retrofitting to realistically achieve a more healthy, independent and resilient localized economy and Infrastructure by a goal of 2050- to be for instance in energy=100% Renewable Hudson Valley watershed energy systems.

 

Three subjects analyzed, assessed and recommended:

 

Subject #1 - Food: 

Regional Self-reliance analysis of present food production in the region with this criteria in mind.

• How much is produced locally how much diets imported?

• What staples could be produced locally

• With some Changes in diets and new crops that could come in as staples?

 

Subject #2 - Energy: 

Production sources that it depends upon, what is renewable and local and what is imported and fossil fuel or nuclear dependent

• How much is produced locally how much is imported?

• What energy could be produced locally ecologically?

• With some Changes in systems and lifestyles how much could be generated renewable resiliently locally?

 

Subject # 3 - Waste and Water:

How much waste it’s impacts on waterways and water quality in the region where is generated where is it sent and 

and how much could be turned into useful, ecologically healthy materials and livelihoods for the region?

• Volumes and types of water used?

• Generally throughout  the study area how it is distributed ?

• Waste loads impacting waterways?

• Ways to improve and enhance water quality and resilience of aquatic ecosystems