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I've compiled this list from acronyms- what do they all mean and Permaculture Jargon translator. It still needs formatting work, and I want to add permies forum specific terms from What do these titles mean?. But, I don't want to lose this and need to get out in the garden. I'm making this a wiki editable by both Pollinators and Moderators, so hopefully lots of people can add and define more terms here! Let's make this a great resource!

  • Big Black Book = "Permaculture : A Designers Manual" by Bill Mollison
  • A List of Active Staff on Permies.com - https://permies.com/wiki/active-staff-bio
  • Adobe = is similar to Compressed Earth Blocks (CEB) insofar as you're making blocks of earth, but they're not compressed. They're mixed wet, put into molds, and hold their brick shape as they dry.
  • Apples = a yummy fruit that grows on trees. Here on permies, it's a way for "Pollinators" and moderators ("Gardeners" and "Stewards") to reward posts they think are good
  • ATC appropriate technology course: https://permies.com/t/206625/permaculture-projects/Planning-Permaculture-Technology-Jamboree-poor
  • BB Badge bits (these are tasks to complete to earn a badge in the PEP permaculture curriculum) https://permies.com/wiki/skip-pep-bb
  • BB20 = Badge Bit 20 (a--usually free--event for those who've completed 20 badge bits. It's a way for them to use the recources at Wheaton Labs to get even more badge bits done to earn more permaculture badges!) https://wheaton-labs.com/bb20/
  • BEER = Better Extreme Early Retirement https://permies.com/t/39755/permaculture-projects/beer
  • Berkey = (Berkfeld ®) -- a kind of water filter that's really cool, takes out of the water a lot of unwanted minerals like lead and mercury, and kills 99.99+% of viruses, bacteria, and other mini-nasties.
  • bioremediation -- using plants or other living organisms to clean up toxic gick from your soil, such as lead or arsenic. Sunflowers, barley, brassicas (broccoli, kale), and trees have all been accused of being lead remediators. Research for yourself. Bones are also supposed to bind lead in a non-bio-available form (pyromorphite, or "lead chlorophosphate") although some plants can solublize pyromorphate (make it bioavailable again)
    bioremediation 2: A treatment that uses naturally occurring organisms to break down hazardous substances into less toxic or non toxic substances
  • black locust = a tree = robinia pseudoacacia  a highly rot resistant wood, traditionally used for fence posts. Able to withstand direct soil contact for years without rotting. 
  • bokashi = a ferment used in natural farming
  • bone char -- burnt bones, a slightly more convenient and sanitary (and neighbor-friendly) way of putting bone amendment into your soil
  • bone salve = the tar tha drips down from bones heated in pot for a long period of time. It's a concoction that Sepp Holzer came up with that repels deer, lasts for decades (he states), and is all "natural" .
  • BRK = Biological Reverse Kickstarter (this is a way to financially support people doing awesome things at Wheaton Labs thought the Permaculture Bootcamp) https://permies.com/wiki/brk
  • Brown permaculture = more of a nuts and bolts permaculture, with emphasis on specific techniques and more practical knowledge sharing, without philosophical considerations. (see: purple permaculture and purple/brown permaculture)
  • CEB = Compressed Earth Blocks. These are similar to rammed earth insofar as you're packing earth tightly so that it holds it shape. But instead of formworks, the compression happens inside a machine, resulting in a block. The block is then used for building just like any other masonry unit.
  • Cob = is a mix of clay, sand, and straw. You pile it up lump-by-lump to build things- most often walls and benches.
  • Comfrey = an abundant wild plant, that grows all over the place, good biomass plant for chop and drop.
  • Daikon radish -- a deep (1' or more) -rooted radish that can help prepare soil for planting and is used in natural farming. Planting these to loosen soil has advantages over tilling.
  • DE = diatomaceous earth. It is fossil sea shell flour. It's a microscopic razor that cuts an insects exoskeleton and kills via dehydration. https://richsoil.com/diatomaceous-earth.jsp
  • Department of Making You Sad = any government regulatory bureau that may have regulations that are hard to comply with, impede progress, or, arguably, attempt to protect ecosystems at the expense of actually protecting them (for example, a law says you can't make a pond more than 4' deep on your land, but if you do you could turn a barren field into a supply of local food, thus decreasing your carbon footprint. the regulations run counter to the larger intent of the law, and so you feel sad that you are fined for or prevented from doing what serves the greatest good)
  • Dynamic accumulator = Plants that gather certain micronutrients, macronutrients, or minerals and store them in their leaves. These plants can be used either for detoxifying soil or for gathering a certain nutrient or mineral from an area.
  • Earth bag = recycled or new bags made of plastic that are filled with earthen materials and then stacked with barbed wires in between to form a structure or wall.
  • Earth ship =this one is a bit fuzzy, with different people interpreting it. may refer to the original buildings by michael reynolds, who coined the term, using all recycled materials and a lot of tires and earth. may also refer to the general design which is very long and thin, a passive solar design with U-shaped rooms as modeled by the star community, or is used imprecisely to refer to just about any alternative construction method.
  • Ecotones = the transitional space between two or more ecosystems or communities.
  • Edge effect = a term derived from ecology to describe how between/on the border of two or more communities, there are species from both communities inside the ecotone. There is almost always more biodiversity on the edges of a community(s) than within the individual communities themselves. This is one of the reasons why edge is optimized in permaculture.
  • FLEGM = Fresnel Lens Glass Melter (using a giant magnifying glass to melt glass to make cool things!): https://permies.com/t/118371/permaculture-projects/Solar-Glass-Recycler-aka-Fresnel
  • FYSH = farmstead yield standard hour (a way that Paul Wheaton pays people for tasks they do for him): https://permies.com/t/59707/permaculture-projects/fysh-farmstead-yield-standard-hour
  • GAMCOD = grow a million calories from one acre of dirt: https://permies.com/t/176961/permaculture-projects/GAMCOD-grow-million-calories-acre#1427176
  • Gardener = A person who grows food. Here on permies, it's also a term for a moderator. This person can give out 5-15 apples a day (dependent on if they are a "Master Gardener," which is basically a pollinator who's been so helpful that Gir Bot likes them a lot.) https://permies.com/t/69217/titles-Gardener-garden-master-master#941604
  • GAT = Government-Mandated Acceptable Levels of Toxicity
  • Gir Bot = This is what we call our forum software. Gir Bot does everything from sending PMs about fixing your posts, to choosing the "Master" gardeners/pollinators/etc, to helping merge threads. https://permies.com/t/61238/gir-bot
  • Hugelkultur = a raised garden bed technique where wood is buried in a raised mound. This helps retain moisture, harbor benificial soil microrganisms, and create diverse microclimates https://richsoil.com/hugelkultur/
  • HUSP = Horticulture of the United States of Pocahontas: https://permies.com/t/9121/Horticulture-United-States-Pocahontas-husp
  • LSMFT = Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco. Does no one recall 1960s television commercials, where every other one was for cigarettes?
  • Mother Tree = A tree that supports a large section of a forest ecosystem. Here on permies, this can refer to a moderator who has even more responsibilities and scary buttons than a Steward
  • Paul Wheaton - creator and ruler of permies.com
  • Pawpaw Asimina triloba, a tree native to North America bearing fruits with a few large seeds (not related to papaya, which is called pawpaw in Australia and some other countries)
  • PDC Permaculture Design Course (a way to learn permaculture methodology and skills and earn a shiny, world-recognized certificate) https://wheaton-labs.com/permaculture-design-course
  • PEA = Permaculture Experience for Apartment Dwellers (a way for anyone, around the world, to learn permaculture and homesteading techniques, even in an apartment!): https://permies.com/t/126847/Logan-PEA-Development-Thread
  • PEP = Permaculture Experience according to Paul (Paul's permaculture and homesteading self-directed ciriculum. A way to learn a bunch of skills by doing awesome things.): https://permies.com/f/178/
  • PEX= Permaculture Experience According to X (X stands for unknown person's initial. This means ANYONE can make their own permaculture ciriculum!): https://permies.com/wiki/97759/skills-inherit-property/Locations-PEP-PEX
  • PTJ = Permaculture Technology Jamboree (a way to learn awesome permaculture/homesteading technology that utilizes local resources and wind/solar energy, often with little electivity. Think building houses that are heated and cooled by the earth, composting toilets, rocket mass heaters, etc ): https://permies.com/t/206638/Permaculture-Technology-Jamboree-Movie-kickstarter and https://wheaton-labs.com/permaculture-tech/
  • PIE = A yummy food encased in a crust. Here on permies, this also stands for "Permaculture Inner-circle Elite." PIE is symbolized by a little piece of huckleberry pie. This pie can be given away with a special message to thank another member on permies. When you have pie, you also have access to a bunch of free stuff and spiffy forum features. PIE is a great way to support permies! https://permies.com/forums/pie/list
  • Pioneer = Plants that are the first ones to grow in disturbed places. Here on permies, it also stands for a poster who's completed their scavenger hunt https://permies.com/wiki/213580/Pioneer-Scavenger-Hunt-Tutorial
  • Pollinator = An insect or other animal that spreads pollen from one plant to another. Here on permies, it's also a term for a poster who's made a lot of great, useful, helpful posts. This person can give out 1-3 apples a day (dependent on if they are a "Master pollinator," which is basically a pollinator who's been so helpful that Gir Bot likes them a lot.)https://permies.com/t/69217/titles-Gardener-garden-master-master
  • Purple permaculture = permaculture with a metaphysical/spiritual/philosophical or less practical slant. (see: brown permaculture and purple/brown permaculture)
  • SEPP = Seriously Excited about Permaculture Pampering (basically, a way to rent/tent at Wheaton Labs. You can learn permaculture techniques along with the people in the Permaculture Bootcamp whenever you want, if you want to.): https://permies.com/wiki/sepper 
  • Sepp Holzer = really innovative guy who uses earthworks, hugelkultur and permaculture techniques to push climate boundaries and grow with very few added inputs. Paul Wheaton's hero. https://permies.com/t/20492/Sepp-Holzer
  • SKIP = Skills to Inherit Property (A program that contains the PEP--permaculture Experience according to Paul--where you do awesome permaculture stuff, post pictures, get certified, and show landowners that you are worthy of inheriting their land when the times comes): https://permies.com/c/skip
  • Steward = A person who takes care of something else, like the land. Here on permies, it stands for a moderator who has access to more buttons. They can give out infinite apples a day
  • SPIFFY =  Save the Planet by Injecting Friendly Fixes Yourself: https://permies.com/f/144/Social-Justice
  • SYMBOO = ???: https://permies.com/t/61654/permaculture-projects/Symboo-Village. One of the four pieces of land at Wheaton Labs, with increasing degrees of permaculture awesomeness. https://permies.com/t/24443/pieces
  • TEFA = Textured Earth, Food All Year (Swales, hugelkultur, ponds, and other earthworks used to add shape to the landscape to make diverse microclimates and hold water on the land longer): https://permies.com/t/27226
  • TL= Either "the land" or "the labs." If it's the "The Lab," it probably refers to part of Wheaton Labs where most of the experiements are done, and also where Ant Village is. https://paulwheaton12.wordpress.com/2020/08/06/all-about-wheaton-labs/
  • VORP = Virgin, strictly Organic, Rich soil, and Polyculture/permaculture: https://permies.com/t/vorp
  • WL = Wheaton Labs: https://permies.com/f/102/labs
  • Wheaton Eco Scale = a way to think about a person's place in the permaculture journey https://permies.com/t/scale
  • WOFATI Woodland, Oehler Freaky-cheap Annualized Thermal Inertia (A eathbermed house that is cool in the summer and warm in the winter by the power of sunlight and earths thermal mass. It's not really used as an acronym so much as a name for those types of buildings.) https://permies.com/f/75/wofati-earth-berm and https://richsoil.com/wofati.jsp

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