What is Permaculture?
And how can it make our world a better place?
Modern development patterns are unsustainable. We all know that things need to change, and humans need to find a different way to relate to the natural world and each other. But as individuals, we feel powerless. Permaculture is a set of principles and ethics that can help us envision and create a positive future for all living things.
Permaculture Ethics
Earth Care
Rebuilding and enhancing our natural capital by caring for the living earth and all its systems. From soil to rivers, forests to oceans, caring for our home planet is the foundation of all life and the first ethic of permaculture.
People Care
Caring for people begins with understanding ourselves. In permaculture, we strive to meet every person’s needs through thoughtful design and compassionate communication. We can expand our care outward from self to our community and beyond.
Fair Share
Fair share means giving when you have a surplus and receiving when you need help. It means learning when you have enough and when it’s time to ask for help.
Permaculture Principles
Observe and Interact – Take time to watch and understand natural systems before taking action, allowing you to create more effective and sustainable solutions.
Catch and Store Energy – Harness and preserve resources like sunlight, water, and soil fertility to ensure long-term abundance.
Obtain a Yield – Design systems that provide tangible rewards, such as food, materials, or financial gain, ensuring sustainability and motivation.
Apply Self-Regulation and Accept Feedback – Continuously evaluate and adjust your actions based on the outcomes to improve efficiency and minimize negative impacts.
Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services – Prioritize natural and regenerative resources over finite ones to maintain ecological balance.
Produce No Waste – Reduce, reuse, and recycle materials to create closed-loop systems where waste becomes a resource.
Design from Patterns to Details – Observe large-scale patterns in nature and society and use them as a foundation before refining the specifics of a design.
Integrate Rather than Segregate – Foster connections between elements in a system so they support one another, increasing resilience and productivity.
Use Small and Slow Solutions – Focus on gradual, manageable changes that are more adaptable, sustainable, and effective in the long run.
Use and Value Diversity – Encourage biodiversity in plants, animals, and systems to create resilience against pests, diseases, and environmental changes.
Use Edges and Value the Marginal – Recognize that the most productive and innovative areas often exist at the boundaries between different ecosystems or ideas.
Creatively Use and Respond to Change – Embrace change as an opportunity by adapting and designing flexible systems that can evolve over time.
