Experience permaculture now
Permaculture was developed and synthesized by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the late 60’s.
They didn’t invent it, they just observed and reproduced what Nature does so well : Growing.
Permaculture was developed and synthesized by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the late 60’s.
They didn’t invent it, they just observed and reproduced what Nature does so well : Growing.
Permaculture is a system of agricultural and social design principles centered on simulating or directly utilizing the patterns and features observed in natural ecosystems.
It has many branches that include but are not limited to ecological design, ecological engineering, environmental design, construction and integrated water resources management that develops sustainable architecture, and regenerative and self-maintained habitat and agricultural systems modeled from natural ecosystems.
Provision for all life systems to continue and multiply. This is the first principle, because without a healthy earth, humans cannot flourish.
Provision for people to access those resources necessary for their existence.
…, or return of surplus :
Reinvesting surpluses back into the system to provide for the first two ethics.This includes returning waste back into the system to recycle into usefulness.
Those principles have been articulated by David Holmgren in his book : Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability.
By taking time to engage with nature we can design solutions that suit our particular situation.
By developing systems that collect resources at peak abundance, we can use them in times of need.
Ensure that you are getting truly useful rewards as part of the work that you are doing.
We need to discourage inappropriate activity to ensure that systems can continue to function well.
Make the best use of nature’s abundance to reduce our consumptive behavior and dependence on non-renewable resources.
By valuing and making use of all the resources that are available to us, nothing goes to waste.
By stepping back, we can observe patterns in nature and society. These can form the backbone of our designs, with the details filled in as we go.
By putting the right things in the right place, relationships develop between those things and they work together to support each other.
Small and slow systems are easier to maintain than big ones, making better use of local resources and producing more sustainable outcomes.
Diversity reduces vulnerability to a variety of threats and takes advantage of the unique nature of the environment in which it resides.
The interface between things is where the most interesting events take place. These are often the most valuable, diverse and productive elements in the system.
We can have a positive impact on inevitable change by carefully observing, and then intervening at the right time.
This post is also available in: French