Permaculture 101: Designing A Life Beyond Sustainability
By Erin Gallagher
Filed Under The Big Picture |
According to the Hirsch Report issued by the US Department of Energy, global oil production peaked in 2005 with the last major discoveries of light crude oil occurring in the 1960s. Regardless, global consumption rates continue to climb 1.5% each year and the UN estimates the world population will hit 9.1 Billion in the next 40 years. It should be glaringly apparent that our world is off balance; what remains unclear is where we should start to stabilize ourselves.
A revolutionary concept developed in the 1970s, dubbed “permaculture,” is rapidly gaining attention as a transformative vehicle for creating holistic, healthy systems from the microcosm of our immediate surroundings to the macrocosm of the planet.
per. ma. cul. ture \ˈpər-mə-ˌkəl-chər\ Etymology: permanent + agriculture
A method for designing human habitats so that all elements integrate to form a simple, non-wasteful, harmless, self sustaining, productive, highly functional system.
The idea of permaculture was developed at the University of Tasmania by environmental psychology professor Bill Mollison and his environmental design student, David Holmgren. In response to the extreme drought conditions of Australia and global dependence on fossil fuels, the two men developed a model that created much needed balance. Inputs equaled outputs and the only “waste” the model created, easily broke down into simple elements that added to the health of their environment. Though the basis of their design has existed in many aboriginal and native cultures for centuries, Mollison and Holmgren devised a way to communicate it to a much broader audience.
They proposed that through thoughtful observation of natural cycles in a specific environment, a human habitat could be designed to function in the most healthy, ecologically responsible and highly efficient manner possible. For example, water naturally flows in a meandering side-to-side pattern. Where a river bends, the banks tend to be more fertile and lush in vegetation than where it flows straight because the water is forced to slow down, allowing a greater amount to absorb into the soil. In the urban environment, rainwater is often directed off rooftops, down drain pipes, out in the street, and into the sewer system as waste. If that same water falling on a rooftop was instead directed into the landscape and encountered a series of well-designed obstacles that forced it to meander and seep into the soil, the landscape would potentially not require much (if any) watering by the inhabitants. The soil would also retain the essential nutrients required to create an environment for micro-organisms and eventually foster organic food production. Designing a water system such as this requires very little money and only a few hours of time. It is done simply with “earthworks,” which are arrangements of soil, mulch, stones and sticks that accurately redirect the existing water flow.
It was from this common sense model that the two Australians envisioned their closed-loop, whole system design. Permaculture, true to definition, works to integrate economic, political, medical, spiritual and educational systems by focusing on water management, food production, the design of a built environment (such as a house), technological advancement and community involvement.
When permacultural practices yield designs that cohesively integrate all elements of a system, an example of true sustainablility is achieved. To fully understand what permaculture means, the term “sustainability” must also be defined. A sustainable environment must be able to efficiently function on the energy that it generates without using finite resources or contributing non-recyclable waste. In the context of permaculture, energy is anything that can generate further forms of energy in a renewable manner. This includes soil nutrients, garden food and photovoltaic systems.
The 11 Basic Principles Of Permaculture Design
- Observe And Interact
By taking the time to interact with nature we can design solutions that suit our particular environment. - Catch And Store Energy
By developing systems that collect resources when they are abundant, we can use them in times of need. - Stack Functions
Elements should all have multiple functions that contribute to the overall purpose and efficiency of the system. - Accept Feedback
Understand why an element does or does not work and learn from that experience. - Value Renewable Resources
Make the best use of natures abundance to reduce our consumptive behavior and dependence on non-renewable resources. - View Waste As Fuel And Food
We can learn to re-purpose what we deem as ‘waste’ to function as fuel and food for a system. For example: food scraps can be composted and eventually create nutritious soil to generate more healthy food. - Design From Patterns To Details
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. - Integrate Rather Than Segregate
By putting the right things in the right place, relationships develop between those things and they work together to support each other. - Begin Small And Slow
Small and slow systems are easier to maintain than big ones, make better use of local resources and produce more sustainable outcomes. - Value Diversity
Diversity reduces vulnerability to a variety of threats and takes advantage of the unique nature of the environment in which it resides. - Expect Change
Our systems will function much better if we design them so that they can be flexible and adjust to inevitable yet unpredictable shifts
Designing and developing habitats that meet human needs within healthy ecological limits requires a revolution greater than any we have experienced in the last century. Permaculture has the potential to catalyze this action because it is simple to practice and we can start by ourselves at home. If our society is looking for a place to begin, we now have one.
Start integrating permaculture principles into your life. Here are some great resources to get you started…
- Check back each Thursday for the next few weeks at eCo Times, as the Permaculture 101 series delves deeper into permacultural design techniques and how to integrate them into your daily life
- Begin a self-guided education with Bill Mollison’s pivotal book: Permaculture: A Designer’s Manual and David Holmgren’s: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability
- Get involved in the permaculture movement through classes, community events and workshops through The Urban Permaculture Guild
- Immerse yourself in a whole system design and sustainable architecture education through the ECOSA Institute for Radical Sustainability
- Learn what the co-founder of the permaculture movement is up to by visiting David Holmgren’s Permaculture Design
Posted on August 14, 2008 |
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6 Responses to “Permaculture 101: Designing A Life Beyond Sustainability”
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Great synopsis, motivation, background and introduction. Looking forward to the follow-up articles on the various parts of the whole system.
Cheers
T
The pictures of the vine of life and the river of sustainability were some great touches.
C
It’s funny; it almost seems that the term “sustainable” is going the way of “green.” It’s been so diluted, no one knows what it means anymore.
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