Permaculture

Permaculture is a system and philosophy for designing human systems based on the principle of working with natural systems rather then against them. It aims to create biological and social systems that are structured so that peoples’ basic needs are produced as a by-product of the natural systems with a minimum of labour required. The ethics — “earth care, people care and fair share” — form the foundation for permaculture design and are also found in most traditional societies.

Permaculture Principles *

• Observe and interact: By taking time to engage with nature we can design solutions that suit our particular situation.
• Catch and store energy: By developing systems that collect resources at peak abundance, we can use them in times of need.
• Obtain a yield: Ensure that you are getting truly useful rewards as part of the work that you are doing.
• Apply self-regulation and accept feedback: We need to discourage inappropriate activity to ensure that systems can continue to function well.
• Use and value renewable resources and services: Make the best use of nature's abundance to reduce our consumptive behavior and dependence on non-renewable resources.
• Produce no waste: By valuing and making use of all the resources that are available to us, nothing goes to waste.
• 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.
• Use small and slow solutions: Small and slow systems are easier to maintain than big ones, making better use of local resources and producing more sustainable outcomes.
• Use and value diversity: Diversity reduces vulnerability to a variety of threats and takes advantage of the unique nature of the environment in which it resides.
• Use edges and value the marginal: 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.
• Creatively use and respond to change: We can have a positive impact on inevitable change by carefully observing, and then intervening at the right time.

* The twelve fundamental Permaculture design principles as articulated by David Holmgren in his book "Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability"