Permaculture is a design system for sustainable living. It can also be thought of as the science of assembling beneficial relationships.
In, "Permaculture: A Designer's Manual," Bill Mollison describes permaculture as the conscious design, creation and maintenance of an agriculturally productive ecosystem that has the stability, resilience and diversity of a natural ecosystem.
Permaculture is both a philosophy of earth care and a functional design system based on a clear set of ethics and design principles.
The ethics are
- Care of the earth
- Care of people
- Create and share surplus
Check out this cool set of videos where Bill Mollison himself is teaching you Permaculture for free.
These videos were made by Elizabeth Sollit with NetWorks Productions at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glenn Rose, Texas between 1993 and 1996.
Some of Texas current permaculture teachers like Gary Freeborg and Kirby Fry can be seen sitting in the audience at times.
The principles are
- Achieve the biggest bang for your buck
- Every element must perform multiple functions
- Every essential function must be supported by multiple elements
- Everything is connected
- Energy efficient planning
- Using biological resources
- Energy cycling
- Small-scale intensive systems
- Stacking and packing
- Polyculture and diversity of species
- Increasing "edge" within a system
- Observe and replicate natural patterns
- Pay attention to scale
David Holmgren modernized and streamlined them:
- Observe & Interact
- Catch & Store Energy
- Obtain a Yield
- Apply Self-regulation & Accept Feedback
- Use & Value Renewable Resources and Services
- Produce No Waste
- Design From Patterns to Details
- Integrate Rather Than Segregate
- Use Small and Slow Solutions
- Use and Value Diversity
- Use Edges and Value the Marginal
- Creatively Use and Respond to Change
Check out Austin Permaculture Guild's website www.austinperm.com for upcoming classes in the Austin Area
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Want to take a PDC (Permaculture Design Course) then check out this nice little video