Intro to Permaculture
What is Permaculture?
By: http://www.networkearth.org/perma/defined.html#what
Permaculture is a new word, a new environmental science, a new way of life. Permanent agriculture is a science of sustainability. This is a requisite for a permanent culture - for the maintenance of the body politic. Permaculture is a system of environmental design which applies sound ecological principles to life in all bio-regions, from the urban to the wild, from the material to the invisible, to benefit life in all its forms. The complex patterns of life found nature form the matrix from which the Permaculturalist designs stable productive systems to provide for all our needs, harmoniously integrating the land and the people. A true Permaculture practitioner lives in cooperation with nature.
This new science has generated a rapidly growing global grassroots movement toward a sustainable world culture. Thousands of Permaculture practitioners, designers, and teachers are working worldwide.
Another Definition of Permaculture
By: www.permacultureconvergence.com
Permaculture is a holistic design philosophy described as the art and science of creating community ecosystems in which plants, animals, human beings, and all forms of ecological diversity interact to produce a prolific, ecologically-sound, and regenerative system that can support itself and life indefinitely. The focus of permaculture is to design and establish societal systems that provide for humanity’s material and non-material needs including food, water, shelter, energy, and health in a way that is symbiotic and synergistic with the Earth’s natural ecosystems. More recently permaculture is incorporating an ever-growing landscape of diverse fields and skill sets and is being applied towards areas such as business, government, economics, group process, social systems, and even inner work.
Permaculture Is:
• An ethical design system for ecological living
• A global grassroots movement to build a sustainable culture
• An ecological science: the study of Nature and natural systems
• A lifestyle integrating ecologically sustainable qualities into our lives and communities
Permaculture Ethics
• Care of Earth
• Care of People
• Return the Surplus \ Fair Shares \ Care of the Return
Some Aims of Permaculture
• Re-Forest the Earth
• Reclaim and build soil
• Grow food where people are
• Sequester carbon to balance the biosphere
• Create Regenerative Culture
• Calalyze a Global Grassroots Movement
◦ Ecological, Social, Culural Healing
◦ Restorative Justice
◦ Education for Self-Reliance
A Good Permaculture Quote
“Permaculture principles focus on thoughtful designs for small-scale intensive systems which are labor efficient and which use biological resources instead of fossil fuels. Designs stress ecological connections and closed energy and material loops. The core of permaculture is design and the working relationships and connections between all things.” -Bill Mollison