Permaculture: Designs for humanity...
The fine art called Permaculture created by two Tasmanians and thousands of years of ancestral trial and error is more than just "a system of design for the creation of sustainable human habitat"; it's a way of life.
Permaculture was created in the mid1970s by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, its title refering not just to "permanent agriculture", but also to "permanent culture", focusing on a holistic ideology that accommodates all of ours needs physically and spiritually. Clearly this system was deliberately designed to make perfect ecological sense but what they may not have realised in their invention of it is the influence permaculture would have upon the potential of the human soul.
Mollison and Holmgrens' creation is an unfolding science, whose principles harmoniously merge commonsense ecological practice with the chaotic potential of nature's unharnessed creativity.
There are rules in permaculture to be sure but their edges are blurry and in a constant process of evolution.
This system honours the fluid procession of the cyclical movements of nature, its guidelines inspired by the natural world itself, ancient methods of sustainable land use and the results cultivated over the years by practicing permaculturalists and pioneers such as Mollison and Holmgren.
Permaculture in its basic essence makes the most out of any situation, focusing on a closed system where the outputs equal or outweigh the input. When designed and maintained correctly from the outset, a system should constantly replenish itself, providing abundant yields from minimal effort. With permaculture there is little waste and commitment to the reuse of resources and materials. As much as possible is recycled back into the system, whether that be leaf litter to make delicious compost recipes, spoiled fruit or fallen trees.
Permacultures design concepts have been created to mimic the principles found in nature; each element supports another whilst acting as a link in a vast chain. One of the key teachings of permaculture is that each element performs many functions. The humble chicken, essential to every permaculture system, doesn't just supply eggs; it eats weeds from the garden, controls pests by constant soil scratching and devours organic matter from kitchen scraps.
Permaculture is an excellent way to move toward self sufficiency. Within a well designed system there are many opportunities to capture resources, such as water and energy and ingenious ways in which to use them. The aim of this system is to harness resources, to utilise them efficiently and then recycle or reconvert those resources into something else of usable value. Grey water systems, solar panels, rainwater tanks and composting toilets are a good place to start in the establishment of an interdependent system.
Modern technology goes hand in hand with design in permaculture and the consumer has a vast array of choice when it comes to incorporating energy efficient and sustainable products into the building or refurbishinment of dwellings. By simply constructing your home to face the beneficial aspects of the sun and considering the placement and species types in the gardens that directly surround your dwelling, you can passively heat and cool your home and greatly reduce your reliance on conventional heating and cooling methods.
In the garden there are many ways to encourage abundant harvests by utilising the inherent wisdom of nature. Companion planting largely eliminates the need for pesticides, as does sowing a diverse range of crops. Careful crop selection and right choice of placement ensures the best result and as one of the principles of permaculture states, "observe and interact", if something is not growing in one area, move it to another. With patience, inventiveness and the cultivation of suitable conditions such as micro climates, all things of nature will thrive.
Thankfully the influence of permaculture does not end in the garden but continues to trickle into all aspects of humanities daily existence. The principles that are applied to land use can also be transferred to issues concerning community wellbeing, fair trade and social justice.
Suppose we envisaged a future where most suburban backyards produced food and shared their harvests with their neighbours and their neighbours neighbours... Imagine the goodwill that would permeate through the fence lines, not to mention the creation of all sorts of yummy concoctions from that surplus, blackberry jam in the summer and earthy root vegetable soup in the winter...Learning to co exist with your environment and utilise it sustainably ensures that everyone will reap the rewards of the harvest grown with care, compassion and love for many moons to come.
Growing your own food connects you to the earth once more.
It connects you to your body.
It connects you to the alchemical magic of cooking.
It connects you to others.
Through the decorating of the kitchen table and the ritual of the feast, food is indeed a simple daily blessing, attesting to the joys of nurturing yourself and others body, mind and soul.
Permaculture encourages a balanced way of life, resulting in harmonious and conscious action. It speaks to us of finding our roots and coexisting with the earth rather than perpetuating the act of blind and ruthless domination over a living planet that provides for our very existence. In the act of acknowledging the cycle of life, the interdependency we have with every living entity, we are reintroduced to the long lost traditions of earth care and reminded of our primal role as stewards of this realm.
As the world around us begins to change and self sufficiency becomes a good alternative to reliance on centralised, expensive and often destructive food and energy production, permaculture could serve as a foundation for providing us with the knowledge of how to create truly sustainable human settlements.
The ingenuity of permaculture encourages us to take full responsibility in providing for our most basic needs and inspires us to fulfil one of our most basic roles, that is of treading ever lightly and becoming conscious caretakers of this marvellous blue planet that we call home.
