Permaculture & Sustainable Living

You may have heard the word “Permaculture” at one time or another and thought, “sounds interesting but what is it?”  Permaculture is a combination of permanent and agriculture or “permanent culture”. It is a term coined by two insightful guys from Australia, Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, who amassed a body of knowledge and experience observing the natural world and its operating principles and sought to synthesize and apply this knowledge in a practical way. Since the 1970’s Permaculture has been a fringe design system with people taking it up and applying it all over the world in relatively isolated and varied settings. Recently, however, with the unpredictability of our climate and our economic situation, particularly our dependence upon non-renewable resources and petroleum based products for our livelihoods and food supply, Permaculture is making a tangible impact in the mainstream as more people seek practical solutions and alternative ways of living.

Design Principles

Permaculture is about ethics and principles we use to make decisions and conscious designs both in our lives and in our landscape. The three main ethical pillars are simple:  “Earth care”, “People care”, and “Fair share” but assuring all of these in our decision-making and in our designs is the hard part. Holmgren’s design principles of which there are 12 are taken from direct observation of nature itself and form the backbone of our designs. Permaculture is about understanding what “sustainability” really means and giving it a definition beyond the financial bottom line. We learn a new way to understand our economy and ways to build “earth” capital which, in the long run, has far greater value for humankind than money. These building blocks have implications from how we run our businesses to how we consume; from how we do development work in our own and in foreign countries to how we manage our individual households. According to Bill Mollison, the granddaddy of the movement, "The only ethical decision is to take responsibility for our own existence and that of our children."

Permaculture Courses

What we seek in permaculture education is that students begin to understand and embody these principles to take them home and put them into practice in their own lives and on their own land or in their own projects. Courses are designed to give people the opportunity to learn the theory and principles and apply them in different ways. It could be planting or caring for a forest garden, or planting a vegetable garden, building a compost toilet, or learning to build an A-frame to mark out contour lines on a hillside, natural building techniques, or, all of the above and more depending upon time, identified needs, and available resources. Generally, the course is offered as a 72-hour, two-week intensive where we live, eat, sleep and work together. Most people form strong bonds with their classmates which encourages new friendships and networks. Participants also learn about the design process in a learning-by-doing environment with real life experience for real clients.

I have been a Permaculture/Sustainability practitioner since 1998 in various forms and in some very different roles sometimes implementing projects myself, sometimes identifying good practices in other projects and making recommendations, and sometimes evaluating or designing new systems. The course changed my view of the natural world and my understanding of my impact on it. I learned at that time that we all had a choice to either be part of the solution or continue to live as we do and contribute to the problem. I chose the former even though sometimes it seemed impossible. I learned that I am no more than a steward of the land and that what I did to it would have consequences for others far beyond my lifetime. I also learned that I am part of the natural environment and responsible for what happens in it. For the first time this June I will have the opportunity to teach this course myself in Costa Rica with the help of good friends of mine in the UK.

Fortunately, for all of us, Permaculture courses are being offered all over the world and if there is not one near you, let someone know and it will be done. From the Permaculture perspective, this information is essential to changing our lifestyles and creating resilience in our communities and all of us who teach it also live it. Now that there are organized groups of practitioners in many countries, it is even easier to get the knowledge we need for our future and the future of those to come. Some resources for more information and courses are:

USA:  Permaculture Research Institute (www.permacultureusa.org)

Canada:  Permaculture Research Institute (www.pricanada.org)

United Kingdom:  British Permaculture Association (www.permaculture.org.uk)

Australia:  Permaculture Research Institute and Permaculture Association of Western Australia  (www.permaculture.org.au)

The Costa Rica course will be held at the Osa Mountain Village on the West coast of the country near the Osa peninsula for the World Institute for Sustainability and Education (WISE) from June 13 through June 24, 2011. The course will be co-taught by me, Kim Glick, and Steve Jones of Sector39 based in Wales. Steve is a long-time friend and well-known and respected Permaculture practitioner and teacher. I am fortunate to have him by my side. You will not want to miss this great opportunity to participate in the design of a new teaching facility based right in one of the most beautiful and bio-diverse regions of the world.  The cost is $1495 per person all inclusive except airfare, hotel/hostal in San Jose, and country exit fees.  You will sleep in either a cabin or a yurt right in the middle of the rainforest.  Please contact Deborah or Skip at WISE for more information, course details, and registration:  www.wisecostarica.org