by Bernadell Larson,
HCMG |
WHAT IS PERMACULTURE?
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Permaculture is a design
system for creating
sustainable human
environments. Modern
Permaculture is a way of
looking at a whole
system or problem,
observing how the parts
relate, planning to mend
sick systems, and seeing
connections between key
parts. You can apply
Permaculture principles
to home-building and
renovation;
transportation and
energy; business and
economics;
organizations;
education; community
projects; food
production; landscaping;
and all other areas of
your life. It is a
worldwide sustainability
movement, founded in the
1970s by Australians
Bill Mollison and David
Holmgren. |
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Practitioners learn from
the working systems of
nature to plan to fix
damaged landscapes of
human agricultural and
city systems. It is
about helping people
make redesign choices,
setting new goals and a
shift in thinking that
affects not only their
home but their actions
in whatever they do. The
Austin, Texas
Permaculture Guild
offers courses in
Permaculture Design. |
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There is a fundamental
set of core values which
remain constant whether
you are creating systems
for a town planning or
trade, or whether the
land they care for is a
window box or an entire
forest. These core
values are:
Earthcare –
recognizing that the
physical components of
the Earth are closely
integrated to form a
complex interactive
system, that Earth is
our valuable home, and
that we are a part of
Earth, not apart from
it.
Peoplecare – supporting
and helping each other
change to ways of living
that do not harm us or
the planet, and to
develop healthy
societies.
Fairshare
(or placing limits on
consumption) - ensuring
that Earth's limited
resources are used in
ways that are equitable
and wise. |
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Modern thought about
Permaculture began with
the issue of sustainable
food production. It
started with the belief
that for people to feed
themselves sustainably,
they need to move away
from reliance on
industrialized
agriculture. Industrial
farms use technology
powered by fossil fuels
and each specializes in
producing high yields of
a single crop frequently
using artificial
fertilizers. |
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Permaculture stresses
the value of low inputs
and diverse crops. The
model for this is an
abundance of small-scale
markets and home gardens
for food production,
resulting in reduced
food miles (the distance
food travels from
production to table.) |
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