Permaculture links

wiki
New Atlantis article
Introduction to Permaculture

The word "permaculture" was coined in 1978 by Bill Mollison, an Australian ecologist, and one of his students, David Holmgren. It is a contraction of "permanent agriculture" or "permanent culture."

Permaculture is about designing ecological human habitats and food production systems. It is a land use and community building movement which strives for the harmonious integration of human dwellings, microclimate, annual and perennial plants, animals, soils, and water into stable, productive communities. The focus is not on these elements themselves, but rather on the relationships created among them by the way we place them in the landscape. This synergy is further enhanced by mimicking patterns found in nature.

A central theme in permaculture is the design of ecological landscapes that produce food. Emphasis is placed on multi-use plants, cultural practices such as sheet mulching and trellising, and the integration of animals to recycle nutrients and graze weeds.

However, permaculture entails much more than just food production. Energy-efficient buildings, waste water treatment, recycling, and land stewardship in general are other important components of permaculture. More recently, permaculture has expanded its purview to include economic and social structures that support the evolution and development of more permanent communities, such as co-housing projects and eco-villages. As such, permaculture design concepts are applicable to urban as well as rural settings, and are appropriate for single households as well as whole farms and villages.

"Integrated farming" and "ecological engineering" are terms sometimes used to describe perma-culture, with "cultivated ecology" perhaps coming the closest. Though helpful, these terms alone do not capture the holistic nature of permaculture; thus, the following definitions are included here to provide additional insight.

Bill Mollison
What is Permaculture? by Bill Mollison
Permaculture - A Quiet Revolution :: An Interview with Bill Mollison
Bill Mollison at Permaculture Research Institute of Australia; wiki

Right Livelihood Award
The Legend of Permaculture

source

Bill Mollison's set of permaculture principles are laid out in his Magnus opus: Permaculture - A Designer's Manual (p.35 Chapter 2.14, Tagari Publications, 1988, 1st ed.). Further principles are laid out in the entry level Introduction to Permaculture (Tagari Publications, 1988, 1st ed.)

Mollisonian Permaculture Principles

1. Work with nature, rather than against the natural elements, forces, pressures, processes, agencies, and evolutions, so that we assist rather than impede natural developments.
2. The problem is the solution; everything works both ways. It is only how we see things that makes them advantageous or not (if the wind blows cold, let us use its strength and its coolness to advantage). A corollary of this principle is that everything is a positive resource; it is just up to us to work out how we may use it as such.
3. Make the least change for the greatest possible effect.
4. The yield of a system is theoretically unlimited. The only limit on the number of uses of of a resources possible within a system is in the limit of the information and the imagination of the designer.
5. Everything gardens, or has an effect on its environment.

David Holmgren
David Holmgren (wiki)
Energy Descent (more links)
Global Public Media
Retrofitting the Suburbs for Sustainability
Holmgren Design Services
A review of his Permaculture - principles and pathways beyond sustainability

More Links
Permaculture Institute
Permaculture.Net
International Institute for Ecological Agriculture
Permaculture The Earth
Permaculture Activist
Bullock's Permaculture Homestead, Orcas Island, WA, USA
La'akea Permaculture Gardens/Permaculture in Hawaii
UK Permaculture Association
Permaculture Magazine
| Permaculture Research Institute of Australia
Southern Cross Permaculture Institute
Permaculture Institute International

The Relocalization Network
Energy Farms
Global Public Media
Bay Area Peak Oil