permaculture
“Permaculture is a way of living which promotes a harmonious
balance between all forms of life within the ecosystem.”
Permaculture is an approach to everyday life that integrates plants, animals, landscape, structures; people who purposely design all the facets of their lives to enhance environmental sustainability within a permanent, sustainable agricultural and cultural system - a diverse, complex eco-system, where the all of the elements interact in mutually beneficial ways to produce a whole which is greater than the sum of its parts.
Permanent is from the Latin "permanens" - to remain to the end, to persist throughout. Culture is from the Latin "cultura" - meaning the cultivation of land, or the intellect. It is a philosophy, an ethic of caring for the earth and working with, not against nature with an attitude of thoughtful observation, an action-meditation - rather than undirected and thoughtless labor.
A way of looking beyond a single-product system, and a means to leave the earth richer than we found it. Its aim is to create self-maintaining, efficient, and highly productive agricultural eco-systems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural eco-systems.
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By observing a natural eco-system, we can learn to imitate nature and create a man-made eco-system, a symbiotic relationship, that is productive, non-polluting, and beneficial to the whole environment, where everything is interconnected, sustaining all living things within the system. When correctly designed, such a system will become increasingly diverse, resilient, and self-sustaining, conserving soil, water, and energy.
Permaculture is a practical and creative approach to the problems of diminishing resources and threatened life support systems now facing the world. It is a holistic approach to human culture - an integration of biology, ecology, agriculture, architecture, technology, and building.
It requires that what is learned about biology, energy, physics, eco-systems, water flow, and climate be applied in everyday life - providing us with shelter, food, water, income, and community, giving each of us an aesthetic and spiritual fulfillment within a beautifully balanced and healthy biological community - a sustainable and secure place for all living things on the earth - growing in richness, aesthetic beauty, and productivity.
Permaculture is not an end, it is a means - a way that can lead us towards a sustainable, ecologically sound, self perpetuating systems that will produce an efficient, low-maintenance, productive integration of plants, animals, humans, commerce, and structures. The ultimate result: a balanced eco-stability and food self-sufficiency in the smallest practical area.