Permaculture

 

In my last post I offered a little introduction to Permaculture. Since then I have been studying the concept quite heavily, learning a ton in the process. Permaculture has quickly become a deep passion of mine. I truly believe it is a vital answer to the question of “how can we sustain ourselves?”.

 

What is Permaculture exactly? Some say that the word originates from Permanent Agriculture, while others claim it stands for Permanent Culture. I would say it is actually a combination of both. Through a drive to create a sustainable culture, one needs sustainable agriculture. Permaculture is a combination of us, home, land and the earth. Most often it is concepts applied to the production of food in a sustainable method.

 

Our culture currently has a blind spot as large as our field of vision. By becoming so disconnected from the food system, people have no concept of how fragile it really is. Without being part of the production system we assume that an endless supply of food is magically manifesting and flowing out of a warehouse. It is difficult to see the consequences of the industrial system while standing inside our box of ignorance. If we don’t make the steps to change how things are, we might wake up one morning surprised to hear that there was a nationwide failure in one of our main crops, and there just isn’t enough food for everyone.

 

Everyone can make a change toward permaculture. Whether you want to grow your own food or not, there are practices that you can put into action around your home. Do you have a large expansive lawn that isn’t being used? Why waste all the resources of water to keep it alive, and gas to keep it trimmed and neat? Now if you want to grow your own food this is a wonderful opportunity to turn your yard into an abundant garden space. If you do not have the desire to grow your own food, a water wise garden (xeriscaping) can be an option that adds beauty and value to your land.

 

When we change our perspective of what is important in life, we might just find that we will end up living a better quality of life. Instead of putting our value in a piece of paper, what if we put our value in the people. Do we really need a new phone every few months, or a new car each year? Is a 4,000 square foot home really necessary? We do not need to abandon modern creations, but we can change the way we consume and use them.

 

The videos below are an interview with Bill Mollison, a man that is accredited with being the father of Permaculture. I apologize that the video is split up into 6 parts instead of being able to find a full length version.