What is Permaculture?

-submitted by Lindsey Dailey

WHAT IS PERMACULTURE? 

In a world out of balance, we are all looking for solutions to:

•  Gain access to affordable healthy food and clean water
• Earn a livelihood that feeds our families 
• Be part of a thriving ecosystem and community
• Live in non-toxic homes with low-energy costs
• Prepare for the unknown futures of climate change, peak oil, and economic instability

Permaculture provides innovative answers. Simply put, permaculture is a practical design system for creating sustainable human settlement. It includes a network of well-grounded theories and techniques that, over time, result in systems that are not just sustainable, but regenerative – meaning that they both provide for human needs while simultaneously restoring our damaged environment. These include systems for living – for architecture, food production, land management and community. 

Permaculture principles, like any really good design principles, can be applied across any biosphere, any property, any landscape, any city. You can incorporate permaculture principles and design philosophy to present an integrated design for your urban home, backyard, business, community, rural homestead, or broad-acre farm.