Saturday, October 03, 2009 by: Yamila Esther Gonzalez
(NaturalNews) Permaculture is a way of living; it involves
sustainability, ethics, community living, harmony with nature,
appropriate technology, organic living, organic farming, etc. It is a
way to integrate nature and people in the most sustainable way. This
word, permaculture (that was originally derived from permanent
agriculture), was originally coined by two Australians named David
Holmgren and Bill Mollison in response to the challenges related to our
survival.
In permaculture, ethics and design principles are used
to help us make good decisions for the people and the environment.
Permaculture itself is an ethical design system and can be applied to
both the home and the community. Also it can be applied in rural and
urban areas. Permaculture also involves three aspects which can be
briefly described as follow:
Care for the land: Actions to protect the environment and improve it. Earth should be seen as a whole.
Care
for the people: It involves the physical and psychological aspects, for
example providing food and shelter, natural medications, reduce daily
hard work, and provide equal opportunities for all people.
Care
for the future: It is very important if we want to conserve our
resources. Some of the aspects that it involves are recycling,
planning, cooperation not competition, supporting local economy, and
the use of renewable energy and resources.
The application of
permaculture concepts helps us in reducing costs if we implement
different alternatives that allow us to maximize efficiency and
production. For example you can plant vegetables in an area where water
drains from the sink (as long as you use biodegradable dish washing
soaps that are harmless to the plants), this way reducing your plant
watering time. While using this concept you save time that you can use
for other tasks or for recreation, this way increasing your quality of
life.
When working with permaculture you apply also design
principles. For example, you can start plotting what you originally
have in your home (for example recreational areas, gardens, unused
areas, etc.); then, you can make changes in your drawing for the
desired areas according to your ideas. For example, you can take into
consideration the times when the sun rises and falls so you can plant
according to the intensity of the sun received in the area. Also, you
can verify which areas are the best for planting different kinds of
vegetables, and then strategically locate the plants.
In
permaculture design, zones are used to specify the areas where you are
going to accommodate plants, animals, recreational areas, etc. These
zones can be identified with numbers, for example from 0 to 5, and can
be thought as concentric circles, each one representing a zone where
the first one can be used for the area that is more concurrent, like
the house. The last zone can be used for the least used area, this way
maximizing efficiency and production.
When we practice permaculture we are building a natural capital that yields benefits for today and for the future.
Following is a list of videos and resources related to permaculture:
