Permaculture: A Way of Life

Jude Hobbs

There are many mysteries in the world and, to some, permaculture is one. But in truth it is a new word for a very old concept. In the years before the throw away society people recycled many goods. Clothes were carefully taken apart and remade into other garments, or became patches for quilts. Appliances were repaired instead of thrown away. Even leftovers in the refrigerator were more highly regarded! Within our lifetimes, a change had come over the country. It became politically unpopular to save and reuse. Debt became almost fashionable.until we began experiencing the awesome price we were paying and our loss of quality of life. These consuming attitudes cost our planet and us dearly. .Within the last five years, we are slowly beginning to change our ways and are seriously examining our lifestyles and choices. We are finally ready to make a change. The study and application of sustainable systems is the way.

Permaculture( permament culture) is such a system. As a design strategy, permaculture directly influences efficiency and versatility in most aspects of life, in rural or urban settings from the garden to reforestation to responsible investing. Permaculture evolved through the hard work and experimentation of an Australian, Bill Mollison, beginning in 1972 . By 1981, the concept of permaculture (PC) matured sufficiently to be taught as an applied design system. Since that time, thousands of people have studied and have begun directly designing with PC principles. The underlying theme is to create human designed and maintained ecosystems that are agriculturally productive and yet have the sustainability, diversity, and resilience of natural systems. It takes into account the full circle of life: plants, animal, and humans. As Graham Bell says in The Permaculture Way, "Permaculture is not a cult or religion-- it is a system for designing which can be adapted to any culture or place, but it asks you to see yourself as one with the universe, and to measure it's wonder for your mutual benefit. You and the rest of creation have the same interest at heart--survival-- so you should look after each other. Looking after yourself has a ring of 'selfishness' about it, yet it can be a highly ethical approach...A system only becomes Permaculture when its design is shown over time to produce no harm to any other system."

To see ourselves as "one with the universe" is the heart and soul of spirituality. It is looking at and honoring the whole and making choices that support the well-being of that whole. If we truly hold this attitude we will not harm our neighbor or threaten another species with extinction.

As permaculturists, we feel it is easy to start the process of change The first step is observation. For example, observe what you do with your 'garbage' Do you toss it all in one big heap or meticulously divide it into bins for recyling? Are your kitchen scraps turned into beautiful soil via a compost pile or tossed 'on the big heap' to be taken away by a gas guzzling truck. Observe what you have growing in your yard. Are there places where edibles and non-edibles plants co-exist? Here are a few ways to create simple designs to increase the efficiency, productivity, and multi-functional systems of your living situation.

Imagine that you have observed on your land a worn path going out to the garden. Rethink the potential of planting an herb and salad greens garden right outside your kitchen door. You are cooking a vegetable soup and wish to season it with oregano, thyme, and a pinch of rosemary. Taking just a few steps out the door saves time and energy rather than going way out to the garden.

Considering the solar needs of your plants and home must be one of the first observations. Planting a deciduous tree on the south side of buildings provides shade in summer and as the leaves fall it allows sun for passive heat in winter. Also studying the sun's movement let's you know what to plant where. In a partially shaded area you can plant blueberries, strawberries, and lingonberries interplanted with acid loving non edible plants, like azaleas, for year-round beauty.

The concept of a calorie in and a calorie out will assist you in seeing the potential for PC designs. For example, to maintain our body weight, we must eat just as much food as our body can utilize; similarly we look for ways in our permaculture designs to achieve a balance of energy in and out so that we are conserving our resources. Including animals as part of the permaculture design is one way to import less from the outside. For instance, having a few rabbits provides manure for a small city lot. They are very quiet, and easy to care for. Placing them near the compost pile and garden is time saving planning. The manure helps the compost break down, and the greens from the garden can help feed the rabbits.

Attracting wildlife through proper design with water elements, berry and flower producing plants also benefits your property in many ways. Beneficial insects will consume 'bad bugs' attracting them to the yard is easy to do with the right plants--for instance grapes provide food ,fragrance, and flowers, and those flowers are nurturing plants for beneficial wasps. Growing the grapes on an arbor makes a shady spot to hang a hammock.

Mollison came up with many of the ideas of permaculture through the study of patterns. The spiral garden enhances harmonic flow and multiple edges for increased planting. This energy-conserving placement pattern enables ultimate use of space and time. The spiral also reflects the full circle of life. With it's design brings the thought and potential that there are unseen beings or elementals that join us. Some people experience these nature spirits or devas, the overlighting energies that are believed to nurture and support the natural world. Although most of us do not visually experience these energies, we can be thankful that they are being acknowledged and worked with by those who do.

Permaculture is a broad philosophy that goes far beyond the boundaries of the land. We are encouraged to become truly a part of our community in the larger sense. We can support local businesses. This helps our economy, and cuts down on the quantity of goods imported from farther away, saving the resources that would be used bringing these supplies to us. An added benefit is that we begin to know the people of our community better, making it a safer and more intimate place to live. We are challenged to use local financial institutions that invest locally and in a socially responsible manner, so the money from our community goes into projects that benefit our community. We are also encouraged to volunteer, to support and help others in need. One example would be starting community gardens that help feed people who are homeless, or who simply can't make ends meet. Another form of volunteering is giving away our surplus to those who need it; not trading the surplus, just freely offering it.

We hope this has sparked your interest in this sustainable philosophy. Permaculture is taught in two week intensive courses. There are Permaculture Design Workshops for Women offered at Lost Valley Educational Center in Dexter, Oregon, as well as a December Permaculture Certification Course (541-937-3351).

Jude Hobbs, owner of Cascadia Landscape Design, is a landscape designer who creates edible, native, bird attracting and permaculture designs. She is a photographer and a instructor in Permaculture and other landscape related topics.

Amrita Blaine, owner of Creative Associates a computer aided design and drafting business., is a resident of Lost Valley Educational Center. Amrita has completed a two-week PC Design Course.