Permaculture2 2011

Permaculture: a Prescription for a Sustainable Future

Restoring Community, Protecting the Land and Informing the Earth’s Stewards114 Upper Prince Street, CharlottetownPrince Edward Island, Canada C1A4S3

Phone: (902) 367-0390; E-mail: [email protected]

www.ibspei.ca

Permaculture = "permanent" & “culture."

Its roots evolve from • the design of sustainable

agricultural systems,• techniques and principles

of ecologically designed communities,

• urban restoration and self-reliant regions.

in such a way that all life benefits (i.e. human and non-human).

Permaculture Ethics and Guiding Principles

Permaculture Ethics• Care of land;• Care of people;• Reduce

consumption and share surplus.

Principle 1: Ethics, care of land and people

Caring for the land, people and all lifewould be a step forward for all.

Principle 2: Relative location

The strategic selection and placement of plants, animals, structures, etc., so that the yields of one element become the requirements for another element

What does the chicken produce that can be used by other elements in the design?

Principle 3: Multiple functions, single element

Every element should provide at least three functions.

• A "living" fence can act as a barrier, act as a windbreak, and provide food and medicine for the family.

• When designed into a system, bees can provide; food, income, and pollination.

Principle 4: Multiple elements, single function

Multiple elements for a single function adds diversity and makes the local ecosystem more resilient to environmental fluctuations.

For instance, for heating a structure, the elements would include: • body heat from animals, • south facing windows, and • the use of thermal mass to store

the collected heat.

Principle 5: Efficient energy planning

The goal is to help reduce the amount of effort (primarily human labour)

The property is divided into zones related to how frequently each zone is visited.

The more intensive the activity the closer to human habitation it should be.

Principle 6: Biological resources

• Move away from monocultures.

• Mimic the diversity and resistant qualities of natural systems.

• Focus on utilizing energy flows (water, wind, etc.) that pass through a region.

“Flower-tree” structures weave through a garden. A stunning study on structure and scale, uniting the micro and macro worlds while resonating with another organic structure: honeycomb

Principle 7: Energy recycling

Energy flowing through the system is used in many ways.

• Water systems might create keyline swales and dams as it passes through the landscape.

• Energy recycling wouldalso include recovering biogas from waste and orientating structures to obtain maximum solar gain.

Principle 8: Maximize diversity

• Build stability by maximizing diversity, in terms of plants animals and in terms of livelihood.

• Maximize the number of beneficial interactions

• Create as many microsites, and habitats as possible by increasing edges, patterns, and plant guilds.

Principle 9: Stacking

Stacking time & space makes human systems more compact so larger areas of land can be put back into a more natural state in the hope of healing the planet.

Principle 10: Appropriate technology

Use implements that are locally made, can be repaired locally, and usedwith the skills of local people.

Also, have less reliance on fossil fuels.

E.F Schumacher, ‘Small is Beautiful’

Principle 11: Scale

Return to smaller scale technology and a balance with technical diversity.

Mollison's 7 Permaculture Laws

• (1) Everything is connected to everything else.

• (2) Everything gardens.


(3) Yield of a system is theoretically unlimited. Limited only by the imagination and experience of the designer.

(4) "Protracted and thoughtful observation, rather than protracted and thoughtlesslabour."


5) The problem is in the solution, or everything works both ways. Problems turned into assets and wastes into resources.

(6) Stay out of the bush; it is already in good order.


(7) Work with nature instead of against it.

Thank You

Restoring Community, Protecting the Land and Informing the Earth’s Stewards114 Upper Prince Street, CharlottetownPrince Edward Island, Canada C1A4S3

Phone: (902) 367-0390; E-mail: [email protected]

www.ibspei.ca

Permaculture2 2011

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