http://hueylong.cadgis.lsu.edu/lhin/visitor/html/primer/ -- Lawrence F. London, Jr. mailto:london@sunSITE.unc.edu http://sunSITE.unc.edu/InterGardenTitle: A PERMACULTURE PRIMER
What is Permaculture?
The Permaculture International Journal says: "Permaculture
is a practical concept applicable from the balcony to the farm, from the
city to the wilderness. It enables people to establish productive environments
providing for food, energy, shelter, material and non-material needs, as
well as the social and economic infrastructures that support them. The concept
was first developed by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in Tasmania in the
1970's, leading to the publication of the book 'Permaculture One'.
Permaculture means thinking carefully about our environment, our use of
resources and how we supply our needs. It aims to create systems that will
sustain not only for the present, but for future generations". (PIJ,
#55 July-August 1996)
Permaculture is a special way of selecting and arranging the things we need
to create sustainable living places that are ecologically conscious and
economically viable. It recognizes that sustainable culture is dependent
upon a sustainable environment and that a sustainable environment is dependent
upon sustainable culture. Permaculture uses a set of principles for guidance
and has developed a number of special approaches and techniques for arrangement
of design components on the land.
Origins of this Primer
In July of 1995 we took a permaculture course sponsored by the
Institute of Bioregional Studies at the Ovens' Natural Park in Nova Scotia.
The two week event was choreographed and informed by Michael Pilarski and
Garry Lean, our primary instructors. The learning experience spilled over
into all hours of the day as students, instructors, park owners, and guests
interacted with and synergized each others' energies. At the end of the
two weeks we had gained a new perspective on our lives, many new friends
and a wealth of notes and references.
It is the latter, the volumes of notes and references, that this document
attacks. Quite frankly, we were overwhelmed! We had just been through the
equivalent of two college courses in two weeks and were suffering from information
overload. We gave the material some incubation time and came back to it.
We finally decided that the material could be organized into the five major
areas around which this primer is organized.
The Principles -- which are the big ideas
guiding decisions and helping in evaluation of design alternatives.
The Components -- which are the physical
and social elements placed in the design to accomplish its purpose.
The Concepts -- which are those ideas that
guide placement of components to meet the principles.
The Associated Movements -- which are
other areas of interest having information that may inform our decision
making.
The Resources -- which are publications,
organizations and other information sources.
We have found this arrangement useful for consolidating our notes and thoughts,
developing a filing system for material we collect, and dealing with the
diversity of permaculture information. This 1996 edition is an update and
expansion of our 1995 draft. It contains revisions of our original note
material and new information we have developed since the course. We hope
that it will be of use to others. It is an evolving document and we welcome
comments, discussion, corrections and additions.
Dan Earle and Sue Hutchins
Author and Editorial Assistant