Subject: Holmgren's Principles was Re: Permaculture Ethics, Principles & Design
From: "Graham Burnett" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2001 21:34:13 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.permaculture

Quote from introduction to new book

Permaculture Principles and Other Ideas

The question of defining what permaculture is and isn't is one that troubles
some people. The multifaceted character of permaculture has allowed its
progressive evolution into a very catholic integration of "sustainable
alternatives". I have contributed to this expansive evolution but I also
recognise there are dangers in attempts to develop "a theory of everything"
about being "jack of all trades and master of none" and of "reinventing the
wheel".

As one of the co-originators of the concept, my aim with this book is to
provide a deeper and more evolved picture of how I understand and act in the
world using permaculture concepts, than that provided by Permaculture One 1
, written over 25 years ago when I was 20 years old, or from my more recent
practically focused case study publications2 .

I know from 25 years experience of talking, writing, teaching and applying
permaculture that people will use what they find relevant and meaningful and
leave the rest. The quest by some for a completely consistent and logical
picture of what permaculture is may not beuseful. Rather than seeking to
define or control permaculture, I write about it as simply one more
contribution to understanding, meaning and action in a post modern world of
uncertainty.

David Holmgren November 1999

THE ESSENCE OF PERMACULTURE PRINCIPLES
Permaculture is mostly widely understood by the examples of it in action but
without an understanding of the concepts behind the practical examples it is
easy to resort to unthinking copying of what appears to work (at least
somewhere for somebody). A good understanding of permaculture concepts helps
us make better sense of both permaculture examples and our existing
knowledge and skills (in any field).

Universal ethics and design principles are the key permaculture concepts
which inform all the diverse strategies, techniques and examples which
people call permaculture.

The idea of a set of universal design principles was implicit in the
original conception of permaculture but it was not until Bill Mollison's
teaching of permaculture principles in residential design courses that these
were codified in a curriculum (1984) . Through the 1980's this curriculum
became the basis of permaculture teaching around the world with inevitable
variation and adaption by teachers informed by a range of ideas and sources.
In the early 1990's when I began my regular teaching of PDC's I used this
curriculum but freely adapted the format to emphasise my own understandings,
experience and priorities.

The idea behind permaculture principles is that generalised design
principles can be derived from the study of both the natural world and
pre-industrial sustainable societies and that these will be universally
applicable to "fast track" the post industrial development of sustainable
land and resource use. Along with the ethical foundations, these principles
are seen as universal although the methods which express them will vary
greatly from one place and situation to another. By still developing
extension, these principles are also applicable to our personal, economic,
social and political reorganisation.

The scientific foundation for permaculture principles lies generally within
the modern science of ecology and more particularly within the branch of
ecology called systems ecology although other intellectual disciplines, most
particularly landscape geography and ethnobiology have contributed concepts
which have been adapted to design principles.

I organise these diverse and often abstract concepts into 12 action
statements (each with an accompanying slogan or proverb) which can be
remembered as a checklist when considering the inevitably complex options
for design and evolution of sustainable systems. My set of principles varies
significantly from those used by most other permaculture teachers. Some of
this is simply a matter of emphasis and organisation, in a few cases it may
indicate difference of substance which is not surprising giving the new and
still emerging nature of permaculture.

1. OBSERVE AND INTERACT

"The Problem Is The Solution"

Permaculture relies on observation and creative interaction within a free
and harmonious relationship to nature to design our way towards a
sustainable future with low energy and resource use. Permaculture is
therefore information and imagination intensive rather than labour or energy
intensive.

2. CATCH AND STORE ENERGY

"Make Hay While The Sun Shines"

To live sustainably, we must move to the 'solar economy' and away from the
'fossil-fuel economy', on which we are currently dangerously dependent. Our
emerging solar-powered culture must rediscover opportunities to harvest
solar energies (especially via plants) and rebuild appropriate energy
storages.

This principle draws on the systems ecology view of nature as capturing and
storing the flow of energy from the surrounding environment. To understand
this, a basic grasp of the second law of energy (thermodynamics) is used.

3. OBTAIN A YIELD

"You can't work on an empty stomach"

In some ways the previous principle (Catch and Store Energy) is about how we
should act to accumulate resources and make investments for future use and
well being. This principle reminds us that we need to get some immediate
returns from our efforts. There is no point in attempting to plant a forest
for the grandchildren if we haven't got enough to eat today.

For peasant people connected to the cycles of life and death this may be
self evident but there are good reasons for this being a principle of
permaculture. In the modern world we have become disconnected from our
sources of sustenance. In this context permaculture can be thought of as
"remedial holistics for the survivors of generations of affluence."

4. APPLY SELF REGULATION AND FEEDBACK

"Take Personal Responsibility"

In modern society, we have come to take for granted an enormous degree of
dependence on large scale, often remote systems for provision of our needs
while expecting a huge degree of freedom in what we do without external
control. In a sense our whole society is like a teenager who wants to "have"
, without consequences.

Much of the ecologically dysfunctional aspects of our systems result from
this denial of the need for self regulation and feedback systems which
control inappropriate behaviour by simply delivering the consequences of
that behaviour back to us.

In traditional societies it was recognised that sometimes feedback effects
are slow and people needed warnings such as those about the sins of the
fathers being visited onto the seventh generation or laws of karma which
operate in a world of reincarnated souls. John Lennon's song Instant Karma
suggests that we will reap what we sow much faster than we think. The speed
of change and increasing connectivity of globalisation may be the
realisation of this vision.

5. USE RENEWABLE AND BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES

"Nature's Way Is Best"

Prior to the industrial age almost all resources used to provide for human
needs were renewable, but now technology - powered by the non-renewable
resources of fossil fuels and metals - dominates our economy and
environment.

In permaculture, the basic assumption is that systems should be designed so
that the management and maintenance of yield is possible with renewable
energies, even if we use non-renewable energies for system establishment.

When we make use of biological resources (animals, plants and living soil)
natural processes to perform useful functions we take a step beyond use of
renewable resources towards self maintaining systems. The chook that
controls pests, fertilizes and cultivates soil by just being a chook is the
classic example of using biological resources.

6. PRODUCE NO WASTE

"Waste not - want not"

A pollutant is "an output of any system that is not being used by any other
element of the system". This definition encourages us to look for ways to
minimise pollution and waste through designing systems to make use of all
outputs.

The slogan 'Reduce, Reuse and Recycle' provides us with a hierarchy of
strategies for dealing with waste.

After generations of fossil fuel-based affluence the opportunities for
reduction in rich countries are so large that "conservation" is said to be
the greatest new resource available to exploit.

7. DESIGN FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY
"Get Organised!"

The imperative to capture and store energy (principle 2) and the need to
avoid waste (principle 6) require that we do more than consider
opportunities as they arise. The fundamental organisation and layout of any
system needs to be energy efficient. Thus the cellular design of organisms
and the dentritic (tree like) design of river systems are models of energy
efficient design.The most common application of this principle is in
efficient "site" design using zone, sectors and other site design tools.

8. INTEGRATE RATHER THAN SEGREGATE
"Together We Achieve More"

In every aspect of nature from the internal workings of organisms to whole
ecosystems, we find the connections between things are as important as the
things themselves.

We need to better understand the nature of relationships which strengthen
integrated systems. Then we can better design systems to gain benefits from
these relationships.

This principle provides a 'top down' view, which can be contrasted with the
'bottom up' view of principle 4 Apply Self Regulation and Feedback.

9. USE SMALL AND SLOW SOLUTIONS
"Small Is Beautiful, Slow Is Sane"

Systems should be designed to perform functions at the smallest scale which
is practical and energy efficient for that function. Speed of movement - of
materials and people - between systems should be minimised. By reducing
speed, total movement is reduced increasing energy available for system self
reliance and autonomy.

Whenever we do anything of a self reliant nature - growing food, fixing a
broken appliance, or maintaining our health - we are making very powerful
and effective use of this principle. When we purchase from small and local
business or contribute to local community and environmental issues we are
also applying this principle.

10. USE DIVERSITY
"Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket"

The role and value of diversity in nature, culture and permaculture is a
dynamic one which is complex and at times apparently contradictory. It is
therefore one of the most easily misunderstood.

Poly culture (the cultivation of many plant and/or animal species and
varieties within an integrated system) in contrast to monoculture, is one of
the most important and widely recognised applications of the use of
diversity, but is by no means the only one. Beyond poly culture, diversity
between systems to reflect the unique nature of site, situation and cultural
context and diversity of structures, both living and built are important
aspects of this principle as is the diversity within species and populations
including human communities.

11. USE EDGES AND VALUE THE MARGINAL
"The Action Is At The Edge"

As we focus on anything we need to remember that it is at the EDGE of any
thing, system or medium that the most interesting events take place. This
principle reminds us to maintain awareness of and make use of edges and
margins at all scales in all systems. In the process we discard the negative
connotations associated with the word marginal.

12 USE AND RESPOND TO CHANGE CREATIVELY
"Everything Evolves, Is Succeeded and Comes Around"

It may seem contradictory that making use of change is a principle of
permaculture which is about permanence and sustainability. Like the dynamic
balance between productivity and diversity or the centre and edge, the
balance between stability and change is a complex and often paradoxical one.

The ideas that within the greatest stability lie the seeds of change is a
theme which comes to us from many stories and traditions. The idea that the
most chaotic change may be the start of a grand new order of great
persistence is also a familiar theme. Science has shown us that the
apparently solid and permanent is, at other scales in time and space, a
seething mass of energy and change in the way described in various spiritual
traditions.

This principle is about both how we make use of change in a deliberate and
co-operative way and creatively respond or adapt to larger scale system
change.

I address the difficult and complex issues of the appropriate use of and
response to change by building on the more limited notion of use of
ecological succession in permaculture .

References

1 Mollison, B. & Holmgren, D. Permaculture One Corgi 1978

2 Holmgren, D.

Permaculture In The Bush:The Design and Development of A Homestread On The
Far South Coast of N.S.W. Nascimanere 1992

The Flywire House: A Case Study In Design Against Bushfire Nascimanere 1993

Trees On The Treeless Plains: Revegetation Manual For The Volcanic
Landscapes of Central Victoria Holmgren Design Services 1994
Hepburn Permaculture Gardens:10 Years of Sustainable Living Holmgren Design
Services 1996