What is Permaculture?

The term Permaculture was first coined in the mid 1970s by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in Tasmania, Australia.

Permaculture is much more than just gardening. It can be applied to all areas of human activity, for example in communities, in businesses and schools, in acriculture, in politics and in one's own everyday life.

Permaculture is a wholistic approach based on wholistic thinking, ethics and design principles. It is a tool to live in harmony with nature, to use and preserve natural cycles and energy sources, to improve soil and biodiversity and to create sustainable communities. Permaculture is more than a concept, it is a philosophy, it's all about taking responsibility for our lifestyle.

In this challenging times we are in now, the permaculture design principles and ethics are more than ever needed. It’s all about taking responsibility for our choices. We always have a choice, but what do you choose and can you stand behind it?

The three ethical principles are the heart of permaculture. Every project is geared towards their realization. They are: Earth care, people care and fair share.

The first time I heard about Permaculture was about 7 years ago. I started my first project hingegen 3 years ago, when we moved to Eltham, Melbourne, Australia where we were living on a one acre property. We had to start from scratch as the soil was very dry and no edible plants were planted. Oh sorry, yes there was one beautiful lemon tree and a gigantic rosemary bush which we used for cooking and as a hair conditioner. As beginners with not a lot of knowledge we had our setbacks, but being in nature and getting nurtured through our beautiful earth let us forget the mosquito and ant bites and our failures. Our frequent visitor, a cookaburra, cheered us up many times.  

Now, we’re living in Costa Rica and we start all over again. This time with more knowledge and more organized.

Integrate the  permaculture principles into your family life. It’s a wholisitic way and the permaculture principles can be adapted everywhere. There are no excuses. You can start a community garden or on your balcony. There is always a possibility. Engage your kids, teens. They will profit on all levels. Physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Who doesn’t want our next generation to be caring, connected and healthy?!

Happy gardening!