During the fall semester, the members of UC Sustainability have made it our goal to learn about the design principles of permaculture, and how we can use these principles to improve our everyday lives and live more sustainably. We wanted to take the time to share with you what we’ve learned on this journey.
Permaculture is “a creative design process based on whole-systems thinking informed by ethics and design principles.” The heart of permaculture relies on observing patterns and interactions within nature and using this ecological architecture to inform the way we live, including the way we work, grow food, build infrastructure, design systems, and interact with others and nature. The purpose of permaculture is to encourage humans to create a sustainable culture. There are twelve design principles of permaculture that are largely inspired from the way we harvest crops, but can be applied to any aspect of life to promote sustainable, healthy living. This article will feature a summary of each of the first six principles of permaculture. Be sure to look out for Part 2 to read about the rest of the principles!
To learn more about permaculture and the design principles, visit PermaculturePrinciples.com (https://permacultureprinciples.com/).
1. Observe and Interact
The first principle of permaculture is appropriate as it guides the main vision behind permaculture: observe and interact with nature in order to inform the way we organize our culture. To observe means to step back and analyze how nature interacts with itself and how natural systems function for the good of an entire ecological community. To interact means to learn by truly immersing ourselves in natural systems, to learn about ecological culture by being a part of it.
2. Catch and Store Energy
The heart behind “Catch and Store Energy” is to think in terms of longevity and building a system that can be sustained into the future. Our culture tends to use natural resources in excess and without much regard for future generations. For example, fossil fuels have been used to build a technologically advanced society, but our excessive use of this non-renewable resource is not sustainable for years to come, and is harmful to natural systems. To catch and store energy, we must consider how to build systems that will last and will continue to provide for all stakeholders. How do we catch energy and store it for the future? Renewable resources are an example of a solution.
3. Obtain a Yield
To catch and store energy means to think about the future, while obtaining a yield means to think about today. The idea behind “Obtain a Yield” is that a person can’t work on an empty stomach. In order to work towards a long term goal, we must learn to also cultivate current results that will keep us nurtured. When thinking of this principle in the more literal sense, in terms of growing food, it becomes obvious that we have to have food to feed ourselves today in order to have the strength to work towards a harvest for the future. This principle can be true not just in harvesting crops, but also in any work aspect of life. Work life, whether in the office or in the field, can be sustained by working toward immediate results that give us motivation and long-term results that help us meet our ultimate goals.
4. Apply Self-Regulation and Accept Feedback
When we have positive feedback, such as catching and storing energy and obtaining a yield, we must also remember that negative feedback is necessary. Applying self regulation and accepting feedback means to maintain a balance between positive and negative feedback. For example, human culture should be attuned to negative feedback signals from nature that warn us when we’ve disrupted the ecological balance by exploiting its resources in excess. Like human bodies, Earth must maintain homeostasis to ensure that its systems continue to thrive and remain balanced with one another. In a similar way, human culture must maintain this balance and remain in harmony with nature.
5. Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services
This next principle is somewhat self-explanatory, but is essential in cultivating a sustainable culture. Renewable resources can be seen as sources of income that must be consumed but will continue to replenish themselves, such as wood used for burning. Renewable services come from plants, animals, soil, and water without being consumed, such as a tree that is used for shade. When we value these renewable aspects of nature, we can continue to prosper while also living in harmony with nature.
6. Produce No Waste
In order to work towards a culture that produces no waste, we must move away from our current linear model of the consumption of resources. In society, the majority of natural resources that we use to make products eventually turn into waste that can no longer be used. All of this waste that can no longer contribute to the system through recycling or reuse can be considered pollution. For example, many plastic products are used once and then thrown away. This is clearly not sustainable, as natural resources can quickly become depleted in this consumption model. When considering how nature deals with waste, it is easy to observe that all of nature’s processes are circular. Plants take nutrients from the ground to grow, and once they die, they are composted by earthworms which convert them back to nutrient-dense soil. In order to create a sustainable economy, humans must learns to mimic this circular model and not let precious resources go to waste. We must learn how to redirect our outputs back to input channels.
