Permaculture

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Common Sense Approch

The Necessity for Material Life cycles to Mimic Ecosystems

The Permaculture design emphasizes patterns of landscape, function, and species assemblies. It determines where these elements should be placed so they can provide maximum benefit to the local environment. Permaculture maximizes useful connections between components and synergy of the final design. Therefore, the focus of Permaculture is not on each separate element, but rather on the relationships created among elements by the way they are placed together; the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

The Permaculture designseeks to minimize, waste, human labor, and energy input by building systems and maximizing the benefits between design elements in order to achieve a high level of synergy. Permaculture design plans to evolve over time by taking into account these relationships and elements and can advance into extremely complex systems that produce a high density of food and materials with minimal input.

The design principles, which are the conceptual foundation of Permaculture, were derived from the science of ecological systems and the study of pre-industrial examples of sustainable land use. Permaculture draws from several agricultural disciplines including organic farming, agro forestry, integrated farming, sustainable development, and applied ecology. Permaculture design principles and theory can most commonly be observed in the design of housing and landscaping, as well as within integrated techniques such as agro forestry, natural building, and rainwater and energy harvesting.

 

Twelve design principles

Twelve Permaculture design principles articulated by David Holmgren in his Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability.

1-Observe and interact:
By taking the time to engage with nature, we can design solutions that suit our particular situation.
2-Catch and store energy:
By developing systems that collect resources at peak abundance, we can use them in times of need.
3-Obtain a yield:
Ensure that you are getting truly useful rewards as part of the work that you are doing.
4-Apply self-regulation and accept feedback:
We need to discourage inappropriate activity to ensure that systems can continue to function well.
5-Use and value renewable resources and services:
Make the best use of nature’s abundance to reduce our consumptive behavior and dependence on non-renewable resources.
6-Produce no waste:
By valuing and making use of all the resources that are available to us, nothing goes to waste.
7-Design from patterns to details:
By stepping back, we can observe patterns in nature and society. These can form the backbone of our designs, with the details filled in as we go.
8-Integrate rather than segregate:
By putting the right things in the right place, relationships develop between those things and they work together to support each other.
9-Use small and slow solutions:
Small and slow systems are easier to maintain than bigger ones. This constructs better use of local resources as well as  produces more sustainable outcomes.
10-Use and value diversity:

Diversity reduces vulnerability to a variety of threats and takes advantage of the unique nature of the environment in which it resides.
11-Use edges and value the marginal:

The interface between things is where the most interesting events take place. These are often the most valuable, diverse and productive elements in the system.
12-Creatively use and respond to change:

We can have a positive impact on inevitable change by carefully observing, and then intervening at the right time.