There’s a new revolution circling our planet and it goes by the name of “permaculture.” It’s an entirely new way of gardening, and a sustainable one at that. It’s catching on like wildfire, and it’s a good thing too, considering how we’re losing our food crops and pastures to wildfire, drought and severe weather thanks to the effects of climate change.
You see, there’s a little (or big, depending on how you see it) number that determines whether we can feed ourselves on this planet or not. This number, 350, is familiar to most of us who are already into sustainability. It represents the recommended high mark of 350 parts per million (ppm) of carbon emissions in the atmosphere, a measurement recognized as the safe limit for humanity, as the safe limit to avoid reaching irreversible impacts of climate change.
The bad news is we’re already at 392 ppm, so hold on to your hats, ladies and gentlemen, we could be in for a wild and hungry ride. Or, then again, maybe not. At least, not a hungry one if you subscribe to the growing principles of permaculture.
Developed in 1978 in Australia by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, permaculture is a way of getting back to the land in an eco-friendly way. Through the practice of permaculture, even a backyard in suburbia can be turned into a lush garden, one able to feed a family for at least a season if not an entire year. High-rise dwellers need not miss out either; balconies can be imaginatively turned into food production, too. Permaculture involves observation, interaction, integration, production with no waste, valuing diversity and resources, accepting feedback, slow and small solutions, using edges and margins, nature-based patterns for design, and creatively responding to change.
The way I see it, it’s like Mother Nature is always there waiting to share her miracle of life with us when we finally wake up, when we finally choose to become aware of her generosity. Lucky for the rest of us, some people have already heard the alarm clock ringing. As a result, there are now permaculture enthusiasts all over the world. Colleges offer courses of study in permaculture and permaculture organizations offer certificate programs, internships, and introductory classes to help grow the movement. There are also permaculture research institutes around the world to support this concept of truly sustainable human habitat.
Permaculture, you see, is all about design. How can we best plant a garden for optimal results while regenerating our ecosystem at the same time? From a permaculture point of view, you’d take into consideration all sorts of things to answer this question. What grows best in the kind of soil you have, how much sunshine does your garden get, what is the slope of your land, how easy is it to access your garden from your home, will your garden be near a fence for shade or shelter? These are just a few design elements of the permaculture garden. Access to water and rainwater capture capabilities are, of course, other important components. One of the things I like best about permaculture design is its “zuchinni train,” where my favourite member of the squash family grows with wild abandon as it transforms boring yards into interesting and appealing processions of lush greenery.
Permaculture is also all about community. If there’s one thing about the permaculture crowd, it’s that they like to help each other out. “Permies” gather in annual convergences all across the world, sharing knowledge and elbow grease as they learn by doing. I am happy to report these initiatives are alive and well in Canada, with convergences taking place in Ontario, British Columbia, and even in our own backyard at Millarville. “Permablitzes,” akin to old-fashioned barnraisings, are another phenomenon associated with this movement.
“Though the problems of the world are increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarrassingly simple.” So says Bill Mollison, permaculture’s co-founder. Canada’s environmental hero, Dr. David Suzuki, has gone on record to say he thinks permaculturalists are doing the most important activity of any group on the planet. Maybe it’s time we all woke up and smelled the coffee produced by organic and sustainable methods?
To use the motto of Sage Permaculture, a local permaculture outfit —“plants seeds, harvest change”— now that’s in our best interest!
For more in your best interest, follow Sheelagh on Twitter @sheesays.
