Halifax (Nova Scotia) Garden Network has put together (from a talk) a one-page description of permaculture principles, practices, patterns, and plants that I think is an excellent introduction for those unfamiliar with the idea of permaculture and a very handy reminder for those attempting to put it all into practice, whether in the garden, the community, or personally.
Whether you’re looking for “a new commons,” “landscapes that can be art” (yes, please!), greater resilience in terms of the food and other necessary products that you and your community can produce, spiritual or practical personal and community regeneration and restoration, a way to garden more in tune with natural patterns, a way to align your actions more with your values, plants and planting designs to attract and nurture pollinators, or simply want to stop “resisting the forest” (while still eating locally), permaculture is a powerful means, as this article briefly
A few excerpts that speak to me particularly:
“We need to get to sustainable design, but even more than that, we also need to do restorative design. We need to restore health in ourselves and in the landscape. Permaculture is a design methodology working to that end.”
“Permaculture focuses on relations — the relative locations of things, adjacencies and mash-ups.”
“Permaculture is a kind of post-modern gardening calling for regenerative design. It is trying to design so that we live in a way that has the stability and resilience of natural ecosystems. It has to be both socially and ecologically regenerative.”