From EcoReality

Our Permaculture Discovery Journey

If you take a moment to read Ecoreality’s values, you’ll see that one of the first things mentioned is permaculture for the entire land. Permaculture is the ‘theme’ of this month’s newsletter, so I wanted to write about how I became acquainted with permaculture in the first place.

I first heard of permaculture about three years ago. Since then it seems like a bit of a buzz word that everyone is referencing or talking about or doing, at least in all the circles that I dance in. I know that permaculture has been around since the 70’s, so I think it’s a relative thing for me. You know like when you’re young and your parents get a new car, maybe it’s a Honda, and you never noticed all the Hondas on the road before, but now that it’s relevant to your life, it seems like everyone went out and got a Honda the same time as your family. That’s what permaculture seems like.

So what’s the appeal? Permaculture is a system that seems to offer an attainable, sustainable solution to the impending food shortages resulting from oil shortages and overconsumption. It’s a way of producing food without monocropping and depleting the nutrients in the soils, developing a ‘food forest,’ if you will. Permaculture allows for an enjoyable lifestyle in a time of potential scarcity. It is a way of life that energizes partnerships and is replicating a design scheme that you see in the natural world.

All of these concepts sound great, but they’re a little up there in the clouds for someone down to earth like me, so I think in a primer and a newsletter dedicated to the permaculture theme, it’s a good idea to start with the Principles of Permaculture.

Only when I read and studied and thought about (and eventually began applying) these principles was I really able to embrace Permaculture as something more than a new type of farming or producing food, and more as a way of living that is in harmony with nature, which is the way I want to exist in all walks of my life.

I suggest you mull over the principles and then choose one and see how you can apply the concept to something you’re involved in, whether that be a club, a hobby, a farm, a vacation you’re planning, or anything you do in life.

The first principle is to “observe and interact.” By taking time to engage in nature we can design solutions that suit our particular needs. Think of a need in your life and sit with that need in nature, simply taking time to observe and interact. See how simply observing and responding to what nature already is may give you answers or help you find fulfillment. Have fun!

--Penny Pobiecke