Permakultura

What is Permaculture?

“Permaculture is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is the harmonious integration of landscape and people providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way.”

Bill Mollison from his book “Permaculture – a Designers Manual”

Permaculture – what can you do?

Reduce. Re-use. Re-use again (in this order)

Have a garden and eat what you grow in it.

Avoid, in as much as this is possible, imported goods.

Give priority to your abilities and your work not to materials or technology.

Design, build and buy lasting things that you are able to fix.

Use raw resources and energy in a thought-through manner (ex. energy for lighting, manually using tools, giving food scraps to animals)

Use renewable resources from your immediate geographic area as much as possible, even if the cost to do so is marginally higher (ex. wood instead of electricity as source of heat and energy, wood instead of steel in construction)

Include elements of self-renewing energy systems in those that are non-renawable (i.e. passive heating, collecting rain water)

If you use advanced high tech equipment avoid superfluous decorative elements

Limit your long-distance travels and financial debt.

Reduce the income taxes you pay by reducing your income.

Focus your energy on your home and family.

Regardless of where you live :

Change your light bulbs for the fluorescent kind in all parts of your home except for where you read.

Hang out your wet laundry to dry in the sun.

Compost your organic waste.

Grow edible plants – fruits and vegetables in your garden, herbs in containers and flower pots

Establish friendly contacts with your neighbours and the local community; share and help eachother

Completely turn off all electrical appliances before going to bed

If you own a piece of land, consider the following :

Rebuild, regenerate and take care of your soil

Switch your grass lawn for straw mulching

Collect rain water ex. in barrels

Design and construct a pond

Remember to compost

Construct a system to passively heat water

Plant fast-growing trees for firewood

Set aside a piece of your land to grow edible mushrooms

Plant your plants in such a fashion to have a “forest garden”

Build bird houses

Keep hens

Keep bees and beehives

If you can’t do this yourself, sell, rent or lend your land to someone who can