In September I took an intensive permaculture design certificate course. I learned SO much,

and only a small portion was on gardening. Permaculture is a philosophy of

PATO—Protracted and Thoughtful Observation.

What do I have, what do I need, what do I want, what systems are working, what are not?

What works in Australia is going to be different than what is working in the U.S. Differences occur between cities and differences occurs between spaces within a single property. We heard “It Depends” often as an answer to many of our questions, because Permaculture is a continual life long experiment and experience. The Ethics guiding this observation are

Earth Care

People Care

Fair Share

Permaculture does not believe nature is to be left alone,

but that there is a relationship with humans between the land, animals and plants that is co-beneficial.

It is our responsibility as humans to be stewards of restoration. Where ever we take something we give back.

Permaculture is about restoring these relationships. Relationships at stacked levels of purposes.

The trees as habitat, food + shade, and mulch.  A tree is also a building resource,

A resource for fire, or a stand of trees can block, or divert wind.

What has become clear to me is the importance of knowledge passed on from one generation to the next.

The amazon as an amazing food forest and pharmacy did not happen on it’s own.

It happened over generations of families tending the wild and planting.

We today must design not just for this year or 10 years, but for 50, 100, and 200 years in the future and pass the knowledge on to the next generation to deepen the journey. If we move from home to home and our children do not inherit the gifts we have begun, each generation will start over instead of going deeper into the possibilities.

Something else permaculture leaders always says,

“Resources are only limited by the limit of our imagination.”

I just read in the New York Times that, “Scott Pitman, 71 who directs the national Permaculture Institute from a farmstead outside Santa Fe, N.M….” “…..just trained the Oklahoma National Guard. ‘The troops’, he said, ‘plan to apply permaculture to farming and infrastructure projects in rural Afghanistan’”.

fun facts

Scott Pitman studied and toured alongside Bill Mollison who traveled the globe teaching permaculture. 

Bill Mollison and David Holmgren coined the term permaculture—permanent agriculture and permanent culture—in the mid 1970′s.

Bill Mollison, now 83 years old, is simi-retired and living in Tasmania where the permaculture movement started.