Permaculture Principles

Defining Permaculture

Permaculture is “the conscious design and maintenance of productive ecosystems that 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.”
—Permaculture: A Designers' Manual   
by Bill Mollison, 1980    

Defining Sustainability

"Sustainable" in this context means "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
—The United Nation's Brundtlund Commission    
of Environment and Development, 1987    


Dan Halsey, Coordinator of the PRI Cold Climate Teacher's Guild, answers the question "How would you describe permaculture?"

Ethics and Principles of Permaculture

In his book Permaculture: Principles and Pathways beyond Sustainability, David Holmgren writes, "Ethics act as constraints on survival instincts and the other personal and social constructs of self-interest that tend to drive human behaviour in any society. They are culturally evolved mechanisms for more enlightened self-interest, a more inclusive view of who and what constitutes 'us', and a longer-term understanding of good and bad outcomes."

Holmgren goes on to introduce and discuss three general ethical maxims of Permaculture, and twelve main principles of Permaculture.

Ethics of Permaculture

  • Care for the earth (husband soil, forests and water)
  • Care for people (look after self, kin and community)
  • Fair share (set limits to consumption and reproduction, and redistribute surplus).

The Twelve Principles of Permaculture

  1. Observe & Interact
  2. Catch & Store Energy
  3. Obtain a Yield
  4. Apply Self-regulation & Accept Feedback
  5. Use & Value Renewable Resources and Services
  6. Produce No Waste
  7. Design From Patterns to Details
  8. Integrate Rather Than Segregate
  9. Use Small and Slow Solutions
  10. Use and Value Diversity
  11. Use Edges and Value the Marginal
  12. Creatively Use and Respond to Change

 

Principles and Ethics Poster:

Teach yourself and help to spread the word about permaculture with this easy teaching tool.

Download the Permaculture Principles and Ethics Poster! 268 KB

(This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial--No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.) http://www.permacultureprinciples.com

 

The Permaculture Flower:

The flower illustrates how the permaculture journey, beginning with Ethics and Design Principles, moves through the key domains required to create a sustainable culture. 

Download Permaculture Flower Poster! 155 KB

(This work licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia License.) http://www.permacultureprinciples.com