Having explored different aspects of the nature and climate crisis and the difficulties with trying to combat them, I want to look into other possible solutions. Through researching this topic, I have come by the term “permaculture” and want to explore it further. Permaculture is already connected with design, through “the 12 permaculture design principles”. These I will look into further below.
Permaculture, prior Permanent Agriculture, is systems for growing crops, plants, etc. that cause little damage to the environment and can therefore continue for a long time. Permaculture aims to develop a landscape that will be self-sustaining and productive for generations (Cambridge, n.d.).
Permaculture is not only a gardening system, the Permaculture Magazine explains it as:
- An innovative framework for creating sustainable ways of living
- It is a practical method of developing ecologically harmonious, efficient and productive systems that can be used by anyone, anywhere
They also write that permaculture focuses on sustainable ways to grow food, build homes, establish communities, and reduce environmental harm. Its principles are continuously evolving, shaped by people around the world in diverse climates and cultures. It promotes resourcefulness and self-sufficiency, offering an ecological design framework rather than a rigid doctrine or belief system. Permaculture helps us address local and global challenges with practical solutions.
The permaculture principles are as following:
- Observe and interact
- Catch and store energy
- Obtain a yield
- Apply self regulation and accept feedback
- Produce no waste
- Use renewable resources and services
- Design from pattern to detail
- Integrate rather than segregate
- Use small and slow solutions
- Use and value diversity
- Use edges and value the marginal
- Creatively use and respond to change
These principles are more like guidelines rather than rules. That means they can be applied to anything from designing your garden to designing an organisation.
The world is in crisis, permaculture gives people the tools and confidence to respond
Permaculture Association
The Permaculture Association is contributing by offering permaculture courses, and contributed in creating the 52 Climate Action page together with 8 other organisations to promote permaculture based solutions to climate change (52 Climate Action, n.d.). This webpage helps people understand their personal power in tackling climate change by showing them tangible, doable actions that anyone can do.
This is an example of one of the 52 actions on this webpage. These 52 actions are chosen as they are powerful, realistic, up-beat and fun – a big contrast to the doomsday crisis news we hear all the time.
By looking at for example how the Permaculture Association´s projects contribute to solving the nature and climate crisis, I may find where I can contribute – as they come with smaller and more tangible solutions that even I myself can participate in. By combining permaculture with design, I can contribute to addressing the climate and nature crisis by creating sustainable, self-sufficient systems that work in harmony with the environment. Using the 12 permaculture design principles, I can develop solutions with a much more tangible framework that can lead me to create something actually useful.
In conclusion, permaculture provides a hopeful and actionable approach to combating the climate crisis. Whether applied to urban planning, agriculture, or community initiatives, these principles offer a practical framework for tackling environmental challenges while fostering innovation and sustainability. By integrating these principles into design, I personally can use this as an inspiration or a framework for a possible design solution.
Sources:
Cambridge. (n.d.). Permaculture. Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/permaculture
Permaculture Magazine. (n.d.). What is Permaculture? Retrieved from https://www.permaculture.co.uk/what-is-permaculture/
Permaculture Association. (n.d.). Retrieved form https://www.permaculture.org.uk/index.php
52 Climate Actions. (n.d.). About. Retrieved from https://www.52climateactions.com/about
