Embracing Permaculture to reverse climate change..

Permaculture is a productive, efficient and ecological designs to meet human needs while also caring for the planet.

Permaculture gardening, on the other hand, is based on the concept of using the perfect plants for the climate, and utilizing only what works best for the local environment.

Dry climates require a different approach than humid climates. Hot climates support different flora than cold climates.

Here’s a deeper look at what permaculture gardening is, how it works, and how to design a permaculture garden that works best for your space, climate, and lifestyle.

So what is permaculture?

Permaculture is notoriously difficult to define...

To understand the very basics of the permaculture meaning, it’s important to recognize that all decisions are rooted in three ethics: earth care, people care, and fair share (a.k.a. “the return of surplus”).

These ideas guide everything in the chain, from gardens and food forests, to earth works and water catchment systems, to homes and power systems.

Permaculture systems are designed to be interactive...

For example, roofs are used to catch water that can be used in the kitchen. From there, it drains into gray water irrigation systems.

These feed the plants, which in turn provide food and fuel (wood). Each of these elements are then put back into the system as compost. No waste is created. No resources are imported.

But it’s also important to realize that permaculture is about much more than a design. It’s a complete shift in lifestyle– a change of approach that ensures that our habits and practices are working in cooperation with (and benefit to) the planet rather than merely taking from and polluting it.

Simple eco-friendly ideas such as reusing bags, buying secondhand clothing, and eating local food are also parts of the permaculture mindset.

It’s not just a way to grow food. It’s not just about resource conservation and renewable energy. It’s not just a new way to shop. It’s all of these things and more.

Permaculture is a rigid system in terms of ethics, but it’s surprisingly open in its approach. Whatever works well for taking care of people and our planet has a place within the practice.

This makes a condensed definition of permaculture more difficult than it is in practice.

According to most sources, permaculture has roughly a dozen design principles that tend to guide practitioners through a given project.

In essence, these permaculture principles are centered around using nature - the most sustainable of all ecosystems - as a manual of sorts for creating productive, efficient, and ecological designs to meet human needs while also caring for the planet.