Permaculture
A design philosophy interested in the needs of the more-than-human world.
"What if we could fashion a restoration plan that grew from understanding multiple meanings of land? Land as sustainer. Land as identity. Land as grocery store and pharmacy. Land as moral obligation. Land as sacred. Land as self." - Robin Wall Kimmerer
A Very Brief History of Permaculture
The term permaculture was coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in 1978, in Tasmania, Australia. Bill, drawing from a great wealth of aboriginal wisdom and regenerative farming techniques, wanted to design a system to create sustainable human habitats that could coexist and scale in harmony with the natural world. He called this Permaculture: a combination of the words permanenet and agriculture. Bill described permaculture as:
"A philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labor; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system."
Since this early definition, ideas about permaculture have evolved and grown, and now there are a varied number of interpretations and perspectives. Permaculture was never just about gardening — it’s a framework for redesigning entire human systems to be regenerative, ethical, and self-sustaining. Some permaculturists like Rosemary Morrow, have applied permaculture principles to self-sustaining refugee camps, in order to reduce their dependence on aid while working to improve food security. Others, like Geoff Lawton, have used permaculture to re-green the desert to show how permaculture can be used to build climate resilience, restore habitat and heal degraded landscapes. There are specialized branches of permaculture dedicated to social movements and activism, business, urban planning, indigenous knowledge and decolonization, natural building, and food sovereignty to name a few.
Core Ethics of Permaculture
Three ethics are at the heart of Permaculture
Earth Care
Care of the Earth: Seek for all life systems to continue and flourish.
People Care
Care of people: Seek for people to acces those resources necessary for their existence.
Fair Share
Setting limits to consumption: Responsibly govern needs, set resources aside, and redistribute surplus.
Permaculture Design Principles
It is important to note that the permaculture principles are not exclusive to argiculture, but are broad philosophical guidelines which can be applied to any system - be it social, organizational or personal.
- Observe and interact
- Catch and store energy
- Obtain a yield
- Apply self-regulation and accept feedback
- Use and value renewable resources and services
- Produce no waste
- Design from patterns to details
- 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
How We Use Permaculture
The permaculture design principles help us see and engage with the world in a different way. Whether we’re organizing a local event, planting a garden, or making decisions about how to solve one of life’s problems, these principles can be applied to guide us. This is because they mimic nature's movements. Much of our own energy is wasted fighting against nature. Permaculture principles help get us back into dialogue with nature’s patterns and rhythms.
Practical Applications
We strive to integrate permaculture in the following ways:
The first way we integrate permaculture is by incorporating land-based regenerative practices into our workshops and events. We include activities such as tree planting, ecosystem cleanup, education, earthworks or foraging in order to rebuild connection and awareness between people and the environment we depend on.
The second way we utilize permaculture principles is by weaving them into our organizational structure:
Many of our offerings are grounded in the principle of observe and interact. We believe a more intimate exchange of knowledge and wisdom are possible through participation: by direct observation and interaction. This is the action component of our ecology of practice and action.
We strive to design our events so that knowledge, momentum and emotional engagement are retained once the workshop ends; storing and sustaining learnings through community platforms, reading lists, continued practice and follow-ups.
Instead of offering weekend workshops which provide only theory, or short-lived learnings, The Living Bridge works to design events with tangible tools and practices which can be used immediately.
We aim to create spaces where feedback is welcomed and integrated into future workshops. The Living Bridge can self-regulate by regularly evaluating and refining offerings based on participant experiences.
We prioritize the use of sustainable materials for workshops and events (e.g., digital content, recycled materials, plant-based products). We source vendors and collaborators who share our values around environmental responsibility, reciprocity and sustainability.
Design and plan events so that all materials (physical, intellectual, emotional) have continued usefulness and evironmental impact is minimized. Additionally, we empower participants to apply what they've learned; to develop their own set of practices and actions so their ideas aren't "wasted."
Nature moves in universal patterns—seasons, cycles, spirals—before filling in the details. The Living Bridge seeks to first identify overarching social and ecological patterns that can guide workshops, events, or other offerings, and only then refine the specifics.
Encourage the cross-pollination of different ideas and modalities to create more holistic learning experiences. The Living Bridge becomes a hub where diverse people and disciplines converge.
Rather than rushing to change the world overnight, we wish to start small and local, slowly deepening relationships and connections to cultivate resilience. Forests don’t start as towering old-growth ecosystems: they begin with small pioneers paving the way for richer, more complex life. By iteratively improving our offerings, we allow them to root down and grow -- creating a living cirriculum.
The Living Bridge works to ensure workshops are accessible and inclusive to people from all backgrounds and abilities.
Recognize that the most dynamic, transformative ideas often emerge at the edges, intersections, and margins of mainstream society. By leveraging the liminal and exploring the in-between spaces, The Living Bridge seeks to loosen the learnings concealed in the cracks. See Bayo Akomolafe's short post.
Embrace adaptability in planning events—allowing emergent learning and unexpected insights to guide the process.