Celebrate Permaculture Day!
Instead of offering an explanation of permaculture, or trying to explain my opinions, this post starts with a quote from permaculture expert David Holmgren, the co-originator of the permaculture concept:
“Permaculture is design for sustainable living and landuse. From its Australian origins in the 1970’s permaculture has spread around the world creating positive and future-proof environmental solutions. Over more than three decades permaculture activists have pioneered many of today’s mainstream environmental solutions from landcare to school gardens, from passive solar design to compost toilets, from ethical investment to farmers markets.
But the autonomous, diffuse and decentralised nature of permaculture has tended to hide its great contribution to improving communities across the nation. Interational Permaculture Day is an opportunity to shine a light on the diversity of permaculture projects and people that are building our sustainable future now.”
Permaculture Day, celebrated the first Sunday of each May, is the celebration & demonstration of all things Permaculture. According to the Permaculture Institute, permaculture is defined as,”an ecological design system for sustainability in all aspects of human endeavor. It teaches us how to design natural homes and abundant food production systems, regenerate degraded landscapes and ecosystems, develop ethical economies and communities, and much more. As an ecological design system, permaculture focuses on the interconnections between things more than individual parts.” The permaculture training that I’ve attended focus more on this idea of interconnectedness rather than a blueprint for how-to-plant-a-permaculture-garden. The focus on balance, companion planting, deep nourishment of the soil, and balance can be found in natural eco-systems, and the goal of permaculture design replication of this natural balance.
Some of the Permaculture events planned for tomorrow include One Million Seed Balls for Sandy Relief in Queens, New York; a Permablitz in Klimagarten, Germany; Food Garden design in Victoria, Austraila; a Slow Money Gathering in Boulder, Colorado, and so much more. What activities are happening to celebrate Permaculture in your neighborhood? Check out the list of activities at Permaculture Day.org.