From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>
To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [permaculture] What is Permaculture? | Permaculture Research Institute of Australia
Date: Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:10:10 -0500
What is Permaculture? | Permaculture Research Institute of Australia http://permaculture.org.au/what-is-permaculture/
(A brief quote to set the tone of this message:)
"Permaculture (permanent agriculture) is the conscious design and
maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which 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. Without permanent agriculture there is no possibility
of a stable social order.
Permaculture design is a system of assembling conceptual, material, and
strategic components in a pattern which functions to benefit life in all
its forms.
The philosophy behind permaculture is one of working with, rather than
against, nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than
protracted and thoughtless action; of looking at systems in all their
functions, rather than asking only one yield of them; and allowing
systems to demonstrate their own evolutions."
This shows great writing skill. This is the definition that I think most
accurately describes the essence of permaculture and the reason why it
is so important to practice it as a multidisciplinary approach to human
habitation on this Earth. I like their emphasis on agriculture as
implied in the term Perma(nent) A(gri)culture with the principles
embodied in the Permaculture Third Ethic playing a vital role.
[permaculture] What is Permaculture? | Permaculture Research Institute of Australia,
Lawrence F. London, Jr., 12/08/2009