Permaculture 1

June 12, 2011

Permaculture 1

Hello,
My name's Omri and in addition to being one of the new interns at the Dominion I'm also really into Permaculture.

What is Permaculture you ask? Permaculture is a composite word that means both permanent agriculture and permanent culture. A combination of earth-care and people-care that results in sustainable ways of living on and interacting with the environment and each other. In addition to these two elements there is also the core value that we must only take what we need and fairly distribute what we take. This ethos extends from gardening to house construction, from animal husbandry to urban planning and beyond.

Originally developed in the 70s by two Australian academics turned practitioners, Permaculture is now practiced by a wide variety of groups for a diversity of reasons.
I'm just in the processes of completing my Permaculture design certificate after taking a 72 hour course. This course, like hundreds of others that happen all around the world allows ordinary individuals to take agency in their lives. This is done by teaching them the basic skills required to sustain themselves independently from prevailing systems of exploitation.

My reasons for learning Permaculture stem from an involvement in food sovereignty related groups. Permaculture, for me, provides the best framework for tackling issues of the environment, self-governance and corporate imperialism that are tied into our livelihoods. This is no yuppie escapism. It is instead a well tested and respectfully conceived set of principles that can be applied to many aspects of our lives.

Later today I head out to a week long intensive natural building course. The course applies Permaculture principles to building design. I'm excited to report back on the adventures that I'll have and the skills that I learn.

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Permaculture Resources:

http://p3permaculture.ca/p3/Home.html

http://www.planetfriendly.net/permaculture.html