posted 6 hours ago
I'm working on an article about permaculture.
I did a deep dive into Mollison and Holmgren's principles and methods, even though they have some differences in opinions concerning their "baby."
I don't want to get into discussions about purpleculture or argue about where lines should be drawn. I simply drew up a list of bullet points that address how permies think and what they do. One of the things I had missed is function stacking, because Holmgren doesn't push it to the forefront in his body of work, at least not that I've seen. Seems to be more of a Mollison thing. But to great effect! Here's my list. Opine as something strikes you as profound:
Observe before you interact.
Look at relative locations and how things interact and benefit each other to determine the best locations for them.
Work with nature, not against it.
Assist instead of impeding natural development.
Catch and store energy.
Plan energy expenditures by zone, sector, and slope.
Keep energy-intensive things close by.
Obtain a yield.
Use plant stacking and time stacking to increase yield.
Yield is only limited by the imagination and information of the designer.
Apply self-regulation and feedback.
The problem often contains the solution.
Don’t waste time, money or energy forcing something to be what it was never intended it to be.
Use and value renewable and biological resources and services.
Produce no waste.
Every output is an input for something else.
Everything works both ways, and is either an advantage or a disadvantage depending on the context.
Find ways to use excesses and surpluses.
Energy, resource, and nutrient cycling: Keep flows and stores in the system instead of removing them.
Design from patterns to details.
Integrate rather than segregate.
Use small and slow solutions, small scale intensive systems.
However, accelerate succession where and when possible. Food forests. Lasagna gardening. Pioneer plants. Chop and drop.
Make small changes with the great effects with all resources: time, money, effort.
Use and value diversity, especially in polycultures and plant guilds and where there is water, light, and nutrient competition.
Use edges and value the marginal.
Many things happen where two or more environments meet.
Creatively use and respond to change
Function stacking recognizes that a single element can perform multiple functions.
Each function is supported by many different elements which support one another.
Permaculture is information and imagination intensive.
Use the collective experience and wisdom of those who have land-based knowledge, experience, and ideas. If it works, it works. Doesn’t matter where it came from.
Everything gardens or modifies its environment.
We are all gardeners.
Jim
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