Permaculture Design Principles

One piece that I felt was missing was the explicit application of permaculture design principles to the project, so I thought I would review them briefly here, and point out where they seem especially relevant. While permaculture is a very broad discipline, there is a quite thorough overview on Wikipedia; this discussion is based on David Holmgren’s twelve principles, beautifully laid out at http://permacultureprinciples.com/.

1. Observe and Interact

Though we may not have been doing so explicitly, the experience of working in and with the building, and interacting with the neighborhood, has certainly given us plenty of direct experience. There are some things that need to be done, and can be done, pretty much right away, which will begin to alter people’s perception of the building and help bring the vision closer to reality.

2. Catch and Store Energy

“Make hay while the sun shines” seems obvious, yet typically we overlook what the site itself can provide. What we’ve discussed so far is collecting the water falling on and draining into the site, and using this multiple times; some form of geothermal; and looking at solar thermal and PV options, including transparent PV glass for the greenhouses, as well as panels used for shading. Are there other options? Can we make our own biofuels from wastes from the different businesses? Can we compost food and other wastes and use them to provide nutrients for plant growth?

3. Obtain a Yield

“Ensure that you are getting truly useful rewards out for the effort and the energy we’re putting in.” This yield is not simply about making a profit, but it includes that. As Holmgren says, “the proverb ‘You can’t work on an empty stomach’ reminds us that we must get immediate rewards to sustain us.”

4. Apply self-regulation and accept feedback – It’s important to discourage inappropriate activity to ensure that systems can continue to function well.

5. Use and value renewable resources and services – Making the best use of nature’s abundance to reduce our excessively consumptive behavior and dependence on non-renewable resources.

6. Produce no waste – By valuing and making use of all the resources that are available to us, nothing goes to waste.

7. Design from patterns to details – By stepping back, we can observe patterns in nature and society. These can form the backbone of our designs, with the details filled in as we go.

8. Integrate rather than segregate – By putting the right things in the right place, relationships develop between those things and they work together to support each other.

9. Use small and slow solutions – Small and slow systems are easier to maintain than big ones, making better use of local resources and producing more sustainable outcomes.

10. Use and value diversity – Diversity reduces vulnerability to a variety of threats and takes advantage of the unique nature of the environment in which it resides.

11. Use edges and value the marginal – The interface between things is where the most interesting events take place. These are often the most valuable, diverse and productive elements in the system.

12. Creatively use and respond to change – We can have a positive impact on inevitable change by carefully observing, and then intervening at the right time.