Category: Permaculture Principles & Theory
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Rethinking Consumption Isn’t Radical—It’s Necessary
Rethinking consumption isn’t just for minimalists or off-grid homesteaders. More and more people are realizing that consumer culture isn’t working—for us, for the planet, or for the future. Anti-consumerism is about stepping back, asking different questions, and making small changes that add up. A Cultural Tipping Point Awareness of the dire issues the US and…
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Permaculture Principles for Positive Change: Obtain a Yield
The objective of any garden, project, or program is to obtain a yield. It might be a physical yield, such as homegrown tomatoes from the garden, or something less tangible, such as increased knowledge, stronger community bonds, or improved personal well-being. Any endeavor will feel unfulfilling or pointless, and participants less likely to continue with…
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Permaculture Principles For Positive Change: Catch and Store Energy
Energy flows all around us—sunlight streaming down, rain soaking into the ground, wind rushing past, plants growing and storing nutrients. If we pay attention, we can catch some of that energy while it’s available and store it for times of scarcity. That’s what the principle, Catch and Store Energy is all about: making the most…
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Permaculture Principles For Positive Change: Observe and Interact
In times of uncertainty and division, it can feel overwhelming to imagine a brighter future. The challenges we face—climate change, social inequity, economic instability—can leave us feeling powerless. But within these difficulties lies an opportunity to reconnect with the systems that sustain us: our land, our communities, and our values. The permaculture principles offer a…
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Reduce Holiday Stress with Permaculture for a Serene Season
The holidays can be a lot. Between the shopping, planning, and family dynamics, stress can easily overshadow joy. But what if the natural world had some wisdom to offer? Permaculture—a design system inspired by nature—might seem like it’s all about gardens and growing food. Yet, its principles are surprisingly useful for navigating holiday chaos. Let’s…
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Permaculture in Everyday Life: Applying Principles in the Garden and Beyond
While permaculture is often seen as a common-sense, down-to-earth approach to gardening, its principles can be applied to many other areas of life, possibly even all of them. Opportunities for using permaculture in everyday life—beyond just the garden—are all around us, if you know where to look. We don’t need to use the term “permaculture”…
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Permaculture Principles in Everyday Life Part 4 – Principles 10, 11, and 12
Welcome to the final post in this series on permaculture principles in daily life. This time we’re looking at the final four permaculture principles: “Use and Value Diversity,” “Use Edges and Value the Marginal,” and “Creatively Use and Respond to Change.” If you’re interested in reading the first three posts, here they are for easy…
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Permaculture Principles in Everyday Life: Part 3 – Principles 7, 8, & 9
Welcome to Part 3 of this four-part series on the twelve principles of permaculture in everyday life. In Part 3, I’ll cover the seventh, eighth, and ninth principles of permaculture, which are ‘Design from Pattern to Detail,’ ‘Integrate Rather than Segregate,’ and ‘Use Small and Slow Solutions.‘ I’ll go over each principle, giving a brief…
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Permaculture Principles in Everyday Life: Part 2 – Principles 4, 5, & 6
This is Part 2 of a four-part series about the Permaculture Principles in everyday life. Here in Part 2, I’ll cover Permaculture Principles four, five, and six, which are Apply Self-Regulation and Accept Feedback, Produce No Waste, and Use Renewable Resources and Services. I’ll go over each principle, giving a brief explanation, an example in…
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Permaculture Principles in Everyday Life: Part 1 – Principles 1, 2, & 3
The Permaculture Principles, sometimes called the Permaculture Design Principles, are a set of concepts or tools used to provoke thought and guide the design process of any project, organization, or endeavor. Depending on which permaculture teacher you follow, the principles may vary in number and wording. In this series, I’ll refer to the twelve Permaculture…