A book that makes me feel good! It provides a clear set of practical principles (and concrete examples) of how we can evolve towards a sustainable and regenerative way of feeding ourselves.
It also makes the connection with other area’s of our daily life (oa. organisational structures) where design based on principles observed in our natural ecosystems can show us the way forward. Makes me realise once more that my preference for structured self-organisation (the principles of which are also based on facilitating complex adaptive systems, in case: ‘people working together in an organisation’) is no coincidence. And that there is indeed some coherence behind the seemingly different projects I’m involved with, which I find reassuring:
To set up some basic conditions and guidelines that will allow possibilities to emerge and evolve into a creative and vibrant organism that perfectly matches the unique conditions its specific environment ;o)
Core perma-design principles according to Toby Hemmingway (& David Holmgren and Bill Mollison):
- Observe
- Connect
- Catch and store energy and materials
- Make each element perform multiple functions
- Have each function supported by multiple methods
- Make the least change for the greatest effect
- Start with small-scale, intensive systems
- Optimise edge
- Collaborate with succession
- Use biological resources before technological ones
- Turn problems into solutions
- Get a yield
- Recognise that lack of creativity is the greater limit
- Learn from mistakes
See also ‘The beauty of Permaculture’
