Please click on the principle

1.     Observe and Interact

2.     Catch & Store Energy

3.     Obtain a Yield

4.     Apply Self-Regualtion and Accept Feedback  

5.     Use and Value Renewable Resources & Services

6.     Produce no Waste

7.     Design from Patterns to Details

8.     Integrate rather than Segregate

9.     Use Small and Slow Solutions

10.    Use and Value Diversity

11.    Use Edges and Value the Marginal

12.    Creatively Use and respond to Change  

 
Conclusion
Sustainable development to provide for human needs, within ecological limits, requires a cultural revolution greater than any of the tumultuous changes of the last century. Permaculture design and action over the last quarter century, has shown that revolution to be complex and multi-facited. While we continue to grapple with the lessons of past successes and failures, the emerging energy descent world will adopt many permaculture strategies and techniques as natural and obvious ways to live within ecological limits, once real wealth declines.

On the other hand, energy descent will demand real-time response to novel situations and incremental adaption of existing inappropriate systems, as well as the best of creative innovation applied to the most ordinary and small design problems. All this needs to be done without the big budgets and cudos associated with current industrial design innovation.

Permaculture design principles can never be a substitute for relevant practical experience and technical knowledge. However, they may provide a framework for continuous generation and evaluation of the site and situation specific solutions necessary to move beyond the limited successes of sustainable development to a reunion of culture and nature.

Principles and Text by David Holmgren, Co-Originator of the Permaculture Concept, www.holmgren.com.au