daleleelife101.blog

“Permaculture is revolution disguised as organic gardening.”
~ Graham Burnett, ‘Permaculture – A Beginners Guide’

Permaculture is about designing for sustainable living. It is based on three ethics: Care for the earth; Care for people; and Fair share.

To become familiar with permaculture ethics, a simple exercise is for each of the ethics, think of examples of how you: have applied them in your life; could apply them in your life in the future; have observed them applied by others.

Care for the earth

Applied in your life: Green and clean. We eschew chemicals, rather use natural household, personal and garden products to promote a healthy environment on both a micro and macro scale.

Could apply in your life: Think ahead. Plant more trees on our own property and others for future generations.

Observed it applied in other: Ripple effect. One of my Tafe horticulture teachers, a member of Orara Valley Rivercare has been part of the work done restoring sections of the river, planting native species to re-establish the canopy as well as flood clean up, removal of weed species and camphor laurels, important work to her as she grew up there, left, then returned to farm the local property that belonged to her parents.

Care for people

Applied in your life: Do unto others. We share our produce, items we make, bake, create or are given and our time with family, friends and the community. We allow them to do the same for us.

Could apply in your life: Time share. Volunteer at a local community garden to both learn, apply what I have learned and share skills with others.

Observed it applied in other: Educators. Since I began studying at Tafe in 2017 it’s been my privilege to be beneficiary of the expertise of industry professionals who shepherd diverse students through a set curriculum at the same time beyond the ambit of their teaching roles freely instil not only course knowledge but interest and a desire to pursue it further in many cases.

Fair share

Applied in your life: Stop and think. Mindful consumers, before we make purchases as well as our personal D.I.Y, reuse, up/recycle, make do, mend, borrow criteria we consider what is environmentally responsible and who benefits from the purchase.

Could apply in your life: Knowledge bank. For me it isn’t enough to just acquire and apply skills myself, I don’t feel like the process is worthwhile unless I have shared it, and helped someone else discover something that inspires them. I hope to write or teach or at least advocate what I have learned and value, as many worthy students of permaculture have gone on to do admirably.

Observed it applied in other: Lend a hand. Non-profit organisations like Kiva, an online lending platform who crowdfund loans via connecting online lenders to underserved communities and unfinanced entrepreneurs across the globe.

“It is time for all of us to make changes about how we live our lives and to follow a path of the heart. By following our intuition and inspiration we encourage our own acts of heartfelt genius and boldness. This makes us feel alive and vital, gives us a great purpose and harnesses parts of ourselves we may have neglected or didn’t even know we had. We no longer feel overwhelmed by the way the Earth’s resources are managed, but recognise that change is in our hands, yours and mine, the hands of extraordinary people who have made a leap of understanding and are determined to make a difference. We become part of the change by becoming part of the solution.”
~ Glennie Kindred, ‘Earth Wisdom’

Your thoughts? Comments welcome.

Between now and July 2020 I’m studying Certificate IV Permaculture via Tafe NSW and the National Environment Centre flexible online learning. Studying online, I discovered, involves a lot of writing. This year of study, I think, might lend itself to some blog posts… follow along if you are interested in learning what I learn during my permaculture journey.