Permaculture, Organisations and Management | Conclusion
So here ends our exploration of Holgrem’s 12 Permaculture principles, and how they can apply to the world of organisations and management. They have proven highly useful and creative as a bridge between natural ecosystems and human, socio-systems; indeed, permaculture being a nature-inspired design system, it creates a ‘space for thinking’ about how Nature operates […]
Permaculture Principle #12: Creatively use and respond to change
Nature never sits still Natural ecosystems are basically flows of energy and matter, forever evolving and transforming, cycling and recycling. They are constantly adapting and responding to change, creatively using it to nurture their thriving. A human cell will adapt its activity according to the nutrients, water and oxygen available in its environment. Our cardio-vascular […]
Permaculture principle #11: Use edges and value the marginal
Edges are the richest, most productive spaces in the natural world In Nature, edges tend to be places of trade, where elements of both ecosystems exchange their goods and create new, unprecedented wealth. The edge of a forest is a place where light is more accessible, thus enabling species that could not otherwise develop to […]
Permaculture Principle #10: Use and Value Diversity
Nature is diverse by nature Imagine a non-diverse natural ecosystem: you can’t? Well, precisely. Or if you can, it probably conjures up images of death, of desolation – the opposite of a typically thriving ecosystem, full of vitality. The natural world is, by essence, diverse; it is made up of lots of different elements having […]
Permaculture Principle #9: Use small and slow solutions
Reminder: Life on Earth is 3,8 billion years old Permaculture is a design method that seeks to mimic Life, as it unfolds through natural ecosystems. It is based on the premise that life as we know it is the result of 3,8 billion years of R&D, of trial and error that consistently eliminated forms that […]
Permaculture Principle #8: Integrate, rather than segregate
Wholeness is one of the main attributes of Nature In Umberto Eco’s famous novel “The Name of the Rose”, William of Baskerville reflects on why they failed to understand early enough what was really going on in the abbey, and tells his young mentee (my own paraphrase): “We understood crucial things, young Adso, but remained […]
Permaculture Principle #7: Design from patterns to details
Patterns are a central feature of the systemic nature of life on Earth There is something magical about patterns: you can’t see them, yet they orchestrate everything that you see happening around you. From bare ground, a primary forest starts with pioneering plants, then shrubs, then pioneering trees, then longer-living trees, then really big trees […]
Permaculture principle #6: Produce no waste
This is so simple in Nature! One of the many wonders of natural ecosystems is that they produce no waste. Only human systems do. In Nature, any output from one element is an input for another element. Ecosystems have grown through a principle quite central to the systemic paradigm of which they are such an […]
Permaculture Principle #5: Use and value renewable resources and services
In service of the Whole In Nature, a renewable resource is one that is made available again “soon” after use. Soon here is a totally subjective, human-centred concept: it is framed around human time and needs, and implies that it can be available again when our need for it re-emerges. And Nature is full of […]
Permaculture principle #4: Apply self-regulation and accept feedback
A powerful principle: simple in its workings, so difficult to fully engage with! The truth is, I have found this principle the toughest one to reflect on so far! Why might that be? Well, partly I think because I have been witnessing how growing positive feedbacks of climate change and biodiversity erosion seem to be […]
