Permaculture - A sustainable planning method for all areas of life

Permaculture is a holistic approach that aims to design and organize systems - whether in agriculture, urban planning, social structures or personal lifestyles. It is therefore far more than just a method of sustainable horticulture. Its aim is to create permanently functioning, resilient and resource-conserving systems that are based on the observable phenomena of nature. Permaculture is based on three fundamental ethical principles and ten guiding principles that serve as a toolbox for creative solutions.

The three ethical principles of permaculture

1. Earth Care - Care for the earth: The protection and regeneration of the natural environment are the basis of all action. Healthy soils, clean water and intact biodiversity are essential for the survival of survival of all living beings.
2.  People Care - caring for people: The well-being, health and social coexistence of people are at the at the center. It is about strengthening communities and balancing individual balance individual needs.
3. Fair Share - Just sharing: Resources should be used fairly and surpluses shared. This creates a balance balance is created that takes both current and future generations taken into account.

The twelve basic principles according to David Holmgren: 

1. Observe and act accordingly - Understand the process before you intervene in it.
2. Capture and store energy - Use resources such as sunlight, water or soil fertility efficiently.
3. Achieve a harvest - Every sustainable practice should also bring a yield, be it food, knowledge or well-being.
4. Use self-regulation and learn from feedback - systems adapt; we should learn from them.
5. Utilise and value renewable resources and services - work with natural cycles rather than relying on external energy supplies.
6. Do not produce waste - everything can be reused or transformed in a sustainable system.
7. Design from pattern to detail - Recognise the bigger picture before you plan down to the smallest detail.
8. Integrate instead of separate - Connect elements in a meaningful way so that they support each other.
9. Use small and slow solutions - sustainability comes from constant, well thought-out changes.
10. Utilise and value diversity - Diverse systems are more resilient and productive.
11. Utilise the margins and appreciate the marginal - Innovation often happens at the boundaries of the known.
12. Respond creatively to change - flexibility and adaptability are key to long-term success. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Permaculture shows that sustainable action does not mean renunciation, but leads to a better quality of life. It offers tools and ways of thinking to solve ecological, economic and social challenges in a creative and sustainable way. Whether in your own garden, in a company or in urban development - the principles of permaculture can be applied everywhere and help to create a future worth living in.