"Permaculture" is quickly becoming something of a buzzword. But what exactly does it mean? Wikipedia defines permaculture as "an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that mimic the relationships found in natural ecologies." It is a very broad topic, but essentially refers to living sustainably with our environment in every way imaginable. The movement has become increasingly popular in the past decade, and for good reason: it makes sense. From creating food forests that maintain high levels of biodiversity and productivity, to integrating animals into an environment to achieve ecological balance, to harvesting all the rainwater that falls from the sky naturally, permaculture has a lot to say about how our society should move into the future. The key component behind permaculture is to maintain self-sustaining functions so that one can find everything they need for survival right in their own yard or community, and minimize the need for additional inputs. In a sense, permaculture can be thought of as an earlier and more ecologically designed approach to living "off the grid."

For more info, read up on permaculture at ATTRA (National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service) or the Permaculture Institute.

- Mitchell Flexo

Photo: Permaculture Planet, Flickr

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