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A beautiful lifestyle with Permaculture< |
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Covering the world in forests |
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# Permaculture to Create a Sustainable World |
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The term "permaculture" is a contraction of "permanent agriculture" or "permanent culture." The term was coined by Bill Mollison of Australia, founder of the permaculture movement. Bill was born on the island of Tasmania in 1928 and lived in the bush and on the sea, hunting and fishing for a living. In the 1950s, he started to notice that the environment that had nourished him was suddenly disappearing around him.  Working from these initial observations, Bill started to see the importance of the ecosystems surrounding him. He tried to peacefully protest further destruction but became disillusioned by the ineffectiveness of opposition protest. He turned instead to seek a more constructive method.
Starting with a permanent agricultural system, he began creating permaculture by including humans in the systems he designed for sustainable environments. |
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The Three Basic Elements of Permaculture
To observe natural systems closely
To learn about traditional lifestyles (agriculture)
To carefully blend in use of modern technological knowledge (appropriate technology) with traditional knowledge
Through these elements, we can create a "cultivated ecology" that is more livable than natural ecosystems.
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Permaculture gathers all elements of life, such as buildings, water, energy, and community together with plants and animals in harmonious design. Each element is used to its fullest potential. There is no exploitation or pollution. This kind of sustainable system, which is an ecological system, has the capability to be economically viable. By allowing nature to be rich, that is productive and diverse, the quality of human life also becomes rich in equally diverse and sublime ways.
The ultimate goal of permaculture, according to Bill Mollison, is to "cover the earth with forests." I would like to introduce examples of some forests that have already been created. |
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# New Zealand's Garden of Eden |
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 Rainbow Valley Farm (RVF), located outside of Auckland, New Zealand, has been called the ideal permaculture site. RVF owner, Joe Polaischer, has clearly worked with nature to create this "work of art." |
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Rainbow Valley Farm
Joe Polaischer |
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We will first take a look at some of Joe's works of art.
"Rooftop Gardens"
 
The entire roof of the house is covered with plants, which keeps the inside environment cool in summer and warm in winter. Also, the area the house sits on is covered with plants, replacing the plants that would have grown there naturally and thereby lessening the burden on the environment. |
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"Spiral Herb Garden"
 
In front of the kitchen is a spiral herb garden, about 1.5 meters across with many different height levels. A pond lies behind the garden. Plants that like shade and humidity are grown in the low areas, while plants that like plenty of sun and dryness are located higher on the spiral. The various environments created by this artful design allow for a diversity of herbs to be grown. |
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The raised vegetable garden is in the shape of a keyhole to allow ease of human movement. The keyhole design makes work easier and eliminates the need to step into the garden with worries of compacting the soil, and so the need for cultivation is eliminated.
A wide variety of herbs, vegetables, and fruit trees are intermingled in dense concentrations. With these close quarters, permaculturists can raise companion plants, species that help each other grow. There are also feeding stations for birds whose excrement adds to the nutrition of the soil. |
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"Compost Toilet"
The compost toilet breaks down human waste into usable fertilizer. The compost is returned to the soil to complete the nutrient cycle. Though the function may not seem artistic, the toilet itself is attractive in appearance. |
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"Passive Solar House"
The house creatively takes advantage of materials and designs to efficiently use passive solar heat to create a comfortable living environment. Using calculations of the sun's angle throughout the different seasons, the house is designed to block direct sunlight during the summer months and admit sunlight during the winter months. The floor is composed of fired ceramic tiles that are cool in summer and store heat in the winter. Of course, Joe built the house himself. |
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"Flow Forms"
Wastewater from the house is channeled through flow forms (forms that agitate and aerate water) and is then percolated into the soil. By forcing the water through figure "8" currents, the water travels eight times further than in a straight line. The water dissolves more oxygen over this increased distance and becomes good for growing plants. |
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"Soil"
 Joe likes to say, "Healthy soil creates healthy food and healthy people." The creation of this work of art also uses the strength of nature.
Up until fourteen years earlier, the land that RVF sits on had been a wasteland covered with weeds, with a hard clay soil that could support no crops. But now, after only a short period of time and the caring efforts of a dedicated artist, the soil can now support a wide diversity of plants. |
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RVF showcases a wide variety of permaculture methods. Not only is the technology superior; but one also feels comfortable on the farm and is captured by the beauty of the land. I understood that everything was in an organic relationship with all other things and was placed efficiently in the lay of the land because Joe had observed closely. Everything here came together in a beautiful harmony.
 Joe was born in Austria and wandered through more than 100 countries before settling in New Zealand. Like Bill Mollison himself, Joe also worked in a variety of fields, including graphic design, building, organic farming and fishing. Through these diverse experiences, he eventually found his way to permaculture.
Joe sometimes works from six in the morning to nine at night. But, he never feels tired because he is doing what he loves, using all of his talents, and enjoying life. His is a true permaculture lifestyle.
 Watching him work, I find that the word "labor" really doesn't fit him. His is a world such as the one described in the writings of the influential author Kenji Miyazawa - a world where "ashen labor is incinerated with art / Here we have perpetual creation, bravely and joyfully." Joe lives art. Through his example, my belief that permaculture is art deepens.
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# Diversity is the Keyword |
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Permaculture covers a wide variety of fields and some have criticized it for being too general and unfocused. I have heard that when Bill Mollison created the permaculture system, many specialists were outraged. The specialists probably had their professional pride injured by the uniting of agriculture with forestry, forestry with animal husbandry, and construction with biology.
The following is a description of some very interesting research results.
One [paper] was presented in anthropology and the other in biology, and though the two author-scientists knew nothing of each other's efforts they were closely related. The one in anthropology examined the case histories of all the known human tribes that had become extinct. The biological paper investigated the case histories of all the known biological species that had become extinct. Both scientists sought for a common cause of extinction. Both of them found a cause, and when the two papers were accidentally brought together it was discovered that the researchers had found the same causes. Extinction in both cases was the consequence of over-specialization.
(Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth by Buckminster Fuller)
When overspecialization occurs, the environment cannot adjust and extinction occurs. Fuller was indicating the danger that modern civilized societies face and emphasizing the need to return to the "versatility" that humans originally had. We can say that this concept of versatility is exactly the same as the permaculture idea that "design is a connection among all things." That is, we are not to live dependent on a single specialized skill, but we should rather live by developing all of our skills to the utmost and live with variety on many different levels. This philosophy applies not only to human beings, but also to nature.
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The climate is changing on a global scale, the evidence seen primarily in the growing greenhouse effect and desertification. Plants that were successfully grown in certain areas can no longer be grown on the same land. Tropical plants are being grown in areas that were formerly too cold to support them. These occurrences may become more and more common. RVF has boldly included non-native plants among the native species in its plantings. By doing so, even if the environment changes, some species will have a harvest. (Example: growing bananas and apples together.)
Both humans and ecosystems thrive in diversity: It is the key to creating a sustainable world. |
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Even in Japan, the numbers of people who are practicing permaculture and who are living a permaculture lifestyle are increasing. Permaculture is spreading everywhere. Even in corners of the big city, the idea is taking root. We only need to create a permaculture suitable for Japan,
and possibly it is to be found in a model of Japanese-style permaculture called "Satoyama*."
It first begins with observing how your lifestyle connects with your environment. You become conscious of the things that support your own life. Then, gathering up your courage, you begin to act concretely, with a single small act.
The books and websites listed below explain more about the techniques and methods of permaculture. Permaculture workshops are offered by the Permaculture Center Japan.
Further Reading:
Introduction to Permaculture _ by Bill Mollison
Permaculture: A Designer's Manual _ by Bill Mollison
Permaculture Websites:
- Permaculture International Limited (Australia)
 http://www.nor.com.au/environment/perma/
- Permaculture Association (Britain)
http://www.permaculture.org.uk/
- Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA)
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/perma.html
- The Permaculture Activist
http://www.permacultureactivist.net
- Permaculture Center Japan
http://www.pccj.net/ (in Japanese)
* Satoyama
In the past, Satoyama referred to the familiar spaces where humans and nature connected naturally and productively. Traditionally, village communities and the natural environment (living organisms, fields, forests, mountains, water, air, etc.) existed together. People worked in the environment around them, cultivating and harvesting food or building materials, using the energy from firewood, and managing and preserving mountains and forests. This lifestyle gave birth to a sustainable community culture based on this knowledge and these techniques. These sustainable communities bring to mind the permaculture idea of "cultivated ecology"―systems to preserve the diversity of humanity and all living things.^ Back to mid-page
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About Hiroshi Moriya
Mr. Moriya is currently studying permaculture. Last year, he resigned from a TV broadcasting network to pursue his interest in permaculture design. In the future, he plans to gain experience through trial and error in various fields to work toward creating a "Holistic Health Center" based on permaculture and dedicated to the recovery of both humans and nature.
http://homepage.mac.com/walkinbeauty/ (in Japanese)
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| Interview/photographs: Hiroshi Moriya |
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Hiroshi Moriya
