1. Permaculture:
a Prescription for a
Sustainable Future
Restoring Community, Protecting the Land
and Informing the Earth’s Stewards
114 Upper Prince Street, Charlottetown
Prince Edward Island, Canada C1A4S3
Phone: (902) 367-0390; E-mail: ibs_pei@yahoo.com
www.ibspei.ca

2. Permaculture = "permanent" & “culture."
Its roots evolve from
• the design of sustainable
agricultural systems,
• techniques and principles
of ecologically designed
communities,
• urban restoration and
self-reliant regions.
in such a way that all life benefits
(i.e. human and non-human).

3. Permaculture Ethics
and Guiding Principles
Permaculture Ethics
• Care of land;
• Care of people;
• Reduce
consumption and
share surplus.

4. Principle 1:
Ethics, care of land and people
Caring for the land,
people and all life
would be a
step forward for all.

5. Principle 2:
Relative location
The strategic selection
and placement of
plants, animals,
structures, etc., so that
the yields of one
element become
the requirements for
What does the chicken produce that can be used by
other elements in the design?
another element

6. Principle 3:
Multiple functions, single element
Every element should
provide at least three
functions.
• A "living" fence can act as a
barrier, act as a windbreak, and
provide food and medicine for
the family.
• When designed into a system,
bees can provide; food, income,
and pollination.

7. Principle 4:
Multiple elements, single function
Multiple elements for a single
function adds diversity and makes
the local ecosystem more
resilient to environmental
fluctuations.
For instance, for heating a structure,
the elements would include:
• body heat from animals,
• south facing windows, and
• the use of thermal mass to store
the collected heat.

8. Principle 5:
Efficient energy planning
The goal is to help reduce
the amount of effort
(primarily human labour)
The property is divided into
zones related to how
frequently each zone is visited.
The more intensive the activity
the closer to human habitation
it should be.

9. Principle 6:
Biological resources
• Move away from
monocultures.
• Mimic the diversity and
resistant qualities of
natural systems.
• Focus on utilizing
“Flower-tree” structures weave through a
energy flows (water, garden. A stunning study on structure
and scale, uniting the micro and macro
wind, etc.) that pass worlds while resonating with another
through a region. organic structure: honeycomb

10. Principle 7:
Energy recycling
Energy flowing through the
system is used in many ways.
• Water systems might create
keyline swales and dams as
it passes through the
landscape.
• Energy recycling would
also include recovering
biogas from waste and
orientating structures to
obtain maximum solar gain.

11. Principle 8:
Maximize diversity
• Build stability by maximizing
diversity, in terms of plants
animals and in terms of
livelihood.
• Maximize the number of
beneficial interactions
• Create as many microsites,
and habitats as possible by
increasing edges, patterns,
and plant guilds.

12. Principle 9:
Stacking
Stacking time & space
makes human systems
more compact so larger
areas of land can be
put back into a more
natural state in the hope
of healing the planet.

13. Principle 10:
Appropriate technology
Use implements that are
E.F Schumacher,
locally made, can be ‘Small is Beautiful’
repaired locally, and used
with the skills of local
people.
Also, have less reliance on
fossil fuels.

14. Principle 11:
Scale
Return to smaller scale
technology and a balance
with technical diversity.

15. Mollison's 7 Permaculture Laws
• (1) Everything is
connected to
everything else.
• (2) Everything gardens.

16. Mollison's 7 Permaculture Laws
(3) Yield of a system is
theoretically unlimited.
Limited only by the
imagination and
experience of the
designer.
(4) "Protracted and
thoughtful observation,
rather than protracted
and thoughtless
labour."

17. Mollison's 7 Permaculture Laws
5) The problem is in the
solution, or everything
works both ways.
Problems turned into
assets and wastes into
resources.
(6) Stay out of the bush; it
is already in good order.

18. Mollison's 7 Permaculture Laws
(7) Work with nature
instead of against it.

20. Thank You
Restoring Community, Protecting the Land
and Informing the Earth’s Stewards
114 Upper Prince Street, Charlottetown
Prince Edward Island, Canada C1A4S3
Phone: (902) 367-0390; E-mail: ibs_pei@yahoo.com
www.ibspei.ca