What does Permi-Eden stand for? If you break it down into its letter components, it can be best defined as P – Permanent E – Ecological R – Renewal M – Mindset I – Incorporating E – Edible D – Designs E – Emulating N – Nature. Taken as a statement, it is my work to devlop my own home, my community and as far as I can reach beyond into a permacultrally influenced Garden of Eden.
For those of you wondering what permaculture is, quoting Geoff Lawton, “Permaculture is a system of design that provides all the needs of humanity in a way that benefits the environment. ” To paraphrase Penny Livingston, Permaculture is a design science, rooted in careful observation of natural systems, that aims to create methods of human living that have the stability and resilience of natural ecosystems. Another way of looking at it is that it is a multifaceted or multi-pronged design strategy based on careful observation of natural systems, that aims to create methods of human living that have the stability and resilience of natural ecosystems. It’s objective is to optimize resources such as soil and water, increase food production and quality, increase security, increase health and reduce health costs, reduce fossil fuel use and our carbon footprint, to promote healing of the environment through better stewardship by all people, networking together for total system solutions.
I love to learn and nature is such a great teacher. I continually remind myself to take the time to slow down and experience it in all of its glory, experiencing it with all of my senses and looking at it with that inquistive nature that we often leave behind to childhood. My life is so much fuller by doing that.
I live on a reasonable size urban lot just outside of a small city and I am working on developing it into a food forest using Permaculture principles. I am making changes to my life, one step at a time, to become more sustainable and self sufficient by growing more of my own food, learning often forgotten skills from our grandparent’s era and continually evaluating what I can reasonably do to reduce my impact on the earth (ie. conserving water, using less energy, evaluating alternative energy for possible implementation, etc.)
I have had the opportunity to train under some of the giants in the field of Permaculture. In the spring of 2013 I was able to be in a workshop led by Sepp Holzer and sponsored by the newly developing Holzer Agroecology group. Sepp IS the reason I became interested in permaculture to begin with. Again, in 2014 I had the honor of winning a ticket to a workshop led by Sepp at a forward thinking site in Malibu, CA and followed on with training under him at an innovative site in Butte, MT. Gleaning bits of wisdom, interspersed with humor and genuineness is what the experiences are all about. The biggest thing that I took away from my time with him is pushing myself to think, to interpret and adjust, and not go with a technique just because he said it once or put it in a book, but because it is right for the site and the situation at hand.
I was also part of the first group to take Geoff Lawton’s online PDC (Permaculture Design Course) in 2013 and earned my PDC certificate from that course. If have ever thought that you might want to take a PDC course and if you have an opportunity to take Geoff’s course online, don’t even hesitate. Just do it and I don’t think that you will have any regrets. It was such an informative and intensive experience. The community building between all of the students was amazing during and has lasted beyond the course.
In general, I tend to be a bit of an eclectic person in what I like to listen to, see and do. Life is too short to put on the blinders and live in that narrrow focus. The world has so much to offer if you just take the time to observe and experience it.
I am a wife, mother to two soon to be adventerous young children, step mother and grandmother. Each aspect adds a lot to my life in their own very special way and I would not trade any for the world.
Throw in two equally eccentric dogs and our ever developing Homestead of Eden and you could say that every day is its own adventure.
