“If nature is dominated by perennial plants why is our agriculture dominated by annual crops? Why doesn't agriculture follow the design rules of nature?” (David Holmgren).

This is a fascinating question that many people never think about and similar questions can be asked of all of our life support systems such as energy, water, and waste. Why don’t we all catch water from our roofs instead of relying on dams hundreds of miles away? Why don’t we deal with our waste onsite, returning it to the earth instead of sending it to treatment plants and eventually out to sea? Why do we continue to extract fossil fuels in far-off places, risking unfathomable environmental damage when we can catch and store our own energy?

When we ask these types of questions we quickly realise the modern world is built on a series of top down, one-size fits all solutions that are not designed with sustainability nor common sense in mind.

So what if we all thought a little differently? What if we designed systems from the bottom up? With local needs and nuances in mind. What if our solutions worked with nature and provided for the needs of the people whilst benefitting the environment as a whole? This is exactly what the practice of Permaculture seeks to answer.