Achieving sustainable development is the most important challenge facing all humans on this planet today.  Collectively we are living in a very unsustainable manner.  There are so many factors involved that we need to attempt to approach the situation from all angles; from a whole systems approach.  This means considering the economic factors, the cultural and societal factors, the political factors, the environmental factors, and of course present and future human needs.

           For the purposes of this paper sustainability is defined as “meeting the needs of humans in the present while ensuring the needs of future generations through implementing and adhering to environmentally benign and responsible practices.”  This is a general definition and sustainability will be defined differently according to the context one examines it in.  In this paper sustainability will be examined mainly in the context of agriculture, but also to some extent through land use, energy sources, building or architecture, and economics.  The larger lens in which these contexts will be viewed through is that of permaculture and its accompanying principles, practices and philosophies.

          First we must know who are the stakeholders in the race for sustainability, who is affected?  No less than everyone and everything alive at this moment, the  whole of the community of life.  As the species with the most access to technology and information, we the humans, must take our place as stewards of the Earth.  Everyone has something to lose if we cannot find some level of sustainable living and everyone has the future to gain if we do base our lives on sustainable modes of living.  There are many lifeforms and forces crying out to us, pleading for us to hear their cries.  We must open our ears, hearts and souls, and listen to, and answer these pleas.  We hold in our hands the power to continue the current “ecotastrophe” we find ourselves in, or to work together and pave the way towards a world that is just and sustainable not only for humans, but also for animals, plants and all of the elements that surround and support us. 

          Many of the consequences of our current modes of living around the world are rather apparent.  Some of these are global warming and its subsequent effect on global weather patterns, the large scale loss of biodiversity and chronic extinction of species, deforestation…  The list goes on and on.  It is obvious that we must take immediate action.  Where does one start and how?  First one must have some awareness of the current global environmental concerns.  Obviously not everyone is going to seek this information or even pay attention to it.  

          This is where the need for general public education comes in.  There needs to be a larger effort on the part of communities and governments to get these issues into a spotlight that is viewed not only by those interested but is glimpsed upon and digested by all.  To be effective, all types of media need to be utilized, billboards, t.v., art, etc.  These are all modes of communication, and in today’s world are usually the most effective.  The problem is getting government and business to invest in this kind of general public environmental education.  In the United States, a supposedly democratic society, there needs to be more of a push on the community level for this type of public campaign.

We must ‘walk our talk’ though.  In order for there to be a democratic push for these issues we need to be living and practicing sustainability in our communities so as to have an understanding of exactly what we are pushing for.  And in order for government and business to listen there has to be a strong enough civilian voice to be heard. Through the combination of education and activism and by setting an example on an individual and community level, we open the door to a forum for listening and communication.  A good place to start is by promoting the philosophies and practices of permaculture which are applicable on all scales, individual, community and global and which empower and activate civilians therefore increasing the power of their voice.  We will concentrate on the community aspect of permaculture. 

          What are the components of a sustainable community?

1.     accessible, distributed, renewable and environmentally friendly energy sources and systems

2.     ‘green’ building and architectural practices that inhibit and plan for urban sprawl

3.     local, seasonal food sources produced by sustainable agricultural methods

4.     an economy that supports all people and presents opportunities and equality for all people

5.     democratic governance on a local level that allows for and promotes effective listening skills and interactions

One could say that these are the basic or core components of a sustainable community.  Permacultural principles are applicable to each and every one of these components and can be seen as a larger system within which to practice integrating and managing these components.  “Permaculture is a design system for creating sustainable human environments.  The word itself is a contraction not only of permanent agriculture but also of permanent culture, as cultures cannot survive for long without a sustainable agricultural base and landuse ethic.  On one level, permaculture deals with plants, animals, buildings, and infrastructures (water, energy, communications).  The aim is to create systems that are ecologically-sound and economically viable, which provide for their own needs, do not exploit or pollute, and are therefore sustainable in the long term.” (Mollison, 1)

In order to begin implementing permacultural philosophies and practices the Western anthropocentric worldview that currently dominates most aspects of society around the world must be reevaluated and the paradigm shifted.  Anthropocentricism is defined as an attitude that regards humankind as the center of all existence.  We can see how this has attitude has played a major role in our environmental problems as it shows disregard for all other lifeforms and elements.  We are part of the community of life not the ruler of it.  We must live within it respectfully and in mutual relationships that are equally beneficial and satisfying to all parts.  This is at the core of permaculture, which is a system that works with nature, not against it and in which prime examples followed are those of natural processes and systems. 

This is why environmental listening is becoming an increasingly important skill.  Part of the result of the anthropocentric view is that we have forgotten how to listen to the natural world.  This type of listening is often referred to as empathic or compassionate listening.  Empathic listening requires that we use more than our analytical minds but rather use our senses and hearts also.  In reconnecting through sensory listening we make the first step towards empathic listening.  This can be done by reconnecting with nature by absorbing its textures, smells, sounds, etc., bringing one into full awareness of the world around them.  Once an individual does this then they can proceed to listen empathically and compassionately to the pleas of nature discussed earlier.  So as we see this is an important step in fostering environmental awareness and is a step that is apparent in permaculture.

In permaculture there is a threefold ethic to be followed and this type of listening is included as a way to develop these mutually beneficial relationships with nature.  The three parts of this ethic are as follows;

1.               Care of the Earth, of all living things, through mutually beneficial relationships with nature that are environmentally friendly and can be sought out through effective environmental listening and subsequent action.

2.               Care of people, which is based on sustainable practices and the philosophy of environmental stewardship being the main responsibility of humans.

3.               Contribution and distribution of surplus time, money and energy, after meeting one’s basic needs any personal or collective surplus is redistributed back into the community to meet the needs of others.

 So, we see that permaculture provides a good framework within which to seek out and implement sustainable modes of living that contribute to sustainable communities and societies.  Now we need to examine the individual components of sustainable community mentioned earlier and how permaculture can contribute to these.  We will begin by examining that most basic of human and animal survival needs; food. 

Our current agricultural methods are unsustainable and if we continue to use them we will find ourselves in dire times.  A sustainable agroecosystem is defined as “one that maintains the resource base upon which it depends, relies on a minimum of artificial inputs from outside the farm system, manages pests and diseases through internal regulating mechanisms, and is able to recover from the disturbances caused by cultivation and harvest.” (Gliessman, 299)  Both permaculture practice and sustainable agriculture go hand in hand, the agricultural methods used are modeled upon natural ecosystems and the relationships that exist within those systems. 

      Traditional and conventional agroecosystems are modeled differently and require much more external or artificial inputs from energy sources, both purchased and human.  Some of the problems with traditional and conventional agriculture are as follows:

1.     increasing pesticide, fertilizer and chemical inputs

*Increase in use of this artificial input is causing many problems as farmers are finding their crops resistant to many of these inputs causing the farmer to have to spray more which costs more and is a health risk, etc…

2.     genetically engineered food

*These crops are causing problems due to crossfertilization with unintended crops leaving farmers to suffer the loss of their crop that has been infected.  “Many are now concerned that the spreading use of genetically engineered plants in farming could result in the appearance of “super pests”- weeds or insects that can no longer be controlled and quickly destroy much of the human food supply.” (116, Ayres)

3.     widespread use of monoculture crops

*This is resulting in a loss of biodiversity.  “The variety of species is important not only to long-term evolution but to short term stability of ecosystems, including those which are the sources of human food.  Variety is what enables agriculture to develop natural defenses against pests and diseases.  Loss of genetic diversity in agriculture is leading us to a rendezvous with extinction- to the doorstep of hunger on a scale we refuse to imagine, write biodiversity activists Carey Fowler and Pat Mooney.” (Ayres, 32)

4.     soil erosion

*The massive overuse of topsoil is far outpacing the rate at which nature can produce and remake more.  “The complete loss of soil through erosion is, for practical purposes, irreversible; the weathering needed to form a new soil from solid rock takes a period of the order of 10,000 years.” (Young, 101)

This is a short list of problems but they are some of the major ones.   Another major problem, with these forms of agriculture,  is that before the 20^th century, cities contained food production sources within the city.  Now there are virtually no cities that contain agriculture and so cities must depend on outside sources, which can pose a problem since cities now consume much more than they produce.   Permaculture also aims to bring food production back to urban areas by using available extra space such as vacant lots, roadsides, concrete roofs, etc., for functional rather than just aesthetic vegetation. 

           One of the core principles of permaculture is to minimize artificial and labor inputs and to maximize efficiency.  This is done for example by using what are called chicken tractors, which besides minimizing human labor and energy source inputs, is also as included in the definition above, an internal regulating mechanism which consumes pests.  The benefits of using a chicken tractor are that the chicken will till the soil for you, eat pests, and fertilize with its manure and requires minimal care.  This is just one example of a permaculture practice, many of these practices consist of some of the same principles as found in sustainable agriculture.  In a permaculture system design is key and the design practices can be applied to the above problems in agriculture and also to make a community sustainable.

          Permaculture Principles consist of the following:

1.     Relative Location-  This is accomplished by placing a design component in the right place by examining its relationship to other elements, so that one component’s needs are met by the yield of another component.

2.     Each Element Performs Many Functions- An element or component should serve as many functions as possible.  To ensure this principle is met one must examine and analyze the ouputs and inputs of an element and all of its possible uses and relationships to other elements.  Some of the functions to keep in mind are; windbreaks, privacy, fire control, food, wildlife habitat, soil conditioner, animal forage, fuel, trellis, etc.  One example of a possible multitasking element in a permaculture design system is the chicken tractor discussed above.

3.     Efficient Energy Planning-  This is a process that uses zone planning taking into main consideration how much or how often we use an element and placing them accordingly.  “Zoning is decided by (1) the number of times you need to visit the element (plant, animal or structure) for harvest and yield; and (2) the number of times the element needs you to visit it.” (Mollison, 9)  Factors that are also considerd in zoning are those of sector planning which concerns things such as fire danger, damaging winds, sun angles, flood prone areas and other influences that come from outside the system being zoned.  Then there is also slope consideration which takes into account the site in profile and examines things such as hills and elevations.

4.     Using Biological Resources-  In a permaculture system biological resources are used whenever possible in order to do the work of the farm or conserve energy.  This is done to prevent the cost, dependence upon and labor input of technologies and practices found in conventional agriculture such as fertilizers, machinery, etc.  Some examples are once again the chicken tractor, and practices such as using umbelliferous and composite plants which attract predator insects rather than using chemicals to kill them.  Another example is the recycling of nutrients by animals.  Bees are also a biological resource as they pollinate flowers and produce honey and spiny plants can provide fencing.

5.     Energy Cycling-  “In modern world food-supply systems, full nutrition and a varied diet are provided by a world-wide transport, storage, and marketing network.  This reticulation of food is, of course, more energy-expensive than local agricultural diversity and is only possible due to fossil food subsidy.  A community supported by a diverse permaculture is independent of the distribution trade and assured of a varied diet, providing all nutritional requirements while not sacrificing quality or destroying the land that feeds it.  The greatest savings on energy are in the elimination of costly transport, packaging, and marketing. (Mollison, 19)  Permaculture strives to catch, store and recycle energy before it is degraded and unusable, for example water cachement and storage systems which catch the rain before it runs off the property and uses it for other sources.

6.     Accelerating Succession and Evolution-  rather than fighting the development of a natural ecosystem as modern agriculture does in their practices, permaculture aims to direct and accelerate these natural processes, using them for gain rather than destroying them thus creating further problems. 

7.     Diversity and polyculture-  rather than the monoculture we see in agriculture today which is causing many problems.  Permaculture uses polyculture which produces a smaller yield per single crop but a larger, mixed yield overall and also helps keep biodiversity rather than destroying it.  One major practice used to ensure this is that of guilds.  “Guilds are made up of a close association of species clustered around a central element (plant or animal).  This assembly acts in relation to the element to assist its health, aid in management, or buffer adverse environmental effects.” (Mollison, 25)

8.     Edge Effects-  This is an interaction between two ecologies for example, land and water.  This is the edge where productivity increases.

These are some of the most basic permaculture principles and as we can see, if they are used in place of conventional agricultural systems we would be better off.  The tough part is figuring out how to get people to listen and become educated on permaculture. As I mentioned in the beginning of this paper, utilizing all sources of media is one important step to getting people to listen.  There are several types of listening that would play an important role in making permaculture a viable working part of our lives. 

1.               Empathic or Compassionate  listening-  as mentioned above this is a form of listening that requires one to connect with the possible emotionally evocative world of nature and listen to it’s cries therefore evoking an active response.

2.               Environmental listening- requires an at least general education on global environmental concerns which would be facilitated by the use of different types of media and also activism.

3.               Sensual listening- we listen with more than our ears sometimes.  The rest of our senses can speak to us if we are listening also.  Using this kind of listening helps a person develop an intimate connection with their surroundings, either natural or unnatural and also promotes environmental and empathic listening.

4.               Analytical listening-  enables one to attentively listen to both sides of a conversation or argument and analyze it’s pros and cons in an unbiased manner.  

5.               Intercultural listening-  requires that one transverses cultural boundaries or stereotypes and instead listens to someone in a manner in which preconceptions are absent and tolerance, acceptance, understanding and interest in diversity are reflected.

There are many types of listening and the above are some of the most important in the arena of promoting sustainability.  In order to effectively listen, one needs to make a conscious effort to not force their opinion or argument on anyone.  When someone does force their argument, they cannot effectively listen to the other side because they are constantly relating to their point of view and not truly giving that person or group their full attention.  In order to harvest results on an environmental issue such as using permaculture there needs to be those that are educated in all of the above types of listening, especially intercultural  listening, since the world has become so connected. 

The introduction of permaculture could be one of the most positive and productive solutions to many of our environmental problems.  In order for it to be a viable solution there needs to be professionals and educators promoting, educating and implementing it.  All of the stakeholders in various situations need to collaborate despite their differences in opinion and come together to listen to and educate each other on our option for a sustainable future.  Permaculture should be one of these options. 

                                           Bibliography

1.     Mollison, Bill.  Introduction to Permaculture.  Tasmania, Australia: Tagari Publications, 1991.

2.     Ayres, Ed.  God’s Last Offer.  New York: Four Walls Eight Windows Publishing, 1999.

3.     Gliessman, Stephen.  “Achieving Sustainability”  Agroecology: Ecological Processes in Sustainable Agriculture.  New York: Ann Arbor Press, 1998.

4.     Flora, Cornelia.  “Sustainability of Agriculture and Rural Communities”  Sustainable Agriculture in Temperate Zones.  New York: John Wiley & Sons Publishing, 1990.

5.     Young, Anthony.  Land Resources, Now and for the Future.  New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

6.     anonymous,  “Introduction to Permaculture”  ATTRA, Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas.  http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/perma.html

7.     Gussow, Joan, Ph.D.  “Think Globally, Eat Locally”  Mother Earth News.  February/March 2002: 100-108.