Permaculture comes from the combination of two words: Permanent – that endures or persists through time, and Culture – an activity that supports human existence. Bill Mollison and David Holmgren first coined the term in 1978, in opposition to industrialized methods and in congruence with Indigenous or traditional knowledge. They defined “permaculture” as: “The conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive systems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is the harmonious integration of the landscape with people providing their food, energy, shelter and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way.”

Permaculture has three core tenants:

• Care for the earth. In other words, help all life systems continue to exist and multiply. Because if we don’t have a healthy planet, humans can’t exist at all.
• Care for the people. Allow people to access resources they need to survive.
• Fair share. You should only take what you need, and reinvest any surplus.

This approach guides us to mimic the patterns and relationships we find in nature and can be applied to all aspects of human habitation, from agriculture to ecological building, from appropriate technology to education and even economics.

Living in a remote location as we do, the benefits of permaculture become even more meaningful:

• Reduces waste by reintegrating any waste into the ecological system as an input
• Costs less (no need for as many inputs)
• Reduces water usage
• Nature does most of the work
• Less pollution
• Less toxins
• More self sufficiency
• Applicable to existing systems

I was inspired to write this article by some of the common permaculture practices I’ve observed all over Haida Gwaii. For example, many locals practice vermicomposting, which is the use of certain kinds of worms to facilitate composting kitchen and yard waste. We even have our own local vermicomposting experts at the Dirt Nerd Soil Company (dirtnerd. net).

You might have noticed some of Netonia Yalte’s beautiful stackwall additions to many of our communities, like the stackwall tower at Jungle Beach. This and other types of sustainable building are key parts of permaculture.

Domesticated animals also play an important role in permaculture practices, such as the many backyard chickens on Haida Gwaii. Animal excrement is excellent fertilizer for gardens, and some animals can be used strategically for pest reduction, such as ducks for slug control or chickens for general bug reduction.

Sheet mulching or lasagna gardening is a method of building soil in your garden by adding layers of organic materials that will “cook down” (decompose) over time, resulting in nutrient-rich soil that will help your plants thrive. This is beneficial for the environment because you’re turning yard waste, kitchen scraps, and anything else you’d add to a normal compost pile into organic fertilizer to grow new plants. Many folks on Haida Gwaii can be seen collecting seaweed (usually eel grass) that has washed up on the beach. Some use it in their lasagna gardening while others use it as mulch for their plants. Mulching with seaweed helps to suppress weeds and lock moisture into the soil. Seaweed also contains nutrients which, when fully decomposed, will act as slow-release plant food.

How we use water is an important aspect of permaculture. David Unsworth, a lifelong resident of Gamadiis Port Clements, has been using rainwater for most of his domestic needs for many years. “I used to be connected to a spring, but the pipe broke and the spring is far from the house,” says Dave. “I can’t connect to the town water for that same reason. Collecting rainwater off the shop roof, combined with the use of a pressure pump, has allowed me to have access to water.” Dave has just recently purchased 1,000 gallon tanks in order to store the water draining off of his buildings, and is planning on connecting more of his buildings’ roofs to this system. While Dave’s system is not without its drawbacks (for example, dry periods in the summer have previously resulted in a lack of sufficient water), the latest additions will allow him to have access to an adequate amount of water year-round. Many of the rental cabins and summer homes on North beach, which are too far from Masset to connect with town water and have no access to springs or wells, have similar rainwater collection systems.

Fruit tree forests are often part of permaculture systems. A local example of this is in HlGaagilda Skidegate, where three years ago the Skidegate Band Council had 75 fruit trees planted all over the village. As Missy McDonald describes, “The main objective was to allow all members to have access to fruit for preserving or eating without having to pay the current expensive prices. There was a hope that our youth can learn to preserve for elders and meal programs. That would get youth encouraged to grow and plant their own food.” By increasing accessibility, the presence of “community trees” like these speaks to the Caring for people permaculture tenant.

If you are interested in learning more about permaculture, check out this list of books: grocycle.com/best-permaculture-books