Permaculture Principles - Observe & Interact
Hi, it is Tuesday and that means YOU get to learn about Permaculture from me :)
Now that we have gone through the three Ethics of Permaculture, I thought we move on to the 12 Principles of Permaculture. The website “www.permacultureprinciples.com” describes the principles as follows: The 12 Principles of Permaculture is to be looked at as thinking tools, when used together, allow us to creatively re-design our environment and our behaviour in a world of less energy and recourses.
This week I am going to talk about a the first one: Observe and interact.
When you think about it, from when we are born, we all learn by observing and interacting. We pickup behaviours from our parents, grandparents, and friends and our personality and behaviours are formed by it. If you look at the animal kingdom, they also need to be observing and interacting with their environment to be able to survive.
In Permaculture, we can use this principle in a lot of different ways. The obvious one that comes to mind is when you want to start up your garden. It is a very good idea to first carefully observe and interact with your space before deciding where the best location is for your garden, chickens, or compost bin. Ignoring this important principle can cause big problems in the long run, when you for example realise that your chosen spot doesn’t receive enough sun.
Another important aspect to have in mind (especially for larger rural properties) when thinking about this principle is that our design should emerge from what already exists. Every place has a history, where animals and plants have lived for a long long time. We must consider this when we make our observations and interactions so that we design with nature rather than against it.
Here’s a few examples of how you can apply this principle in your day to day life:
Food and drink - Take the time and observe how different kind of food and drink make you feel. Does a certain type of food give you low energy, does too much caffeine have an effect on you? Finding out small things like this, and making a change, can have a huge difference on our health!
Time - How are you spending your time during the day? Have a big think about your choices and what they actually do for you. That hour of scrolling to take the edge off at the end of the day, could that be spent doing something productive like reading a book (about permaculture of course!), or spending quality time with your partner?
Happiness - Pay close attention to what things make you happy, or unhappy. We can easily get caught up in our daily routines, not focusing on what actually makes us feel good, feel happy. To quote on of my favourite inspirational speakers Abraham Hicks, “If you choose to do things that makes you happy, more happiness will come”.
So, make sure you take an extra look on your behaviours this week, to see what improvements can be made towards a happier and healthier self.
Next week I will talk about the principle “Catch and Store Energy”
Hampus The Organic Gardener
