Discovering the Healing Potential of Permaculture

by Wenderlynn Bagnall
Permaculture Association member and Permaculture Ambassador

Spreading the word of permaculture as a Permaculture Ambassador is rewarding, as I know that it represents something that a lot of people don’t know about. Perhaps these people would benefit from having permaculture in their lives?

As an individual, telling others about permaculture is not only rewarding, but  also helps me to see that it has indeed been the key ingredient missing from my life. Coming from a background where just about every cultural and social issue existed, I realised if it had been part of my upbringing, I perhaps would have done things differently and achieved more. However it wasn’t and I realise now how important it has become in my everyday life. It has an influence on a range of aspects in my life, from the people I meet and the clothes I buy to how I deal with personal issues I encounter.

Julie's March blog post

by Julie Stobbart

Permaculture Diploma holder and member of the Permaculture Association

In my last blog post I talked about my gravel front garden and my plans for the space. I have spent a month arguing with myself about my plans for this garden. The only thing that is certain is that I want to grow salad leaves and greens. My original design for the space incorporated a bit of a Pagan colour scheme, with the east being used for white and pale colours, the south containing oranges and reds, the west blues and purples and the north greens and blacks. My main decision has been how much of the garden to put to cut flower production and how much to salads and greens. I have spent hours considering the pros and cons of annuals versus perennials, and trying to figure out whether to remove the gravel or use pots. I also need to consider the allotment that I hope to have in a year or two, and how these two spaces can work together.

Business member spotlight: Encounters

EncountersArts is a Permaculture Association business member and specialises in designing participatory arts projects amd interventions that inspire creativity, dialogue & exchange between people of all ages and cultures. Running for ten years, Encounters has been using the transformational power of the arts to work creatively with thousands of people in arts, environmental, community, education, reconciliation, rehabilitation, and regeneration contexts.

Permaculture and Tagore

by Chris Marsh
Permaculture Ambassador and Permaculture Association member

Permaculture is growing. Education and research are expanding. Interesting demo sites are becoming available to visitors. Permaculture ‘dots on the map’ are multiplying.¹ All this is good news. What was a lifestyle choice for a few, based on a set of ethics, principles and techniques, is starting to look like a movement. Some people may be drawn to permaculture as a political movement.² Others would prefer an anti-political understanding of permaculture,³ which still offers the prospect of widespread world change. The Bengali poet and polymath, Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) offers such a model.