What is permaculture?

Permaculture is a design science that creates agriculturally productive ecosystems that provide people with food, shelter, and energy in a sustainable way. In a nutshell, it is working with nature instead of against it.  It is guided by three ethics:  care of earth, care of people, and return of surplus.  Bill Mollison coined the word permaculture (permanent agriculture), and he and his student David Holmgren developed the concept, however, no one "owns" permaculture.  The permaculture movement has no central structure, but many individuals within it working together to create a better world.  

My love for permaculture is multi-faceted.  I have always loved nature, and the idea of observing nature and mimicking it appeals to me.  No one tills and fertilizes the forest, yet it exists in perfect beauty.  

Permaculture is about function-stacking.  As a busy mom with a full-time job, stacking functions is a must!  

With permaculture, the problem is the solution.  As Bill Mollison once famously said, "You don't have a snail problem, you have a duck deficiency!"  Who doesn't love that?   

from Bill Mollison's Permaculture - A Designers Manual