You are here: Home / Business / Permaculture Design: Sustainable Living Systems

Permaculture Design: Sustainable Living Systems

November 16, 2011 by

[HTML1] Warren Brush is the Founder of Quail Springs Learning Oasis & Permaculture Farm, Sustainable Vocations, Wilderness Youth Project, Trees for Children and his Permaculture design company, True Nature Design.  Permaculture is a design science that works with natural cycles and creates stable, resilient and diverse systems to sustain human settlements.

Various methods like organic gardening, water access, the solar azimuth (arc of movement) and others are used in permaculture and applied in a unique pattern appropriate to each ecosystem.  By doing this, energy is conserved and the outcome more stable and resilient regardless of whether working in the middle of a city or in remote areas of the developing world.  There is less cost, less energy invested and greater efficiency overall.

Warren has found that permaculture design, whether taught here or in remote areas of the world, is taught basically the same.  However, the understanding and ability to assimilate the concepts into daily living is more rapid in areas that are closer to their culture and natural history.  In our “developed” world, we are more driven by consumerism, our energy reliant on “fossilized sunshine” or oil.  As a result, “remembering” and incorporating these principles into our daily life styles is more challenging.

Yet because of the toxicity of the substances that surround us on a daily basis, our health suffers.  Cancer is more prevalent than ever in history.  The question becomes, are we truly more “blessed” in our “civilized” lives, or do we suffer from the lack of the richness of culture and community that more remote areas of the world enjoy?  (A prior episode, Three Years in Uganda, shares more about the richness of other cultures and our own resulting transformation.)

It’s time for re-evaluation and a look at our ethics in living.  There are three primary ethics that Warren teaches in his permaculture curriculum:

  • Care of the Earth – Think 250 years ahead when making a decision to assure the future is not negatively impacted.
  • Care of the People – Create and maintain a connection with each other and with the earth.  Create a strong sense of community and re-build our culture through these connections.
  • Fair Share – Everyone, take only your fair share rather than competing for more than others may have.  Live simply, elegantly with the people around us.

Quail Springs has a program by the name of Sustainable Vocations focusing on youth to help them recognize and listen to their individual “calling” and life’s desire.  The program helps them make conscious decisions for their life’s plan through exposure to various green businesses, authors, permaculture design and more.

Watch the video below to hear Warren Brush’s talk at the International Permaculture Conference 10 in Amman, Jordan, September 2011.  Warren discusses peacemaking using examples from nature to teach lessons and to share his experiences with indigenous peoples and from conflict zones in Africa.

Visit the website links above to learn more about creating sustainable lives now and for the future well-being of our world and our children.  Take a moment to visit our Social Impact Marketing Facebook page to enter into discussion about this and other episodes.  Tell your friends and associates, and come back again next week.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With:
About Robin Eschler

Robin L. Eschler, the founder of Social Impact Marketing, started her career in developing foundational marketing strategies for companies of all sizes, from Fortune 500 to individual entrepreneurs and local businesses. She has developed and implemented international campaigns to launch high tech products and services and guided new business owners to successfully navigate the difficulties of growing a business.

Her life-long passion for helping others led her into nonprofit work for over a decade. Early on, she recognized the need for nonprofits to adapt to a rapidly changing world in which technology dominates and for-profit business practices are central to success. Her determination to help social causes in a sustainable way led to her creation of the Women's Radio show Socially Conscious Investing.

Impact investing in for-profits with a mission of social change such as the fight against extreme poverty is a blossoming business sector around the world. With the economic decline, it's clear that Wall Street requires change. Social impact investing addresses that need in a way that provides financial and social ROI.

As the Host of Socially Conscious Investing on WomensRadio, Robin's goal is to educate people about the growth of social impact investing and social venture. Interviews are conducted with socially conscious business experts including foundations and nonprofits, social venture investment firms, micro-loan organizations, investors, educators, authors and social entrepreneurs.

This show's mission is to help change the world through sustainable business practices that contribute to the economy, combat poverty, end hunger and provide better lives to all.

Twice, Robin has been recognized and received the highest honorary award that Rotary International gives, the Paul Harris Award, for service above self. Her community work has included developing local programs for disadvantaged populations such as foster children, troubled teens, and people with disabilities.

Visit our Facebook Page to "like" and join our community and discuss our episodes.