If you think about permaculture and sustainability, you may well picture a rural idyll, with a large garden or area of land where an abundance of food is grown. This is, indeed, one type of sustainable, permaculture home.
But such homes come in many shapes, forms and sizes – they can be found all over the world. From the smallest city apartment, to the most sprawling farm – even if you live nomadically – your home can still be one which takes care of people and planet.
You can create a home that adheres to permaculture ethics, and meets the needs of today without compromising ability of future generations to meet their own needs, no matter where and how you live. Just as in a permaculture garden, there are no ‘one size fits all’ solutions for a permaculture home.
A home, of course, is far more than just four walls and a roof. In order to begin the journey towards creating a home that will truly work for you and yours, now and into the future, it is important, first of all, to think deeply about what home really means for you.
Without a concept in your mind about what home means for you, you cannot hope to build slowly towards that picture. So while I could write for days about the strategies and principles to employ in a sustainable, permaculture home, today, I just want to leave you with the idea that you don’t have to follow someone else’s idea of ‘ideal’.
It is also important to remember that a home shapes a person, just as a person shapes their home. So home is a very important thing to consider as you progress on your own sustainable journey. So as you try to do the right thing, and live in an eco-conscious way, think about ‘home’ and make it a guiding light for your journey – wherever it may take you.
Permaculture can guide you in your home, as well as in a garden. If you would like some help to move towards creating a sustainable, permaculture home, which is shaped by and helps enable and shape your sustainable lifestyle, please do get in touch.
EWSP Consultancy 