Some examples of permaculture in practice in Britain

Helen and her family, Devon

Helen's family of four live in a new built housing association house, with a small garden. They completed a permaculture design on the house before they moved in, and the garden contains a pond, and terraces for growing vegetables and herbs.

The two children of the family go to school part time, and learn at home the rest of the time, with both adults working part time and sharing child-care. The family does not have a car, buys local food and avoids shopping in supermarkets.

There is an ongoing project to turn the space in front of their block of houses into a shared communal space, with regular social gatherings taking place. They also have a wormery, composting scheme, and window boxes.

Alan, Aberdeen

Alan lives in a flat on an Aberdeen council estate. He has no garden, but has an allotment, where he grows his own food, and regularly provides produce for the local fair trade café. On the allotment, Alan grows a variety of fruit and vegetables, and incorporates permaculture design features such as planting shade tolerant plants under fruit trees, and having a pond. He composts food waste collected from his street and the local community centre.

Alan also does voluntary work for a local community garden project, which works in a deprived area growing food, and providing horticultural therapy for people with disabilities and mental health problems.

Plot 21, Community Allotment Project, London

Plot 21 aims to be a beacon for sustainable land use and community participation. The site includes a pond full of frogs for slug control, a living edible hedge, and a seed library, which people from neighbouring allotments regularly borrow from. Links are being developed with other local groups and businesses, and the local organic shop donates 'waste' vegetables, which are sorted and made into boxes for the less well off to take home, and the remainder are used as compost. The group are now starting to hold workshops at the site, including seed saving and compost making.

Terry, Yard into Edible Garden, North Yorkshire

Terry bought a dilapidated house with a relatively small walled garden at the back, filled with building rubble and dirt. She wanted a garden both beautiful and edible, and so spent a few months watching where the sun shone in the garden (much of it is shaded by the walls), and which direction the wind blew from. While doing this, she built a shed on an area of concrete that used to house a diesel tank, used the rubble to create raised beds, dug a pond, and mixed the dirt with compost to make decent soil. Then she began to plant all sorts of plants, from salads and herbs to fruit trees grown up the walls and lavender under the holly bush. A couple of years on and the garden is a beautiful haven, providing much food as well as peace and quiet.

The Bangor Forest Garden project

This was started on the University of Wales' research farm in Bangor as a demonstration project for a temperate forest garden

The forest garden uses the principles found in a natural forest of all the elements working together to produce a sustainable food system based around trees and other perennial plants. This site was started as a demonstration project for a temperate forest garden and to provide a site to research bee genetics, companion planting, nutrient cycling, and pests and diseases etc, as well as to raise awareness of the links between people, health and the environment, and as educational resource and voluntary opportunity for local people and students of the university.

The Permaculture Association (Britain)
The Association first started out in 1983, and has had a very interesting development, complete with many highs and lows. A team of committed volunteers, a handful of paid staff, 7 talented trustees, 30 or so teachers and many members work together to make sure that there is a support system for people that are new to permaculture, and people that are out there on 'the cutting edge' and need support 'in the field'. Support comes from the 'head office' in Leeds, from teachers that provide courses locally, and a network of local projects and initiatives.

The great thing about the Association is we're all ears - if you have an idea, or some time to help move things forward - then get in touch. There is no big boss giving orders but an open attitude and willingness to engage with new people to move things forward, and make the world better for us, our children, and every other species (including slugs!). Of course we also welcome financial support so that we can continue to pay staff a living wage and make sure that our working conditions don't conflict with the 'people care' ethic at the heart of permaculture. To support the work we do, you can make a donation or become a member.