What if we could mimic nature to create sustainable communities that benefit everyone? In this article, I’m going to take you into a thought experiment where we explore this idea. What if, through social permaculture, we can take permaculture principles and use them to better our communities in this way? Let’s talk about how.
Why Social Permaculture?
Life evolved on Earth billions of years ago. Since life first emerged, nature has had billions of years and trillions of trials to get lots of systems right. Community has existed since life first emerged, which means nature has had plenty of practice to get it right. Long before humans evolved, there were communities of organisms living in balance with each other in all corners of the earth.
Humans are so young in the evolutionary landscape. Instead of struggling to find the best ways to live sustainably on this earth, why don’t we look to the systems that already exist? The community systems in nature are balanced and can be easily mimicked. So why not use them to create balanced human communities?
We see this already in Indigenous groups globally. Although Indigenous peoples make up only about 5% of the world’s population, they continue to protect about 80% of the world’s biodiversity, according to this study. This isn’t by accident. Indigenous peoples learn from the natural world and therefore are able to replicate that balance. If there are already millions of people living in balance in this way, then we can collectively–as a nation and a planet–look to both Indigenous peoples and nature for guidance. And because permaculture principles are based on these observations in nature, they’re a good place to start.
The Permaculture Principles
If you don’t already have an understanding of the permaculture principles, I recommend looking into them first. I have my own adaptation of the permaculture principles (that you can read here) that I have based this essay on. My take is different than the traditional twelve principles, so I recommend reading them first before getting into this article.
The Social Permaculture Principles
#1 Observe and Interact
It’s important to understand a community before making changes to it. When affecting change in a community, the goal is to make sustainable changes that benefit the most people. We can’t make sustainable changes anywhere if people see us as outsiders. And it’s almost impossible to make grassroots changes in a community you’re not a part of.
So whatever community you find yourself inside, observe it. What’s working well? What isn’t? Which collective needs are being met and how? What can be improved? Which groups of people are doing better than others? Remember to think intersectionally and interact with as many kinds of people as possible.
#2 Research
Do research into the community you’re hoping to influence. Specifically, research into the history of colonialism in that place. Learning about the Native peoples from which the land you’re on was taken and how the land was mutilated for profit is critical. Having this understanding allows you to understand the roots of whatever issue you’re trying to change. All social issues–sexism, racism, homophobia, climate change–are connected. They can all be traced back to the beginning of colonization in this country.
#3 Capture and Store Energy and Resources
Just like how trees store water, sugars, and nutrients in their roots over winter, we can practice frugality. All systems in nature are closed systems. That means everything that the organisms of the forest need is made right there in the forest. And when those resources are not available, they know how to capture and store them. Similarly, if we are aiming to create sustainable communities, then it’s important to learn how to do the same. Whether that’s via solar farms or community seed banks, there are ways to ensure that our resources come from internal systems.
#4 Focus on the Abundance
In permaculture, we know not to spend too much of our time on things that won’t produce a yield. In social permaculture, we do the same. When influencing social change, it’s silly to spend time on things that won’t produce results. Being strategic means focusing our energy on places that will create the most change. We’re looking for the biggest impact with the least amount of work.
#5 Evaluate Your Trails and Successes
Every community is going to have its ups and downs. There will be things that work, things that don’t, and things that turn into a catastrophe. When we approach these challenges with an open mind, we create opportunities for growth. By looking at what is working and addressing what is not, we can come up with many creative solutions to problems that arise. Solutions that allow us to continuously grow and change as a people.
#6 Use Renewable Resources
There’s no such thing as waste in nature. Every output from one system is an input for another. When trees lose their leaves, they feed the decomposers in the soil. The waste from the decomposers then feeds the trees the next spring. In balanced communities, we have the same mindset–one man’s waste is another man’s treasure! If we focus on using resources that have functional outputs, then not only do we prevent harmful waste from going into landfills and our oceans, but we also create more internal resources for the community to use.
#7 Utilize All of Each Element’s Roles
People are dynamic. More often than not, we have lots of areas of skill and expertise. Many of us are artists, musicians, caretakers, craftsmen, knowledge keepers, and healers all at the same time. When we tap into all of the gifts and experiences each person has, we suddenly have an abundance of resources for the community.
#8 Create Redundancy
All the best systems have lots of backups and internal reinforcements, ask any engineer. If I have a lawnmower and it breaks, my only option may be to buy a new one. And if I don’t have the money, my lawn is going unmowed for a long time. However, if I have knowledge of how to fix lawnmowers, plus a neighbor who is really handy and two others who would happily lend me theirs, my lawn isn’t going unmowed. If we thought about every aspect of our lives this way and had an abundance of people to rely on when things don’t go as planned, we become less vulnerable as a people. When we’re less vulnerable, we no longer have to rely on destructive systems like capitalism to survive.
#9 Design from Patterns to Details
In other words, focus on the big picture first before focusing on the details. There’s a lot of work to be done. When there’s a lot to be done, it can be really easy to get bogged down by the small things and lose sight of our collective goals and visions. When influencing social change, it’s important to look at the big picture and then figure out how to achieve that goal. That way we stay focused on the actions that create the most change.
#10 Create Relationships and Guilds
In the United States, there is a huge emphasis on individualism. Severing our relationships–to each other, the land, culture, and more–is how capitalism keeps us vulnerable and dependent. When we create strong communal bonds, we rely on each other, and we no longer need destructive systems like capitalism to keep us alive.
#11 Design for Community
Instead of imposing our ideas about what a community should have, let’s focus on what the community actually wants and needs. I really like the idea of living in walkable neighborhoods. However, the community I’m living in may just really want better parking options in town or a better public transportation system. It’s important to get input from lots of people in the community about what they want and need and design for those desires.
#12 Make Small, Slow, and Efficient Changes
Rome wasn’t built in a night. In social permaculture, we focus on sustainability and effectiveness. Trying to make too many changes at once is a good way to get burned out. Instead, show up consistently and advocate for the small and easy changes that will make the biggest impact. Large-scale change happens when lots of people show up consistently making small but meaningful changes.
#13 Collaborate with Succession
There are ways human communities naturally evolve. Of course, this varies depending on where in the world you are. However, there is a lot of research that outlines how change is made. By understanding this natural process, we can tap into it and manipulate it to our advantage to make change happen faster. Having a solid understanding of human psychology also helps. When we understand how people work, we understand what the best actions are to take to create change.
#14 Emphasize Diversity
In ecology, we recognize how important biodiversity is. Biodiversity ensures stable natural communities that are resistant to disease, environmental damage, and imbalance. The same is true for human communities. Yes, genetic diversity is important for the same reasons but so is cultural diversity. There’s a good evolutionary reason that every Indigenous culture around the work developed strong cultural practices. The more culturally diverse our communities are–the more perspectives on life and the more knowledge there is to share–the stronger our communities become. When we embrace diversity, our communities become resilient.
#15 Optimize Edge
In nature, edges are the most bio-productive places on earth. Estuaries, the place where the forest meets a field, the intertidal zone–edges breed life. How can we use this idea in our communities? Some edges I can think of are those between a school and a neighborhood, a business and the street, the town and the forest, and residential areas and downtown. These places are already places where people gather and life happens. Knowing this, we can further develop these edges to create fruitful community gathering areas.
#16 Practice Creativity and Embrace Change
Conflict is always an opportunity for growth! And conflict will never stop arising. Instead of fighting it, we can embrace the changes and practice responding to conflict with open-mindedness and creativity. When we do this, our communities are allowed to evolve into places where everyone’s needs are met.
Social Permaculture and Change Books
If you’d like to learn more about influencing social change, there are a ton of good books for you to read. In my Bookshop, I have a book list of my favorite trauma and cultural healing books. The list is mainly personal trauma healing books, but there are lots of books on making sustainable social change, too.
Summary: Social Permaculture Principles
The principles of permaculture can easily be applied to our human communities. The systems nature has created to create strong communities in the natural world can be replicated in our own–we are a part of nature after all! When we follow nature’s lead, we become more equitable, sustainable, and resilient as a people.
Of course, there’s a lot missing here. Influencing social change is different in a lot of ways than permaculture design. But I think it’s fascinating how the principles of nature can so easily be applied to people. In nature, the most well-functioning systems and designs repeat themselves. So why not tap into the tried-and-tested designs nature has created for fostering strong natural communities when wishing to do the same in ours?
Thanks for engaging in this thought experiment. I would love to know what ideas this sparked for you. If you’d like to share your thoughts, please comment below, I would really love to hear them.
Thanks again for stopping by!
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