Permaculture Paradise by Leandra Goldman, Huntington Our mother earth is being deluged with toxic chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides at an alarming rate. Teflon is now showing up in umbilical cords! What’s a human to do? Well, you can create your own Permaculture Paradise! Permaculture is a term coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in Australia in the 1970’s. It is a combination of the words “Permanent” and “Agriculture” or “Culture.” The focus is on harmonious, efficient, synergistic and sustainable relationships between human residences, the climate and microclimate you live in, including landscape, animals, soil, water and plants. A high diversity of bioregional plant species is encouraged. For example, what if you were growing only corn and then the corn borers came along and wiped out your crop? By growing only one species, your garden is an easy target for pests. When they do come, your entire crop is wiped out. If you had been growing with diversity in mind, you would have many other crops to sustain you. Permaculture concepts are logical practices that cultures all over the world have been utilizing successfully for eons, frequently mimicking nature and designed specifically for each site. These precepts work in all climates and terrains; deserts and rainforests, mountains and valleys. They even work in repairing badly damaged land. For example, permaculture principles can be applied to demolished building sites strewn with rubble, arid deserts or boggy land. Beautiful trees, berries, bushes, herbs and vegetables can be grown with an emphasis on conserving water and building soil without the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers. Create Your Permaculture Paradise • Plant herbs and flowers such as sweet alyssum, calendula, fennel, yarrow, cilantro and feverfew, to attract beneficial insects like ladybugs, dragonflies, praying mantis and carabid beetles. • Stop using chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. The dandelion is not our enemy! Dandelion leaves can be added to your salad--they are a great liver tonic. • To replenish the soil, stop raking your leaves; mow them into your lawn instead of bagging them and sending them to the landfill. Leaves contain nutrients which break down into humus that builds soil. • To rebuild the soil and conserve water, grow nitrogen-fixing plants like clover or peas, or put down a layer of mulch and/or woodchips. Believe it or not, shredded cardboard and paper hold in water and build soil while providing an excellent medium for your tomato plants. • Plant native species that require little water like Russian Sage, Creeping Zinnia or ornamental grasses. • Install a drip irrigation system that discourages evaporation. Up to 50% of water can be lost with a conventional sprinkler system on a hot summer day. If you want to go a little further, catch rainwater from your roof to water your garden. (Cover the container so you don’t give mosquitoes a place to breed.) • “Forest gardens” can be done on a small or large scale, requiring very little maintenance, providing you with fruit, nuts, berries, flowers and herbs. Jane Barbato, Water Conservation Specialist of the Syosset Water District has these suggestions regarding your lawn and automatic sprinkler systems; ”When cutting the grass, leave the grass 3/4”-1" long and cut off only small segments which can be left on the grass as a natural fertilizer. Automatic sprinkler Systems are best used at night when the evapo-transpiration rate is the lowest. Rain sensors shut the system off after 1/8”- 3/4" of rainfall, depending on the setting.” To learn more, visit The Permaculture Research Institute in Australia, http://www.permaculture.org.au/, or contact a local organization like Green Phoenix Permaculture, headquartered in Brooklyn, NY. Call 718-859-5057 for more information. Monthly permaculture meetings will be starting soon in Huntington. Please write to BioEnergetics@care2.com. Also sign up with the soon to be activated Yahoo Group: TriStatePermaculture-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. I hope you are inspired to step into your role as an Earth Guardian, and start applying these suggestions to create your own Permaculture Paradise. A consultant and teacher, Leandra is a graduate of the internationally recognized PDC (Permaculture Design Course). She is a practicing herbalist and teaches NVC (Non-Violent Communication, aka Compassionate Communication developed by Marshall Rosenberg. http://cnvc.org/ ) Contact her at: 516-455-5000 or BioEnergetics@care2.com.