Humboldt Water Resources' integrated water and land use philosophy incorporates the principles of permaculture.  Permaculture is a design system for creating sustainable human environments that harmoniously integrate landscape and people.  Permaculture includes sustainable agriculture principles, water quality management, energy efficiency, and a respect for the local landforms, native animals, people and culture.

 

The home, as part of the greater landscape, is integral to permaculture systems.  Placement of the home is essential to maximize energy system inputs, such as wind, water and sun; and minimize energy costs such as heating, water supply, food production, and waste removal. The home is also the source of comfort, inspiration and serves as roots of the culture.  The home should capture sunlight; manage its waste streams efficiently; manage nutrient cycles productively and produce food if possible; enable people to cook food efficiently; retain heat in the winter and cool itself naturally, all through design.

Permaculture and the farm

Permaculture assists in the design of a farm by analyzing energy inputs on the farm and optimizing the efficiency of production through design.  Design ideas for the farm include pond management for optimized nutrient recycling; fish and wildlife production; promotion of bio-diversity in food production systems, maximization of beneficial water resource reuse, appropriate energy design, and intensive planting strategies that utilize plant interactions and ecological niches to increase agricultural production.   In HWR's projects, all of these design considerations are evaluated and analyzed to develop a system based on minimum energy input and optimum harvest with the integrity of the landscape always held in the highest regard.

 

Permaculture design principles applied to city or development planning

Permaculture is the design of living and working spaces, optimizing human effort and environmental conditions to create and encourage productivity to reach its highest potential.  Permaculture design for a city can include:  

• Managing local wastes as a nutrient resource, while maintaining public health as the highest priority;

• Implementing wastewater and stormwater systems, which work with the natural systems and geography in order to maximize reuse potential and minimize negative impacts.

• Optimizing in the use of local energy sources such as solar energy, small hydro-power generators, and wind energy.

• Maximizing use of solar resource in house design ordinances.

• Encouraging small farms to locate within the city to produce fresh food for the inhabitants, utilize the local nutrient resources, and provide beautiful open green space.

• Encouraging and teaching citizens how to design their yard as an edible landscape.

• Nurturing local farmers markets, cultural celebrations, education, music, etc.

• Minimizing the need for transportation through design. This includes planning for mixed non-industrial businesses, shops and residential areas, so people can walk to work and/or shopping; designing suburban areas so that people can walk to schools, parks and food stores; and providing public transportation.

HWR can assist you in applying these permaculture principles and techniques to maximize comfort, productivity and environmental integrity while minimizing project cost for developments on any scale.

 

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