I was raised with significant exposure to the studies of philosophy and Buddhism. Both were foundational to my interests in community, social/cultural change work, environmental and justice issues, and permaculture practice.
I appreciate the simplicity of permaculture ethics. These ethics have proven accessible and a “good enough” place to start from for collaborative work with a wide range of people, teams and groups. Permaculture isn’t a perfect philosophy, but the ethics seem to resonate well enough with what many of us feel needs to be done in the world now. In essence the ethics are:
Earth Care – We recognize that the Earth is the source of all life, that the Earth is our valuable home, that we are part of the Earth, not apart from it. We design to contribute to the acceleration of Earth care culture, knowledge and practice.
People Care – We support and help each other to live in ways that regenerate ourselves, others and healthy communities. People care has elements of self care, compassion, respect, creativity and much more. We need other people and other life to be doing well, so that we can thrive together.
Redistribute Surplus (& Fair Share) – We place limits on consumption and work, so that the Earth’s limited resources are used in ways that are equitable and wise. We share, and advocate for sharing fairly. We design for sharing.
These ethics drive us, but we live them, as best we are able, through practices based on Permaculture Principles.
Further to these ethics and principles, we practice meeting people where they are at while honouring where we are at, and we seek to find right relationship. If you’re curious about more technical definitions and practical questions related to these ethics and principles, see What is Permaculture?