Library permaculture (I)
Beyond sustainable agriculture and “green” labels
[This post is the first in a series where I intend to explore the application of permaculture principles — specifically, those of social permaculture — in libraries and related spaces, such as documentation centers, archives, or museums. Each polst, part of a broader work that will soon be published academically, aims to briefly cover both theoretical ideas and potential practical applications of social permaculture principles. It seeks to provide information on how solid elements of nature (biomimicry) can be incorporated into the design of library systems. The ultimate goal is to achieve sustained and sustainable changes within and from knowledge and memory management spaces].
A basic approach to the idea
Although the subject had already been slightly explored by several authors (King, Carver, Yeomans) at least since the beginning of the 20th century, the concept of “permaculture” was created in the 1970s by two Australians, Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, who were at the time exploring stable agricultural solutions for the island of Tasmania. Their response was to merge the ideas “permanent” and “agriculture” and present the result in a book published in 1978, entitled Permaculture One.
Permaculture seeks to identify concepts, patterns and processes found in the natural world, and integrate them into the design of human systems. This totally holistic approach seeks to harness, among other things, the efficiency, resilience, adaptability, simplicity, and life-sustaining capacity that characterize natural ecosystems. And, needless to say, it has represented a radical paradigm shift in the field of systems design and strategic planning.
Permaculture summarizes its values and concentrates its findings and learnings into a series of twelve basic principles: observe and interact, catch and store energy, obtain a yield, apply self-regulation and accept feedback, use and value renewable resources and services, produce no waste, design from patterns to details, integrate rather than segregate, use small and slow solutions, use and value diversity, use edges and value the marginal, and creatively use and respond to change.
These principles will be appearing throughout these texts, being combined applied in various ways.
Beyond agriculture
While permaculture was initially applied primarily to the design of agricultural systems — probably the closest thing to a natural system that humans can manage on a regular basis — its tenets can go (and have gone) much further.
By looking at the intricate relationships present in nature and using them to propose a holistic approach to systems design (one that emphasizes the strategic interconnectedness of the elements within any kind of system), permaculture aims to create harmonious, balanced and self-sustaining environments — which can be agricultural, of course, but can also be extended and extrapolated to other settings.
The ethos of permaculture can influence fields as diverse as architecture, community planning, resource management, food production and energy systems. The principles put forward by permaculture allow the development of resilient, low-impact and high-performance systems, and encourage, for example, the rational use of resources, waste reduction or the protection of biodiversity.
In the field of urban planning, for example, permaculture helps create cities in tune with natural patterns: green spaces, energy-efficient buildings, or mixed-use developments that reduce transportation needs. Economic systems also benefit from permaculture by prioritizing local, sustainable, and regenerative practices, encouraging ethical business and fair trade. Education systems, meanwhile, can adopt the principles of permaculture to create learning environments that foster creativity, critical thinking, and a deep connection with nature.
Following this logic, a sub-current known as “social permaculture” was born, which applies permaculture principles to strictly social and cultural environments and dynamics, supporting, for example, the establishment of stronger and more complex community relationships, and processes of integrated problem solving.
Designing social systems
The “social” variant of permaculture applies the twelve principles of this philosophy to socio-cultural systems and environments. And it does so through different strategies, and with different results.
· Two key elements among the principles of permaculture, observation and interaction, are perfectly intertwined in the social realm. From a systems approach, all decisions should be based on detailed prior observations, and the development of numerous interactions that allow links within a community to be established, maintained, and strengthened is encouraged.
· Within the social fabrics that make up communities are the threads of diversity and inclusion. Social permaculture focuses on the development of inclusive spaces, extending in all possible directions. At the same time, it respects and celebrates the rich tapestry of different cultures, perspectives, and identities, and recognizes their collective power.
· By promoting a culture centered on the principle of “integrating rather than segregating”, collaboration and cooperation are fundamental themes within the principles of social permaculture. Collaborative approaches are preferred, cultivating a culture of shared responsibility and collective growth within the community.
· The principle of using small solutions and using the margins leads to an appreciation of local solutions. Social permaculture emphasizes tailoring responses to the specific needs of each context, supporting solutions that are as diverse as the communities they serve.
· Cultural resilience, based on the principle of responding creatively to change, presents itself as a force that preserves and promotes diversity by honoring traditional knowledge while embracing innovations. Social permaculture strives to weave a tapestry that recognizes and integrates the strength and values found in cultural diversity.
· Regenerative practices, based on the principle of using renewable elements, involve initiatives that enhance both individual and community well-being. Such initiatives contribute to the regeneration of the social fabric, fostering both resilience and sustainability.
· Guided by the core tenets of permaculture — care for the Earth, care for people, and fair distribution of resources — , ethical decision-making goes beyond the twelve principles and becomes a guiding compass. Social permaculture encourages the decision-making that considers the deeper, long-term impacts and promotes sustainable coexistence within a broad social framework.
By integrating these principles into human systems, social permaculture seeks to generate and maintain communities that are not only environmentally sustainable, but also socially just and resilient. In a way, this branch of permaculture promotes a holistic and interconnected approach to designing socio-cultural systems that are balanced, sustainable and in harmony with their environment.
Such systems include, by the way, those of knowledge and memory management: libraries, archives, and museums.
