Ars Terra is based on the principles of Permaculture.

"The word "Permaculture" was coined in 1978 by Bill Mollison, an Australian ecologist, and one of his students, David Holmgren. It is a contraction of "permanent agriculture" or "permanent culture."

Permaculture is about designing ecological human habitats and food production systems. It is a land use and community building movement which strives for the harmonious integration of human dwellings, microclimate, annual and perennial plants, animals, soils, and water into stable, productive communities. The focus is not on these elements themselves, but rather on the relationships created among them by the way we place them in the landscape. This synergy is further enhanced by mimicking patterns found in Nature.

A central theme in Permaculture is the design of ecological landscapes that produce food. Emphasis is placed on multi-use plants, cultural practices such as sheet mulching and trellising, and the integration of animals to recycle nutrients and graze weeds. Permaculture is about Redundancy, you must have multiple functions for each element in your design, and all functions are supported by multiple elements. A tree provides summer shade, fruit for food, and habitat for birds. It also builds the soil by fixing nitrogen, thus enabling plants around it to grow.

However, Permaculture entails much more than just food production. Energy-efficient buildings, waste water treatment, recycling, and land stewardship in general are other important components of Permaculture. More recently, Permaculture has expanded its purview to include economic and social structures that support the evolution and development of more permanent communities, such as co-housing projects and eco-villages. As such, Permaculture design concepts are applicable to urban as well as rural settings, and are appropriate for single households as well as whole farms and villages."- from attra.org

Whether we approve of it or not, the world about us continually changes. Some would want to keep everything the same, but history, paleontology, and common sense tells us that all has changed, is changing, will change. In a world where we are losing forests, species, and whole ecosystems, there are three concurrent and parallel responses to the environment:

1. CARE FOR SURVIVING NATURAL ASSEMBLIES, to leave the wilderness to heal itself.

2. REHABILITATE DEGRADED OR ERODED LAND using complex pioneer species and long-term plant assemblies (trees, shrubs, ground covers).

3. CREATE OUR OWN COMPLEX LIVING ENVIRONMENT with as many species as we can save, or have need for, from wherever on earth they come.

Permaculture is Common Sense. it addresses all aspects of living a more balanced existence, everything from reclaiming damaged soils, (which is the ultimate starting place - from healthy soil comes healthy plants, and thus healthy people and animals) to water catchment systems in order to save and reuse our resources.

Every living thing is thought through: how animals work within an ecosystem, how plants clean water through their root systems, how gardens attract bees and beneficial insects, how we can enrich our soil through composting and mulching, how we can build a sturdy house cheaply with local materials rather than having things trucked in or imported - all of these questions are answered in this course.

A pond is beneficial for attracting birds and wildlife that will keep plant-eating insects down, adding diversity and micro-climate to any garden.

Permaculture addresses questions such as: How can we trap, save, and make use of rain water and gray water (water used in the shower and kitchen) for the garden rather than letting it go to waste? How can we recycle waste and trash in a more natural way that benefits rather than pollutes? What kinds of plants can be used in more than one function (i.e., also for shade, fencing, wind barrier, soil nutrient, and food)? Where and how can we plant different kinds of plants together that will feed off of each other and therefore conserve water and soil? How can we naturally attract certain wildlife to do weeding and pest control?

And in light of the recent natural catastrophes and the coming of Peak Oil, how can we be more self-reliant and place-based and less dependent on mega-corporate culture and globalization?

This is what Ars Terra is based on.

Examples Of Permaculture
Mini Cobhouse/The Farm in TN: Structures like this are hardy, made of natural materials.	Garden beds sheetmulched with compost, cardboard and straw.	Earthen Chicken Coop/The Farm in TN: We plan to construct our barns of natural materials.
Raised Garden Beds and diversity of flowers and vegetables.	Rainwater Cistern/The Farm in TN: These will capture rainwater for multiple uses.	Earthen Buildings/Cal-Earth: These are made of earthbags and are gorgeous!
Solar Shower: The use of the Sun for hot water during warm seasons.	Hand-made Gate: Constructed out of found materials.	Bamboo Grove: We plan to have a small bamboo grove for food, shade, windbreak and strong building materials.

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