Why I can’t say “indigenous people invented permaculture.”

Who invented “permaculture?” The conventional answer is probably the most accurate and helpful one. Bill Mollison and David Holmgren “invented” or better yet “created” permaculture, coined the word, and then evolved it into a complete design system with an ever-growing community of teachers and practitioners. Continue reading Why I can’t say “indigenous people invented permaculture.”

Permaculture Jardin de Curé

(Originally published, May 2015, updated January 2021) The French “Jardin de Curé” might just be the original “Permaculture garden” of temperate Europe: diverse, beautiful, abundant, easy, and custom designed for the circumstances at hand. I believe we have a lot to learn from these old, evolved gardening systems of traditional cultures, so our front yard at Lillie House was deeply inspired by this style of garden. Let me take you on a tour of our “Permaculture Jardin de Cure´” while I share some garden pictures from this morning. The “Curate” or “Cure´” was the head parishioner in the French Presbyterian … Continue reading Permaculture Jardin de Curé