THE word permaculture originally described ‘permanent agriculture’, when applied to growing food sustainably, which includes trying to avoid lots of external inputs such as imported fertiliser or water, and sustaining and not degrading the environment to keep it healthy. However, now it’s also about building human settlements with a holistic approach, and applying the same sustainable approach to all aspects of human life.

If we look at how our houses and gardens are designed, we can all improve how they function, without moving house.

You don’t have to live on a smallholding to practice permaculture, in fact, living in a town will mean you are more likely to be able to walk or cycle to the places you need to.

The idea is to reduce external input, which includes energy use, not just of fossil fuels, but our own human effort too. If our living environment is designed with care, we can combine functionality with ease, and care for the environment.

So let’s look at a tiny example of permaculture that is very topical after this year’s drought - rainwater harvesting. A house roof can harvest much more water than a shed, so if there is space near a downpipe, you can set up a waterbutt, so when it’s full the excess goes into the drain. If you are really keen you could go even further by creating a rain garden, so no water goes in the drain http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/gardening/2011/04/gardening-for-rain.shtml

However for most of us, our main concern with a waterbutt would be use of space and attractiveness. If we apply permaculture design here, we might build it a surround, and create a green roof – soil six inches deep is sufficient to grow lettuce. So your lettuce growing here would be saving you work, as it is right by the water to water it, and also near your door for easy picking. We might even grow peas up the sides of the surround, by adding something for the plants to climb up.

There are so many ways we can apply permaculture to our lives – if you are interested in reading more, The Earth Care Manual by Patrick Whitefield is highly recommended.