What is Permaculture?
I first heard the term “permaculture” when I discovered Christoper Shen’s book on the topic, which begins with the question, “What vegetable gardener wouldn’t like to grow more food in less time for less money?” He encourages the home gardener to work with nature rather than against it to create a garden that thrives with minimal intervention. A few weeks ago, I noticed a sign in front of Gift of Grace church, located at 2102 N 40th Street, announcing Dr. Anna Cepek as their new Minister of Permaculture. I was intrigued!
I was able to meet with Anna and tour the ecosystem to learn more about the concept and the goals of the Gift of Grace community. Permaculture is coined from the words “permanent” and “culture,” which opposes the Western notion of agriculture. It is a process of designing sustainable life systems based on observation of nature. This work was started at Gift of Grace seven years ago by Pastor Jami Fecher, and Anna’s new role is moving the system forward.
Sustainable means that the system produces the same or more energy than it takes in. America has many unsustainable systems in place because resources are unused or misused. Permaculture views everything as a resource and maintains that wasted resources occur solely because of poor system design. Three ethics that drive permaculture are:
- Care of the Earth
- Care of People
- Fair Share (return of surplus to Earth and People)
These ideas can apply not only to the physical world, but to community life.
A Sustainable System
My tour of the Gift of Grace site was incredibly interesting. We explored the chicken coop (including a black soldier fly larvae bin, which “the girls” find delectable), the beehives, the greenhouse, and the food forest. There is an on-site composting system, which utilizes wood, leaves, and plants from the site, as well as food scraps and coffee grounds from Irwin’s Bakery, right across the street. The food grown is shared with the community through weekly meals and food preservation methods.
Permablitz! A Community Event
To teach our neighborhood about these concepts, Grace of God is now hosting Permablitz on the second Sunday of every month at 1 pm, rain or shine. A “permablitz” is a community-driven gathering where people come together to work in a permaculture space. The event begins with a basic introduction to permaculture, followed by a demonstration of how it applies to something on the property. It moves on to more practical tasks, like harvesting, processing the harvest, or general garden work, or a bigger project, like building a raised bed. Essentially, whatever needs to be done and is within the means of those attending is the agenda for the day. It’s a time for people to move their bodies, accomplish a task, and socialize.
Other Ways to Learn
If a formal meet-up doesn’t work for your schedule, Anna is open to sharing her expertise with the Wallingford community and is enthusiastic about permaculture, urban farming, and homesteading. All are welcome to come by anytime, even without an appointment or plan, so stop by on your next walk and give her a shout! Many neighbors have done so and have been inspired to start their own growing spaces. Everyone is welcome to come and feed the chickens their kitchen scraps too! Chickens are scavenging omnivores, so they love leftovers, greens, veggie peels, and fruit scraps.
The next Permablitz is scheduled for Sunday, September 13th, so take a walk and meet Anna and other neighbors who are interested in permaculture—you won’t be disappointed. Learn more about urban farming and get yourself Good to Grow!
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