Thursday, August 23, 2012

Permaculture in Palestine - A green revolution

It was a brisk, rather harried morning when my husband, photographer Christopher List, and I set off on a trip to delve deeper into the relatively unheard of phenomenon of permaculture.

It felt like only yesterday when we’d announced to friends and family that were were going to Palestine, to study a 14-day intensive permaculture course. After discovering some of the principles of permaculture on a recent trip to SA, I knew we were in for a gruelling, yet worthwhile experience.

Relatively new to the Middle East, with permaculture projects in Saudi Arabia and in the Jordan River Valley, permaculture simply means working nature to produce a sustainable garden design, and can be used by farmers and gardeners alike.

In fact, permaculture principles can be applied to community gardens, rooftop gardens, small balconies or even just to help your pot plants flourish. Not only applicable to growing things, permaculture includes reusing and recycling as well as renewable energy. It even extends to sustainable housing. In a nutshell, permaculture entails a holistic, sustainable way of life. More