Ethics overview

When designing whole systems, as a foundation permaculture uses the ethics, earth care, people care, and fair share. These ethics are used in most traditional societies to regulate self-interest. With the help of storytelling, I will explore these ethics in relationship to this design. I will expand upon some of the original meanings for the ethics that Bill Mollison wrote in his book: “Permaculture a Designers Manual”. The book was first published in 1988.

 

Earth Care

It was July 2008, after a cold start the day was getting warmer. I was one of the first people on the mountain that morning in the Sacred Valley. Soon the sacredness would be gone. Late morning the Inca citadel was full of tourists rushing around the site in a clockwise motion looking through cameras at Machu Picchu. By now all I wanted to do was get as far away from this place as possible.

My train was not leaving Aguas Calientes until late afternoon so I decided I would try and find somewhere in this Lost City of the Incas away from the flow of tourists. After much walking, I ended up sat next to a few maize plants on a small terrace amongst some buildings. The few people also sat here enjoying the peacefulness soon continued their journeys and I was to be alone for a good hour, sat with my thoughts.

The past few weeks had been busy. Now, as I stopped and listened the voice was very clear. It told me: I have everything I need back home in Richmond, and that I do not need to be here or anywhere else looking for what I seek.

As the years have gone on these words have stayed with me and have helped me to appreciate more and more the town I was born in, grew up in, and still live in.

When Bill Mollison writes about ethics in his book, Permaculture a Designers Manual he asks the same question in two ways relating to caring for the earth. “What can I get from this land or person?” Or “What does this person or land, have to give if I cooperate with them.” Bill goes onto to say: “Of these two approaches, the former leads to war and waste, the latter to peace and plenty.

I never tire of walking the same paths through the surrounding countryside around Richmond. As the years go on the land speaks to me more and more. It tells me the best places to forage and at what time of year, it shows me many changing views, along with sunrises, and sunsets that often leave me speechless. Other times it will bring me together with people that tell stories about how the land has been used in the distant past. All the time the land is teaching me, all I need to do is listen.

In 2011, once again in a distand land I found myself been spoken to by the same voice that spoke to me in Peru, this time I was in Southern India. The message was the same, there is nothing here that I do not already have back at home. 

My mother was born in Richmond, her father was the local barber so have been brought up with stories of the town. It is nice when I happen to meet people and mention who I am and for them to relate a story about going to my granddad's shop for a haircut. I never had the pleasure to meet my granddad, so it is through the stories told by these people that I have got to know him.  

Going back to Bill’s question concerning the permaculture ethics, “what does this person or land, have to give if I cooperate with them”. Richmond, this is my home and the place that I want to live. To buy a house here makes perfect sense, the relationship I have with this land goes deeper than I am yet to understand.

 

People Care

“Here, we observe a general rule of nature: that cooperative species and associations of self -supporting species (like Mycorrhiza on tree roots) make healthy communities. Such lessons lead us to a sensible resolve to cooperate and take support roles in society, to foster an interdependence which values the individual’s contributions rather than forms of opposition or competition.” Here Bill Mollison (Permaculture a Designers Manual) is talking about relationships with others.

It is a nice feeling to live in a town where I know people, some I have grown up with others may have only lived in the town for a few years. Richmond is still one of those towns where people talk to each other. The town has a community feel to it, overall people show respect for each other. We have various community projects going on. Life in the town is laid back.

The permaculture ethic of people care, for me, it is just an extension of earth care. We are the people of the land where we live. To reflect again what Bill said, “What does this person or land, have to give if I cooperate with them.” To care for the land is to care for the people living on that land, finding the solutions that are beneficial to all involves cooperation and to be able to listen.

Bill goes on to say, “Although initially, we can see how helping our family and friends assist us in our own survival, we may evolve the mature ethic that sees all humankind as family, and all life as allied associations. Thus, we expand people care to species care, for all life has common origin. We are, our Family.”

 

Fair Share

Today the Fair Share ethic may have a different wording from what Bill originally wrote in the designer’s manual, but his message still holds its meaning. “This ethic is a very simple statement of guidance and severs well to illuminate everyday endeavours. It can be coupled to a determination to make our own way: to be neither employers, landlords nor tenants, but to be self-reliant as individuals and to cooperate as groups.”

The permaculture ethics serve as a reminder of how societies need to act and for humanity to still be part of the nature of this planet. More and more we are experiencing global organisations pushing their agendas. These are often disguised as think tanks, charities, and other not for profit organizations funded at the top by the same few people. When societies are operated on a global level, the needs of people on the local level become irrelevant.

Living in communities like here in Richmond there is still the opportunity to join with other people and create different systems than those forced upon us from the faceless global organisations with agendas that benefit only themselves. There is no Earth Care, People Care, or Fair share with these. Through learning and understanding the ethics of permaculture people can contribute in positive ways both to people’s lives and our local environments.Richmond is as good a place as any for me to buy a house and to live in a caring community and for me to see how I can contribute to those around me whilst at the same time enjoying a fulfilling life following the ethics of Earth Care, People Care, and Fair share.

 

 

Mind map

Using the permaculture ethics as the focal points, the below mind map gives a quick visual helping to paint a picture of how the town is currently looking when considering these ethics.