Permaculture: Holistic Medicine For The Earth

Episode 207
Hey, Lean, Green, Save the Earth Machines:

In Episode 207 we visited with Dr. Christopher Daugherty, visionary farmer and doctor of Naturopathic medicine. Christopher is also concerned about what being exposed to environmental toxins is doing to our health. And like many people in the Permaculture community he is doing something about it. As the founder of Essential Living Foods and Beon Living he is taking positive action and bringing solutions to bear on these problems.

To learn more check out the websites at www.essentiallivingfoods.com and www.beonliving.com

The time for protest and complaining is past, we need to act, people. Like Chinese Medicine, Permaculture provides us with a system for creating positive changes in the health of our environment, our planet and ourselves. (Don't panic, dear capitalists, this system works just as well in for-profit contexts.) Here's a little of the back story on Permaculture.

Holistic Medicine For the Planet

The word permaculture, coined by Australians Bill Mollison
and David Holmgren during the 1970s, it is alternately said to have come from the words permanent agriculture as well as permanent culture. Permaculture is a forward thinking system of sustainable land use and planning that actually, dare I say it, takes into consideration the consequences our actions will have on the future of the planet.

Bill Mollison developed the system of permaculture as a response to what he saw as the destruction of the world around him. Obviously, this continues to this day. Rather than fight with conventional protest or violence, his system is overwhelmingly positive and solution oriented.

I like to think of it as holistic medicine for the earth. It is a broad-based and holistic approach that has many applications to all aspects of life. At the heart of permaculture design and practice is a fundamental set of ‘core values’ or ethics which remain constant whatever a person's situation, whether they are creating systems for town planning or trade; whether the land they care for is only a windowbox or an entire forest.

A Simple Code of Ethics

These 'ethics' are often summarized as;

* Earthcare – recognizing that the Earth is the source of all life and that we recognize and respect that the Earth is our valuable home and we are a part of the Earth, not apart from it.

* Peoplecare – supporting and helping each other to change to ways of living that are not harming ourselves or the planet, and to develop healthy societies.

* Fairshare - (or placing limits on consumption) - ensuring that the Earth's limited resources are utilized in ways that are equitable and wise.

Agriculture: Once the Seed of Civilization, Now It's Downfall

Its ironic, agriculture was really what led to civilization as we know it and today, agriculture is what, many believe, may be the most serious threat to civilization and the planet. Don't believe me? Let's take a look at one little example here in the US.

In 2007 the 7,900-square-mile area off the coast of Louisiana and Texas with almost no oxygen, was the 3rd largest in recorded history. About the size of Connecticut and Delaware together, the Louisiana-Texas "dead zone" is the world's second-largest hypoxic area.


Hypoxia occurs when fresh water pouring in from the Mississippi River floats above the heavier salt water in the Gulf. Algae die and fall to the bottom, where their decay uses oxygen faster than it is brought down from the surface.
Nitrogen, from sources including fertilizer, erosion and sewage, speeds up the process by feeding algae.


That's just one example, we've said nothing of pesticides, or the amount of petroleum use and CO2 and waste produced by commercial agriculture. People, virtually everything used on a farm these days is made from oil. Pesticides, fertilizers, fuel, etc. Did you now that, when you factor everything in, it takes 54 calories of fossil fuel to produce 1 calorie of protein from beef. Don't get me started!

As Always, There Is A Better Way

A well designed permaculture system will, like a natural ecosystem, become increasingly diverse, highly efficient, non-polluting, and self-sustaining. The capacity of permaculture to change land use patterns and environmental health conditions is astounding when one sees a site before and after the application of permaculture principles.

Check out these mind boggling Before and After Pictures:




This region of Peru, where Essential Living Foods has its farm, is some of the most arid desert on the planet. Using permaculture principles. They were able to transform this land into a very productive farm. Do you see that large pool of water in the foreground? Just by designing the land properly, they were able to collect this amount of water from a small stream with NO PETROLEUM. None, just gravity and good design. By the way, did I mention that's a desert, people?

Here's an example of healthy pesticides. These recycled bottles are filled with insect pheromones that drive the flies wild and distracts them from their other favorite past time - munching on the vegetation.



Permaculture also strongly disagrees with the notion that planting one crop only is anything close to a good idea. Virtually every permaculture plot has multiple crops which rotate and replenish the soil. Most big agricultural mono-crop farms have soil that is so depleted that it can barely sustain life. Here is a crop of goldenberries growing side by side with organic vegetables.

Here is a yummy organic soup known as biol, that is basically healthy flora for the soil. You know how probiotics can benefit your digestive track by restoring the good bacteria? Well, this lovely brew is actually a "prebiotic" it does the same thing for he soil.


Here alfalfa is planted in between olive trees to restore nitrogen, naturally. No petroleum based pesticides needed.

I could go on and on. You'll notice that, once again, we offer solution. There is hope as long as we share this good knowledge and put it into action. Stay tuned, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Your Intrepid host.

Marc