Permaculture is a creative approach to abundant and fulfilling lifestyles. It is for everyone wishing to live sustainable and tread more lightly on the Earth. Permaculture is an ecologically sound approach to providing for our needs, including our food, shelter and financial and social structures. It is based on co-operating with nature and caring for the Earth and its people. Permaculture in a Nutshell is a concise and accessible introduction to the principles and … More >>
Tags: accessible introduction, creative approach, earth, food shelter, lifestyles, Nutshell, Permaculture, social structures, sound approach
After learning about Permaculture from a friend, I wanted to learn more about designing sustainable human settlements to solve many of the world’s problems. This is a summary of that educational journey. Skip to the last two paragraphs for the details on this particular book.
I started by purchasing Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability by David Holmgren (286 pages). This was NOT a good choice to learn about Permaculture. Another reviewer reflects my view perfectly on that book:
I couldn’t wrap my head around Holmgren’s style of prose, and the layout and ideas in this book. It is wordy, meandering, and confusing – and I found myself lost in chapter after chapter as Holmgren’s explanations went way over my head, leaving me confused and befuddled. This would not be a good introduction to Permaculture, and no good at all as a teaching book or textbook.
While I did find some good ideas in his book – it was difficult to get through. As an aside, I can put in a good word for David Holmgren for his other book: Future Scenarios: How Communities Can Adapt to Peak Oil and Climate Change (136 pages) He must have a new editor or a ghost writer now – This is an amazing book, easy to read, and I can easily recommend it for all audiences, both experienced and those new to these concepts (a great introduction filled with new perspectives) – definitely worth the $12.
Continuing on in my journey to learn about Permaculture, I went on to borrow a copy of PERMACULTURE: A Designers’ Manual (576 pages) and found it incredibly detailed, but too in-depth to begin learning from.
Next I went on to purchase Introduction to Permaculture(224 pages) by Bill Mollison. WOW! What a book! Exactly what I was looking for in the first place! Easy to read, wonderfully presented ideas and illustrations, and ideal to share with anyone wanting to learn about whole system design from ecology, to buildings, and our food systems – all the concepts of Permaculture. With that said, I spent WAY too much for this book and I don’t understand why it costs so much ($43 last glance). Perhaps it’s an import from Australia? Had this book been $25 or less, I would have stopped there and simply bought copies for my friends and family.
So now I went looking for another introductory book of similar quality and a reasonable price and ordered Permaculture in a Nutshell (84 pages). The minute I opened the box from Amazon I was immediately disappointed. The book was TINY – nearly pamphlet sized – for a book priced at $12.95 I couldn’t believe it! A typical $5 paperback is four times thicker! I did try to give it a chance and started reading. The book is easy to read and contains all the basics. In fact, it leads the reader to believe they have a reasonable understanding of what Permaculture is.
I’m SO happy I didn’t start with this book. I think it’d be easy to read this book, think of it as a somewhat interesting overpriced read, and file the book away never to study Permaculture again. The amazing depth and substance found in Introduction to Permaculture was completely missing – like 2D versus 3D. I couldn’t recommend this book to anyone actually interested in Permaculture. Even if this book was appropriately priced around $5, the only audience I would recommend it to is those seeking a high-level understanding of Permaculture without any real intent on learning the details. In short, this is the Cliff Notes version.
Rating: 2 / 5
Probably too basic for those already interested in permaculture. This book is really more of a booklet, the type you can read in an hour. Be aware that it focuses on British issues.
Rating: 2 / 5
This little book furnishes a practical agriculural roadmap for moving away from a deceptive global ethos of entitlement, greed, impractical resource depletion and unsuportable infrastructure. Those who read this tiny volume take the first step toward a real stewardship ethic which must surely replace today’s attitudes, lest Western Civilization–or even humanity–perish.
Rating: 5 / 5
Bought this book to give to my relatives who are dairy farmers. This book is a brief explanation of permaculture. It also has some good ideas such as an explanation of zones, and some of the other basic principles of permaculture.
Rating: 5 / 5
As a recently certified Permaculture Consultant, I have found it harder to explain the overall concept to the curious (such as in-laws) than to potential clients (who have specific problems to solve). After a couple of tongue-tied attempts, I put together a quick definition suitable for small-talk and bought Whitefield’s book for those who wanted to know more. This came in handy at a recent gathering where Betty, my 84-year-old grandmother-in-law, saw the book and read several chapters. In a few short pages, the book defines permaculture, sketches some of its history and principles, and gives examples of how it works in cities, gardens and farms. Grandma Betty got a kick out of the Britishisms and, despite her early skepticism (”how can back-lot gardens hope to feed the world’s hungry?”), seemed satisfied with the explanations. Permaculture in a Nutshell has opened up a whole new area of conversation for us. Well worth it.
Rating: 5 / 5