Here at Turtle Paradise we have been known to make fun of permaculturalists, but never permaculture principles. It's kind of like having respect for the teachings of Jesus, while ridiculing certain Christians. Not that permaculture is a religion or anything...
My personal favorite principle is "do the least work for the greatest effect." This could also be stated as "work smarter, not harder." The idea is to find leverage points where you can apply a little pressure, and get a lot done. So if I have a boulder I need to move, pushing it into place by hand would be working harder. Getting a lever, finding a fulcrum, and shifting the boulder into it's new place would be working smarter.
Using physics to move my boulder makes the task much easier, but this example is one-dimensional and doesn't capture the multi-dimensional aspects of permaculture design. In a permaculture system, working smarter means not only moving my boulder more easily today, but also lessening my workload in the future.
Perhaps I have an erosion problem and I'm moving my boulder to a spot where it will check the flow of water, slowing its speed, and allowing it to infiltrate. This remedies my problem of soil loss, and also provides more water for nearby plants. Perhaps I've also created a microclimate because my boulder soaks up the heat of the sun and slowly releases it at night, giving plants a headstart in spring.
My warm boulder also creates a basking spot for wildlife, or perhaps a shadow to hide from heat or predators. Increasing biodiversity brings populations of insect and rodent pests under control. Maybe moving my boulder causes a pond to form, providing fresh water for livestock without the exertion of hauling, and massively increasing the variety of wildlife the area can sustain.
Using my lever to move a boulder saved my back today, and also saved me work in the future. I'll spend less time
Repairing washouts
Building top soil
Irrigating
Hauling water
Fighting pests
Using an iron bar to move a heavy object was just a small part of working smarter. Observing closely, considering how different components of the system work together, and figuring how to coordinate them to get desirable results, constituted my metaphorical lever. Even if my preparation time for constructing this "lever" is a year, it is time well spent. What I learn during this time helps me to design my system to do work for me well into the future. So knowledge, quite literally, is power.
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