Holmgren Design
Permaculture
Vision & Innovation
What is Permaculture?
Popularly seen as a ‘cool’ form of organic gardening, permaculture could be better described as a design system for resilient living and land use based on universal ethics and ecological design principles. Although the primary focus of permaculture has been the redesign of gardening, farming, animal husbandry and forestry, the same ethics and principles apply to design of buildings, tools and technology.
Applying permaculture ethics and principles in our gardens and homes inevitably leads us towards redesigning our ways of living so as to be more in tune with local surpluses and limits.
Permaculture is also a global movement of individuals, groups and networks working to create the world we want, by providing for our needs and organising our lives in harmony with nature. The movement is active in the most privileged and the most destitute communities and countries. Permaculture may be Australia’s most significant export for humanity facing a world of limits.
from David Holmgren’s book RetroSuburbia
In this video, produced by The Food Forest, in 2010, David reflects on how permaculture can be used as a template for survival and abundance
Latest Writings
Is wood smoke the new evil?
Is wood smoke as bad as George Monbiot claims? In a recent article published in The Guardian, George Monbiot admitted his shame at having installed wood stoves, as part of a home energy efficiency retrofit back in 2008. Beyond his shift from thinking wood heating was good to thinking it’s bad, he was raising
Fusion Futures
Recently I was asked to comment on new claims of breakthroughs in research for nuclear fusion (that powers the stars, including our own sun, and was demonstrated on Earth in the hydrogen bomb). My ability to comment on these claims is from a big picture, systems perspective. I can also answer in terms of whether this undermines my half century long belief in “energy descent”, and ongoing articulation of permaculture design principles, strategies and practices to be adaptive in such futures. I write this on the eve of the southern hemisphere summer solstice here at Melliodora, paying homage to our own (father) Sun.
Flood Landscapes Revisited October 2022
In the latest floods, the areas denuded of willows have again suffered substantial damage while the intact areas have weathered the storms and continue to slowly grow valley floor alluvial flats back towards their pre gold era level.
Live Online - Permaculture Design Course
With David Holmgren, Beck Lowe & Guests
What our participants are saying...
I feel so inspired to continue learning about and practicing Permaculture at home and in my community.
~ Sarah
The online format has allowed us to learn with people from all around the world...
~ Jess
Investing in this PDC has been some of the most rewarding and important time and energy I have ever spent.
~ Megan
Featured Videos
Changing Habits for Self-Reliance and Resilience
David Holmgren — Sustainable Living Festival 2018
David Holmgren — Decolonise Your Lawn
About Holmgren Design
David
Holmgren
David Holmgren is the co-originator of the permaculture concept following publication of Permaculture One, co-authored with Bill Mollison in 1978. David is globally recognised as a leading ecological thinker.
Melliodora
Publishing
Melliodora is a small specialist publisher dedicated to producing a limited range of books and other media by David Holmgren and other authors. Our titles aim to support individuals in their personal permaculture journeys.
Melliodora
Property
Melliodora is a 8700m² (2¼ acre) property situated on Dja Dja Wurrung Country in Central Victoria. It is one of the best documented and well known permaculture demonstration sites in the world.
Latest News
“Comment s’orienter?” – A selection of David’s writings in French
Comment s’orienter? Permaculture et descente énergétique, is a new publication that brings together five essential essays by David Holmgren, written before and during the pandemic, translated into French by Sébastien Marot.
Three new Writings in French
A huge thank you to Sébastien Marot for taking the time to translate three of David’s Writings into French: Money vs Fossil Energy: The battle for control of the world (2010), Crash on Demand: Welcome to the Brown Tech Future (2013) and Fusion Futures (2023).
Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander scholarship
Are you an Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander? You are warmly invited to apply for a scholarship for the upcoming May – September 2023 Online PDC. Gadigal Elder Uncle Charles Davison and his partner, Wiradjuri woman Jen Ridley, guest teachers on the PDC and co-sponsors of the scholarship with Holmgren Design, will be available
From the Archive
Is wood smoke the new evil?
Is wood smoke as bad as George Monbiot claims? In a recent article published in The Guardian, George Monbiot admitted his shame at having installed wood stoves, as part...
Read More
Fusion Futures
Recently I was asked to comment on new claims of breakthroughs in research for nuclear fusion (that powers the stars, including our own sun, and was demonstrated on Earth in...
Read More
Remembering Dan Palmer
In the global forest of permaculture and kindred networks, a giant has fallen. Dan Palmer is dead. Rather than old growth, he was in his prime at 47 with deep...
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A review of three books: Futuresteading, The Good Life and Costa’s World
It's not often I comment on the constant flow of new books about green lifestyle, growing and wellbeing but three recently released titles had me thinking about the issue of...
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Protesting Permaculture: the last five weeks and the last five decades
On Saturday 13th and 20th November, my partner Su Dennett and I joined others from central Victoria travelling by train to the “Kill the Bill”/anti-lockdown/anti-mandate protests in Melbourne. This essay...
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