“All we need to live a good life surrounds us. Sun, wind, people, buildings, stones, sea, birds, and plants. Cooperation with all these things brings harmony, opposition to them brings disaster and chaos.”
– Bill Mollison, Co-Founder of Permaculture
People around the world are living more sustainable and resilient lifestyles using the principles of permaculture. For the most part, the beginnings of permaculture have played out in small, private places among intimate groups of like-minded friends and neighbors. Two ambitious filmmakers, Costa Boutsikaris and Emmett Brennan, are teaming up to help bring the principles of permaculture closer to mainstream awareness. The pair traveled to more than 20 permaculture sites to interview leading permaculture designers and document their work in a wonderful new film titled Inhabit.
Humanity is more than ever threatened by its own actions; we hear a lot about the need to minimize footprints and to reduce our impact. But what if our footprints were beneficial? What if we could meet human needs while increasing the health and well-being of our planet? This is the premise behind permaculture: a design process based on the replication of patterns found in nature. INHABIT explores the many environmental issues facing us today and examines solutions that are being applied using the ecological design lens of permaculture. Focused mostly on the Northeastern and Midwestern regions of the United States, Inhabit provides an intimate look at permaculture peoples and practices ranging from rural, suburban, and urban landscapes.
Inhabit examines permaculture projects on farmland, suburban lawns, urban rooftops, and more. Many expert designers share insights into what permaculture is, and the principles that drive it. The film depicts key permaculture concepts like observation, perennial food production, and closed loops, and it shows real examples of these principles at work. The film is visually beautiful, with great perspectives from close-ups on the soil to sweeping overhead views of farms and cities where permaculture is being practiced. Inhabit is a whirlwind tour of many of the most innovative and successful permaculture installations in America today.
Here is a small sampling of the personalities in the film:
– Ben Falk, Whole Systems Design, Vermont
– Lisa Depiano, Mobile Design Lab, Massachusetts
– Steve Whitman, Resilience Planning & Design, New Hampshire
– Dwaine Lee, Five Boroughs Green Roof, New York
– Andrew Faust, The Center for Bioregional Living, New York
– Pandora Thomas, Earth Seed Consulting, California
– Michael Phillips, Lost Nation Orchard, New Hampshire
“What is permaculture?” No doubt, everyone who is active in the permaculture community has heard this question many times, and this isn’t always an easy question to answer. As Inhabit explains, “Permaculture is not a thing, it’s a way of thinking. It’s a process of design.” I hope many people will watch this new film so that one day soon people everywhere will know what permaculture is and why its design principles represent an exciting new opportunity for our culture.
You can watch the trailer, rent the film, or purchase streaming access using the video player above. Or you can go to the film’s main website here – InhabitFilm.com
COMMENTS(0)
“…it’s more like mining.” That’s a good description
Lovely, refreshing and so true. Thank you so much.
I can’t stand the loud music. It makes it very hard to hear the dialog.
I feel there are three primary concerns that need to be communicated and expanded for all who are dedicated to growing and establishing their being on this level. Natural, healthy food, and the responsibility to provide it for ourselves is one of them. I am looking forward to including your website and info in my broadcasts. love/light Evod ~
If you grow nice healthful plant foods don’t cook them. Cooked food causes the ONE disease with 400 symptoms including cancer, and cooked food feeds cancer; raw plant foods cure the ONE disease and the symptom of cancer.