Sustainable gardening: design, construction, operations and maintenance practices that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This can be reached by attempting to protect, restore and enhance the ability of landscapes to provide ecosystem services that benefit humans and other organisms.
Checklist: local climate regulation; air and water cleansing; water supply and regulation
* erosion and sediment control; hazard mitigation; pollination; habitat functions; waste decomposition and treatment; global climate regulation; human health and well-being benefits; food and renewable non-food products; cultural benefits; …
The OpenGreens project covers different bottom up approaches for designing human environments that have the stability and diversity of natural ecosystems. Integration of urban agriculture, honeybees and their role in urban ecosystems, renewable energy systems, food sovereignty systems, natural building, rainwater harvesting and urban planning along with the economic, political and social policies that make sustainable living possible and practical.
10 principles of permaculture design according to Bill Mollison* relative location: how elements of the design are in relation to other elements. What are the connections between them?
Multiple function: each element of the design should perform at least 3 different functions. (trees⇒ windbreak, food, rooftop insulation, …); multiple sources: not rely of just 1 source of something (water, energy, …); zone: place the elements of the design according to their frequency of use. Also check the control and utilisation of the energies entering/passing through the site (cold winds, summer sun, …); energy cycling: harvest as many nutrients and energy from the garden design; using biological resources: using the natural qualities of things, companianplanting, pest-controlling insects, …; stacking: observations of natural systems as three dimensional systems (7 layers); diversity: a diversity of plants, a social and economical diversity (people, providers, …); edges: productivity in natural environments increases at edges between different ecosystems. Has to be taken into account when designing the garden. (hedges, ponds, beds, …); small scale: keeping a garden intensive and small; …