Permaculture aims to design human settlements that mimic natural ecosystems and support their maturation over time. Mature ecosystems have high diversity, perennial plants, cooperative relationships, nutrient cycling, and consume solar energy efficiently. Permaculture seeks to integrate humans into landscapes in ways that accelerate natural ecosystem development from immature to mature states which are more productive and resilient. By promoting ecosystem maturation, permaculture allows humans to justify their existence through benefiting rather than harming the environment.

1. Environmental ethics … an introduction

2. Part 1 What is ’Nature’

3. The double Nature Nature Nature Culture Waste Nature Resources Resource cupboard (Unlimited) waste heap Nature

4. The combined Nature Nature Culture Waste Resources Combined cupboard and waste heap Border to Nature C

5. Where is the border to Nature? Nature Culture Border to Nature Is it on the outside of the house?

6. Where is the border to Nature? Nature Culture Border to Nature Will Nature disappear if we put asphalt on it?

7. Where is the border to Nature? Planet comparison 96.5 % 98 % 95 % 0.03 % 3.5 % 1.9 % 2.7 % 79 % traces 0.0 % 0.13 % 21 % 459 ° 240 °- 340 ° - 53 ° 16 ° 90 60 0.0064 1.0 Surface pressure (bar) Surface temperature Oxygen gas Nitrogen gas Carbon dioxide Earth with life Mars Earth without life Venus

8. Nature sneaks in Environmental services 98 % 0.03 % 1.9 % 79 % 0.0 % 21 % 240 °- 340 ° 16 ° 60 1.0 The support from the life on Earth is absolutely crucial for our existence! Surface pressure (bar) Surface temperature Oxygen gas Nitrogen gas Carbon dioxide Earth with life Earth without life

9. Therefore, this view of Nature is fundamentally wrong! Nature Culture Border to Nature

10. Instead, this description makes sense Culture Nature The culture is a subsystem to Nature We are always within Nature

11. Part 2 Rules for subsystems Culture Nature We are always within Nature

12. OK, we are a subsystem to Nature - So what? - Subsystems have to follow certain rules in order to survive Culture Nature We are always within Nature

13. Assume you are a cell (subsystem) in a body (supersystem) Cell Body

14. The cell receives a lot of free and beneficial services from the body Cell Body A nice temperature: 37 ° Good pH: 7,4 Sugar for nutrition Oxygen Waste removal sevices

15. To keep all these services, the cell ( the subsystem ) can only behave in three fundamentally different ways towards the body ( the supersystem )

16. Cell Body 1 2 3 + Positive influence – Negative influence ±0 No influence

17. The cell has a negative influence on its supersystem. It will, for example, develop a cancer Survival strategy 1

18. Cell Body By that, the body will be less able to deliver its free services - As a survival strategy for the cell, it sucks Either, the macrophages will find the cancer cell and destroy it Or the body will die Survival strategy 1 -

19. The cell is perfectly neutral towards its supersystem It doesn’t cause any harm, neither it does anything that is useful to the body Survival strategy 2

20. Cell Body The capacity of the body to deliver its free services is not affected by the actions of the cell As a survival strategy for the cell, it is, at least, risky! The cell is invisible to the body What will happen if there is a tidying-up drive ? Survival strategy 2 ±0 The cell might be eliminated, but this will not affect the body

21. The cell does something (little) that makes it useful to the body Survival strategy 3 This makes it easier for the body to deliver services to the cell

22. Cell Body By that, the body will have an increased ability to deliver its free services This is the only reliable survival strategy for the cell The cell fulfils some function that makes the body more able It is somewhat better for the body that the cell is there, than not Survival strategy 3 + + +

23. This goes for any subsystem! Survival strategy 3

24. Organism Ecosystem By that, the ecosystem, it will get increased ability to deliver its free services This is the only reliable survival strategy for any subsystem The organism fulfils some function that makes the ecosystem more able It is somewhat better for the ecosystem that the organism is there, than not Survival strategy 3 + Shade and protection Good soil conditions Sugar for nutrition Oxygen production Nutrient provision + +

25. This is the principle of the ultimate egoism: Survival strategy 3 By supporting your supersystem, you promote your own existence

26. Part 3 What is ’good’ for the ecosystem?

28. - If you can make ecosystems work better with humans than without them – then you are a fair way towards sustainability. But then you need to understand how ecosystems work

29. Exergy consuming processes, ’life’ Ecosystems, like all self-organising processes, thrive on energy with high exergy content Sunlight with high exergy content Low temperature radiation with low exergy content The ’life’ processes consume exergy The energy with consumed exergy content must be expelled, otherwise the system will ’choke’ Ecosystem

30. The Second Law tells us that all processes consume exergy A corollary of the Second Law is that processes that consume exergy better will be preferred

31. Therefore, ecosystems will be expected to change in a way that increase their exergy consuming capacity Observations of ecosystem maturation confirms that

33. During maturation, ecosystems changes to increase their exergy consuming capacity The maturation process might need 100 to 10 000 years

34. What if human beings could aid in this process?

35. Part 4 Permaculture

36. A multitude of descriptions exits of permaculture … but few definitions

42. By that, we could try to make a definition of permaculture, not only a description: Permaculture is the forthbringing of maturing ecosystems with humans as promotive parts

43. With permaculture, the maturation process might be reduced to 10 – 1000 years The maturation process might normally need 100 to 10 000 years

44. Thus, the human beings has found a method to make themselves useful !

45. By that, permaculture has changed from a nicety to a sustainability necessity Permaculture is the forthbringing of maturing ecosystems with humans as promotive parts