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About Us

What is Permaculture?

Graeme O'Farrell

Designer, Teacher, Public Speaker

Permaculture is a method of systems design for creating sustainable human habitat.

Because human habitat affects the entire planet's ecology, permaculture is applicable to individuals, communities, cultures and businesses big or small.

As permaculture designers, we follow fundamental ethics and principals.

1. Care for the Earth. All of our actions must not degrade our home planet and sole provider of sustenance. We must regenerate our environment.

2. Care for people. In meeting our own needs we must also meet the needs of others and avoid at all costs compromising the livelihoods and happiness of other people and cultures.

3. Return of surplus. In every system we design there will be a surplus of energy which must be returned to the overall life-cycle in the most efficient and sustainable way. Pollution is energy which has not been put to productive use.

Graeme O'Farrell is a permaculture

designer, teacher, public speaker,

performance poet, musician and

father living and working in Ottawa, ON.

Graeme is a second generation graduate of the Permaculture Design Course certification program. His teacher, Jesse Lemieux, is head of the Permaculture Research Institute of Canada and student of the originators of permaculture, Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton.

To arrange for a site consultation, a speaking engagement or to book entertainment for your permaculture event, please

contact him.

The Prime Directive of Permaculture: We must make the only ethical decision, to take responsibility for our lives and those of our children.

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Consultation and Project Management

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Permaculture design is an adaptive system which follows natural patterns, ethics and principals to create harmony between our lifestyles, habitat and surrounding environment. Each design will vary according to the site landscape, local biology, weather and climate. The goal is to create a habitat that is beyond sustainable: an abundantly productive eco-system that is a relaxing pleasure to live in, that works with nature to save you time and energy in meeting your needs.With permaculture design you can reduce your labor, your food costs, your property costs (including water, energy and heating bills), increase your overall yields, increase the aesthetic and financial value of your property, and increase the quality of life for you, your family, the surrounding ecosystem and future generations.Permaculture can be applied to landscapes large or small, urban or rural, indoors and outdoors. The most effective way to determine how permaculture can improve your property is through an on-site consultation with a designer. This will allow us to better understand your desired vision, the characteristics of the landscape, and the best place to start.During the site consultation we will:Determine efficiencies and cost savings to be found in the site.Determine whether modifications can be made to existing structures to better harmonize their functions with the surrounding landscape, increase efficiency and productivity while decreasing property expenses.Identify appropriate placement for any desired new structures, roads/pathways, cultivation sites, water storage or renovations.Define areas of the property requiring management and those which can be allowed to manage themselves to the benefit of the overall design.Define desired yields, existing yields, and determine how the property can include living systems to increase productivity.Focus on creating low-maintenance ecological, aesthetically pleasing systems with an emphasis on biodiversity and successive perennial planting.Determine existing and potential waste management strategies.Eliminate all elements in the design which may create unnecessary pollution and replace them with living elements to do work for you.Ensure that the completed design will create an increased quality of life, and that the property will be a beautiful, joyful habitat for all living things.Upon requesting an on site consultation, you will receive by e-mail or by phone a survey to clarify what the project may involve. Once this initial information survey is complete and a non-refundable deposit is paid, a time, date and consultation fee will be negotiated for a 2-6 hour on-site consultation. During the on-site consultation we will discuss your vision for the landscape, record observations and measurements, and make notes of further research required to understand the characteristics and qualities of the property. We will end the consultation with a verbal summary of the project's potential and limitations. An approximate estimation of the labor, time, materials and costs requried will be provided. If you are satisfied with the direction of the project, we will follow up with an in-depth report outlining the project step by step. Upon agreement of the project report we will write a contract and begin implementation of the design. For more information or to arrange a consultation, click on the "Contact Us" tab above.