Undergraduate Programs

Student Spotlight

Thade Correa

Permaculture: The art of common sense and the science of hope

This summer, fourteen students participated in IU's second-ever permaculture class, conducted at Linda Lee and Andy Mahler's Lazy Black Bear Lodge in Paoli, Indiana. The course, offered through IU's Department of Religious Studies, is in many ways the very first of its kind to offer an education in sustainable living in an interdisciplinary setting to students at a public university. Leading the course were Peter Bane and Keith Johnson, expert permaculturists who live and work at Earthaven, an ecovillage in the Black Mountains of North Carolina. The fruit of the vision and passion of the department's own David Haberman, this class has, for the second time, ignited the hearts and imaginations of a group of students wishing desperately to change their way of life (and potentially the lives of those around them) but needing only to know how to begin.

For myself and so many I know and care for, it seems at times an unbearable curse to simply care at all about anything beyond one's own immediate 'sphere of influence.' It seems the more we care about the world and all its life, the health of the environment, abusive economic systems leading to rampant poverty and tremendous destruction, or anything that involves changing things in our society for the better—the more excruciatingly frustrated and angry we have a tendency to be. I'm not suggesting that every person with a vision is also a malcontent, but especially today the resounding question for nearly everyone I know is, "But what can we really do?" The powerlessness we feel is overwhelming to the point of apathy sometimes.

This was very much the place the Australian scientist and ecologist Bill Mollison was when he decided to withdraw from society and not return until he had found "something very positive" to bring back. Having watched the ecological destruction of his homelands, he once protested against their political and industrial causes but became disillusioned, feeling his actions changed nothing. During his retreat from society, he developed permaculture, which in his words is "a design system for creating sustainable human environments." In short, this means working with the myriad natural forces all around us to create living systems that are "ecologically sound and economically viable, which provide for their own needs, [and] do not exploit or pollute." (Bill Mollison, Introduction to Permaculture).

At its core, permaculture is a holistic system of living in harmony with nature. It encompasses many disciplines, from gardening and agriculture to economics and anthropology. It synthesizes modern science and ancient knowledge, and acknowledges that the path to wisdom is not only mental but emotional, spiritual, and intuitive as well. All this and much more was touched upon in our two-week class, and gradually I came to understand that humans have the ability not only to desist from harming nature, but also can actually live in a way that heals and helps the world. Like modern medicine men and women, we can cultivate positive energies every day in our lives that will have immediate effects and eventually return the earth and ourselves to wholeness.

Each day at the Lazy Black Bear began with a wake-up call at 6:45 am. It is not at all difficult to rise early in the middle of a beautiful wilderness farm, especially when there will be excellent food and conversation around the breakfast table before the day begins. Afterwards, we all gathered in the newly finished barn/meetinghouse, newly furnished with comfortable couches, and informally began the day's lectures. Classes were held from 8:30 to 6 every day, with time devoted to housekeeping, announcements, chores, and meals, of course. As a note, the kitchen staff was amazing, preparing vegetarian/vegan meals that were healthy, extremely nourishing, and primarily used produce from the farm itself. What impressed me most, however, was the richness of information covered in class every day. We covered topics as diverse as the philosophic bases of permaculture, biogeography, organic gardening, natural building, and the like. I remember thinking that almost every lecture could have been expanded into an entire course, so great was Peter and Keith's immense learning and experience. We gained practical, earthy experience as well—one day was spent entirely digging a special type of ditch called a swale; another was spent organically mulching the garden. The combination of brilliant lectures, hands-on experience, and Peter and Keith's humane and gentle guidance was beautiful. I learned more than I thought I ever would.

In the evenings after dinner there was no shortage of things to do. We went on hikes, swam, played music together, and simply talked by the campfire. We talked well into the early morning many times, and the darkness and beauty of the sky, the loneliness of the stars, and our own solitude seemed to make deep understandings and connections more possible than in our everyday lives, so caught up with 'getting somewhere.' We were very human together, and very close to one another. I believe every one of us came away feeling richer and full of hope because of our experiences. We inspired each other.

Permaculture itself is a type of hope. It is a concrete, physical path to accomplishing the immense work of caring for the earth, for all living things, for those we love and for our own beings. It is absolutely not pie-in-the-sky theorizing. It is sublimely practical and material, while at the same time retaining that essential idealism that constantly creates the turbulent ache for change in the hearts of those who love this world. It is our only world. Permaculture enables us to put our love and consciousness into action, and in this there is great hope. I believe nothing can stand against those who have a heart for changing the world and the tools to do it.