Permaculture: Principles and Pathways beyond Sustainability Paperback – December 1, 2002

Lots of excellent information here …

This is an outstanding book -- it is wholesome and commendable in its approach to global-sized solutions; even more so, it is dynamic in it's challenge to imagine, apply and actually "feed" the improvements, which can be brought about..The reader is guided well, in traveling through the usable concepts, to find his or her vision uplifted into a realistic permanence. It opens up heavy doors so that you personally and collectively experience the realness..., not only of needed survival, but of joy! You -- the designer, architect or cultivator -- are encouraged and 'brought to life'! At that point, you can join in the dance of being woven with that magical "tapestry" of life -- where there's harmony between life being lived, and all the things living! Buy this book, absorb it; then exude its usable power to the world around you!

If you love studying and implementing permaculture practices, you will fall in love with this book! In my opinion it rivals Bill Mollisons books and adds a different perspective. But nothing beats "Sepp Holzer". SO once you buy and read this book, head over to Sepp Holzers listings and start shopping! It will be a game changer for yoU!

Holmgren's writing style is a bit heady which may turn some readers off. But, if you're willing to deal with that, the book is a trove of information and perspective that every permaculturist should have on hand. The key to reading is recognizing that each environment is unique and that permaculture isn't a set of "how to's" for doing but rather "how to's" for thinking. That is what this book is best at - developing your thinking skills so you can develop permaculture applications where you are. Glad I bought it!

I've studied many different facets of sustainability, and this book does the best job of putting the key concepts together in a holistic manner. Permaculture is not just about food. It's about the energy that sustains us, how we thrive in a world of limited resources, and how we use human ingenuity to its full extent. To be sustainable we have to be extraordinarily smart and plan carefully. Holmgren's explanation of permaculture is a great starting roadmap for how we can do this as a society.

A great read! I am pretty new to the holistic permaculture design and this book gives a very deep overview of the movement. I think it will be an excellent pre-reading for my future permaculture courses which i plant to attend. Would recommend to anyone who is interested in permaculture as a way to build a good starting therorethical knowledge. The challenge follows with the future application of the principles here explained.

I recommend this book not only for confirmed permies like myself, but also for anyone wanting to know more about how man and nature fit together and not in separate spheres. Something that sounds as simple as sustainably growing food has enormous far-reaching impacts that could change the world, given the chance. The book shows how principles of permaculture apply in a far reaching context. I found it to be inspiring, educational and enlightening.

I wanted to love this book but I felt it was so hard to read. Very creative and deep thinking but unless you have a pretty good understanding of permaculture this book might just fly by your head. I had a hard time understanding some examples when it was describing David's native Australian countryside. Also it felt like it was a jumble of notes compiled together. Sort of reminded me of Bruce Lee's Tao of JKD. They try and categorize each section into the Permaculture principles but there is so much jumping around and reconnect I lose sight on what that section is focusing on.Lots of run on sentences that were really wordy. I had to read over many things two to three times to try to wrap my head around things. You really need to be focused to take in the information in this book. It does show how permaculture is a diverse web of interactions both on an ecological and principle level. But if you studied permaculture you'd know that already.If you're serious about permaculture get it and dive in. You'll find nuggets of information. But be warned you might get frustrated with his writing style.