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In the 1970s, Australian ecologists Bill Mollison and David Holmgren pioneered the idea of permaculture at the University of Tasmania. Permaculture, a combination of the words “permanent” and “agriculture,” focuses on the relationships between deep ecology, landscape architecture and agriculture. Permaculture practitioners try to minimize their ecological impact by living on farms and in homes that produce zero waste, do not depend on fossil fuels or toxic chemicals to function, and often mimic surrounding ecosystems in form and function. Since its inception thirty years ago, permaculture has skyrocketed in popularity in Los Angeles. The LA Eco-Village, founded in 1993, is an example of a community that has radically been transformed by the principles of permaculture. The Village, which spans across areas in East Hollywood and Koreatown, is a working-class neighborhood that participates in food co-ops and provides classes on green gardening and sustainable business practices.

GUEST: Larry Santoyo, is a land-use planner, business consultant and protégé of Bill Mollison. He has been teaching courses since the 1980s at universities and in communities around the world. Santoyo is currently Vice President of the Permaculture Institute, Co-Director of the Terra Foundation and the founder of the Microvillage Network. His forthcoming book is called “Permaculture for Humanity”

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