Permaculture is an ecologically inspired design science that seeks to create healthy systems that care for people and the environment. Largely based on systems thinking, permaculture teaches us that if the elements within a design are placed properly can create systems that are larger than the whole. Who waters an ecosystem? Who fertilizes it? How is it that ecology doesn’t need tilling, weeding, or chemicals? Why it it that if you walk away from a forest and return a hundred or a thousand years later, it’s still thriving?

In the context of a large urban school (serving 2400 students and 200 staff), JP Permaculture aims at creating ecologically beneficial systems that serve as educational tools and opportunities for cross-curricular collaboration. Since its creation, the program has create a food producing forest that contains more then 80 species of edible perennial plants, sequesters carbon, captures and stores its own water, and increases biodiversity. In addition, however, the garden provides human and educational needs, as a source of food for the Culinary Arts program and as a teaching tool for biology and science classes.

Indigenous Permaculture Class:
Those cultures among us who have learnt to live with and honor these ecological patterns and principals through their worldviews, traditions, customs, stories, and legends have been able to live harmoniously with ecology for thousands of years; participating in, working with, and adding to its rich complexity. With this in mind, I was asked to pair with Indigenous Elder Isabelle Kootenay from Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation to teach the Alberta Aboriginal Studies 30 curriculum through the study of permaculture design; a design science that seeks to apply ecological patterns and principals to human systems. We came to call this course, Indigenous Permaculture; an innovative approach to the first Aboriginal Studies class taught in the Edmonton Public School Board.

School Aquaponics System:
More recently, JP Permaculture has established an aquaponics system in the Culinary Arts classroom. The system uses waste vegetable scraps to feed tilapia (fish) which intern add nutrients (in the form of their waste) into the water which provide support for vegetables and herbs growing in the system. After the fish waste is removed from the water by the plants, it is returned to the fish. In the end, both fish and vegetables are returned to the Culinary Arts class to be served to the student population; where the cycle begins again. This system, inspired by the circular flow of nutrients within ecosystems, reduces waste, recycles water, produces food & cross-curricular opportunities, while at the same time bringing students closer to the natural processes that sustain them.

Bicycle Power-Generation:
Currently, we are investigating the ability to add generators to the +30 bicycles in the school's fitness centre; where students can ride bikes to recharge their electronic devices or batteries.

For billions of years, ecological systems have been refining the patterns and principals that give them their remarkable resiliency. With endless relationships, connections, and pathways, ecology has learnt to harvest, build, and reuse every available resource. With time, these ecological systems gather nutrients, build stability, and increase in complexity to the benefit of the Earth and to those who choose to embrace it.

Problem

We view the need for permaculture in schools as two-fold: Initially, the program was created to introduce students to the resilient patters found in ecology and to incorporate these patterns into our own systems is to demonstrate to a generation of students at good design can go far beyond sustainable (net zero) and actually provide a net benefit to people and the environment. In addition, the very nature of our designs is providing students with cross-curricular hands-on learning opportunities. Since the program started, however, it has become apparent that permaculture design may have some interesting applications in the context of the education system itself; what if we could look at a school as an ecosystem? Could the cycling of information draw parallels with the efficient cycling of nutrients in a forest? May the branching patters found in rivers, and trees indicate more effective ways of moving through curriculum? Does the importance of biodiversity back the argument for diversifying instruction?

Solution

Since its creation, the program has create a food producing forest that contains more then 80 species of edible perennial plants, sequesters carbon, captures and stores its own water, and increases biodiversity. In addition, however, the garden provides human and educational needs, as a source of food for the Culinary Arts program and as a teaching tool for biology and science classes. More recently, JP Permaculture has established an aquaponics system in the Culinary Arts classroom. The system uses waste vegetable scraps to feed tilapia (fish) which intern add nutrients (in the form of their waste) into the water which provide support for vegetables and herbs growing in the system. After the fish waste is removed from the water by the plants, it is returned to the fish. In the end, both fish and vegetables are returned to the Culinary Arts class to be served to the student population; where the cycle begins again. This system, inspired by the circular flow of nutrients within ecosystems, reduces waste, recycles water, produces food & cross-curricular opportunities, while at the same time bringing students closer to the natural processes that sustain them. Currently, we are investigating the ability to add generators to the +30 bicycles in the school's fitness centre; where students can ride bikes to recharge their electronic devices or batteries.

Exemple

Permaculture is an ecologically inspired design science that seeks to create healthy systems that care for people and the environment. Largely based on systems thinking, permaculture teaches us that if the elements within a design are placed properly can create systems that are larger than the whole. In the context of a large urban school (serving 2400 students and 200 staff), JP Permaculture aims at creating ecologically beneficial systems that serve as educational tools and opportunities for cross-curricular collaboration.

Marché

As part of an educational institution, we do not view JP Permaculture as having any competitors but many potential collaborators. It has always been our policy to reach out to as many students, teachers, departments, administrators, schools, policy makers and community members and groups.