Better living with permaculture

by MAUREEN DOLAN
Staff Writer | September 5, 2013 9:00 PM

Whether you're planning a backyard garden, a small business or a city project, the principles of permaculture can be applied.

"They're principles of design. It's about problem-solving, and you can utilize the principles for many, many applications in life," said Korrine Kreilkamp, founder of the local Community Roots program.

Kreilkamp has been involved with several community-supported agriculture projects in Kootenai County, and is now helping promote an event dedicated to fostering the permaculture movement in the region.

The third annual Inland Northwest Permaculture Convergence will take place Sept. 13-15 at Camp MiVoden Retreat Center, 17415 E. Hayden Lake Road, Hayden Lake.

The gathering will feature workshops, round table discussions, trade shows, field trips, home-grown food and live music - all focused on permaculture.

Bill Mollison, one of the founders of the international permaculture movement, describes it as "a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labor; of looking at systems in all their functions rather than asking only one yield of them; and of allowing systems to demonstrate their own evolutions."

Kreilkamp said permaculture practitioners use a broader, big picture view when approaching a project, and ethics are a big part of it.

The Permaculture Association, an international membership group, sums the ethics up as "earth care, people care, fair shares."

Mollison says: "The only ethical decision is to take responsibility for our own existence and that of our children."

Many people are already using permaculture principles; they just don't know it, Kreilkamp said. Organic food-growing requires permaculture design concepts.

Kreilkamp works with Coeur d'Alene's first permaculture growing project, the Gathering Garden, a Community Roots garden started last spring on the North Idaho College campus.

The Inland Northwest Permaculture Convergence begins Friday, Sept. 15, with a dinner at 5:30 p.m. with a trade show to follow. It continues Saturday and Sunday with registration beginning at 7:30 a.m.

Admission, without accommodations, is $40 per day for adults; $20/youth,13-17) $10/children, 6-12. Five and younger are free.