In this green age of environmental consciousness, permaculture could be a word you start hearing more often.

Permanent agriculture essentially takes the sustainable practice of gardening to a higher level, reducing the amount of energy that goes into growing through the natural process of regeneration. Using the perpetual biological turnover in nature as a model, permaculture employs perennial vegetables, fruits and nuts.

“We can’t just sustain, we have to improve,” said Oswego permaculturist Valerie Dawnstar ’07. “You can take care of yourself and the earth.”

A nontraditional student, she decided to pursue an art degree at Oswego after working as a nurse. Dawnstar earned certification as a designer through the Ithaca-based Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute.

Using various combinations of trees, plants and cover, a permaculture site pretty much takes care of itself – like it would in nature. Most of the work goes into the planning, Dawnstar said.

She describes permaculture, a movement that started about 40 years ago, as more of a philosophy than a practice. For instance, leaves, grasses and even flowers join the more traditional garden varieties.

On a large enough property, wildlife can also become part of the harvest.

“I think we’ve really narrowed our definition of food to what’s in the grocery store,” said Dawnstar, who keeps apples, raspberries, strawberries, hazelnuts, blueberries, day lilies and violets in her own Oswego yard. She will be experimenting with a paw paw tree this summer on her rural property in Sterling.

The ultimate permaculture site, which can range from a backyard garden to entire community, is completely self-sustaining. It requires little human effort other than the harvest.

It’s not unusual to include a traditional garden full of annual plants and vegetables to complement their regenerative collection, said Dawnstar, who encourages anyone with interest in permaculture to drop her a line.

— Shane M. Liebler

PHOTO CAPTIONS:
Upper: During the Finger Lakes Permaculture Institute's design certificate course, students took a field trip to local permaculture projects including Sean Dembrowski's site to see his polyculture forest garden near Trumansburg.
Lower: Valerie Dawnstar '07



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