Redesigning a garden enables change from an unsustainable existing system to a more sustainable one. Sustainability is built into all stages of the design and implementation process from the orientation to the sun, the selection of materials and plants to the projected maintenance requirements. Permaculture garden design is a cross-disciplinary field that addresses the issues of future resource availability and environmental degradation and implements solutions on a local scale, which promote resilience and simplicity.
Garden design and implementation is a key part of smoothing the transition from a high speed, high energy, high impact economy to a slower, lower energy, low impact economy by creating spaces that consume less and create more. No matter how small, even a 1m2 patch can be converted, from possessing an adverse effect on nature, to possessing a beneficial effect for people and nature.
Gardens achieve this by combining small-scale solutions to seemingly overwhelming global issues. The garden is a microcosm of the world, and gardening is a creative activity that can bring people together of all ages and backgrounds. Culturally-caused issues, such as pollinator decline, resource depletion , carbon emissions, food scarcity, habitat decline, social frgamentation, environmental degradation, food miles, food additives, biodiversity loss, rising food and energy costs, chemical farming, water loss, deforestation are some of the issues that can be addressed by creating a small patch of sanctuary.
(Re)Designing and creating a garden space is a hugely beneficial process whether it's individually or as a team, for your family and a school or local community, and it also benfits the wider environment. Transitioning from a low-yield, monocultural, high fossil fuel input scenario to a high yield, biodiverse low fossil fuel input scenario can happen at all scales, from a tiny garden to large community and school gardens.
The time, money and energy used maintaining an area of lawn can be translated into a range of social activities and yields. The lawn has benefits such as for playing sports and simple maintainence, but if an area of lawn or concrete for that matter, is not used regularly enough, transforming it into a productive creative space, reduces the maintanence costs and opens the site up to whole range of opportunities - from social events and group activities to food growing and wildlife spotting. It can be of huge value to oneself, a family, a school or community - and to the natural environment!