Welcome to Sustainable Agriculture

~for the respectful integration of humans and agriculture~

Sustaining soil sustains culture.

~everything gardens~

Permaculture is the design science that promotes the managed collaboration of humans and plants to sustain soil, meet human needs, and lessen human labor for a sustainable future.  Within such minimally-managed permaculture systems, human shelter and infrastructure needs are addressed through regenerative, functionally-connected systems based on sound ecological principles. 

Permaculture is whole-system design, inclusively respectful of plants.  Fact is, our human needs are met by nature's living bounty through plants...our homes are composed of earth's carbon and minerals, our meat eats plants or meat that eats plants, even pharmaceutical chemicals rely on extracted, natural, plant components.  Thinking "whole" is thinking connections.  To sustain, all parts get their needs met through connections.  Needs or resources and outcomes or products determine cycles and placement.  

For example, our need for food has us growing and/or purchasing.  When we purchase life-giving seeds and food, we support the economic cycles of those committed to nurturing the whole.  Garden nutrition through organic and biodynamic stewardship nurtures us AND firms the new cycle for culture's sustainable soils and regional economics.  Add the stability of forest-garden edge design--perennials and annuals in micro-climate niches and functional relationships using nature's opportunities to generate humus-rich soil, purify water, nutritious food, and clean air--and we're on the conscious harmony path back to the Garden. Sustainability is HEALTH in PROCESS.  Why ever would the-culturated-we choose to support that which works against this goal for the well-faire of all beings?

Collectively or individually, all is individual attention in the moment defining the future.  Why so many are drawn to goal-oriented quick fixes and think that what they do (where they put their attention in the moment) doesn't affect the larger whole IS WHY we, as a culture, are still destroying soil using unsustainable chemical, soil-depleting, agricultural practices that create unhealthy food and massive medical costs.

Sustainability is an issue of attention through presence and a matter of appropriate technology...not necessarily "advanced" as testified in Farmers of Forty Centuries by F. H. King on China's irrigation and food production before Western influence or by The Natural Way of Farming: The Theory and Practice of Green Philosophy by Masanobu Fukuoka and Frederic P. Metreaud).

How we choose to be present in the now (our life actions) testifies actively to our values.  Rather than living lives that testify to our inattention and ignorant use of the gifts of nature as a culture (including competing instead of collaborating), we can choose our part in regenerating the soils and watersheds we rely upon. To ignore nourishing that which sustains us is also a choice.  With nature's common sense and laws of physical reality to guide us, our settlements, infrastructure, and multifunctional guilds can be designed to meet our real needs integrated while regeneratively nourishing "the all."  Why settle for less?

Welcome! those of you wishing to synergistically transition to regional simplicity and the pleasure and responsibility of Paradise on Earth. Enjoy this site and its evolution. There is great art in living as an edge species in the state of "enough" that regenerates our hearts, communities and ecosystems.

Dancing Green is committed to education that mentors the human journey toward increased sustainability. Driven by compassion for earth rights, we address the core need for understanding how to meet human needs working with nature's laws, respectful of all beings. 

In this recognition comes the awareness of those our culture has disrespected, ...all native to place, ...all decimated or dispersed for resource/economic gain--from native americans to community neighborhoods, "rearranged" for "progress." 

We are committed to inclusive, collaborative communication and empowering the self respect that comes from authentic cooperation for the good of the whole.

We provide practical tools and model empathic and ethical strategies for daily nourishing the land and people. These techniques and strategies integrate humans into respectful and positive patterns. As sound ecological, environmental and economic actions, these patterns increases the diversity, stability and resilience of our earth systems. We choose to honor and steward harmony lessening the heroics of violence.

Dancing Green believes it's possible to:

...create a sustainable base of permanent agriculture systems that respectfully meet the needs of all.

...give health to people through soil-fertility-building activities that return efforts with exercise, fresh air, pure water, and foods of nourishing value.

...regenerate our forests, watersheds, fields, pastures, and backyards.

...sprinkle every estate and suburban yard with edges of forest gardens replete with mycellium, bamboo and layered perennial guilds.

...nourish right-livlihood, diversifying the nourishing webs of people, places and organizations moving eco-entrepreneurship into stressless harmony with nature.

"We needn't shift the world,

we'll all shift ourselves and

be there for each other."

Further your knowledge and expand your part in regenerating our soils and watersheds.

"Permanent Agriculture" Permaculture is about Sustainable Process.  Individually and collectively, we are in a radical-by-necessity cultural transformation process. We are repatterning our relationship skills with the earth and each other as we are rekindling common sense by weaving the best of multi-functional diversity and resilience through applied permaculture. Sustainable Agriculture is site-specific applied permaculture attentive to nourishing all.

"Permaculture Design" As individuals choosing to meet real needs and regenerate our planet's ecosystem, Permaculture Design informs our minds and actions on a solid base of wisdom and sustaining criteria. Modeling our home planet's collaborative earth systems, Permaculture Design acknowledges our relationship with everything.  As Mollison said, "Everything gardens."  We are proud to be edge species committed to world change on a conscious pathway that respectfully serves all--honoring mind, body and spirit.

Willing to take a moment to tell us how you got to this website? See the Poll to the right on this main page.

***

Evolving Process

Websites are obviously evolving processes and ours was initiated March of 2009. Our second wave began after Thanksgiving 2009 and will include the living form research of our resident wood wizard. All the links may not yet be set or working correctly. Please let us know. We will continue putting up text, linking text and outside resources, and adding visuals (both photographs and line drawings). Thanks for supporting our efforts, educational scholarships, research, and service projects.

***

Heartfelt Acknowledgment:

By the grace of Alex Funk and Funk Designs, Dancing Green, Inc., a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt non-profit, is using the Sustainable Agriculture domain name to expand sustainability through permaculture awareness.

For beyond the beyond support in this project, thanks and grace to all DGI board members and friends with special appreciation to my precious family. It's a pleasure "dancing green."