At the core of permaculture are three ethics that guide all design decisions and community actions. These ethics—Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share—serve as foundational values that promote sustainability, resilience, and cooperation. By adhering to these principles, permaculture practitioners create systems that benefit both people and the planet.
Earth Care: Regenerating and Protecting Natural Systems
The first ethic, Earth Care, emphasizes the importance of preserving, restoring, and working with natural ecosystems. It acknowledges that human survival depends on the health of the planet and that sustainable land stewardship is essential for long-term prosperity.
Key aspects of Earth Care include:
People Care: Strengthening Communities and Individual Well-Being
People Care recognizes that sustainable systems must support human well-being, fostering communities that are healthy, inclusive, and resilient. This ethic promotes the idea that people should have access to healthy food, clean water, secure shelter, and meaningful work.
Key aspects of People Care include:
Food security through local and regenerative farming.
Community resilience by fostering mutual aid and local support networks.
Education and empowerment to share knowledge and skills for self-sufficiency.
Work-life balance that encourages cooperation instead of exploitation.
Fair Share: Using Resources Responsibly for a Thriving Future
The third ethic, Fair Share, ensures that resources are distributed in a way that benefits present and future generations. It is about recognizing limits to growth, preventing overconsumption, and reinvesting surplus into regenerative systems.
Key aspects of Fair Share include:
Responsible resource use, ensuring that land, water, and energy are managed sustainably.
Reinvestment of surplus, where excess food, funds, or materials are put back into community-building efforts.
- Cooperative models that support local businesses, farmers, and artisans while strengthening the local economy.
At World Tree Permaculture, we apply these ethics in all our initiatives—whether through regenerative farming, community-supported businesses, or local food systems. By aligning our work with these guiding principles, we create opportunities for long-term ecological balance and economic resilience.
