How to Design Inspired by Nature

On Thursday, November 30, we launched Griots, a local community designed to connect curious people seeking positive change for the planet. In this first edition, we had the presence of Ángel Escuín, promoter of Permacultura Aragón, who shared his experience designing and implementing permaculture in Torre Escribana, a one-hectare estate belonging to two families on the outskirts of Zaragoza.

What is Permaculture?

Many people associate the term with organic farming, which is only a small part of a much broader concept. Permaculture can be described as a systemic approach that enables the creation of viable systems inspired by the laws of nature. It aims to care for humans and the environment while fostering life, abundance, and sharing. The perma- prefix comes from “permanent,” synonymous with “sustainable,” and -culture implies everything we do—not just agriculture, but all aspects of human culture.

Why Permaculture Now?

In times of rapid and profound transition, we need the right tools. We must be imaginative, effective, resourceful, play with ideas, roll up our sleeves, and take action. At the same time, we need templates, principles, and a lens through which to view the possibilities ahead of us.

Design Web

The event itself was structured using a permaculture tool introduced by Ángel, known as the Design Web.

As Looby Macnamara explains in her book Cultural Emergence:

Design Web is a non-linear process with non-linear results and possibilities. Emergent design reflects the flexibility and unpredictability of cultural emergence. It allows for solutions to arise that take the design in new directions. It is organic, responsive, adaptable, fluid, and dynamic. As the design emerges, we continue weaving our way between anchor points. An emergent attitude allows us to flow and move with what arises. It recognizes that things are not always as they seem—that there is more to discover and reveal.

In People & Permaculture, she further elaborates:

It can be used for a wide variety of designs, from our own personal health to our family life, from community groups to schools, from healthcare systems to international development projects. Whoever the recipient of our design is, they are “the client” or “clients.” This could be ourselves, a family, a group, or an organization. The web has 12 anchor points, each focusing on a different area to build a detailed and holistic vision of where we want to go and how to get there.

Using the online tool KUMU, Ángel ensured that the event itself adhered to the ethics and principles of permaculture that were later explored during the session. The image below shows the outcome.

Summarized briefly, we can begin working with this systemic approach by answering questions at each of these anchor points:

Vision

• What is my ideal?
• What abundance would I like to create?

Helps

• What are my motivations for change?
• What internal resources do I have? What external resources are available?

Limits

• What is holding me back?
• What are my limiting factors?
• Why am I hesitant to change?
• What concerns do I have?

Patterns

• What are the current patterns of thought, behavior, and interaction?
• What erosion spirals can I identify?
• What would an abundance spiral look like?
• What patterns from nature, other people, or different activities could help in my design?
• What successful patterns from other areas of my life can I apply here?

Ideas

• What creative, adventurous, wild, and bold ideas do I have?
• What big, small, practical, and routine ideas do I have?
• What seed ideas do I have?

Principles

• If I look through the lens of each permaculture design principle, what do I see?
• What does it reveal about my current state?
• What ideas does it give me about where I want to go and how to get there?

Integration

• How can I integrate the information I have gathered?
• What are my needs within the design?
• What systems could be put in place to meet these needs?
• What elements would make up each system?

Action

• What will I do and when?
• What resources do I need?
• What outcomes and benefits will I gain?

Momentum

• How will I maintain momentum?
• How will I create and increase momentum?
• What support might I need to keep progressing toward my vision?

Appreciation

• What can I appreciate about myself?
• What can I appreciate about others and the world around me?
• How do I feel supported right now?

Reflection

• What is the current situation?
• What is going well?
• What is challenging?

Pause

• How can I recharge?
• How can I incorporate moments of rest and tranquility into my design?

Design Principles

Permaculture principles are listed in Figure 2.

Holmgren explains that “permaculture principles are short statements or slogans that can be remembered like a shopping list when considering the inevitable complexity of design choices and the evolution of ecological support systems. These principles are seen as universal, although the methods that express them may vary widely depending on location and situation.”

Conclusion

The gathering was highly engaging, as Ángel presented the topic both from a technical perspective and through his extensive personal experience. We helped design a practical activity that facilitated deep reflection—within the constraints of a one-hour workshop. We will soon publish this design for open use, complete with instructions on how to conduct the activity.

We are thrilled to have launched this project, immensely grateful to Ángel for his involvement and inspiration, and excited about what’s to come for Griots. If you want to stay updated on future events, we’ve created a Telegram channel—strictly for necessary updates 🙂.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• If you want to explore permaculture further, we recommend reading The Essence of Permaculture (free PDF), a summary of the concept and principles of permaculture extracted from Permaculture Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability by David Holmgren. (Source: Holmgren Design)