As the twenty-first century progresses, the world continues to see a large amount of automation, mechanization and homogenization. This process of globalization not only destroys unique cultures but also causes a severe strain on the environment due to the dominating consumer culture. The global culture increasingly fixates more on obtaining the biggest and best products and less on the price paid by the less privileged people and the environment. A movement called "permaculture" is working to reduce these effects by dealing mainly with agricultural practices, but its principles also apply to our everyday lives.

Permaculture espouses three main tenets with which it aims to combat these growing problems. The first tenet, “Care for People,” states that people should cooperate and live in community with one another. It splits the needs between economic classes as well. This tenet identifies providing enough nutritious food and clean water as the most important goal for the poorer class of people, and it calls on the richer to work to create more long-lasting and sustainable practices. It asserts that these solutions, which arise through working with other, will help not only nature but also humanity as a whole. “Care for the Earth,” the second tenet, works in conjunction with the first. Obviously, the desire for a sustainable future motivates the creation of this tenet, and it focuses mainly on working with nature instead of against or in competition with nature. The tenet professes that humans attempt to make as minute of an impact on the environment as possible. The second tenet remains a consistent theme throughout all of permaculture. Finally, “Fair Share” joins the first two tenets together. It acknowledges the limited number of “life-giving resources” on earth and the growing number of people that need access to them. This tenet advises that those with excess should take what they need and then give the surplus to those less fortunate than them. It attempts to foster a conscious effort to live sustainably, but many people view any sort of restriction as a harsh limitation on what they can and cannot have. While possibly idealistic, these three tenets direct those who follow permaculture toward a more sustainable and just lifestyle. However, this lifestyle greatly differs from the globalized culture by supporting a reduction in consumption and a mindfulness toward the earth and other human beings.

While it may not go by the same name everywhere, permaculture has already begun infiltrating and having a deep impact on the millennial generation. The music festival Bonnaroo which takes place annually in Manchester, Tennessee has adopted many practices similar to those found in permaculture. The festival typically hosts almost 100,000 guests over a three-day period to see a collection of musical acts. This festival has the potential to do some serious environmental damage and to provide a volatile atmosphere among festival goers who camp out in hot sun for three days straight. However, Bonnaroo has written a “Bonnaroovian Code,” consisting of prepare thy self, play as a team, radiate positivity, respect the farm, don’t be that guy/gal and stay true Roo. These emulate the principles of permaculture in several ways. “Prepare thy self” resembles the self-reliance that permaculture constantly pushes. “Play as a team” and “don’t be that guy/gal” further encourage the community aspect supported by the second tenet. “Respect the farm” equates to the principle of no production of waste, and “radiate positivity” parallels the acceptance of change and appreciation of diversity. Finally, “stay true Roo,” pulls the whole thing together as it encourages festival goers to take these practices and apply them to the rest of their lives. Indirectly, Bonnaroo spreads the ideas of permaculture to millennials across the nation every year.

Overall, the notion of permaculture constitutes a large variety of ideas from sweeping generalizations as to how the world should interact with one another to specific models for how one should design his or her home. One flaw of permaculture lies in its lack of widespread testing. The possibility exists that permaculture would not be productive enough to provide for the entire world. However due to permaculture’s principle of easily responding to change, if it caused problems, they would most likely be easily fixed. While the majority of permaculture exists outside modern popular culture, the ethics at its core - the well-treatment of humans, plants and animals - should not be seen as “far out there” ideals. Even gradual implementation of permaculture values could have a profound benefit on the quality of the earth and therefore the quality of our lives.

For more information on Permaculture you can visit https://permacultureprinciples.com/ethics/.