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Permaculture is a increasingly popular topic among homesteaders, gardeners, farmers, and social reformers. It refers to a design science that uses natural patterns and principles to create well-thought out, productive, and efficient examples of land stewardship. Swales, herb spiral beds, compost, keylines, companion planting, no-till gardening, zone-layout, multi-function elements, utilization of perennials for food production, and integration of animals and crops are some of the things that come to mind when people think of permaculture.

However, there are also some other things that are often associated with permaculture: new-age thinking, nature worship, evolution, eastern spiritualism, relative morality, etc. As Christians seeking to honor God through agriculture, many of us are attracted to the practical aspects of permaculture, but how do we respond to the anti-Christian perspectives that often go along with it?

Is the permaculture movement something Christians should learn from?

In this episode I talk with Erik Lutz of Harmony Hillside. Erik is a Christian homesteader and a member of Redeeming the Dirt Academy who recently completed a Permaculture Design Course (PDC). We discuss the benefits of permaculture and our perspectives of how we as Christians should view/utilize it.

To connect with or learn more about Erik see the links below.

Website: https://harmonyhillside.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harmonyhillside/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/harmonyhillside/

Eric shared some of his favorite resources for learning more about permaculture:

- Free online overview course (by Doug Crouch, permaculture teacher in the Cincinnati area): https://treeyopermacultureedu.com/

- Geoff Lawton YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL_r1ELEvAuN0peKUxI0Umw

- Good introductory book: Gaia's Garden (click here to see a blog post I wrote about my experience with this book. - Noah)

- Cincinnati Permaculture Institute where I took my PDC (great resource for the OH/KY/IN area): http://cincinnatipermacultureinstitute.org/

- Search the web

- Visit your local library

"Of course, it's very important for Christians to be discerning about anti-Christian philosophies laced through much of this material, but I believe the principles and methods are valuable to learn from." - Erik Lutz

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