The grass is always greener

IN the hills of Carraig Dúlra in Glenealy, Co Wicklow, permaculturist Suzie Cahn repeats her students’ first questions.

“‘Are you an eco-preacher or like one of those rainbow people?’ ‘Do you want us to go and live in a real hippy idealistic way?’” she says. Her students want to learn how to improve their lives. Financial advisor Eddie Hobbs was on one of her organic gardening courses. Ms Cahn asks her students what changes they want, and they all respond: healthier environment, less inequality and better care for people.

Bill Mollison’s intentions were the same, in the 1970s, when he coined the term permaculture — meaning permanent agriculture and permanent culture. It’s a design philosophy that encompasses gardening, architecture, horticulture, ecology, money management and community design.