Principle #5: Use and value renewable resources, services

By Jennifer Montgomery
​Board Member, Seacoast NH Permaculture

Principle #5 encourages us to use and value renewable resources and services. Many of us swim in the 21st century sea of single-use 'goods'—like plastic (both the unrecyclable and rarely recycled kinds), fossil fuels, and factory-sized farming and livestock operations. In contrast, Principle 5 prioritizes the preservation and resilience of resources by helping us use and value that which is renewable and that can meet multiple needs over the long term. When we prioritize the use of renewable resources and services, we are meeting our own needs and better supporting the needs of Nature and the world—and our future generations.
 
Keeping goats is a great example of using and valuing renewable resources and services, and the website Permacultureprinciples.com provides a case study describing this in detail. Goats, for example, can provide milk, vegetation control (which doubles as low-cost feed), and manure for composted soil amendments. And they are smart, social, and interactive. Many people describe similar benefits with other farm animals--like chickens—that are kept on a small-farm scale. 
 
Robin Wall Kimmerer in Braiding Sweetgrass reflects frequently on the importance—and basic ethics of sustainability—of using and valuing renewable resources and services. She reflects, for example, on the imperative of foragers to limit their harvests in order that some remains not only for others in need but so that each natural resource can renew itself for the long term. 
 
Part of the intent of Permaculture is that we meet our own needs in ways that are sustainable, just, and resilient. Using and valuing renewable resources and services lies at the heart of all of that, and we can choose each day how to live with regard to Principle 5. 

Examples of Using and Valuing Renewable Resources and Services

• Using renewable resources like sun, wind, and water to power our electricity
• Using geothermal energy to sustain comfortable temperatures in our homes 
• Committing to sustainable forestry practices that help us take advantage of the benefits to meet our needs but without decimating the resource
• A well-nourished garden—via leaf mulch and natural amendments--that can provide food year after year
• Human- and animal-powered tools that get the job done with minimal use of fossil fuels and damage to the environment. Think raking and shoveling rather than fuel-fed engines, when possible and practical. Country fairs in New England often feature exhibitions of herding dogs or pulling horses—both of which can do the work of ATVs and tractors.
• Composting food waste, leaves, and grass clippings—These are renewable resources that take the place of manufactured amendments.
• Water catchment systems for gardening, animals, and people—to reduce the draw from municipal water and underground wells.
• Learn and practice ethical seed saving in order to have a renewable source for future crops

​Take Action
You are likely already doing some practices that reflect the using and valuing of renewable resources and services. Consider taking the time to level up your knowledge and practices in one of these areas. Or commit to sharing with friends and neighbors what you are doing and what you have learned along the way. And if you struggle to think of something you are already doing, perhaps commit to new learning or new practices that will help you live out Principle 5—like learning what it would take to install solar panels or the best practices for rainwater collection.