Inhabit: A Permaculture Perspective

“What if…instead of trying to be ‘less bad,’ we try to be ‘more good’?… A bold new solution.” (EcoWatch)

We hear a lot about the need to leave no footprints, to minimize our impact on the environment. But what if we instead alter the kind of footprints we leave so that our presence not only meets human needs but also increases the health and well-being of the planet? This is the premise behind permaculture, a set of ethics and design principles that guides us to mimic the patterns and relationships in nature to create more resilient communities. Inhabit examines a variety of inspiring permaculture-based practices already being used in the US as solutions to environmental problems.

Q&A director Costa Boutsikaris, film subject Lisa DePiano, and Pace University Professor Melanie DuPuis. Inspired by his deep fascination with permaculture, Costa Boutsikaris, a visual artist from the Hudson River Valley, converted a 1982 VW van to run on vegetable oil and solar panels and spent three years making this documentary, his first. Lisa DePiano is a certified permaculture designer/teacher and faculty member for the Yestermorrow Design/Build School and the University of Massachusetts, and founder of Mobile Design Lab. Dr. Melanie DuPuis is chair of Pace University’s new Department of Environmental Studies and Science. Her specialty is political sociology with an emphasis on food, environment, and sustainability policy. She is coauthor of Alternative Food Networks: Knowledge, Practice, and Politics.