Many people are managing full lives while also feeling concerned about food security, health and wellbeing, community, the environment and the future.
Permaculture offers practical ways to understand relationships, reduce overwhelm, combat eco-anxiety and create more resilient ways of living — across land, learning and daily systems, not through perfection or radical change, but through thoughtful observation and small meaningful shifts over time.
What is Permaculture?
At its heart, permaculture is a form of systems thinking.
It helps us observe patterns, understand relationships and make more thoughtful decisions about how we live, learn, grow food, use resources and support both people and planet.
These ideas can be applied not only to land and gardens, but also to homes, communities, education, livelihoods and everyday life.
Meaningful change rarely happens all at once.
Small shifts in awareness lead to different decisions over time - this is permaculture in practice.
The Small Shifts wheel and accompanying guide offer a gentle seasonal rhythm of reflection and observation — helping people develop awareness, resilience and practical action in manageable ways.
Monthly reflections: Small Shifts in Practice
In this series, I share grounded observations from
day-to-day life, and how they inform the decisions I make — bringing together both practice and the thinking behind it.
These recordings sit alongside the Small Shifts guide, following a simple seasonal rhythm through the year.
Different ways to engage
Read & Listen
Independent learning
Books, audio and digital resources.
Best for:
- autonomous learners
- neurodivergent learners
- people with limited time/capacity
- those wanting to explore sustainable lifestyle design without community involvement
Community
Conversation and connection
Shared learning, reflections, dialogue.
Best for:
- those seeking connection
- accountability
- shared exploration
- lighter-touch engagement
Design Pathways
Structured deeper learning
Mentored and self paced courses.
Best for:
- people wanting structured progression
- practitioners
- those seeking integrated understanding
- those wanting to create a design
- those wanting certification
- those wanting a career in permaculture
About this approach
This work has been shaped through over 30 years of lived practice across different landscapes, cultures and learning environments.
Grounded at Adrian’s Croft in Scotland, the resources shared here combine permaculture, systems thinking, observation and reflective practice in ways designed to support real life and different ways of learning.