Permaculture: What it Means and How Principles Shape Every Evolve Tours Trip

And Why They Matter for Today’s Students

When people hear the word permaculture, they often think of farming, gardens, or sustainable landscapes. But permaculture—especially as outlined by David Holmgren—is much bigger than that. It's a design philosophy for living, learning, and making choices that create a healthier future.

At Evolve Tours, these principles naturally weave into everything we do, whether we’re snorkeling with marine biologists in Tahiti, cooking with artisans in Oaxaca, hiking through the Sacred Valley of Peru, or exploring sustainability innovations in Japan.

Educational travel isn't just about seeing the world. It’s about learning how to move through the world with awareness, curiosity, and a sense of responsibility. Holmgren’s 12 principles give students a framework to understand that.

Below, we look at key principles—and show exactly how they come alive on our trips.

1. Observe & Interact

Students step out of the classroom and into living systems.
They watch how communities build, cook, grow, share, celebrate, and problem-solve.

This happens everywhere:

Watching traditional farming systems in Peru
Observing coral regeneration in French Polynesia
Learning city-scale sustainability systems in Tokyo
Exploring forest ecology in Quebec or BC

Every destination becomes a case study in how humans and nature interact.

2. Catch & Store Energy

From solar learning centers in Costa Rica to water-harvesting projects in the Andes, students see how communities create long-term solutions—then reflect on how this applies to their own lives.

They discover:

solar ovens
thermal mass
compost heat systems
traditional food-preservation practices

And they ask: How do communities preserve energy—food, resources, culture—across generations?

3. Obtain Yield

Every Evolve trip connects experiences to real learning outcomes.

Whether it’s:

cooking a meal with a local chef
building a piece of community infrastructure
collecting data for a marine biology project
creating art with an Indigenous teacher

Students come home with a “yield”: knowledge, skills, confidence, empathy, and perspective.

Apply Self-Regulation & Accept Feedback

Travel uniquely teaches resilience and reflection.

Students:

adjust to new cultures
practice patience
learn respectful behaviour
adapt when plans shift

Every day on the road is a real-world lesson in self-management and teamwork.

5. Use & Value Renewable Resources

Costa Rica Trips | Permaculture Guiding Principles | Evolve Tours

Across our trips, students learn how communities reduce reliance on non-renewables:

bamboo construction in Costa Rica
tidal power in the UK
geothermal energy in Iceland
Indigenous botanical traditions in Mexico

Sustainability stops being a concept—it becomes something they taste, touch, and step inside.

6. Produce No Waste

Educational travel teaches resource awareness.

Students practice:

zero-waste cooking
composting
recycling systems in other cultures
upcycling workshops
low-impact travel habits

This principle often sticks with students long after they return home.

7. Design From Patterns to Details

We zoom out first—showing students the big picture of a place’s landscape, culture, ecology, and challenges—before zooming in on workshops and hands-on experiences.

In Japan, this might mean learning about cultural values before visiting a calligraphy workshop.
In Peru, understanding the Andean worldview before participating in agricultural traditions.
In Costa Rica, studying forest layers before learning about cacao or medicinal plants.

This is how deep learning happens.

Costa Rica Trips | Permaculture Garden | Evolve Tours

8. Integrate Rather Than Segregate

Every Evolve itinerary is built around connection:
humans with humans, humans with nature, ideas with actions.

Students cook with locals, learn from scientists, walk with farmers, surf with community leaders, and listen to stories from people who call the place home.

Learning becomes relational—not transactional.

9. Use Small & Slow Solutions

We focus on meaningful, human-scale experiences.
One community.
One family.
One farm.
One workshop.
One guide.

Students see that change doesn’t always come from big institutions—it often comes from committed individuals.

10. Use & Value Diversity

Every trip highlights biodiversity, but also cultural diversity.

Students learn:

Indigenous worldviews
local languages
regional culinary traditions
ecological adaptations
artistic expressions

Travel teaches that diversity isn't just beautiful—it’s essential.

11. Use Edges & Value the Marginal

Travel takes students to the edges—where culture, ecosystems, and ideas meet.

These edges include:

mangrove ecosystems
coral reefs
rural villages
mountaintown communities
urban neighbourhoods shaped by migration

Real learning happens away from the “tourist center.”

Costa Rica Trips | Students learning about permaculture design principles | Evolve Tours

12. Creatively Use & Respond to Change

Travel prepares students for a world of constant change.

They learn to:

navigate challenges
adapt creatively
collaborate with others
approach unfamiliar situations with curiosity rather than fear

These are life skills that no textbook can teach.

Why Permaculture Belongs in Education (and Travel)

Permaculture is ultimately about thinking—systems thinking, regenerative thinking, community thinking, long-term thinking.

At Evolve Tours, we don’t teach permaculture explicitly on every trip.
But its principles live underneath everything we design.
Every Evolve experience helps students: