David Holmgren builds on the extraordinary success of the permaculture concept and the global permaculture movement to provide a more cerebral and controversial contribution to the sustainability debate, including an exploration of how mainstream concepts of sustainability dodge the critical issue of global energy peak; and proposing ways to live within natures limits while providing a secure future for everyone. Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability brings into focus the powerful and still evolving permaculture concept he pioneered with Bill Mollison in the 1970s. It draws together and integrates 25 years of thinking and teaching to show a whole new way of understanding and action behind a simple set of design principles, taking a step-by-step look at the 12 Permaculture Concepts.This book provides refreshing perspectives on a range of environmental issues and shows how permaculture is much more than a system of gardening. For anyone seriously interested in understanding the foundations for sustainable design and culture, this book is essential reading.