STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

First, you need to know what permaculture is—that it’s a philosophy of working with, rather than against, nature.

Once you get that out of the way, you might want to learn more via the upcoming “Introduction to Permaculture, Part I” that will be offered at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, July 22, over Zoom.

Amy Mattias, a certified permaculture designer and program director for the Sun Valley Institute for Resilience, will describe the history of permaculture, ecological design principles, ethics and zone techniques in the presentation.

The program is hosted by the Hailey Public Library. RSVP with Kristin.fletcher@haileypubliclibrary.org

The practice of permaculture was initially developed in Australia and was based on farming practices of indigenous peoples. It since has spread throughout the world.

“With our valley’s strong interest in gardening and landscaping, it seemed like the right time to bring attention to these concepts in our community,” said Kristin Fletcher, programs manager for the library.

 Amy Mattias recently received a Permaculture Design Certification through Earth Activist Training, a Permaculture Institute of North America certified program. Over years of gardening, she has incorporated many permaculture principles into her personal garden, as well as in her life as a whole. Aside from her gardening hobby, Amy is a food system reformist, spending her career building a stronger and resilient regionalized food system in southern Idaho.