PRINCIPLES

1. Use ecological health as a standard point of reference in design evaluation.

2. Design with sensitivity to place. Allow site to inform design. When we build in response to climate; with respect to local wildlife and cultural traditions; and with recognition of appropriate scale, our designs become integrated into the pattern of the landscape.

3. Account for the complete environmental impacts of design. By designing with awareness to the interdependence of living systems, we take full responsibility for our designs.

4. Show respect for all life by preserving, conserving, and restoring ecological systems through design.

5. Value all types of knowledge in the design process. Because ecology examines systems holistically, specialists from all disciplines are necessary to fully assess designs. In this respect, design is interdisciplinary as ecology is interconnected. Place special value on local and indigenous knowledge.

6. Bring awareness of natural systems to the surface in design. By making natural flows apparent in human systems, we uncover opportunities to learn about ecology.

7. Preserve cultural and biological diversity, they are resources for future generations.

8. Make use of the passive energy flows of sun, wind, and water. The sun provides a perpetual income of solar energy that if used efficiently can provide all of our energy needs.

9. Use only materials that are non-toxic, renewable, and resource efficient. Don’t create burdens for future generations.

10. Use only technologies which are appropriate to culture and the environment.

11. Make resources out of waste. Living systems have no concept of waste; all is recycled as a resource.

12. No design can solve all problems for all time. Account for the unpredictable by incorporating feed-back mechanisms in design. Create designs that are open to the changing environment.