Question: I've seen the word permaculture lately in some articles. What is it?

Answer: In a nutshell, permaculture is the design of ecological habitats and food production systems to create a sustainable environment. It involves working with nature, recycling, reforesting the Earth, planting native and naturalized species, encouraging beneficial insects, and generally being stewards of the Earth. There are a number of books written on the subject. There are several websites devoted to the subject as well.