How many people in Downers Grove know that it is the site of an outstanding example of permaculture? How many people could even explain what permaculture is?

Vicki Nowicki, a recent past president of the village’s Organic Gardeners Club, holds this obscure knowledge. She and her husband, Ron, own the property referred to.

They have transformed dirt and grass, among other things, into a site that is toured as an outstanding example of permaculture, or a cultivation system where permanent agriculture or horticulture is maintained by relying on renewable resources and a self-sustaining ecosystem. The Green Earth Institute of Naperville sponsored one such tour this summer.

The term “permaculture” was coined by a couple of Australians — Bill Mollison and David Holmgren — back in the 70s as a combination of the words “permanent” and “agriculture,” according to Wikipedia.

The design principles involved concern sustainable living.

The Nowickis are experts on the subject and practice what they preach. They frequently are called on to give not only tours of their property but talks on subject before area followers of what is an international movement. They also have been interviewed on the radio and for magazine articles.
Vicki Nowicki currently is writing books on organic permaculture gardening and is promoting teaching younger generations about its benefits.

In addition to the security provided by being able to feed oneself and helping the environment, the flavor and nutrition of homegrown food are obvious benefits, she said. Find out about her projects, including the garden magazine she has launched to “bring people together around the idea of growing food at home,” by visiting www.libertygardens.com.

The Nowickis also have their own company dedicated to helping others put permaculture concepts into practice: the Land Office. Ron Nowicki is the landscape architect for it, and Vicki Nowicki is the garden designer and educator. They specialize in native and natural landscapes and organic gardens of all kinds — not just edible ones with vegetables and fruit.

Ron Nowicki said their goal is to “cooperate with and nurture the land — not dominate and control it.” Even the Nowicki house reflects this ideal. It is a passive solar home, which costs relatively little for them to heat each winter. Strategically planted shade trees and the angle of the roof are but two elements of the house’s design that make it energy efficient.

Their third-of-an-acre lot is an “organic and biologically diverse landscape that produces pure whole food... The plantings are an investment that take a greenhouse gas, CO2, out of the atmosphere, creates topsoil, reduces the use of fossil fuels and gives off oxygen,” Ron Nowicki said.

Surrounding the house are plots of mixed-together vegetables, flowers, bushes, trees and herbs interspersed with various water features. A small greenhouse, a pergola, and, of course, a compost pile also are integrated into the design. There is no grass or lawn. Their land, which they call Circle Gardenfarm, is an abundance of nature that provides sustenance as well as color and beauty. And they are more than willing to help others do what they have done and be environmentally and ecologically conscientious.

To find out about a tour or projects they have worked on during the past 30 years, visit www.holdtonature.com.