The problem with environmentalism is it can often be taken, well, a bit too far. Being in touch with nature is one thing, communing daily with Gaia is another. It is not particularly practical and it can be off-putting for people who want to do their bit but are maybe not so keen on the whole yoghurt-weaving thing.

As a result, I have become rather sceptical of the many promises to show a pathway to sustainable living. It was a refreshing surprise, then, to find the Introduction To Permaculture course, run by the Brighton Permaculture Trust, to be the complete antithesis of all the things I fear.

Permaculture is a way of designing systems (buildings, farms, allotments, communities, etc) to mimic nature and carry on in a sustainable manner.

Essentially, it comes down to common sense. We observe how a system works – the sun helps plants grow, bees and insects pollinate the plants, bees and insects provide food for larger animals and plants get to carry on to the next generation. Then we use that to the advantage of both people and nature – grow plants where the sun reaches, encourage bees and insects into our gardens, pollinate food crops, help the bird population and encourage more biodiversity.

It started life in Australia when two ecologists, Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, began looking for a more stable method of agriculture than the industrial methods they saw stripping the land of its fertility and destroying biodiversity.

They devised a method of examining a whole system, so rather than splatting crops on the nearest field, the area would be inspected, considered, and then designed to provide the optimum output for any human, animal and plant population in the space.

The word permaculture is a contraction of both “permanent agriculture” and “permanent culture”. Originally created to be applied to land use, it has come to have many different applications, such as for energy, homes and transport.

So what does permaculture look like? The Earthship at Stanmer Organics in Brighton, where the course is held, is a great example. It is, essentially, a circular system. The huge greenhouse along the front heats the house, while the shared wall between greenhouse and living area minimises material use. The warmth in the greenhouse encourages plants to grow, which in turn filter the house’s grey water.

The building is completely off-grid, generating everything it needs from harvesting water, the sun and the wind. It is self- maintaining, resilient, flexible, creates no waste and is self- perpetuating: the key requirements of permacultural systems.

The course is led by Bryn Thomas and Pippa Johns, both of the not-for-profit Permaculture Trust. Both have been involved in permaculture for about 15 years and are permaculture teachers and designers. Pippa also runs the Edible Garden, a plant nursery and design consultancy.

On average, between 15 and 20 people take each course and on mine there is an even mix of men and women, a wide range of ages and a fascinating mix of reasons for being there.

Alex lives in Brighton, is studying forestry at Plumpton College and has a plot of land in Brazil, which he intends to farm. Emma, a student from Warwick, was inspired by a permaculture project in Indonesia where peanut plants were used to fix nitrates in otherwise barren soil, eventually creating a lush, productive farmland. Sophie has come down from Peterborough, where she is working on an urban allotment project, and Chris is involved in the creation of Transition Dorking, a new link in the ever-growing network of Transition Towns.

If you have heard the word permaculture before, it is most likely because of the Transition Town movement, which grew out of a permaculture course in Kinsale, Ireland.

The course starts with the students coming up with their own definition of permaculture from a given list of words, which quickly highlights one very important point: humans have become distinct from nature, and therein lies the root of our problems.

The solution, according to permaculture, is bound up in three ethics: earthcare, peoplecare and fair shares. They are all pretty self-explanatory – look after the planet and the stuff on it; look after others and yourself; take only what you need and share the rest.

The thing is, none of these ideas are new, and, secretly, we all know we should be doing that stuff anyway, so why is it different when described with a pretty portmanteau?

Pippa says the crucial point is you only need to apply them to yourself. “You aren’t trying to make anyone else do this,” she says. “It only has to work for you and if someone else is interested, use the ethic of fair share to pass on what you know.”

So no need to worry that Mr and Mrs Nextdoor have just bought a new 4x4 and 52in plasma TV - look after yourself and everything else will follow.

After the three ethics are the principles of permaculture, which essentially provide a step-by-step guide to things we should have been thinking about from the beginning, such as how to farm an area without depleting the soil, which got sidetracked by making stuff that inherently can’t last very long, like very fast, pretty cars which require a limited resource to run.

One of the most exciting things, I think, about permaculture is its simplicity and practicality. Bryn says: “Permaculture is not about going back in time. It’s not glorifying traditional systems – some of them are good, some are bad. The important thing is just starting where we are now and thinking about what we are doing.”

This is sweet music compared with the two popular environmentalism extremes - back to basics and futuristic technologies. It is also refreshingly easy. I only need to worry about myself. Try to get me to worry about everyone else, or Gaia, and it all gets a bit too stressful.

  • For more on Brighton Permaculture Trust courses visit brightonpermaculture.co.uk