Maddy Harland

Maddy Harland was born and grew up in London in the sixties, the youngest of four and the only girl. Her brothers taught her the Blues, rock ‘n’ roll and fishing; her father, drive and optimism; and her mother, a love of Nature. She was educated at Quaker boarding schools where she was taught the importance of social justice. She is the editor and co-founder of Permaculture magazine, an international quarterly in print, digital and online at permaculture.co.uk. Maddy also co-founded Permanent Publications in 1990, an ecological publishing company, and the Sustainability Centre in Hampshire, UK, once a military base, and now a thriving immersive learning centre. She is a founding member of Gaia Education which developed the Ecovillage Design Education course endorsed by UNESCO. Maddy has been a Visiting Knowledge Exchange Fellow of the Institute of Theological Partnerships at the University of Winchester in the UK. Maddy loves the sea, forest gardening, beekeeping, wild landscapes and adventure. She is married with two daughters.

Books by Maddy

Fertile Edges

Amid a wealth of permaculture’s solutions and the ecocide of ‘business as usual’, Maddy interfaces practical permaculture and global transformation with deep ecology. This is a potent and entertaining cocktail. She writes of regenerative culture, earth restoration and social permaculture, long before they become core permaculture ideas and practices. Her deep connectivity with the natural and human worlds – a love for the changing of the seasons, of landscapes and species – and all that our differing cultures and spirits have to offer one another add another dimension of heart to this book.

The Song of the Earth

The Song of the Earth is the attempt to create an integral picture. It is the call to explore the marvellous web of life on our planet. It asks that we consciously design gentle, sustainable lifestyles and communities that honour diversity in all forms.