Permacomputing is a sustainable approach to technology inspired by permaculture, bringing together computational creativity and ecological consciousness.

While computing is not an obvious front for ecological activism, its history is deeply entangled with capitalism and militarism, from geopolitical warfare to the automation of labor. Much of the material and energy consumption associated with technology is obscured: frequent upgrades, planned obsolescence, and mounting electronic waste are treated as inevitable rather than politically and economically driven choices. As a result, computing has become a major driver of resource extraction and the escalating consumption of fossil energy and water.

Permacomputing challenges this trajectory by combining computational creativity with ecological responsibility. It reframes computation as a practice grounded in conserving energy, embracing decay and reuse, valuing simplicity, and cultivating long-term ecological strategies. Permacomputing positions technology not as an engine of endless growth, but as a regenerative and situated practice.

The Ten Principles of Permacomputing

According to the permacomputing wiki, the ten principles of permacomputing can be summarized as follows:

1. Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst: Design systems that are resilient and tolerant of interruptions.  
2. Care for All Hardware—Especially the Chips: Every hardware component of technology originates from Earth’s finite resources; treat them with care.  
3. Observe First: Carefully observe problems before taking action.  
4. Know When Not to Act: Understand when to refrain from intervention to save on resource waste.  
5. Expose the Seams: Do not obfuscate the inner workings of technology for the sake of a seamless interface; embrace complexity.  
6. Balance Simplicity, Complexity, and Scale\*\*: Simple systems generally require less energy, hardware, and maintenance; find an optimal balance.  
7. Keep It Flexible: Adapt technology to serve different purposes and circumstances beyond its original design.  
8. Build on Solid Ground: Computing systems rely on platforms, frameworks, and programming languages that can quickly become obsolete; work to minimize obsolescence.  
9. (Almost) Everything Has a Place: Nothing is truly obsolete or irrelevant, even if it loses its original meaning and context.  
10. Integrate Biological and Renewable Resources: While we cannot yet grow computers on trees, we can integrate biological principles into computing.

Sources:
Bonati, O., & Veenkamp, J. (n.d.). The Demonstrator: Designing Regenerative Technologies. Waag Futurelab, 3–7. principles. (n.d.-b). permacomputing. https://permacomputing.net/principles/

← Return to the glossary overview