Deep Sustainability Design

2008-09-24T03:26:33Z

Would you like to learn nature's design principles as a way of communicating about sustainability?

Are you passionate about working towards futures of resilience, transition and renewal through deep sustainability design?

PatternDynamics™ is an Integral Pattern Language for Deep Sustainability Design.

Our key strategy is to integrate diverse perspective and patterns in the design of sustainability solutions.

The Challenge

We have developed and tested enough green technologies and ecologically literate strategies to create a sustainable world. Currently this potential is unrealized, not because we necessarily need more of these technologies and strategies, but because sustainability initiatives are not designed to be fully supported by the multiple perspectives and manifold world views making up our increasingly complex global community. That is, sustainability as a complex global challenge cannot be met until we integrate the technologies of the 'outside' world with effective initiatives that also take into account the 'inside' world of perceptions, meaning, values and culture. Developing this integrative capacity for solving complex global challenges is the next step in human evolution. The challenge now is to take sustainability to that next level by designing 'deep sustainability' initiatives–initiatives that ensure high levels of uptake through the opportunity to participate in sustainability in ways that bring understanding, meaning and integrity to everyone's lives.

PatternDynamics™ uses the design patterns of sustainable natural systems to create a set of "pattern" diagrams- the PatternDynamics™ Chart. Each pattern in the chart represents a principle of sustainability. Transforming natural patterns into cultural principles- the principles of sustainability—is the core of the PatternDynamics™ training method.

PatternDynamics™ is simple for beginners, scale-able for any size organization, and offers natural ‘systems thinkers’ and sustainability leaders a methodology to communicate, design and collaborate for sustainable futures.

Our Approach

PatternDynamics™ is based on an Integral approach to sustainability. We use the terms Integral to signify a comprehensive, inclusive and non marginalizing approach that simultaneously seeks to provide a framework to "integrate" diverse perspectives. Applying an Integral approach to a large and complex world challenge like sustainability allows for sophisticated responses that acknowledge and utilise all of the worlds knowledge and wisdom traditions. For more information see:

Who we are

Tim Winton Founder/Director

Tim developed PatternDynamics™ while managing and acting as chief instructor at The Permaforest Trust www.permaforesttrust.org.au, a not-for-profit sustainability education centre.

Tim has a 15 year professional career working in sustainable forestry, organic agriculture, permaculture design, sustainability education and consulting. Tim also operates Permaforest Pty Ltd www.permaforest.com.au, a sustainability design and consultancy company.

As a sustainability educator, Tim has developed training modules, courses and workshops in integral sustainability, sustainability principles, permaculture design, PatternDynamics™ and sustainable forestry. He has done numerous talks and presentations on the above subjects and related topics such as Post Carbon Transition, Peak Oil, and Futures of Resilience, Transition and Renewal.

Kamya O’Keeffe Producer

Kamya has over 20 years management experience in the not-for-profit and commercial sectors. Her focus is enterprise planning and development for organisations in the Arts and Sustainability Education, alongside pioneering the development of innovative programs in Art & Ecology.

Kamya’s experience is in the development of cultural programmes and partnerships that support learning and creativity. Her commitment is to facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration that enables opportunities for creative emergence.

Welcome to Pattern Dynamics

Deep Sustainability Design