From Just Food:

Permaculture is a contraction of "permanent agriculture" or of "permanent culture". The term was coined in 1978 by Australian ecologist Bill Mollison and his student David Holmgren. It is one of the fastest growing environmental movements on the planet and is an integrated method of using land and resources in ways that sustain the environment while providing economic and lifestyle benefits to individuals and communities. The core values of permaculture are described as: care of the earth, care of people, sharing of resources to help others achieve their needs and reducing consumption. Although it was originally developed as an approach to food production, its principles are now broadly applied to land use and community building and can be applied on many scales- from a commercial farm to your windowsill garden. To learn more about permaculture check out resources at The Permaculture Institute or ATTRA.