RIS+Draft+Background+Section

Why is this significant?

Recently, it has become obvious to many people that there are dire consequences of human's irresponsible actions on the earth. Cultures have become too large to be sustainable, given the current methods for food and energy procurement. In the past, when there were far fewer people on the planet, the earth could bounce back from things like toxic pesticide use, or burning of fossil fuels, because the amount of poison being introduced was minuscule compared to the size of the planet. Now, with almost 8 billion people on the earth (according to Google), the scales have shifted, giving these actions more effect on the environment.

While some people look to new technologies to fix the problem, others look to the ways of the past, to a connection with the earth as a living entity, as method of solution.

This is much shorter than the example background and significance, but I'm not really sure what the significance of relating permaculture and paganism is, except that it is interesting. I don't think anyone would be particularly surprised or say "aha! here is the solution to that problem I've been having!"