[permaculture] Trends in America

Nancy Frank oppty at mac.com
Wed Oct 29 13:58:24 EDT 2008


As long as we are in the conversation.  I didn't set out to purchase  
land for a permaculture farm, but I am a single woman who was raised  
in the city until I was about 30 (now 52), and have 55 acres (30  
woods -- 25 open) in northwestern Wisconsin, with some sheep, llamas,  
chickens, etc., and am very interested in creating more opportunities  
to utilize more of the land for sustainability.  I have a room for  
rent in my 100 year-old farmhouse to a non-smoking woman who is  
interested in producing food from this land, making some sustainable  
changes, and living in a wonderful rural community.  The community is  
eco-friendly, and there are several small start-up sustainable farms  
around.  If anyone knows of someone interested in this opportunity,  
please have them contact me privately.  It could be a seasonal  
rental, or year-round.

Nancy



On Oct 29, 2008, at 11:53 AM, KSantoyo wrote:

> In response to Isabel's original post- not sure what the problem is?!
> People buying up land and wanting to create a place where people can
> come learn about growing and living together- ohmigosh- that's
> horrible!
>
> So what if they don't have the skill sets yet...it sounds like they
> know enough to seek help from people who know more than they
> do...Isn't that what this whole process is about -education? Learning
> so that one can become more capable and able to better contribute to
> the health of the whole?
>
> What a resource these new landowners are offering to those who wish
> they had a place to go get some hands-on experience, or simply
> practice their passion and skills...
>
> As Trudie alludes to, imagine roving bands of skilled permaculturists-
> permaculture gypsies!- moving from site to site, living for a while in
> the community, and helping people get their systems properly set up-
> seems like that would be a good thing...
>
> to the good green road,
>
> Kathryn Santoyo
> earthflow.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: permaculture-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org
> [mailto:permaculture-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Udan Farm
> Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 10:17 AM
> To: permaculture at lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: [permaculture] Trends in America
>
> Hi Everyone,
>
> I admit, I do not keep up with this list nearly as much as I would  
> like
> to, but I'd like to start a discussion about a trend I see, and  
> perhaps
> how to alter it, or harness it, or ???
>
> I live in a southern state, so we are fairly far behind in  
> Permaculture,
> as in, classes being taught, and interest in general.
> I am a new Permaculture teacher, trying to get the word out, and my
> partner and I will be student teaching our first design course this
> winter.
>
> What I have noticed here in our southern state is a trend of fairly
> wealthy couples, or single middle aged women, who "decide" to start a
> farm, eco-village, or other farm related business, with little prior
> knowledge. They go buy the land with little realization of what to  
> look
> for, realize that it's a lot of work, and then want someone to come
> "assess" their land. Most of them want to host a class (mainly because
> they are too busy to leave the farm) and hope that it will include  
> lots
> of people planting trees for them. In other words, they want  
> someone to
> come "DO" permaculture to their farm, and hope it won't cost much.
> Generally they also hold down jobs in another town or they live part
> time in another place. They had enough money to create the  
> beginning of
> the dream but no clue how to sustain it or build it.
>
> I don't want to come off sounding like a whiner here. But this is
> happening over, and over and over here in my state. You can pretty  
> much
> map them out, about 100 miles apart.
> We are feeling very much pulled by every little wind as permaculture
> teachers, so we are having to be very selective about what we do.
>
> What I was wondering-I don't mean to just crab about it- is are any
> other Permaculture Teachers out there experiencing this, and what  
> do you
> tell folks, and how could we get them all together? Mind you it's a 5
> hour drive from one end of the state to another
>
>
> "
> This is really, in my opinion, an indicator of our larger American
> society in general. We have enough money to go off in our little  
> corner
> and live, and we want others to "work for us", as we have come to
> expect. (I don't think that, but I think American society in  
> general-or
> at least upper and upper-middle class society does.)
>
> Granted the tide seems to have turned, and people may be more serious
> and honest about wanting to live simply and sustainably...
>
> but I just wondered what my fellow Perm. folks out there are
> experiencing, and how they are turning THE PROBLEM INTO THE SOLUTION.
>
> Peace,
> Isabel
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