Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

permaculture - Re: [permaculture] permaculture as noun, verb, adjective

permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: permaculture

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Toby Hemenway <toby@patternliteracy.com>
  • To: permaculture list <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] permaculture as noun, verb, adjective
  • Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 10:28:06 -0800

I'm teaching right now in Belize with Larry Santoyo, who is drilling into
everyone's heads the mantra, "you don't DO permaculture, you USE
permaculture." In other words, an architect who learns the permaculture
approach doesn't stop doing architecture. She uses permaculture to do
architecture. It's a noun, but it's not a thing. The word used as a verb or
adverb erroneously suggests that there is a thing, permaculture, that we can
do. That's like saying, "I want to do ethics. Let's ethicize that backyard."
Just as it's near impossible to show someone some ethics, it is hard to show
someone some permaculture. Can anyone show me some permaculture sitting
around somewhere? No, because it's a process and an approach, just as ethics
is, or justice, or other words that don't lend themselves well to becoming
verbs or being described as a static thing.

Toby
http://patternliteracy.com


.
On 2/21/07 9:07 AM, "bwaldrop@cox.net" wrote:

> Permaculture is generally used as a noun. But in english, we are always
> turning nouns into verbs, and I was wondering how people felt about using
> permaculture as a verb.
>
> e.g. "Permaculture that planet!" (actually, that would be a command
> imperative.)
>
> or "you too can permaculture your yard."
>
> Adjective
>
> The "Permacultured Kitchen"
>
> Adverb
>
> I would like to work permaculturally for several years.
>
> I am curious as to other's thoughts on this. Does this vocal evolution
> detract from understanding permaculture as a whole systems approach to
> design?
>
> Bob Waldrop
> _______________________________________________
> permaculture mailing list
> permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page