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  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>
  • To: friendsofthetrees@yahoo.com
  • Cc: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] History of Permaculture in North America
  • Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:01:12 -0500

On 1/29/2012 5:25 AM, Michael Pilarski wrote:

The History of the Permaculture Movement in North America

A book proposal by Michael Pilarski

I am proposing a group effort to produce a permaculture history for the
US and Canada. Initially I can think of three major parts:

1) Stories by permaculture elders. Their own history and their
perspective on permaculture history.

2) Histories of individual bioregions by collaborating authors who have
been involved with the permaculture movement in their bioregion all along.

3) Youtube interviews with permaculturists about pc history. This of
course can be open-ended and continuing

Sections 1 and 2 can be published as an in-print book and as an on-line
book as well.There can be on an on-line forum dedicated to updating the
history as more people want to contribute to the effort.

I am now involved with three people in the creation of a comprehensive seed and plant sourcelist as a Google Docs spreadsheet, Docs, Site, Blog, Group and ibiblio mailing list, seedkeepers. These are proven, excellent, robust tools to use to create the history. Individuals can use Google Docs for their submissions while project editors can use hat material to create a working draft and various versions of final documents which can be made available through a Google site. Copies than can be made available wherever anyone wants to host them, in their blog or website, using open source information standards like Creative Commons. Anyone wanting to turn it into an EBook or hardcopy published work for profit should be encouraged to do so as long as credit is given to the pc history project as a source.

WHO WOULD LIKE TO BE PART OF THIS COLLABORATIVE PROJECT?

I would.

What about creating a collaborative permaculture knowledgebase too?

The two would complement each other.

Could we derive energy from Paul Wheaton's ever-growing, vast, multi-dimensional permaculture empire to help with his? That is to say, involve people who participate in the forums at permies.com, like me for example. There is so much incredibly good stuff happening there it is mind boggling, and that is an understatement, coming from an information junkie like me.

It is possible that someone else may be working on such a book already.
Please let me know if so.Have any bioregional histories been published?
Or started?

I have no idea but could look around. Yours should be done anyway.

For my own part I will compile a history of permaculture for two
bioregions; the Maritime Pacific Northwest (Cascadia) and the Inland
Pacific Northwest (Columbiana). I can do a first draft and float it to
my peer groups for comments, changes, additions, perspectives, etc. I
have been involved in permaculture in both bioregions continuously since
1981. For some years I published a regional paper called the Pacific
Northwest Permaculture News & Gossip. I recall that Peter Bane, in the
Permaculture Activist, once referred to me as perhaps the biggest
permaculture gossip in the USA. Flattering at the time, but that was
some years ago and I am sadly out of touch with developments in most
other bioregions.

That would be extremely interesting to read.

Here are some bioregions which have a strong permaculture history. I am
not listing all the bioregions here and of course each of these has
subset regions within it. Let’s see who answers the call. I am not
proposing a comprehensive history, nor a concensus viewpoint. But you
gotta start somewhere.

Northeast US

Mid-Atlantic Region

Southeast US

In North Carolina resources of note include:

Lee Barnes
Chuck Marsh
Earthhaven (Peter Bane and Keith Johnson era)
The PDC teacher/lecturer/workshop host, NCSU faculty member in Raleigh (can't remember his name)
Permaculture gathering at Celo, NC
Others

I wish there was more permaculture activity in the Central Piedmont region of NC.

Texas

Add Georgia (Koinonia) and Florida (Dan Hemenway), much happening there

Upper Midwest

Southwest

Southern California

Bay Area, California

Maritime Pacific Northwest

Inland Pacific Northwest.

British Columbia, Canada

Eastern Canada

Etc, etc.

This is an initial attempt to find out who is interested and what has
already been done. Of course there are voluminous reams of articles and
publications from the Permaculture Activist, regional pc magazines,
articles, conference proceedings, the 1998 American Permaculture
Directory (online at http://www.permaculture.net/apd/index.html), the
1^st US permaculture directory by Guy Baldwin in the 1980s, etc, etc.

Let me know if you are interested and see what kind of team we can put
together. There is room for varying levels of participation. Who would
like to be on the coordinating/editing core team?

Michael Pilarski,

Friends of the Trees Society

PO Box 826, Tonasket, Washington 98855

509-486-4056. Michael@friendsofthetrees.net

I just had a great time reading “Permaculture Pioneers” which is a
history of the first 30 years of permaculture in Australia. This is a
inspiring book and I highly recommend it to all permaculturists no
matter where they live. Of course unless/until it is translated it can
only be read by English speakers. The book is composed of articles by 24
leading permaculturalists in Australia with an afterword by Stuart B.
Hill. It contains many insights into the foundations of permaculture.

“Permaculture Pioneers: Stories from the new Frontier”. Edited by Kerry
Dawfurn and Caroline Smith. Melliodora Publishing, Hepburn, Australia.
June 2011. Available in the US from Chelsea Green Publishing. $34.95
retail. Here is the review from Chelsea Green’s website.

“Permaculture is much more than organic gardening. Arguably it is one of
Australia’s greatest intellectual exports, having helped people
worldwide to design ecologically sustainable strategies for their homes,
gardens, farms and communities. This book charts a history of the first
three decades of permaculture, through the personal stories of
Australian permaculturists. From permaculture co-originator David
Holmgren, to ABC TV's Gardening Australia presenter Josh Byrne, the
authors span the generations and the continent.

These stories represent the scope, depth and diversity of permaculture
in Australia and around the world. They explore some of the influences
on those who have embraced it, record milestones and highlight recurring
themes. The editors’ contributions and afterword by social ecologist
Professor Stuart B Hill frame the stories in terms of transformation of
the inner landscape of our minds and hearts, as the critical starting
point for the outer change that is needed.

For those whose lives have been changed by permaculture, this book
provides a context for articulating and celebrating their own stories
and experiences. Even more, it invites each of us, permaculturists or
not, to embrace our power in designing our world out of the best in
ourselves, for the benefit of the whole earth community.”

Here is a brief on-line permaculture history from an Australian viewpoint.

http://pacific-edge.info/a-short-and-incomplete -history-of-permaculture/






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