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  • From: Michael Pilarski <friendsofthetrees@yahoo.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] North American Permaculture History Project
  • Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2014 19:38:54 -0700 (PDT)

Thanks Sandra for the resources. thanks Toby for the comments.

Thanks Rafter for your excellent crowdsourcing information idea. I like the
google doc and the workpress.  I encourage you to continue and I can direct
people there.

 One condition for my involvement and participation is that the information
is publicly available. 

For the time being I will also continue to expand my list, but at some point
if your systems are functional and have buy-in, I will let my efforts fold
into yours. 

I could never do what a crowsourced info bank could do.  So you are right on.


 Are you coming to the North American Permaculture convergence? Great place
to really get buy in and participation.


Michael "Skeeter" Pilarski
Permaculture - Wildcrafting - Medicinal Herbs & Seeds


Sign up for my newsletter at www.friendsofthetrees.net
www.facebook.com/michael.skeeter.pilarski

On Monday, April 28, 2014 5:47 PM, rafter sass ferguson
<liberationecology@gmail.com> wrote:

I love this project! Thanks so much to Michael for kicking this off.
The idea of mining back issues of Pc Activist for course listings is a
great one, and will likely produce data we couldn't get any other way.

As a supplement to that, I'm interested in following up on Sandra's
interesting idea - basically, crowdsourcing the data collection process
online.

With an eye to...
• making it easier to enter, collate, and do quality control on the data
(including for the Pc Activist archival search), and...
• making it possible for many people to contribute...

...I whipped up a Google form to show what it might look like. (I made it
international in scope, just for fun.)

This is the Google form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1RUVYGwXZnbNMXifzsAOwfX62o2t6AIxa1UaWvTndmns/viewform

And this is what it looks like embedded in a wordpress site:
http://liberationecology.org/wpgforms/permaculture-history-project/

Note that these form are live, but I haven't shared or promoted anything
yet, as I want to make sure this is acceptable to the folks who have
already put work in  - namely, Michael!

Michael, would you consider this a valid complementary strategy to what
you've already begun? Could the form be useful for you in the work you've
already begun (like for data entry)?

One snazzy thing about the Google form is that it shows any respondent
summary graphics of all responses automagically after they submit. No
information hoarding here.

I'd like to hear feedback, suggestions, thoughts.
Thanks for your consideration, all.

Warmly,
Rafter




Rafter Sass Ferguson, MS
PhD Candidate | Crop Sciences Department
University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign
liberationecology.org
518 567 7407


On Fri, Apr 18, 2014 at 2:26 AM, sandra campe
<zukunftswerkstatt@riseup.net>wrote:

> hi all,
>
> for europe, we are discussing something similar at the moment. we have
> started the other way round though: created a google form into which
> people can add their information (and planning to spread the link
> through our networks).
> if you are interested, i can send you the link to that form, in case
> someone would want to create something similar?
>
> and another thing i just remembered:
> a colleague compiled a list of websites and facebook pages where it is
> possible to post courses - so maybe that is a place to search for
> NA-teachers, too?
>
> Websites with course listings
> http://www.permaculture.net/courses/listings.html
> http://www.permacultureactivist.net/DesignCourse/Europe.htm
> http://www.permacultureglobal.com/
> http://www.permaculture.org.uk/international/europe
> http://permacultureplanet.com/index.php?
> http://www.permacultureglobal.com/posts/788
>
>
> Facebook pages and groups
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/Permaculture.courses/
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/210962832254897/
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/permacultureeurope/
> https://www.facebook.com/pages/Permaculture-Europe/120523378070618
>
> good luck with the NAPC!
>
> sandra
>
>
>
> On 18.04.2014 03:32, Toby Hemenway wrote:
> > Though the Activist is a good place to start, I know that there are many
> teachers in NA that haven't listed there. I haven't listed my PDCs there
> for several years, and I know of several other active older teachers, and a
> large number of younger ones, who don't list their courses there. So I
> think Lawrence's suggestion of Google archive searches will be necessary to
> get accurate results.
> >
> > But there are also some PDCs being taught at universities by faculty
> that never get advertised off-campus at all, so you'll miss those teachers.
> Several were taught at Pacific University by faculty who never taught
> elsewhere.
> >
> > Permaculture is starting to get too big to keep track of. That's a good
> thing.
> >
> > Good luck, tho--keep pluggin' away!
> >
> > Toby
> > http://patternliteracy.com
> >
> >
> > On Apr 16, 2014, at 10:08 AM, Michael Pilarski <
> friendsofthetrees@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> PERMACULTURE TEACHERS IN THE USA and
> >> NORTH AMERICA
> >> Historical List - Proposal by Michael
> >> Pilarski
> >>
> >> There hasn’t been a list of PDC
> >> teachers for the US and Canada since John Irwin’s 1998 American
> Permaculture Directory. It listed most of the PDC
> >> teachers at the time plus many PDC graduates and other useful resources.
> >>
> >> I propose we do something spectacular
> >> along these lines at the NAPC (North American Permaculture
> Convergence). If
> >> even half of us brought a special contribution or snippet of
> information, it
> >> would add up to a lot.  Of course there
> >> are lots of internet resources, but I don’t think anyone has compiled a
> list of
> >> PDC teachers.
> >>
> >> Here
> >> is my proposal.  Someone(s) goes through all 91 issues (as of Spring
> 2014) of the Permaculture Activist. Make a data base
> >> which lists every PDC instructor mentioned in the Events and Calendar
> sections.
> >> Start at Issue #1 and work up. Enter the first year that a PDC
> instructor’s
> >> name appears. Add each following year that their name appears.  Print
> it out.  That would give us a list of PDC instructors, the year they started
> >> teaching, the last year they taught and how many years their name
> >> appeared.  Personally, I would be
> >> fascinated to read the list.
> >>
> >> Of course, not all PDC instructors
> >> advertise through the PC Activist,
> >> but it would be a darn good start.  We
> >> can post this print-out at the NAPC and people can help fill in the
> missing
> >> pieces.  After the NAPC add in the new
> >> names and post on-line for everyone to view.  This could be further
> added to and edited if someone wants to take this
> >> on as a continuing history project. Most courses (but not all) in the
> USA and
> >> Canada list in the Activist. PDCs in
> >> Mexico do not get into the Activist,
> >> by and large. Who can fill in that part of the directory?
> >>
> >> I do have a complete set of the Permaculture Activist back issues, but
> >> it is currently boxed in storage. Anyone willing to collaborate on this
> project
> >> please contact me at friendsofthetrees@yahoo.com
> >> - Michael Pilarski
> >>
> >> PS. This is part of a larger North American Permaculture History
> Project.
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> permaculture mailing list
> >> permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
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> maintenance:
> >> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
> >> message archives:  https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/permaculture/
> >> Google message archive search:
> >> site: lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/permaculture [searchstring]
> >> Permaculture Institute USA http://permaculture.org
> >> How to permaculture your urban lifestyle
> >> http://www.ipermie.net
> >> Avant Geared  http://www.avantgeared.com
> >> https://plus.google.com/+Avantgeared
> >> Permaculture: -- portal to an expanding global network of landtech
> pioneers -- who are designing ecological land use systems with integrated
> elements for synergy, sustainability, regeneration and enhanced
> nature-compatible human habitat
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > permaculture mailing list
> > permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
> > subscribe/unsubscribe|user config|list info|make a donation toward list
> maintenance:
> > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
> > message archives:  https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/permaculture/
> > Google message archive search:
> > site: lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/permaculture [searchstring]
> > Permaculture Institute USA http://permaculture.org
> > How to permaculture your urban lifestyle
> > http://www.ipermie.net
> > Avant Geared  http://www.avantgeared.com
> > https://plus.google.com/+Avantgeared
> > Permaculture: -- portal to an expanding global network of landtech
> pioneers -- who are designing ecological land use systems with integrated
> elements for synergy, sustainability, regeneration and enhanced
> nature-compatible human habitat
> >
>
> --
> sandra campe
> sieben linden ecovillage
> d-38489 beetzendorf
> germany
> skype: xcampe.sinax

> _______________________________________________
> permaculture mailing list
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> maintenance:
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture
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> Google message archive search:
> site: lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/permaculture [searchstring]
> Permaculture Institute USA http://permaculture.org
> How to permaculture your urban lifestyle
> http://www.ipermie.net
> Avant Geared  http://www.avantgeared.com
> https://plus.google.com/+Avantgeared
> Permaculture: -- portal to an expanding global network of landtech
> pioneers -- who are designing ecological land use systems with integrated
> elements for synergy, sustainability, regeneration and enhanced
> nature-compatible human habitat
>
_______________________________________________
permaculture mailing list
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maintenance:
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message archives:  https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/permaculture/
Google message archive search:
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Permaculture Institute USA http://permaculture.org
How to permaculture your urban lifestyle
http://www.ipermie.net
Avant Geared  http://www.avantgeared.com
https://plus.google.com/+Avantgeared
Permaculture: -- portal to an expanding global network of landtech pioneers
-- who are designing ecological land use systems with integrated elements for
synergy, sustainability, regeneration and enhanced nature-compatible human
habitat
>From lakinroe@silcom.com Tue Apr 29 09:50:46 2014
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A �Pattern Language� for Women in Permaculture Karryn Olson-Ramanujan
article and interview on Permaulture Podcast

A �Pattern Language� for Women in Permaculture

http://seedsustainabilityconsulting.com/women-in-permaculture-article-in-permaculture-activist/
Interview with Karryn Olson-Ramanujan
http://www.thepermaculturepodcast.com/2014/karryn/
6
This article by Karryn Olson-Ramanujan was published in the �Permaculture
Activist� magazine in August of 2013. This version is edited slightly, with
longer captions, more pictures, and hyperlinks.

Click here for a pdf version of the article.

Though women receive the majority of all college degrees in the U.S., and are
well represented in the work force, they are very under-represented in
positions of high-level leadership. Most of the women I�ve encountered in
permaculture note analogous patterns: often, women constitute 50% or more of
the participants in PDCs, yet occupy disproportionately few of the positions
of leadership and prominence in lucrative roles, such as designers, teachers,
authors, speakers, or �permaculture superstars.�

To address this situation, this article drafts �A Pattern Language for Women
in Permaculture.� Each pattern can be applied in many ways and names a core
solution to a problem that undermines women�s full participation and
leadership. Just as words connect to form a language, one can connect these
patterns to form a language that describes good social design practices.

This approach is modeled after the book, A Pattern Language, by Christopher
Alexander et al, in which the authors write, �Each pattern may be looked upon
as a hypothesis� and are therefore all tentative, all free to evolve under
the impact of new experience and observation.� Using the same analogy, I
invite your input to help craft this new language.

Pattern 1: Shift �mental models�

What are mental models? They are deeply ingrained generalizations that
influence how we understand the world and how we take action. The problem
with mental models arises when we are unaware of them�so they remain
unexamined, yet govern our behavior.

Dr. Virginia Valian, Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Hunter College
and Co-Director of its �Gender Equity Project,� studies �gender schemas��our
unaware assumptions about what it means to be male or female in our society,
and the �accumulation of advantage.�

Valian shows that women leaders are measured against �masculine�
characteristics for leadership, competence, and assertiveness. As a result,
both men and women consistently overrate men�s performance, while women are
underrated. �Whatever emphasizes a man�s gender gives him a small advantage,
a plus mark. Whatever accentuates a woman�s gender results in a small loss
for her, a minus mark,� states Valian in her book, Why So Slow? The
Advancement of Women.

Accumulation of small disadvantages for women stalls or slows their path to
leadership and undermines their earning potential. To illustrate this, Valian
cites research in which a computer simulation begins with equal numbers of
new male and female employees. A tiny bias�only 1% of the variability in
promotion�in favor of men is programmed into many iterations of simulated
opportunities for promotion. In the end, men occupied 65% of the highest
positions in the organization.

We can see this dynamic in the US. According to the White House Project, in
their �Benchmarking Women�s Leadership� report, women receive the majority of
all college degrees, make up almost half of the workforce, and are well
represented in entry- and mid-level positions in most sectors of the economy.
However, women occupy on average only 18% of top leadership positions (and
numbers are lower among women of color). Further, the wage gap for women
means that they make 78.7 cents for every dollar earned by men, and that gap
widens with age.

This makes little sense, especially when studies show that ��of the various
qualities of leadership, women were rated far, far ahead of men on being
honest, intelligent, compassionate, outgoing, and creative, and were
considered just as hardworking, andambitious as men. Men were perceived as
excelling only in being decisive,� according to studies cited by Linda
Tarr-Whelan in Women Lead the Way: Your Guide to Stepping Up to Leadership
and Changing the World. Indeed, although most Americans agree that women are
more likely to have the qualities needed to make a good leader, they often
still opt for a man in charge.

In permaculture circles, the women I interviewed expressed universal
frustration over the low number of women in traditional roles of leadership.
At the same time, they also expressed dismay that other roles in which women
are at or above parity (such as organizers, homesteaders, farmers, or other
related fields) are often not valued as leadership.


Stella Strega with one of her lambs, a traditional Canary Island breed. These
relatively rare Herrenian sheep provide wool, milk, excellent meat, and
invaluable environmental services � they are rotated on the ecovillage farm
she is designing as an integrated forest gardens system with multiple animal
species designed to maximize food yields & carbon capture in soils.
�It seems very ironic to me that it is often the organizer types who get
over-looked as designers, when they are, in fact, very skilled at the much
harder �invisible structures� design that is so essential in making anything
happen,� said Stella Strega, permaculture teacher and designer in the Canary
Islands. Organizer designers, for example, focus on people-care aspects:
bringing people together; organizing events, course schedules, book
publication, and even entire permaculture networks. �They do the very complex
�weaving� work without which we would never hear about permaculture or any of
the illustrious teachers in the first place. When permaculture projects fail,
it is because they didn�t have enough of those skilled kinds of designers,
not because the trees or plants failed to grow.�

So, how do we shift mental models?

First, one can commit to educating oneself about them and dialoging about
their impact on us and on our organizations.

Second, we can counter gender schemas and other forms of �unconscious bias�
by learning to be an allies who co-create equitable environments (see Pattern
8).

Third, we can build habits of giving �micro-affirmations�?which not only
block inequities, but also can reverse their negative effects. This modeling
of small, appreciative acts also invites others to replicate them, thus
creating a snowball effect. Finally, we can value the work of people quietly
doing the work of organizing and implementing permaculture on the land. For
example, although value isn�t measured only by money, several women
organizers are developing business models for events to ensure that their
work doesn�t have to remain unpaid.

Pattern 2: Understand and advocate for the �30% Solution� as an vital step
toward parity

Valian�s studies also relate to numbers of women in the workplace: ��being a
minority increases a woman�s likelihood of being judged in terms of her
difference from the male majority, rather than in terms of her actual
performance. Her minority status highlights her gender and, accordingly,
makes her seem less appropriate for the job, which seems more masculine
because of the large number of men filling it.�

However, the impact of gender schemas is reduced or eliminated when women are
more numerous in a group: ��researchers found that women�s performance
ratings were more negative than men�s when women were only 1-10% of a work
group; somewhat less negative when women constituted 11-20%, and shifted to
more positive when women were 50% or more of a group.�

Along these lines, Linda Tarr-Whelan shows when 30% of the people at power
tables are women, organizations reach a tipping point. Women can then change
agendas, inform goals, allocate resources, and impact the style in which
goals are achieved. Cultural stereotypes are altered so that women are no
longer seen as women, but as professionals.

Serving as a classic example of win-win solutions, a critical mass of women
at top levels not only benefits individual women, but also leads to better
government and better business outcomes. The �Benchmarking Women�s
Leadership� report states, �A growing body of research demonstrates that
women�s �risk-smart� leadership is perfectly suited to what our nation needs
to get on the right track.� Further, ��women tend to include diverse
viewpoints in decision making, have a broader conception of public policy,
and are also more likely to work through differences to form coalitions,
complete objectives, and bring disenfranchised communities to the table.�

Tarr-Whelan challenges all of us to look at our organizations, and if we
notice that women are in less than 30% of leadership positions, to start a
conversation about the benefits of women�s leadership. We can ask, �What is
the landscape for women in permaculture in our circles?� If not at parity, we
can set policy to have 30% of our boards, teaching teams, speakers lists,
etc., occupied by qualified women. They are out there, and we can find them
by replacing the question, �Who do I know?� with �Who don�t I know?�

Pattern 3: Value diversity

This permaculture design principle is true for both natural and human
systems. Diverse groups perform better than homogenous groups when it comes
to decision making, not only because of input from the minority group, but
also, in the case of ethnic diversity, because white participants improved
the quality of their participation, according to a 2008 Tufts University
study. Another 2012 study shows that heterogeneous groups are more apt to
makeethical decisions. Other studies reveal that �diverse groups almost
always outperform homogenous groups, even if the people in a homogenous group
are more capable.� This reveals a pattern for optimizing human organizations.

Starhawk, an expert on Goddess religion, earth based spirituality and
activism, offers Earth Activist Trainings (EAT). EAT has developed a
two-pronged approach to capacity building: 1) by building long-standing
relationships to support communities with unmet needs; and 2) by reinvesting
surplus funds into diversity scholarships, which in this case, were offered
for people of color. �It was tremendously successful�we went from 1-2% of our
course being people of color to perhaps 40%.� Starhawk emphasized that
inviting more than one person of color to the course ensures that they have
support and avoids tokenism, shifts the whole dynamic of the course and is
very enriching. It is also important for teachers to have training in the
factors that create barriers to full participation and to be prepared to
facilitate the stuff that may come up when we become a diverse group. �For
permaculture to succeed in changing the world, it has got to move beyond the
usual suspects and embrace the wide diversity of the world we live in.�

Pattern 4: Intersecting Identities

This article cannot speak for all women in permaculture�the women I was able
to contact for interviews through electronic social media on rather short
notice were mostly of European descent, from industrialized nations. All of
the women I interviewed voiced concerns about permaculture presently being
accessible to mostly white, middle class folks in their regions. Moreover, we
know that women are active in permaculture elsewhere in the world and we want
to create better networks with those women, as the �women in permaculture�
movement must include multiple perspectives informed by diversity of age,
ethnicity, nationality, religion, geographic area, class, physical ability,
educational level, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Indeed, the women
of color in the feminist movement of the 60s added a new dimension by
pointing out that the experiences of women are not homogenous, but that
theintersection of identities and discriminations forms experiences and
perspectives that are critical to humanity�s understanding of oppression.

Similarly, Pandora Thomas, a rising permaculture leader in the San Francisco
Bay Area says, �There hasn�t been enough work done around permaculture
principles translating them for the people care ethic, so now there�s this
misconception that permaculture is about farming and gardening, which it
isn�t�it�s mostly about relationships. It�s about looking at systemic
problems and finding relationship-based whole system solutions?and one of
most vital systemic issues, along with the status of women, is cultural and
racial inequity.� Thomas believes the phrase �women in permaculture� fails to
acknowledge that there are many types of women who are treated in such
divergent ways, with black women often finding themselves invisible in
conversations about women in permaculture. At the same time, many women from
diverse backgrounds are engaged in and taking leadership around permaculture
design, she said.


Pandora Thomas showing her great niece the �three sisters:� corn, squash and
beans in her hometown in Pennsylvania
�I can name ten African or African American women in the U.S. who have been
trained or are using a permaculture design approach, but often times they are
linking it to broader social movements as well and naming these solutions so
they are relevant for our community. For example, in Chicago, Naomi Davis has
started the Green Village Model that is based on ethics and solutions that
are similar to permaculture. We can�t just talk about being a woman in
permaculture, for African American females, because our entire communities
are suffering�it is about survival! A lot of us are trying to figure out how
to save our sons as well as our daughters.� Thomas said. She also made a
point to acknowledge that many white women in the U.S. and abroad are making
these connections between permaculture and social justice.


Alex Kruger sharing soil testing skills with women on the Cape Flats in Cape
Town, South Africa
In South Africa, ecovillager and permaculture teacher/designer Alex Kruger
shared that after Bill Mollison�s lecture tour in 1991, the permaculture
movement started very slowly and was �terribly middle class and quite pale�
for some time because the entrenched economic disparities from the apartheid
era still form barriers to participation. Indeed, two of the biggest
permaculture NGOs (which were founded by women) have found traction by
addressing issues highly relevant for local citizens: Jeunesse Park started
�Food and Trees for Africa� to address sustainable development through food
security and food systems, educational efforts, and climate change action.
Leigh Brown�s organization,SEED, incorporates permaculture into school
curricula and building outdoor classrooms. SEED is also developing urban
models of permaculture in lower income areas of Cape Town.

Pattern 5: Mentoring is key to building women�s leadership


Abrah Dresdale (l) worked with permaculture designer and teacher Lisa DePiano
(r) on the Abrah Dresdale (l) worked with permaculture designer and teacher
Lisa DePiano (r) on the Feed Northampton food security report. Later, DePiano
mentored Dresdale in becoming a permaculture teacher. Dresdale now works as a
permaculture professional coordinating the Farm and Food System Associates
Degree Program at Greenfield Community College
Some of the women interviewed talked about finding great satisfaction in
learning and teaching the �hard skills� for permaculture. Some mentioned that
it would have been easier if they had female mentors to facilitate their
mastery of these skills. Many said that mentoring other women is a part of
their present work. They universally agreed that women mentoring women is
vital for building professional leadership skills.

Lisa DePiano, a permaculture designer and teacher in the Northeastern US,
feels called to mentor other women. �I�m offering teaching apprenticeships,
and design/install apprenticeships. There�s a demand for it, and it
strengthens our networks,� she said.

Lesley Byrne, a permaculturist working internationally with children and
rural subsistence farmers through educational gardens, sums it up this way:
�Part of leadership is setting an example for others to follow in your path,
mentoring, forward thinking, being a pioneer and taking risks. Younger women
come to me for advice on how to navigate through the male dominance of
permaculture and younger people come to me for guidance whether it be in the
field of international aid or striking out on their own.�

Pattern 6: Value archetypically �feminine� ways of leading

The women I interviewed agreed that although some qualities are considered
archetypically �masculine,� and others archetypically �feminine,� they are
qualities available to all humans and not necessarily tied to gender. We need
to value the archetypically �feminine� qualities.

�I�ve been sitting with the question of how deeply ingrained cultural
dynamics of patriarchy are, and the reality that they are so deep that they
become invisible. We fall into a trap of defining leadership in a very
masculine way that reflects how we define what is of value, so starting from
the first premise, we are flawed�because there are actually many ways
leadership can look.� �Lindsay Dailey

�There often is a bias that the guys who work with big machines are the ones
who really know, and the technical skills are most important. They are
extremely valuable, but the social skills are often the real constraining
factor in moving from the theory to the practice,� said Starhawk. �People
often go off and set up a wonderful intentional community and the next thing
you know they are all fighting and break up. Also, women are often
constrained from traveling because of families, so they may not be in
position to do big sexy international projects. A lot of women are working
locally and are committed to working on their own home fronts and we need to
learn to value those things more as well.�


Lesley Byrne in Afghanistan. While living alone in a tent for four months,
the men she worked with were very respectful. They even adopted puppies for
her�unheard of in a Muslim country. Upon departure, all were in tears. �As a
woman I had an advantage over Western men because I was not viewed as a
threat, which allowed them to let their guards down and for me to make much
more headway training the farmers in permaculture.�
�Although we talk about people care, I find that most men shy away from
nutrition, medicinals, kitchen gardens, flowers, etc., as it is viewed as
women�s work, �less than� or too �soft� in some ways.� Lesley Byrne said. She
emphasized the need for these elements in parts of the world where poverty is
greatest. �We talk about the power of patterns and observation, but we really
don�t address cultures and families as we should. This is where women have
their own strengths, and I think it�s about time we use that to our advantage
and create something new within permaculture.�

Indeed, women are experimenting with financially sustainable models for
permaculture education and organizing that enable mothers and families to
attend. Jeanine Carlson, co-founder of the Women�s Permaculture Leadership
Initiative, outlined a model where there is morning childcare, shared lunch,
then hands-on learning that includes the children in the community. �Children
aren�t just tolerated but welcomed, honored, and educated,� she said.


Children planting pumpkins.
Photo by Jeanine Carlson
�We include the cost of childcare in tuition as we feel it is everyone�s
responsibility to foster the future generations and accept how to incorporate
them in community education models.� This model ensures the children are
cared for by established local, licensed caregivers who are paid a generous
living wage, yet the costs for childcare remain low for families. �We want to
make permaculture and permaculture-related education increasingly accessible
for women with young families as a potential source of livelihood, or as we
call it, thrivelihood,so we model the potential for doing so. Who, save the
mothers raising children, are more invested in our future generations�
potential to thrive?� Carlson says.


Pattern 7: Nurture women�s leadership through women�s gatherings

�The women�s permaculture gatherings have been really wonderful, and I
recommend to women to find ways to get together and connect. Because it gives
us a chance to get to know each other, find ways to support each other, it
gives the women teachers the chance to get some prominence, it�s one of the
important ways we can build a culture of support for women.� �Starhawk.

Associate Director of the Wildlands Program at the Occidental Arts & Ecology
Center, Lindsay Dailey is co-founder of Villa Sobrante: a permaculture and
natural building community and demonstration site. She relates her positive
experience from women�s gatherings, �As I�ve come to embrace my own feminine
qualities of receptivity and intuition, I am trusting myself more and more
and enjoy surrounding myself with women who are walking their path and tuning
into their power.�

�Few, if any forces in human affairs are as powerful as shared vision,� says
Peter Senge, a guru for learning organizations. At the upcoming Northeastern
Women�s Permaculture Gathering in the fall of 2013, articulating goals for
women in permaculture will be one suggested theme. As women organize in
regions, their voices can then shape the movement at large.

Pattern 8: Be an Ally


Jenny Pell learning from a Mayan elder
Jenny Pell, a former tree planter, helicopter pilot, carpenter, and yurt
builder who now manages her growing full-service design/build company,
Permaculture Now!, says, �I�m working with some awesome men right now who are
being inspired by my leadership. I believe there�s a great appreciation for
strong female guidance at this juncture, and the fact that powerful guys are
turning to women for leadership really speaks volumes.�

Jenny, like all the women I encounter in permaculture circles, echoes my firm
conviction: We are members in the guild of humanity with men whom we also
want to flourish. Almost all interviewees, who voiced strong frustrations,
also shared their appreciation for the men in their lives that had acted as
allies by mentoring them or supporting their leadership.

Men are invited into the circle to learn about the dynamics of oppression,
how sexism hurts women and men, and how to move from privilege by building
their skills as allies. The pamphlet �Privilege and Allyship� from the
Multicultural Resource Center at Oberlin College defines an ally as �a member
of the �dominant� or �majority� group who questions or rejects the dominant
ideology and works against oppression through support of, and as an advocate,
with or for, the oppressed population.�

Men can be allies to women in many ways, and are especially invited to take
an active role in anti-harassment policies, because men do most sexual
harassment of women. �Sexual harassment is handled badly in two ways: when we
ignore it, and when we communicate policies in a way that is too heavy
handed,� according to Starhawk. EAT has a policy against teachers getting
romantically involved with students during courses. They also set a tone
early in the course by discussing healthy boundaries with students, like �no
means no, and yes means yes.� They also invite people who can function as
allies to self-identify. This creates safe space, clarifies expectations, and
builds community. Indeed, one can become an ally to any historically
marginalized group. By doing so, we manifest the Fair Share ethic by
�sharing� our privilege!


Let me conclude this article by expressing my gratitude for the many women
and men who provided input, inspiration, and support. Some day, I�ll share
the longer version, which outlines a systems thinking approach that
undergirds my analysis of problems and informs the solutions that I presented
here. It also includes more compelling anecdotes from interviewees.

I look forward to ongoing conversations and co-evolution of the ideas
presented here. It is my hope that this process of women drafting a
self-determined pattern language for our engagement in permaculture will
serve as a template for other historically marginalized groups to do the
same�so that together with our allies, we can design a language for a truly
inclusive, empowering, and regenerative movement.

The first annual Women in Permaculture in the Northeastern U.S. was hosted
by the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY on from Oct 20-22, 2013.


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