Fingerlakespermaculture mailing list

[Michael Burns <michael AT fingerlakespermaculture.org>]

from: craig AT permaculture.org.au

http://www.permacultureglobal.com

Dear People

After months and months of work, we're now launching a new system -  
the Worldwide Permaculture Network (WPN) - which will enable  
permaculturists everywhere to:

- Put themselves on a clickable map, where people (permaculturists and  
non-permaculturists) can see at a glance the scope of the spread of  
permaculture worldwide
- Showcase their work as individuals, and the work of any projects  
they are administrating
- Be searchable according to many variables (climate zone, project  
type, and more)
- Network with other permaculturists everywhere
- Advertise their consultancy services
- Advertise their courses (for educational projects)
- Share knowledge, experiences, challenges, successes, and inspiration
- Help inspire non-permaculturists with the potential for positive,  
systemic change that permaculture design systems can bring
- And more...

Background:

I conjured the idea of this database more than two and a half years  
ago, and with the support of PRI Australia we've been trying to  
squirrel away finances to build it ever since. Whilst saving our  
pennies, I've had a static HTML project listing up in the interim, but  
it was always a cumbersome way to display and promote projects of  
course and over the last several months as I've been working on this  
database, I've had to neglect that section entirely.

With this new system you can create your own user profile, and, if  
applicable, advertise your status as a consultant and/or aid worker.  
You can add your project(s), of whatever type, be it an urban  
residential project, or an African or Californian aid project, a  
Sydney or Delhi suburbscommercial project or something not even land  
based - like an economic project (LETS, or similar), or a political  
activist project, and more. Educational projects get to list their  
courses.

By adding a profile (People and Projects), you get added to an  
interactive world map! You can browse projects by their summary cards  
and filter by climate zone or project type - or just by clicking on  
the pins on the map. You can find 'People' by different criteria also  
- climate zone, consultants, aid workers, teachers, etc.

You get your own blog with your profile, and if you're sharing  
interesting and valuable updates to your blog you'll find other users  
clicking to 'follow' you so they can easily monitor your updates via  
their 'dashboard' - where you arrive after logging in.  The best  
updates will be 'featured', thus attracting more followers and  
potentially supporters of your work (including attracting more  
students, and/or consultancy customers, etc.).

A Plea

Despite being created by the PRI, these features are available to  
anyone who wishes to make use of them.

Because of my work over the last five years, studying world issues and  
writing about them, I am acutely aware of the more-than-precarious  
situation we are in as a race. I have created the WPN as a tool to  
help fast-track the take-up of permaculture design concepts to help  
ameliorate our predicament as rapidly as possible. The WPN system has  
enormous potential if we make use of it in the way designed - i.e.  
using it to share information, resources, inspiration and  
encouragement. In addition, the WPN can, if it receives community- 
funded support for the costs involved, continue its development to  
tailor/improve it to meet the needs of users. At present we at the PRI  
have diverted funds to create this system from our own urgent need to  
expand and improve facilities for students and from other projects  
that needed it, but we've done so in the belief that the WPN has such  
a potential, and that time is so short, that if we didn't go ahead and  
initiate such a much-needed project, then as economies continue to  
collapse we might never see such a system getting created at all.

It would be great if we can all build on our common shared vision, and  
I offer up this system as a tool to help accomplish this. Your  
feedback and support to improve will be welcome, and acted upon as we  
have time and means to do so.

The time is now!

As architect of this system, I warmly invite you to go to www.permacultureglobal.com 
 , and sign up. After signing up, please ensure you complete your  
personal profile and pretty it up as a good example for subsequent  
users to emulate. Then, add your project if you have one (it might be  
your own residential yard, or a project involving many more people,  
like a permaculture local group, or other, etc.), also ensuring to  
maintaina high standard of textual content, formatting and a good  
sprinkling of nice
images, etc., so we can ensure people investigating permaculture for  
the first time are wowed with what they find in the system.

Permaculturists - this is our time! Let's stop considering  
permaculture as an 'alternative lifestyle' and accept the fact that  
there really is *no alternative*. As far as our place in history, it's  
permaculture or bust. We need to come out of our closets, and  
recognise that it's the time to share and nurture, to build community,  
share seeds and designs, share enthusiasm and wisdom, and practical  
knowhow. The WPN will facilitate this like no other system available  
today. I have laboured in the hope that you will make
best use of this system.

Thank you everybody for all that you do in the world.

Sincerely

Craig

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Craig Mackintosh

Editor/Photojournalist/IT Manager

Permaculture Research Institute

craig AT permaculture.org.au

www.permaculture.org.au

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