permaculture

["Lee Flier" <lflier@mindspring.com>]

Myk wrote:

>To my mind 'data/examples/recipes/whatever' are examples of permaculture's
>application not permaculture - Isn't it when the
>data/examples/recipes/pictures/drawings... etc. are taken as permaculture
>(rather than the result of the application of permaculture as a design
>system/methodology) and implemented by rote in inappropriate circumstances
>that the problems occur?

Yes, and that was exactly my point.  It needs to be emphasized that
Permaculture is a SYSTEM and not a specific application.  But, being a
relatively unknown system, we ALSO need to be able to provide examples of
using the system, or else people will dismiss the system as pie-in-the-sky
and impractical.  At the same time we need to make it clear that these are
examples and not permaculture (in the same way that a house is an example of
an application of architecture, and that is a very useful analogy).  That
was my point - that we need to teach both and we need to make it very clear
what the distinction is.  That can be a challenge but I think part of the
reason people have a hard time understanding what permaculture is, is
because not enough emphasis is placed on making the distinction clear.

--Lee

***********************************
Lee A. Flier
lflier@mindspring.com
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
http://lflier.home.mindspring.com