permaculture

["Harold Waldock" <haroldw@alternatives.com>]

Thanks to Marsha Hanzi, Russ Grayson, Naomi and Rick Coleman. Scott Pittman  and others for a high quality thread.  One part  of the discussion touched on something common to the whole movement North or South, urban or rural.

 

>The whole area of "invisible structures" is critical to converting vegetables into money to pay the electric bill.  Unfortunately

>the invisible structure part of the course has always been poorly presented and understood and therefore a critical piece of the sustainability
> picture is missing. 

This is really important.  It is the biggest reason permaculture does not get designed or implemented. When I introduce Permaculture Design in short workshops (1-2day) I always bring this up and have a hand out on it. However, I always feel I have more questions than answers.

 

What resources to people use? What has been their key to success in this? What are people's drawings to fill in this sustainability picture.

 

I think that invisible structures also contributes to what happens to recent graduates of Permaculture Design Courses. First they go through the "Permaculture Eureka effect" which commonly turns to, as described in one article of the Permaculture Magazine (a year or two ago), the "Permaculture Pit" This is where the person returns home after a PC Certification 2 week course with new ideas and then wonders what to do next. Often, the desire to get from where they are to where they want to go seems impossible and overwhelming especially since they have seen good examples on the ground.  Or especially for urban people, the projects that they actually do, seem small and inconsequential to them.

 

 If something does not get going then people get despondent about Permaculture and they stop taking action or continue their study.  This happens even though there is a mini local network, local listserve and events & projects to be part of . This pattern is so common that I begin to wonder if Permaculture Design Course  is some kind of "drug" that a person gets a high from then drops to a low with a withdrawal then kicks the Permaculture habit and gets back to "normal".   The location (usually 100's or 1000's km away) and way the course is presented may have some thing to do with it.  Often it is the younger people - who take a PC course somewhere but do not have resources or stability to implement.  It is almost as if for these typically middleclass urban young people that there is a pattern of powerlessness.  They are typically hard to organize - 50% change their phone numbers in one year.

 

Weekly night courses? Bundled with many other courses esp. skill development (Bullock Bros. do this - 6 week course )?

 

Remedies I think up include an internship program leading into a green small business training program (it has to be green to make sure they are not told things that oppose what Permaculture tells them).  This way people who need a creative/Permaculture place to live or those who come looking for green work have a pathway.  Implementation is a long way off although I now have some interesting contacts.   Any tips or experiences?

 

Certainly, one remedy is for instructors to have "open house" places where former students can visit most any time and for significant stays.  It helps with transient ness and gives hope to many - the Bullock Brothers on Orcas Island seem to do that.  They also hosted regional gatherings regularly.

 

What have you seen done?  What do people do?

 

Thanks,

 

Harold Waldock

Vancouver Permaculture Network

Vancouver, B.C. Canada