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permaculture - Re: permaculture trademark alert

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Subject: permaculture

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  • From: Richard Morris <pfaf@scs.leeds.ac.uk>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: permaculture trademark alert
  • Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2001 12:24:18 +0100


Hi All,
A big me to regarding all the previous post.

At Plants For A Future we tend to shy away from using the term
permaculture for several reasons:
1) there are plenty of other terms which explain what we do
better that permaculture: forest gardening,
woodland gardening, vegan-organic agriculture,
ecological gardening, urban agriculture.
2) The term Permaculture does not conjure up an image for
those who have not heard it before. Its a term
for the initiated only.
3) There are some negative associations with the term.
For those who prefer getting their hands mucky
the emphasis on design can be a turn off. Theres
also a big fuzziness in the question
"what is permaculture" how is it really different
from organic gardening with a bit of thought.
Throw in a bunch of hippy images and lack of mature
permaculture projects (in the UK at least)
which are really working and you get a term to be
avoided.
4) No one involved with the project has got a permaculture
diploma so I don't know if we really have a right to
use the term.

I suppose that permaculture is really two things:
1) A broad umbrella under which lots of ideas get thrown together.
2) A set of design course.
For the first the Mollison debate does not really matter a jot. Its
more an issue for the second but there's nothing to stop courses in
"Designing with Permaculture" or "a garden design based on permaculture
principles". How the trademark issue will affect the Permaculture
Association in the UK (or other national bodies) I'm not sure. It would
be nice to hear what they have to say on the issue.

While I'm in rant mode the movement does seem to be course heavy at
the moment. Are courses the only way that people are making a living
out of permaculture? (Watch this space for a an exciting range of
Courses at Plants For A Futures new demonstration gardens in Devon).

Well that's enough rambling

Rich

--
Plants for a Future: 7000 useful plants
Web: http://www.pfaf.org/ or http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
Main Site: Blagdon Cross Plant Research and Demonstration Gardens,
Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, England
Tel: (+44 845) 458 4719
Email: webmaster@pfaf.org (web related queries only)





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