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  • From: Colin Leath <cleath@j9k.org>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [permaculture] Non-mechanized permaculture service opportunities?
  • Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 23:36:08 -0400 (EDT)

Hello!

I have the following goals:

(1) To live in a carfree (and preferably a
combustion-engine-free) environment

(2) To grow/gather/hunt most of my food

(3) To live somewhere where it only rarely gets below 5
degrees celsius.

In line with (2), I would like to grow a forest garden!

(4) I also seem to be free of the desire to have a house and
family of my own, and seem drawn to a life of service to
others.

I find the following stories inspiring:

http://culturechange.org/e-letter-money_and_materialism.html
partly about Santa Barbara, CA, USA, permaculturist Wes Roe
"working for the community, not for a wage."

http://www.caneloproject.com/pages/cqc.html
http://www.loe.org/archives/010525.htm (search for "bale")
(about teaching Mexicans how to build nice $600 strawbale
houses)

And the description in _Gaia's Garden_ (an excellent book!)
of what occurred at Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute.


This morning I read:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32444-2003Jun8.html
Malnutrition Blights Mexico's Young
Nation's Indigenous Communities Particularly Affected
"An engineer by training, Galvez said she believes in
practical steps to address the poverty here: "Fix the
infrastructure: electricity, water, highways. That will
bring people into the mainstream. For one thing, a good road
into these places will make getting vegetables there
cheaper."


I am aware that the US needs permaculture and forest gardens
as much as Mexico, but are there permaculture organizations
that have the general orientation of the projects I
mentioned above (I realize Peace Corps is not the best
example, but, perhaps "Amigos de
las Americas ( http://www.amigoslink.org/ )?)



My current plans are to continue to volunteer on a local
organic farm, then head to Earthaven ecovillage (Black
Mountain, NC, USA), because there are many permaculture and
building-related projects to assist with there.


I wanted to submit my goals and interests to this list for
suggestions before I get too focused on the Earthaven
opportunities.


You can find out more about what I've been up to at my
http://j9k.org site, but one of the more relevant projects
is:
http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/carfreeecovillages
( a list encouraging and sharing info about carfree
ecovillages )


I'm 27, and have a lot to learn about growing and building.
In the past I made money with computers, but from now on I
wish to sustain myself in more physically involving and
healthy ways, like gardening, building, or primitive living.
I'm not a stranger to physical endurance tasks and
wilderness/outdoor living (e.g., an April bike trip from
NYC to DC).


Another project that appeals to me is:
http://www.dreamwater.net/edu/desertpeople/
a nomadic / neoprimitive community on 1,500 acres in Baja
California

If I remain in the US, I'll either be nomadic/migratory, or
stay primarily around central/southern California/ possibly
Arizona. I've been scoping out relevant opportunities at
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/internwest.html


Any suggestions/ pointers / criticisms you have are welcome.

I realize that within permaculture, the use of cars and
other machinery is done for the purpose of more easily
creating "permanent" things that will not need motorized
maintenance. For various reasons (perhaps I should write
these out?) I wish not to use such equipment even in those
cases. I realize my interest in that policy will be best
served by going to where people are too "poor" to afford
such things, or by aligning with groups that tend in that
direction, such as the Amish.

Are there established permaculturists out there who maintain
such a policy? I am open to change, but this may be a point
I wish not to compromise on.

Thank you!

Colin Leath
http://j9k.org





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