permaculture

["John Schinnerer" <john@eco-living.net>]

Aloha,

> So, can we take a hi-tech approach to a conserver society? Surely
> people on this list would be supportive of some version of this
> approach, given that they make use of computer-based communication with
> its infrastructure of satellites and telecommunications networks.

I use this (computer/network) technology while it's here and when and for
what it's convenient.  I don't miss it much (if at all) when I don't have
easy access.  I do still make my (spelt-)bread and butter (well, olive
oil, actually ;-) at it on a part-time contractual basis.  I don't expect
it will be around all that long, though I suppose there's a small chance
it'll outlast my lifetime.  The energy and resource use to create and
support computer/network technology is enormous - and that's with maybe
5-10% of the world's population with internet access...imagine if everyone
was online...kinda like imagining everyone in China getting a personal
automobile...

Also, in the realms of technology I do use, I support and advocate open
source and open standard software developed through
cooperative/collaborative community efforts and freely available to all
(rather than proprietary/commercial stuff).  I support and advocate as
much re-use and re-purposing of existing hardware, infrastructure, etc. as
possible, and *appropriate* (rather than marketing-based) levels of
technology for whatever it is that one wishes to do.

So that's my present approach working with "what is" technology-wise.
Overall though I think that what we call "high-tech" is far too
energy-intensive to last beyond the petrol binge we're on.  And that's if
we keep it limited to the small fraction of humanity who currently have
it...

> What would
> permaculture teachers in rural areas do if students could not jump an
> aircraft and travel (or drive) sometimes a couple thousand kilometres
> for a course?

That would be great!  Much more in keeping with the 'talk' of PC!  More,
and more local/bioregional, courses (said the pot to the kettle... ;-).



John Schinnerer, MA
-------------------------
- Eco-Living -
Cultural & Ecological Designing
People - Place - Learning - Integration
john@eco-living.net
http://eco-living.net