permaculture

[Selwyn Polit <selwyn@austintx.com>]

Hi All,
in Austin (Texas USA) , we are experimenting with some options to make the 
courses cheaper.  This fall we have a Permaculture Fundamentals non 
residential course on weekends 
(http://www.austinprogressivecalendar.com/permaculture.htm#fallfund2004) 
for $400.  It is a bag lunch approach so no food and no staying over.  This 
has dropped our costs quite a bit.

We also do a monthly study group where we meet with students who have 
graduated and new students to review course materials.  There is no charge 
for this although we do encourage people to bring a snack to share.  In the 
2 courses I have organized here, we have not made much money at all, in 
fact if it wasn't for my real job the courses wouldn't have happened.

Selwyn


> Hello,
>
> I'm new on the list, so maybe it's a good idea to
> start of with a brief introduction...
>
> I'm a 31 year old Belgian male, ex-industrial engineer
> (only the diploma, never worked it), ex-artist (short
> career stopped because of no sense), ex-cultural
> installer (more fun than art, see
> http://home.pi.be/~bv313716/cultinst/index2.htm), and
> now fresh and very motivated permaculturist-to-be,
> still without land but that should change soon. My
> wife Yuriria (or Yuri), who is Mexican, and I plan to
> move to the Mexican countryside early next year and
> take care of a piece of mother earth over there. Until
> then we're living in Brussels, Belgium.
>
> I have a question concerning the Permaculture Designer
> Courses, but before that, I have to say that getting
> in touch with permaculture (through Bill Mollison's
> "Permaculture Designer's Manual", and afterwards by
> contacting Mr. Cardon in Mouscron, Belgium, who has a
> magnificent permaculture garden since 30 years) really
> changed our perspective on a lot of things, opened our
> eyes, and a door to a meaningful future, so nothing
> than the biggest of praise and thankfulness to
> permaculture and permaculture activists around the
> globe.
>
> One thing about permaculture is bugging us a bit,
> however. I hope not to offend anybody on this list
> saying this, but we feel that the prices for the
> Permaculture Designer Course are somewhat exorbitant,
> and in fact, are an obstacle for the spread of
> permaculture around the globe - and the globe really
> needs permaculture.
> We see prices ranging from 600 US$ (in Oaxaca, Mexico)
> to over 1,400US$ for 72-hours or 15-day courses
> (granted, food and stay included, but still...), and
> are a bit puzzled. We ask ourselves who can afford
> this. If we look at this from a Mexican point of vue
> for instance, no-one in Mexico but the (very) rich
> could afford to spend this kind of money on a course.
> (A standard labourer would be paid about 4 US$ per
> day, or 120$ per month). What's more, those (very)
> rich, if they are interested in permaculture, seem
> above all to get settled in the countryside paying
> peanuts to some poor locals to work in their nice
> permaculture garden while they sunbathe, living of the
> fruit of earlier exploitation of some other poor
> locals. Which doesn't help anybody or resolve any
> problem in the end. The people and communities in
> Mexico who really need help from permaculture will
> never be able to pay this kind of money. They already
> have the greatest difficulty getting their hands on a
> piece of land as it is (a lot of them go to the USA,
> working as illegals, to be able to buy some land).
>
> So we were wondering what's the reason for these high
> prices... Squeezing money out of rich people (always a
> good idea of course) to help distribute permaculture
> maybe - but this seems a bit absurd: permaculture (or
> rather, the planet) doesn't need more money, it needs
> more permaculturists, it seems to us, the more the
> better. Or does it cost that much to organize a
> course? But if we imagine a course where 15 students
> participate, that would be 15 times 600 to 1,400 US$,
> or 9,000 to 21,000 US$, which seems (much) more than
> necessary.
>
> We see only the theoretical side of all this, of
> course, never having organized this kind of courses
> etc., so we had hoped that some people on this list
> would be willing to say something about this, clarify
> a bit, show another point of view maybe... Or start
> organizing dirt-cheap courses for the poor :-))
>
> Best regards,
>
> Bart
>
>
> =====
> "There is not much to be done against them, but everything without them."
>
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__________
Selwyn Polit
(512)926-7876
<mailto:selwyn@austintx.com>selwyn@austintx.com