permaculture

[Scott Pittman <pci@permaculture-inst.org>]

permaculture-request@lists.ibiblio.org wrote:

> Subject:
> [permaculture] the legitimacy of certification
> From:
> "Michael Kramer" <MKramer@hawaii.rr.com>
> Date:
> Wed, 15 Sep 2004 21:03:48 -1000
> To:
> <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
>
> To:
> <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
>
>
> As a decentralized movement, permaculture is a movement that survives 
> primarily on trust, because it is not controlled by anyone or any 
> organization, at least not in the States. People pay for the design course 
> experience and, upon graduation, they earn the right to call themselves 
> permaculturists and use this term in their work or life.  The money people 
> pay is for this right, and that's it. The courses may vary in teachers, 
> content, style and depth, but they are introductory so they are not meant to 
> be an identical catch-all; nor are they designed to give everyone all the 
> tools and strategies they need to apply permaculture in all its facets.
I must beg to differ with Michael on the above.  Anyone can call 
themselves a permaculturalist, and do, and as a result we have some very 
disreputable, predatious, and opportunistic individuals using the good 
name to their advantage.   It was with this in mind that Bill Mollison 
and others established the system of certification, so that we at least 
had some basis on which to challange those who have no ethics, or 
shame.  For the most part this has worked, the movement as a whole has 
sucessfully challenged people who have sought to trade on the 
permaculture name to sell items not consistent with pc teachings.  The 
certification  was to enable the pc community  to assess and challenge 
the legitimacy of someones claims when they were using permaculture to 
market, or derive financial benefit.  I'm sure there must be other ways 
but I have never been able to come up with one.  A good capitalist would 
say that the market will eliminate bad products over time, and that has 
proven true of teachers, but I don't know about other services.  So 
certification has always meant that one could now derive financial 
benefit from using the name permaculture.  I know of no strictures on 
calling oneself a permaculturalist, it is quickly obvious whether one is 
or isn't by what/how one manifests.

Another benefit of certification has been the tradition that once one is 
certified one is welcome to participate in any further pc design courses 
free of charge, except for direct costs like food, housing, and etc.  
This has allowed many certificate holders the opportunity to study with 
a variety of good teachers and practicioners before venturing out on 
their own.  Unfortunately this aspect of the tradition is not widely 
known or practiced.  I have been able to take multiple courses for free 
and benefited greatly from the experience..

The certification course content should contain the basic  information 
covered by "Permaculture, A Designer's Manual", by Bill Mollison.  That 
does not mean that other things aren't covered but the basics have to be 
covered, to my mind, or it is not a pc course. Content may differ only 
within this context as far as most of the teachers I know are 
concerned.  I do, however, agree that they differ radically in style and 
depth.  The lack of depth of many of them is disturbing

Scott