permaculture

[Adam Donnison <adam@saki.com.au>]

I know I'm going to get a reputation for seeing the bad in everything,
but I have been waiting for this sort of announcement for some time.

Why does it concern me?  Because I ask myself where is the 1,000 acres
coming from.  I ask myself will developers see this as a golden
opportunity to buy out the poor and reshape New Orleans.  And then
I ask myself where do the poor fit in once this all happens.  And
finally I ask myself if I am too cynical for my own good.

I have a nagging doubt that those who were worst affected by this
disaster will be allowed to recover from it.  In the land of
opportunity, it is usually only those with the money that can make
use of opportunities.  And what will the new New Orleans be like?
Will the birthplace of Jazz be able to cope with its inevitable
"gentrification"?  What will we as a society lose out on as a result
of short term thinking?

And is there reason for being cynical?  I'm not sure - on the
surface this looks OK, but then I read in the article something
that really summed this up for me:

"He provided everything we needed here today," he said. "We all got new 
televisions."

Yep, that's all they really needed.

Adam

J Newman wrote:
> This may be an opportunity for a Permaculture designer to collaborate 
> and make a difference in the Katrina aftermath.
>
> "One of Canada's most prominent businessmen", Frank Stronach has 
> airlifted a couple of hundred New Orleans "refugees"  to his Florida 
> equestrian compound where he is providing food and shelter.  Footage I 
> saw on tv showed a pretty happy group, ready to start a new life.  It 
> appears there was a degree of selection based on their interest in 
> starting anew because Stronach  has plans to build homes for all. 
> According to CTV News 
> <http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1126267349095_21/?hub=CTVNewsAt11>:
>
>     Stronach was given a standing ovation when he announced he would
>     help evacuees through the next five years.
>
>     He said he would fly to Louisiana Friday to oversee the acquisition
>     of 1,000 acres of land on which he intends to build a mobile home
>     village and, later, a village of permanent homes, a school and a
>     city hall.
>
>     "We're going to help you get on your feet," Stronach said. "I know
>     if we work together it will be a model community."
>
>     Stronach said he would spend $2 million on the Louisiana property.
>
> Perhaps he would be open to incorporating elements of Permaculture in 
> this new community:  building for the future health and welfare of the 
> community and the planet. 
>
> - Jeffrey  Newman


--
Adam Donnison                                  email: adam@saki.com.au
Saki Computer Services Pty. Ltd.
93 Kallista-Emerald Road                        phone: +61 3 9752 1512
THE PATCH  VIC 3792    AUSTRALIA                fax:   +61 3 9752 1098