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  • From: Sean Maley <semaley@yahoo.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] reDesign/reBuild Guild (Zack D)
  • Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2005 11:49:34 -0800 (PST)

What about a regional CLT ( http://www.iceclt.org/ )
that is non-profit and charitable? Various groups can
then incorporate as a LLC with profits going into the
CLT for new land purchases, land steward training, and
helping other LLC tribes start-up. The CLT would
purchase property as a means for hedging the success
of the model, as land acquisition stands as the most
typical barrier and startup cost near the largest
populations. Plus the CLT could serve as a safety net
for failing tribes and for networking best practices.

The most appealing element in the strategy involves
the fact that we are encouraging self-reliance by the
very nature of Permaculture and eliminating the
housing costs by factoring out land ownership costs.
Each ecovillage would need to have land taxes passed
through, of course. However, little is required for
on-going income generation, which will remediate some
dangers when accepting money.

If the model fails, why worry about on-going funding,
as the model is failing. If the model succeeds,
on-going funding isn't very helpful, as a network of
ecovillages will be funneling surplus profits after
land taxes. With a shrinking labor pool, wages are
forced up with rent inversely sinking. Eventually,
tax laws will be changed from the wage exploitation
being practiced today. Finally, widespread
self-reliance and no land speculation forces the end
to exploitative economic practices and oligarchy. The
"government of the people" will be reclaimed "by the
people, for the people," so that we "shall not perish
from the earth."


-Sean.

--- Zack D <zack@riseup.net> wrote:

> elsa higby <exaptor7@...> writes:
>
> >
> > Hi Zack,
> >
> > An idea I have that could be implemented in any
> urban local and make use of
> such a Guild as you propose or
> > perhaps be a show piece of the Guild is to create
> a 501-C3 that owns even one
> old heat hog of a house and has as
> > it's mission to use this house as research on
> various technologies and systems
> designed for urban or
> > suburban living. Ultimately, it could involve
> local universities, highschools
> as well as
> > environmental and gardening groups becoming a
> training tool as well as a cost
> effective way to develop
> > design templates for specific types of housing.
> >
> > Various templates for retrofit design could be
> created from the research
> projects applied to the house.
> > Ultimately, it would be a creative resource with a
> focus to re-use existing
> housing to make it
> > sustainable.
> >
> > Cheers, Elsa
>
> Elsa -
>
> Nice. Have you read The Integral Urban House? It's a
> book by the Farallones
> Institute in the seventies that did some of what
> you're talking about. I think
> the guild model could, with imagination attempt a
> great variety of projects and
> differing applications, similar to how plant
> communities vary in membership and
> function throughout changing elevation, climate, and
> time.
>
> Occidental Arts and Ecology Center is a 501(c)3
> nonprofit operating on a site
> run by Sowing Circle, a limited liability company.
> There is some overlap between
> board members and staff, but their model is exciting
> in the way it is
> structured, in that actual ownership of property is
> held by Sowing Circle LLC,
> eliminating risk in the event that OAEC should fail.
> Two separate sources of
> finances make the system more resilient. Does anyone
> have any other examples of
> a similar structure?
>
> >From Oxford English Dictionary:
>
> Guild: A confraternity or association formed for the
> mutual aid and protection
> of its members, or for the furtherance of some
> common purpose.
>
> My proposal for a design guild is not entirely new.
> Larry Santoyo at EarthFlow
> has been using a similar model for years and years.
> Blending specialized
> professions under one umbrella enables a relatively
> small organization to appeal
> to a large market (by market I mean both audience
> and source of income) Where
> their skills as individuals overlap, creating a sort
> of "ecotone" in which new
> and unprecedented possibilities can arise. Thus, a
> group of five individuals: an
> electrician, a plumber, a builder/carpenter, a stove
> specialist, and a
> permaculture landscape designer are each all of
> these, if the situation is
> right. Everyone can swing a hammer, wire fixtures,
> plaster a house, etc. More
> paid work is available in the event of a shortage in
> any one profession,
> although I doubt this will be the case, considering
> where consciousness (and
> market) is moving. Even so, hiring on additional
> laborers or interns for
> building projects would be simple, since hordes like
> myself are dying to get
> into this line of work anyway. This could easily
> replicate the
> apprentice/journeyman model that guilds have
> historically employed, although the
> historic guild differs from this idea significantly
> in two ways: Guilds were
> commonly comprised of a group of professionals
> working in the same field (i.e. a
> "Guild of Blacksmiths"), and Guilds eventually
> sought to suppress their
> competition through control of the market (i.e.
> Screen Actors Guild).
>
> Where the use of "guild" to denote functional plant
> communities borrowed the
> term from conventional guilds, it has itself evolved
> a new concept that we can
> look to as an organic model of cooperation. Multiple
> elements support each
> other, multiple functions support each single
> element. A synergism appears, and
> a support structure for the furtherance of a common
> cause comes into play.
> Multiple yields: livelihoods, a strengthened
> community, garden projects,
> restoration work, public classes, workshops and
> others could be possible. Also,
> the advantages of working together are obvious.
> Rather than disparate
> specialists working one piece at a time, an inspired
> group of individuals would
> have a synergistic effect on everything they
> tackled. Another advantage is that
> of word-of-mouth referrals. The builder knows a good
> electrician, a plasterer, a
> plumber, etc. etc. and "would be happy to give you
> their number".
>
> So I have a few questions for the list, if you
> would, please:
>
> How could such a group be structured?
> An LLC owning land and the company title, operating
> a 501(C)3 for grants and
> community projects? Are there any working models out
> there?
>
> Like plant communities, this model could be
> adaptable to a wide variety of
> environments/situations, but the most obvious to me
> is the building/landscaping
> world, where many trades overlap. I'm sure forestry,
> furniture building, pottery
> and ceramics, and metalworking could also be
> applied. Any ideas for adaptations
> beyond the homebuilding world? Something involving
> teachers, farmers, etc?
>
> Let's keep an open discussion if we can. I've had
> several emails from interested
> folks filled with great ideas, but please post any
> responses to the list so that
> others can see.
>
> Peace,
>
> Zack
>
> _______________________________________________
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> permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
>
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>




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