Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

permaculture - Re: [permaculture] Food Not Lawns book

permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: permaculture

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Paul Cereghino <paul.cereghino@comcast.net>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Food Not Lawns book
  • Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 20:30:11 -0800

Here, here!
Buy a copy for your local library, or suggest that they do so.
Paul

neshura wrote:

How about an electronic copy of this book? Is Chelsea Green going that
route at all? It would seem like it would save a few resources to
distribute electronically for those of us that are trying to
consolidate our book collections or who would just like to have less
"stuff" but more access to creativity and ideas.

There's a big difference between books one reads and books one uses,
and for my own part, I would prefer to have the former in electronic
format, so that I can read, enjoy and then file them in my gmail or
backup drive. I only have a few books which I pull off the shelf
repeatedly when I need to refer to nitty-gritty specifics, make notes
about a particular species or cultivar, or browse for a design
pattern, and I don't mind keeping those in dead tree form.

Unless I have misunderstood the reviews of the book greatly, it sounds
interesting, political, intended to shake people up to rethink their
lawns and habits and inspire them to do this type of composting, that
type of greywater, and so on and so forth, all of which I already have
books on, and I don't really need to be convinced of the lawn part
either what with my ongoing transformation of my front yard. So, I
think I'm not really the right audience but I wouldn't mind reading it
anyway, only not for the price of the physical manifestation of one
more oppressive material object in my already oppressively-cluttered
cottage.

I suppose what I am saying, to be really honest, is that I am really
extremely sick of "things" including books, and all the associated
transactional costs of disposing of, gifting, donating, storing,
filing for insurance on after floods or hurricanes, packing into boxes
and moving cross-country, and otherwise wasting my life on junk, even
useful junk like books, when it is really the ideas in those books
that I am interested in, not the books themselves (with a few rare
exceptions).

Anyway, sorry, this turned into a bit of a rant, it seems to have come
out sounding a bit like I'm accusing Heather of being a paper-based
overlord of oppression, which was not at all my intent, unless it's
true, in which case it was just a lucky guess... I really just wanted
to ask if I could pay for a PDF copy... ?

-neshura




On 12/24/06, Heather Coburn Flores <seedgeek@yahoo.com> wrote:

Hi folks. I have been getting an interesting diversity of responses to my
commecnts on permaculture in my new book, Food Not Lawns (chelsea green
2006). If you haven't seen it, check out my website at www.foodnotlawns.com/.
The book is getting many and excellent reviews, but a few people, fo rwhom i
have the utmost respect, are very upset about a few paragraphs in the first
chapter, in which I choose to drop the term permaculture from the rest of the
text and attempt to explain why. Several people posted angry and malicious
messages here, and several others came quickly to my defense. Thank you all
for your spirited and heartfelt exchange!

Let me say that because of the violent and angry nature of some of the more
extreme responses, I will probably change the wording for the next printing.
my feelings have not changed, but I wish to clarify my intentions.

First, my intent was to eliminate the buzzword in the interest of inclusion,
and to bring up a much-needed class analysis of the permaculture community.
In the UK it may be different but here in the states you would be lucky to
find a pc course for less than $600, (more like $1200) and even then you
would often have to work many hours in trade for tuition. this may seem like
a nominal charge to those who have grown up with homes, medical care, access
to education, cars, but to a poor person who lives on minimum wage it is
totally inaccessible. and to an activist who already works full-time for no
pay, it is also inaccessible.

I want the information to be less proprietary, more of a resource for the
general public. we, as a movement, complain about being mostly white,
middle-class people yet expect to get paid for our earth stewardship. we
cannot maintain a cushy middle-class lifestyle and also be a sustainable
culture. it is just not going to happen. i am not white or middle-class, and
of course i like to get paid for my work, but I live on less than $10,000 a
year and don't think anyone should try to make a middle-class or better
salary teaching permaculture (unless of course you want to cater to the
wealthy homeowner types--and yes, they deserve to have access too). But if we
really want to diversify the color and shape of our community we are going to
have to completely change the way many people feel when they inquire into
taking a permaculture course. They need to feel like it is within their reach
to participate, and the price is the first thing they ask about.

The main reason I "abandoned the term" is because, while I wanted my readers to know about
permaculture, I did not want to write a "permaculture book." And because it seems like whenever
anyone even mentions the term, all of the grumpy old permies get all worked up over the "right"
to use it. Absurd. It's a word. Subject to personal interpretation like all other words. I have my
certificate, and a right to my opinion. And when was the last time anyone read a book in which they agreed
with every single paragraph anyway? It's nice to rock the boat a little, keeps us on our toes!

Please feel free to forward this to anyone you like.

peace
Heather Flores


Now Available!


Food Not Lawns, How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden and Your Neighborhood
into a Community, by Heather Coburn Flores.

The premier guide for ecological living in the city through paradise
gardening and shared resources by a co-founder of the original Food Not Lawns
grassroots gardening project in Eugene, OR. With a foreword by Toby Hemenway
and over 400 pages of text, enhanced by almost a hundred drawings by
Northwest artist Jackie Holmstrom, Food Not Lawns offers a theoretical and
practical handbook for ecological community transformation. (Chelsea Green,
2006, 334 p.) ISBN 1-933392-07-X

Keep your eyes open for a book release party near you as Heather embarks on her
national tour. Order your author-signed first editions today by sending a check
or money order for $25 plus $4.05 S&H ($29.05) to Heather Coburn Flores,
31139 Lanes Turn Road, Coburg, OR 97408. Estimate 5-8 business days for delivery.
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
_______________________________________________
permaculture mailing list
permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture


_______________________________________________
permaculture mailing list
permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/permaculture








Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page