permaculture

[kevin s <k.skvorak@verizon.net>]

I have been observing  this issue of 'invisible structures' in the 
Culture of Permaculture for awhile, and have come to the conclusion 
that as of yet it remains pretty seriously under-explored for most PC 
practitioners and designers. an area filled yet with opportunities 
one could say!

while i hesitate to make the claim that "Permaculture" as a movement 
has yet to seriously embrace this field of work, (heck, i guess i 
just made it!)  there are a lot of examples out there of course: 
collectives, coops, commutarian groups, local currencies, barter and 
freecycle networks, solari groups, etc etc.

here in New York we are creating a Community Land Trust that we hope 
will provide an important service in creating opportunities for 
equitable access to the land for local sustainable food production, 
housing, and the like outside of the destructive pressures of the 
machine of global finance and debt.  we think a paradigm shift 
(wherever possible) in land tenure is also a part of the solution 
that Permaculture embodies.

i am wondering if it is an unfortunate legacy of some of the 
Personality traits and priorities of Bill M. that has left this 
'hole' in the movement as yet?   it always seemed to me that the 
ideas around "invisible structures" in the original curriculum seem 
kind of perfunctorily added on....and so often on the last day

or am i mistaken here?  i mean this in the most compassionate way 
possible- but was Bill known to have worked well in collective 
horizontal arrangements etc??   and has this left a mark on the 
"traditions" and "personalities" of Permaculture since then?  (pls 
don't take this as Bill bashing as that is not my point- more about 
"Individualism" as a value.)

I would love to see more efforts in capital "P" Permaculture to 
seriously transcend the paradigms of commercialism and 
commodification if at all possible; embodying Permaculture in it's 
practice so to speak.

We feel a Community Land Trust is an effort at this.

I am wondering, not so much about a list of resources for a pamphlet, 
but what other practical efforts and designs are actually in the 
works out there?

best,
kevin






> Phil Vergamini <Phil@inetserv.com>
>
>         As part of the educational component of the Permaculture
> Credit Union, we are planning to put together a handout/brochure that
> will hopefully explain what Invisible Structures or Hidden Structures
> mean to the Pc community. ......... There doesn't
> seem to me to be a lot of information available but I may not be
> looking in the right places.
>
>         Thanks much-
>
>         -Phil