permaculture

["Steve Read" <steveread@free.fr>]

Hello, 

Whilst finding the didactic tone(one I never use!!!) of Marjory difficult I 
agree with the sentiment, although having no idea about the current situation 
of Isabel nor her experience so I'm not directing the following her way 
specifically. Also ite European orientated.

I have this riddle that I propose sometimes to people:- If I'm a good 
designer then my personal situation is abundant so I don't need to charge 
much, if at all for teaching courses, if my personal situation isnt' abundant 
then should I been teaching courses because perhas I'm not the designer I 
could be.


My personal approach as someone who teaches PdC's is to ask for expenses + a 
share of the 'pot' if any. This has meant success for me in reaching outside 
of the ready made audience of the light green wasp bourgeoisie, with all due 
respect; It also means I feel I'm fulfilling the PmC ethic of giving away 
surplus, especially as I tithe from any revenue to PmC projects that need 
some wad. When I have a scan through the course listings for eg on the Brit 
Perm site I find myself troubled by the prices, this is obviously a flaw on 
my part and I'm working on it. As a designer my fees will vary from 
0+expenses to quite expensive + expenses depending on the client/s.  

For Isabel specifically I wondr if you have thought about mainly 
concentrating on installing? Not just your place but also all the 
'bio-regional' infrastructure so well described in Chapter 14 onwards of the 
designers manual?


SteveR

======= At 2008-10-28, 22:27:21 you wrote: =======

>Hello,
>
>The absolute best thing you can do for your community is to quit 
>teaching until you have implemented a design that provides at least half 
>of your food and income needs, and all of your shelter and water needs.  
>After you have done that, the students will come in droves and you will 
>really  be able to teach something worthwhile. 
>
>Marjory
>
>
>
>
>
>Udan Farm wrote:
>> Hi Everyone,
>>
>> I admit, I do not keep up with this list nearly as much as I would like 
>> to, but I'd like to start a discussion about a trend I see, and perhaps 
>> how to alter it, or harness it, or ???
>>
>> I live in a southern state, so we are fairly far behind in Permaculture, 
>> as in, classes being taught, and interest in general.
>> I am a new Permaculture teacher, trying to get the word out, and my 
>> partner and I will be student teaching our first design course this winter.
>>
>> What I have noticed here in our southern state is a trend of fairly 
>> wealthy couples, or single middle aged women, who "decide" to start a 
>> farm, eco-village, or other farm related business, with little prior 
>> knowledge. They go buy the land with little realization of what to look 
>> for, realize that it's a lot of work, and then want someone to come 
>> "assess" their land. Most of them want to host a class (mainly because 
>> they are too busy to leave the farm) and hope that it will include lots of 
>> people planting trees for them. In other words, they want someone to come 
>> "DO" permaculture to their farm, and hope it won't cost much. Generally 
>> they also hold down jobs in another town or they live part time in another 
>> place. They had enough money to create the beginning of the dream but no 
>> clue how to sustain it or build it.
>>
>> I don't want to come off sounding like a whiner here. But this is 
>> happening over, and over and over here in my state. You can pretty much 
>> map them out, about 100 miles apart. 
>> We are feeling very much pulled by every little wind as permaculture 
>> teachers, so we are having to be very selective about what we do.
>>
>> What I was wondering-I don't mean to just crab about it- is are any other 
>> Permaculture Teachers out there experiencing this, and what do you tell 
>> folks, and how could we get them all together? Mind you it's a 5 hour 
>> drive from one end of the state to another.
>>
>> This is really, in my opinion, an indicator of our larger American society 
>> in general. We have enough money to go off in our little corner and live, 
>> and we want others to "work for us", as we have come to expect. (I don't 
>> think that, but I think American society in general-or at least upper and 
>> upper-middle class society does.)
>>
>> Granted the tide seems to have turned, and people may be more serious and 
>> honest about wanting to live simply and sustainably...
>>
>> but I just wondered what my fellow Perm. folks out there are experiencing, 
>> and how they are turning THE PROBLEM INTO THE SOLUTION.
>>
>> Peace,
>> Isabel
>>
>>
>>       
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= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
                        

Best regards.                            
Steve Read
steveread@free.fr
2008-10-29