permaculture

[Permaculture Cooperative <permaculturecoop@gmail.com>]

Exploring permaculture cooperation in
Britain<http://gaiapermaculture.com/projects/permaculturecooperative/blog/2009/08/19/permaculture-cooperation-in-britain/>
 by Nicholas Roberts <http://gaiapermaculture.com/people/niccolo/profile>

*[image: scotland-600.JPG]*

*Via colloboration at the Scottish Camp for Climate Action at the Mainshill
Solidarity 
Camp</projects/climatewar/blog/2009/08/18/malaga-mainshill-and-greenhouse-feudalism/>,
fighting theGreenhouse
Fuedalism</projects/climatewar/blog/2009/08/16/climate-change-as-lens-or-as-filter/>
 of the United Kingdom, we met some very wonderful people.*
*Permaculture Association of Britain*

A good friend, made at the camp, suggested the Permaculture Association of
Britain <http://www.permaculture.org.uk/> would be a good place to start.
That business is booming for the association.
*Trapese Popular Education Collective*

I asked said friend about Transition Towns Totnes, and he offered a
reference to the Trapese Popular Education
Collective<http://www.trapese.org/>’s
critique “A Rocky Road To
Transition<http://sparror.cubecinema.com/stuffit/trapese/rocky-road-a5-web.pdf>”
PDF. Indymedia review the critique, and a reply from Transition
Culture<http://transitionculture.org/2008/05/15/the-rocky-road-to-a-real-transition-by-paul-chatterton-and-alice-cutler-a-review/>
.

Trapese are worth a special mention, as Transition Culture explain in their
rebuttal of the critique.

The authors write from a perspective strongly rooted in their work as
left wing activists and educators, with a strong anti-corporate,
anti-globalisation stance. One of the aspects of their critique of
Transition is that it shies away from directly confronting what they
see as being the enemy. Their starting point can be summed up in the
sentence “it is fundamentally important to identify and name the
cenemies in the battle to make a real Transition”.

I couldn’t agree more. Transition Culture response states that “*Yes there
are tremendously powerful global forces at work, doing appalling things with
increasing boldness, but they function as such because, in many cases, we
have given them, consciously or unconsciously, the power to do so”*. What
happens when they have taken the power, by force, by violence ? or
manipulation of the institutions of industrial civilisation ? The Transition
Culture response continues with magical thinking

Transition is determinedly inclusive and non-blaming, arguing that a
successful transition through peak oil and climate change will by
necessity be about a bringing together of individuals and
organisations, rather than a continued fracturing and antagonising.

If only. The current trajectory is heading more towards a Sustainment
scenario, a kind of Fotress World, with Green Zones for the rich and
powerful (and perhaps communities of other classes that can organise
themselves sufficiently and form symbiotic neofeudal relations).

Trapese have an excellent resources
page<http://trapese.clearerchannel.org/resources.php>

Do it yourself; A handbook for changing our world, some highlights

   - Why we need holisitic solutions for a world in crisis and How to get of
   the 
grid.<http://trapese.clearerchannel.org/chapters/Trapese%2002%20chaps3_4%282%29>
   - Why do it without leaders. Seeds for change
collective.<http://trapese.clearerchannel.org/chapters/Trapese%2002%20chaps3_4%282%29>
   - Popular education and social
movements<http://trapese.clearerchannel.org/resources/hand%20out%20bournemouth.rtf.pdf>
   - Presentation on popular education
(powerpoint)<http://trapese.clearerchannel.org/resources/Popular%20Education%20presentation.ppt>
   - World time line
(powerpoint)<http://trapese.clearerchannel.org/resources/world%20timeline.ppt>
   - Introduction to
permaculture<http://trapese.clearerchannel.org/resources/Permaculture.ppt>

Radical Routes

Via another climate camper, a radical UK cooperative federation was
suggested , Radical Routes <http://www.radicalroutes.org.uk/>.

Here we are in twenty-first-century Britain, in a world not of our
making but one that has been moulded over thousands of years of
exploitation and injustice.

Our world is shaped by the forces of greed, capitalism and
materialism, where maximum production and optimum profits are
vigorously pursued, making life a misery for many and putting us and
the environment at risk.

The system is ultimately controlled by the rich and powerful,
the capitalists and bureaucrats, through the use of many mechanisms
such as ownership of the economy (making people slaves to a job) and
control of the media (creating a passive culture).

Radical Routes is a network of co-ops and individuals seeking to
change all this.

 Once again, this is exactly the correct position,

The specific means it is pursuing are:


   -

   The setting up of housing co-ops to
   house people and projects with the above aims.

   -

    The setting up of workers co-ops which operate with the above aims.

   -

    The promotion and organisation of participatory education through
   skills- and knowledge-sharing events, Taking Control events,
   informative material and workshops.

   -

    The raising of finance to take control over resources (property,
   technology, land...) through co-operation and economic interlocking of
   the co-ops.

   -

    The support of like-minded projects.



   *Radical Routes have an ethical investment arm
Rootsock<http://www.rootstock.org.uk/>
   *



*Rootstock* is a social investment society set up as an initiative of
the Radical Routes <http://www.radicalroutes.org.uk/> network of
co-operatives. Radical Routes is a
growing network of housing and workers’ co-operatives working for social 
change.

Radical Routes co-operatives are active in many fields, including:

*Sustainable land use* through *permaculture, land restoration, *
*woodland creation*, and growing and distributing *organic food*.

*Communal housing* - co-operatively owned housing is a resource
for the whole community rather than a commodity for the profit of a few.

*Resource centres* for communities

*Information* through publications, radical bookshops and
practical support for new co-ops.

*Campaigning* on issues such as ecological preservation, animal rights
and housing.

*International peace work*

*Home education*

*Electrical*, *plumbing* and small scale *building* work

*Support services* including *Book keeping and accountancy*,
*Computer services*, *Training and consultancy*,
*Mediation and group working* ­

Transition Towns Totnes

TTT have dropped to the bottom of my list of permaculture cooperative
investigations.

Coming from the
Mondragon-Permaculture</projects/permaculturecooperative/blog/2009/07/17/mondragon-permaculture-cooperative/>
 investigations and most recently the activism of Scottish Climate
Camp</projects/climatewar/blog/2009/08/18/malaga-mainshill-and-greenhouse-feudalism/>,
the Transition Network seems naive and New Age at best, a kind of group
therapy focussed on community gardens and workshops. I also have serious
reservations about the pyramid selling business model of Transition Towns.
Conclusion

In the next two weeks we have an enormous amount to do; wrap-up this phase
of the Mainshill campaign work, the Coal Health
Study<http://coalhealthstudy.org/>,
a trip to the sustainable Isle of Eigg <http://www.isleofeigg.net/>,
presentation of our work at a workshop atLondon’s Climate
Camp<http://climatecamp.org.uk/>
 (possibly volunteering in the Indymedia again) and also the Permaculture
cooperation network in the UK.

On the agenda with the Permaculture Association of Britain, Trapese, Radical
Routes & Rootstock would be the creation of a global permaculture
cooperative group or network of groups. Making real many of theprojects
listed on GaiaPermaculture.com </projects>.

-- 
Nicholas Roberts & Kirstie Stramler
skype permaculturecoop
email permaculturecoop@gmail.com
phone +1 415 670 9710
--
plans http://gaiapermaculture.com
video http://Permaculture.TV
http://www.youtube.com/user/permaculturecoop