permaculture

[Evan Schoepke <thejulianeffect@gmail.com>]

Thanks for the good points all around...
I think this is a great debate for permaculture that goes way beyond
this particularity important book and overall very healthy and has lots of
room for compromises.

 *I added just added a poll* <http://www.punkrockpermaculture.com> so that
we can see what is the trend of thinking with in the broader community,
please vote if you would like.

Thanks for all the great replies I feel *Rationally Creative* most
eloquently stated a good portion of my opionion below:

I agree with you! This work is too valuable to hide behind an IP wall.
Dispersing the book for free as an ebook (still charging for the printed
book) and allowing others to freely share and translate it would certainly
produce more interest and could produce more revenue if implemented
correctly. Make sure to add a strong message in the ebook communicating
everything that Bill and Tagari are working for and a convenient link to
make a donation.

The question isn’t who owns the property but rather how can this work be
distributed to produce the greatest positive impact (even financially for
Bill and Tagari)?

Evan, you are hitting a vein of different thinking between generations.
Generations before ours feel that IP laws protect their property and are an
essential means of doing business. Our generation (and a few others from
earlier generations) believe that IP laws just hinder progress and
innovation. People will find a way around the controls put in place and the
most successful businesses going forward will be those that openly share
their property and find novel ways to generate profit from it.


I wanted to briefly clarify some things about myself.  Day in and day out I
promote permaculture on my site, and at sites with in my community, because
I believe deeply in both the design system and it's ethics.  I cherish
everything I gained from taking an awesome PDC and I currently use that
knowledge daily in my writing, at my house, and in my neighborhood setting
up guerrilla forest gardens that often become open community gardens.  Some
folks mentioned I should just write my own book and release it for free,
well I've actually been working on that.  If permaculture has taught me
anything its that we must work together, work with nature, and work urgently
if we are to save biodiversity and avert social collapse.  I would not want
to harm Tagari's sales, Bill's income, or the permaculture movement in any
way and dutifully followed their take down order, but I respectfully refuse
to disclose the location of other free versions of the designer's manual.
 It has been demonstrated many times over that if a (free or donation based)
digital copy is released it only generates more interest and hence revenue.
 Most people prefer to read from paper books instead of on the screen.  I
often wonder about questions of eco classism and access and if the systems,
and  especially the ethics, of permaculture will spread fast enough into the
day to day thinking of the busy world we live in to out pace the rate of
destruction.  It is very likely that in the end I will keep my deep green
anarchist leanings, Tagari will keep it's copyrights and prosper, thousands
of people of all income brackets will continue to get the material online
for free anyhow, and permaculture will grow in popularity and continue
transform the world.  That last likelihood is my greatest hope. Thank you
all and best of luck to you and your projects!  Every one of you is an
inspiration!

take care and fair share,

~evan  (@gaiapunk)

gaia punk designs

editor of punk rock permaculture e-zine<http://www.punkrockpermaculture.com>

National Green Communities
writer<http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-13224-Green-Community-Examiner~y2009m10d13-Masdar-City-Making-Waves>on
examiner.com