permaculture

[Dick Pierce <dickpiercedesigns@gmail.com>]

This has been a very good exchange/dialogue on the 3rd PC Ethic - I
appreciate the contributions and the tone of each commentator - thanks to
all, especially to Robyn. I like her combo of historical perspective,
intellect, real experience, passion for PC and our planet, and her
wonderful, gentle way of saying tough things nicely. I've picked up a couple
of good pointers with this discussion thread. Thanks.

I, too, learned my PC ethics (Geoff Lawton & Patricia Allison) to be: Care
for the Earth, Care for People, and Create and Share a Surplus. I like the
addition of "Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share" to give students a
good memory recall "hook" for the deeper, more profound discussion that goes
with the introduction of PC Ethics.

I find the 3 ethics as a great starting point to discuss the subject of
ethics - such a rarity in our modern world, organizations, and corporations
- in a fair amount of depth. I put Care for People 1st, as I was taught, to
point out that it if we did a good job of People Care, the Earth could do a
good/better job of caring for itself with less/little help from us. Then
using the 3 "Abbreviations" as their way to remember/recall it all.

I always add two additional ethics - sort of my own addition and "below the
line" - they are:

            -The Intrinsic Rights of All Beings .......(to be, to prosper,
to procreate/endure), and

            -To Conserve Resources......................(and reduce
consumption esp. in the West)

I also use "Fair Share" to explore the concept/ethic that every person,
region, group, etc. has the intrinsic right to have "1sts", that is their
basic needs satisfied, before others have "2nds" at the world's table. This
is a very good use of the surplus generated in ethic #3 - to help others, in
and outside their country/region, have basic needs met. It, of course, also
gets at the gigantic job ahead of us to move toward social and economic
justice in our region and the world.

After this discussion, I am going to try changing my Ethics chart to read:

1.      -Care for Earth
2.      -Care for People...[all of them]
3.      -Create and share a surplus
    -----------------------------------
 4.      -Conserve Resources
5.       -Intrinsic Rights of All Beings

This addition will allow me to bring up Fair Share and social/economic
justice sooner and as a more mainline topic. This is important as
the locations that I teach/have taught - American Indian Reservations,
central Texas, coastal MA - have large local disparities in wealth, land,
resources, and opportunities that need inclusion in our APG PDC Course, in
addition to the disparities of other lands and people.

Thank you all again for the lively, insightful, profitable, affable
dialogue. Appreciate your gift. Happy Holidays.

Dick Pierce
6.




On Fri, Dec 4, 2009 at 8:50 PM, Robyn Francis <erda@nor.com.au> wrote:

> Been following the third ethic threads (current and a month or so ago) and
> I
> would like to share my perspective. I like the simplified catch cry of
> Earth
> Care, People Care, Fair Share, and for me "Fair Share" fully embodies all
> the the various versions of the third ethic.
>
> When I introduce Fair Share I begin with the concept of footprints - we
> live
> on a finite planet of finite resources. Fair Share implies living and
> working within our ecological footprint, this inherently requires
> recognising 'limits to growth and consumption' (both core issues at the
> heart of our global woes: GHG emissions, climate change, resource peaks
> etc). There is also a social obligation here as when we use more than our
> allocated global footprint we're effectively 'stealing' from the capacity
> of
> others to support themselves, in the present and future generations. Fair
> Share + People Care implies social equity.
> When there is a surplus on one place/system then it needs to be distributed
> or cycled in a manner that supports the first 2 ethics otherwise situations
> of environmental and/or social pollution/erosion will result.
>
> Terminologies like Footprints weren't around when the early pc books,
> including the manual, were written. I would dare to suggest that had this
> terminology existed we would see it mentioned and tied to ethic three.
> World
> population has virtually doubled since the the PDM was written, resource
> consumption and consumerism have both increased exponentially.
>
> Could say loads more but other urgent matters call, like finishing off my
> summer planting.
>
> Ciao
> Robyn
>
>
>
>
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