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permaculture - Re: [permaculture] National convergence- keep it rolling

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  • From: Bob Waldrop <bob@bobwaldrop.net>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] National convergence- keep it rolling
  • Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2012 23:53:25 -0500


On 7/22/2012 12:49 PM, loren luyendyk wrote:
Bob- when I said it is your karma what method of travel you choose, I meat
that you (individual) will be the one who has to deal with your choice.
There are many low-carbon ways to transport ourselves these days, so I don't
think this is much of an issue if this is important to you. However, I do
agree that we should design the convergence with low-carbon transport in
mind, like near a bus route or offer rideshares on a llama cart.

I understood what you said, but I don't think you are understanding what I am saying. It's not just me who has to deal with my choice. It's the entire eco-system and all of its associated creatures. A choice to get on an airplane and travel across the world is a choice that poisons the atmosphere and contributes to anthropogenic climate change. No one can do just one thing, that's a basic design principle. It doesn't matter whether avoiding climate emissions is important to me, and not important to others. All choices are not equal. Some choices are worse than others. Some choices do more damage than others. If permaculture sets up what amounts to an attractive nuisance -- a national convergence that encourages people to drive individual cars and book airline tickets -- then the permaculture movement is making a deliberate strategic choice to poison the atmosphere and contribute to climate change for our own selfish reasons. Maybe repaying some karma by doing work at an area populated by lots of Native Americans would make a convergence worthwhile, as long as people take the bus. But if people are going to fly from around the nation, we would be better off if we simply sent them money.

Permaculture the US Movement has its own karma. And if we are going to become just another way to promote tourism for people of privileged economic, social, and racial status at the expense of damaging the natural ecology -- poisoning the air, polluting the waters, killing birds, well, that's not very good karma. What goes around comes around and I don't want to be on the receiving end of those consequences. I think authenticity is one of the most important civic virtues when it comes to invisible structures and so if we are going to have a national convergence, either it happens in accordance with permaculture ethics or its not a permaculture conference. It's a gathering of privileged white people doing what privileged white people like to do, which is burn hydrocarbons by traveling, while they comfort themselves with the thought that they are so special that their carbon emissions don't really impact the planet, so it is fine to fly around the world in pursuit of the perfect permaculture experience.

I have a friend in Act-Up and he has a lot of influence on me so I'm just saying IT CAN'T BE ALLOWED! lol.

I think that the ethics constitute a mandate for organized permaculture that we ignore to our peril. We can trivialize the risks of burning the rest of our fossil fuel endowment if it makes us feel better about our choices, but I'm not seeing much in the way of permaculture in that. Privileged white people need to learn more about how to say "no" to their incessant urge to travel. Stability -- becoming "one" with a particular local ecosystem and watershed and just staying home in your home town or close by -- is very kind to the planet. Flying around the planet, even for good motives, is very harsh on the planet.

So if we are going to have a convergence, I think the first thing to do is hang out a big sign that says "DON'T FLY TO ATTEND. TAKE THE BUS." People who don't have time to take the bus shouldn't go to the convergence.

Bob Waldrop, Okie City






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