permaculture

[kelda@riseup.net]

Hi!

So the permaculture news from Tacoma, WA is that a lot of us have been
reading the book Deep Green Resistance and highly recommend that other
permaculturists do so. The authors specifically critique permaculture, and
(though I'd love to sit down with Lierre Keith over a cup of tea to argue
some specifics) I think they bring up some really good points about how
the Permaculture movement could better serve a true culture of resistance.
Ie, how it ISN'T direct action against what is destroying the planet, but
could be.

How has this changed things for me? Instead of being under the illusion
that my permaculture demonstration projects (or my bike-riding, or my
shorter showers) will cause any big change as fast as we need it, I'm
thinking more now of how to create garden networks that can actually serve
as a totally alternate food systems. Inspiring hope and love for planet
are nice and all, but we need different physical structures fast.

Also, in the most recent permaculture course I taught, I for the first
time said in lecture about Ethics and specifically Water topics "So don't
tell me any specifics, but if you can Care for the Earth by blowing up a
dam than by all means do so". At which of course the class laughed and
tangentalized into how best to care for salmon runs/siltation until I
brought them back to the topic at hand.

Anyway. Deep Green Resistance. Read the book! It's not for everyone in the
permaculture movement, but it's very much for a lot of us. I look forward
to some great conversation about it with permies in the future.

Kelda