permaculture

[Lawrence London <lfljvenaura@gmail.com>]

On Thu, Sep 18, 2014 at 7:52 PM, Toby Hemenway <toby@patternliteracy.com>
wrote:

>
> Let's look at the evidence around Bill's attitudes toward the
> establishment and systems of control. He produced the first certificates to
> document graduates of PDCs; he stated that one needed to take a PDC in
> order to use the word "permaculture" in a business; that the word
> "permaculture" was copyrighted and that "copyright is vested in the
> Permaculture Institutes and their College of Graduates, and is guarded by
> them for the purposes of consistent education" (from p. ix of the
> Designer's Manual); he vigorously pursues copyright infringement and has
> threatened violators with legal action; he devised the first Diplomas; he
> attempted to trademark several permaculture-related terms; he created the
> original Permaculture Institute and Permaculture Academy; he established a
> registry of PDC teachers. Chapter 14 of the DM has a considerable section
> on establishing Trust Companies, Charitable Trusts, Non-Profit Trading
> Trust Companies, Development Trusts, Property Trusts, credit union
>  s, revolving loan funds, banks, leasing systems, investment strategies,
> and on trusteeship and board of director structures.
>
> The evidence is that Bill finds ostensible "systems of control" like these
> useful and valuable. Institutions are usually what we make them. I suspect
> a case here of projecting one's own values onto those we admire.
>
> Given the anarchistic, anti-authoritarian nature of most permies, and the
> fact that permaculture has shown itself over the last 30 years to be
> essentially uncontrollable, out of two possible fates for permaculture, one
> being the takeover of its institutions by fascists bent on seizing control
> and acting as police to make it as exclusive and high-priced as possible,
> and on the other hand, seeing a decline of standards and dissipation of the
> PDC into whatever any teacher wants it to be, I'd say the latter is much
> more likely.
>
> Toby
> http://patternliteracy.com
>

Just a brief reply...it would seem useful to compare the development,
adoption and use of permaculture and the tone of the movement with
a few examples of really good, inspirational development, Oregon's Land Use
Laws, prime farmland preservation, development restrictions and guidelines
for the city of Portland
and the development and success of Oregon's wine industry. I just watched
two hours of the best TV I have seen in a long time:

http://www.unctv.org/content/program_listings/making-sense-place-portland
MAKING SENSE OF PLACE: PORTLAND
Program URL:
 http://www.makingsenseofplacefilms.com/
  PSIP Description:
 Focuses on Portland, Oregon's transformation from an urban wasteland into
a thriving metropolis.
  Long Description:
 The third installment in the MAKING SENSE OF PLACE series profiles the
transformation of Portland, Oreg. from an urban wasteland into a thriving
metropolis. Following the rapid and uncontrolled growth of the 1950s and
'60s, the civic leaders of Portland developed and implemented some of the
most successful land-use policies in the United States. Today, Portlanders
enjoy a flourishing downtown, as well as national recognition for their
achievements in alternative transportation, emissions reductions and
overall sustainability. With its alternative transportation, distinct urban
boundary and overall "green" sensibility, can Portland continue to contain
its growth and still satisfy all of its inhabitants?

http://www.unctv.org/content/program_listings/oregon-wine-grapes-place-2
OREGON WINE: GRAPES OF PLACE
 Program URL:
 http://www.opb.org/programs/oregonexperience/
  PSIP Description:
 In the 1960s, pioneers arrived in Oregon's Willamette Valley determined to
produce premium wines.
  Long Description:
 In the 1960s a new breed of pioneers began arriving in Oregon's Willamette
Valley determined to grow Vitis vinifera, the fine wine grapes of Europe.
They were told it couldn't be done and were amply warned that western
Oregon was too cold and wet for vinifera to flourish. But they came anyway
with a dream of producing premium wines - in particular, Pino Noir - made
from the delicate red grape of Burgundy, France. The pioneers' risky
experiment created a new industry in Oregon and changed the world of wine
forever.

All this is about preserving a region's best farmland for worldclass food
production and for local small farms selling to markets in neighborhoods in
urban areas to people who prefer locally, naturally-grown foo grown by
farmers in their local economy. All win (farmer) win (people) win (city
government). There are deep and complex relationshops between permaculture
and this type of innovative land use planning and progressive, futuristic
urban development.

What amazing videos; restored my faith; watch them through PBS wherever
available.

LL
-- 
Lawrence F. London
lfljvenaura@gmail.com
http://www.avantgeared.com
https://plus.google.com/+Avantgeared
Skype: lawrence.f.london