[permaculture-oceania] End of Suburbia cancellation-commiseration

Mon Aug 7 17:12:29 EST 2006

Thanks Helen,
I will contact Robyn to get more info re Future Food DVD.  Robyn is doing
some fine work up here.  Her efforts are making an impact and she has such a
lovely capable manner, she is easy to listen to and work with. 

I think it is our calm confidence backed up by nearly 30 years of
demonstrated success that will turn people our way.  We do need to keep
presenting facts but it must be backed up with positives...always supported
by the availability of skills and knowledge, supported by a dynamic network,
supported by creative pathways to good decisionmaking.

Any presentation must be shown in the context of the community and its
needs.  It is so hard because there are people on so many different points
of the journey.  So when offering something that some may find shocking we
need to have all the avenues of support right there....the lists of
workshops, the discussion group following, the future planning sessions for
proposals to councils etc etc.

And we ourselves need support from time to time...those sessions at APC8
about all the wonderful projects around Australia was a great boost to all
who saw them.  I look forward to another boost at APC9 in Sydney in 2008.
Best regards
Janet

Janet Millington

140 Finley Road

Eumundi QLD 4562

07 54 427 200

0402 06 24 65

-----Original Message-----
From: permaculture-oceania-bounces at lists.cat.org.au
[mailto:permaculture-oceania-bounces at lists.cat.org.au] On Behalf Of Helen
Sent: Sunday, 6 August 2006 9:13 AM
To: promoting permaculture and sustainable living in the oceania region;
'promoting permaculture and sustainable living in the oceania region'
Subject: re[2]: [permaculture-oceania] End of Suburbia
cancellation-commiseration

Hello Janet,
I think you are absolutely right here.
People can be very easily alienated if you push them too hard.  And at this
precarious time we need to bring people with us, not alienate them.
Robyn Cook up in your area has been talking to me about a screening of The
Future of Food.  It is a must-see film - and it gives people hope and a
different way to do things.

All the best...

Helen Wallace        
T:  02 9557 0500

F:  02 8214 6800

M: 0418 449144

helen at otacnet.com.au

OTACNet (Organic Traders' and Consumers' Network)
PO Box 332
Westgate   NSW   2048

----------------------- Original Message -----------------------

From: "Janet Millington"  <mailto:miltech at bigpond.com> <miltech at bigpond.com>
To: "'promoting permaculture and sustainable living in the oceania region'"
<mailto:permaculture-oceania at lists.cat.org.au>
<permaculture-oceania at lists.cat.org.au>
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2006 09:07:56 +1000
Subject: RE: [permaculture-oceania] End of Suburbia cancellation
-commiseration

I think there are two points to consider.
1. The value of showing the End of Suburbia
And 
2. the appropriateness of a message at an opening of a new centre for
positivism.

There is no doubt there is a need for all participants in our society to see
where that is going and so EoS is essential viewing.  But we need to be
sensitive to those who are just starting on the journey that some of us have
been on for decades.  

We need to move them along with us and not turn them into further denial.
Their entry into this sort of realistic future thinking needs to be positive
and I would show the Cuba video as it is a celebration of positive action,
the same as opening a new building....  Especially for an opening I think
the positive approach would be best.  The principal at a local school has
insisted all students be shown the Cuba video after seeing it at  the
school's monthly permaculture group meeting where it was screened to over 50
community members (50 is good for mid week in Winter in a small QLD town)

Later you can schedule EoS and leave time for a forum where people can make
suggestions as to how that sort of end could be offset by positive action in
their own community.

I am interested in the other title mentioned The Future of Food as we now
have people here moving from denial into action and we need to gather up
more as well as define our specific action in each community.
Regards
Janet Millington

Janet Millington
140 Finley Road
Eumundi QLD 4562
07 54 427 200
0402 06 24 65

-----Original Message-----
From:  <mailto:permaculture-oceania-bounces at lists.cat.org.au>
permaculture-oceania-bounces at lists.cat.org.au
 <mailto:permaculture-oceania-bounces at lists.cat.org.au>
[mailto:permaculture-oceania-bounces at lists.cat.org.au] On Behalf Of Russ
Grayson
Sent: Tuesday, 1 August 2006 11:15 PM
To: permaculture-oceania
Subject: Re: [permaculture-oceania] End of Suburbia cancellation
-commiseration

Well, Virginia, I couldn't agree with you more. Is it a case of too much
time in the garden for these people and not enough time with their heads up
in the world? (no criticism of Robyn's valuable work meant here, not any
slight at her friends and collegues).

The bushland work these people appear to be involved in is useful but, like
gardening, it will do little to introduce social change. And as for
"worrying" people, well, there's an old journalist saying that goes
something like 'comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable'.

So, if the film afflicts people in their nice comfortable lives? Well, too
bad because, if it proves to be correct eventually, or even an approximation
of what happens, then a little affliction now might save a great deal more
later.

You know, in the days when even right wing neocon commentators talk about
the end of oil (the one I have in mind was using it to promote nuclear
energy, though there were misconceptions in his article about the types of
energy use that doesn't fit here), it really is hard to deny it. The ostrich
head-in-the-sand-hear-no-evil reaction to this news surely invites the
critical response it has received on this listserver.

Good that you tried, Robyn.

...Russ

On 31/7/06 12:15 AM, "Virginia Solomon"  <mailto:vsolomon at netspace.net.au>
<vsolomon at netspace.net.au> wrote:

> It is not only disappointing, but positively horrifying that people 
> are being asked to cancel showings of this important documentary 
> because it might "worry" people! It SHOULD worry people.
> 
> I show it once every three weeks to a different class of Year 9 
> students at school. How can we get people to accept responsibility for 
> the evolution of our communities and to move into the descent 
> confidently if they are ignorant of the facts? Perhaps we should be 
> following EoS with the Power of Community for a positive view... 
> thanks for that link, I will try to get that too to show the kids.
> 
> Commiserations Robyn, and I hope the launch at Annangrove Park went 
> well anyway. Cheers
> Virginia Solomon
> Eltham College
> 
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
RUSS GRAYSON
journalism, online content production, photojournalism, instructional
manuals, media services for overseas aid

PO Box 1045, Manly, NSW 1655 AUSTRALIA
 <mailto:info at pacific-edge.info> info at pacific-edge.info
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 <http://www.pacific-edge.info> www.pacific-edge.info

TerraCircle international development team, Oceania
<http://www.terracircle.org.au> www.terracircle.org.au

Australian City Farms & Community Gardens Network
<http://www.communitygarden.org.au> www.communitygarden.org.au
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

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