[permaculture-oceania] the cultural climate

[Gordon, Sue]

Thank you David, for your wonderful email below.

Exactly what you are talking about - being involved in community and
networking together in whatever groups we belong to is the reason for
the "Greater Sydney Spring Gathering" organised for 8 October.  To see
who is out there, and how we can work together to make a difference.



Sue 

-----Original Message-----
From: permaculture-oceania-bounces at lists.cat.org.au
[mailto:permaculture-oceania-bounces at lists.cat.org.au] On Behalf Of
Champagne
Sent: Monday, 4 September 2006 8:33 PM
To: permaculture-oceania
Subject: Re: [permaculture-oceania] the cultural climate

Thanks David,

I think your right in suggesting theres no better time to mix it within 
our communities. Suddenly ideas some of us have held for decades are 
emerging to the surface rapidly as real solutions and whats interesting 
is that its mainly coming from the bottom- up.

The BEND project in Bega has gained an enormous amount of credibility 
locally because being developers, we had to mix it. We mixed it with 
councilors, town planners, engineers, newspaper editors, our neighbors 
and the public. As we all know as permaculturalists, its just plain 
common sense and very difficult to argue against.

Its a time to become active in Zone 3 - Our Community. Important to be 
strategic as to where your energy goes and lend support to grassoots 
groups with good intentions. Starting a community forest, becoming 
developers, setting up a CSA, a local seedsavers chapter or helping the 
LETS group function well are important contributions to regions 
searching for a soft landing from energy descent.

In our area at least, theres no doubt the concept of Peak Oil is 
beginning to filter into the mainstream. It took 'Principles and 
Pathways beyond Sustainability' by our own David Holmgren to help me 
focus on the issue and David deserves credit for raising the current 
awareness in general.

He mentions in the book its not that important good change happens under

the banner of permaculture, as long as it happens and we lend support.

kind regards
John Champagne
Mumbulla Bioregion

David Arnold wrote:

>I am presently involved in a series of small meetings in which we are
discussing the 
>future of our small Australian country town - 600 people, 1500 in the
local district.  
>These meetings bring together representatives of diverse interests who
would not 
>otherwise meet.  It is very interesting to hear of the concepts that
non-permies are 
>thinking about these days.
>
>
>For example, a gung-ho young cropping farmer - very conservative, pro
GM, and 
>former Special Adviser to the Prime Minister on agribusiness - said he
sees cars 
>leaving this town each day to travel to work in regional centres.  He
said that with peak 
>oil, and petrol getting to $2 - $3 a litre, it may become too expensive
for people to live 
>in our town and travel elsewhere to work.
>
>This was the first time I had met him.  I was rapt that he had the
concept of peak oil.  
>OK, maybe it is not too surprising since they use so much of it and the
price is going 
>up, but 10 years ago if you talked of finite fossil fuel resources in
that sort of forum I 
>think eyes would have glazed over.  And "peak oil" works as a concise
concept, save  
>having to try to explain the whole thing from first principles.
>
>The generally increasing proportion of older people in country towns
was discussed.  
>The CEO and Director of Nursing at the aged care facility - the biggest
local employer 
>with 38 full-time equivalent staff - said that it seems that it is
really the "counter-culture" 
>activities that attract younger generations.  He suggested we need
organic and Bd 
>food for sale in the main street, and the rural supplies shop needs to
advertise organic 
>fertiliser for sale.
>
>Our working Pc design examples are still very important of course.  Now
the cultural 
>climate might be more open to our permaculture thinking.  It is a good
time for us 
>permies to get out there and mix, to engage with the broader community.
>
>By the way, it has been very helpful in the context of development in a
country town, to 
>be able to refer people to the BEND project in Bega, and to their
web-site at 
>www.bend.org.au  	The idea and example of people from the local
community 
>becoming the developer that they wanted to have has generated some
interest.
>
>Dave
>
>
>David Arnold			
> Permaculture Designer
>
>davidarnold at iinet.net.au
>
>4446 Murchison Rd, Violet Town  VIC  3669
>
>ph. 03 5798 1679		
>
>mob. 0428 981 679
>
>
>
>  
>
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