[Pil-pc-oceania] New Century, New Times, New Approach Needed

[pacific-edge]

Thanks for your consideraton of my http://www.permacultureinternational.org
story Laurence.

On 1/8/07 10:10 AM, "Laurence Gaffney" <l.gaffney at bigpond.com> wrote:

> RE:- Russ Grayson's article entitled New century, new times, new approach
> needed.http://www.permacultureinternational.org/Members/pacificedge/new-centur
> y-new-times-new-approach-needed (link seems to have a problem)
 
The difficulty with the link may be to do with my taking the story down to
change something in the story. It is now back online under the title 'New
times need new approaches' and can be accessed directly at:
http://www.permacultureinternational.org/Members/pacificedge/new-times-need-
new-approaches

> Russ appears to be calling for Permaculture Organisations to adopt "a more
> viable form of organisation capable of encouraging sustainable behaviour".

I have to say that some permaculture grups appear to be viable already. My
emphasis on behaviour comes from the Social Marketing approach to community
engagement. Although social marketing approaches are probably too intensive
for community-based permculture groups to undertake, I thought that the
social marketing focus on encouraging behavioural change is pertinent and
that we, as permaculturists, might be able to learn something useful from
it.

This I base on my observations made while assisting in teaching on local
government courses in sustainable living (energy/water/non-toxic
cleaning/local food & local economy etc) and on sustainable gardening
courses (organic growing/ the permaculture approach to garden design etc).
There, the desire of the public to take action is clear. Many want to change
what they do (ie. their behaviour towards sustainable living) and,
encouragingly, some even become 'ambassadors' by encouraging family and
friends to make changes.

> This would involve adoption of the newer "connectivity technologies"

Yes. Despite problems with e-waste I think these technologies of
connectivity may be a means of spreading the influence of permaculture and
sustainability ideas. I see that Tim Winton is producing multimedia material
on his PermaForest website and that there are podcasts of Bill Mollison and
David Holmgren to be found online.

I mentioned YouTube, a site using social networking technology and video and
on which people are posting advocacy material. You will find short videos on
permaculture on YouTube. There is now freeware you can download to rip
YouTube video to your computer. I understand it is possible to convert this
to iPod video for mobile viewing and to Apple TV format.

I'm not a techno-freak (I do have a long running interest in how
technologies affect societies) but my point in saying this is to ask whether
permaculture ideas can be propagated via these technologies of connection.
If permaculture ignores them, then does it risk losing the younger
demographic for which the online, connected world is what is normal. It
would be good to hear people's thoughts on this.

> with the view to creating "educational organisation that motivates behavioural
> and attitudinal change" with success connected to having "partnership - like
> arrangement with a local government body" and building alliances in other
> organisations and groups.
> 
> At least that's my summary (correct me if otherwise Russ)

No correction - I think you sum it up well.

I noted in the story on the PIL website that the ACF has shown a trend to
reconfiguration from a campaign-based organisation to one with more of an
educational focus and suggested that some established environmental
organisations might not have the mindset to accomplish this in their present
form. 

That those groups support the research shows that they are aware that
something has changed over the first seven and a half years of the new
century and are thinking about changing. That is good. It can lead to
adaptation, survival and a new relevancy.

That notion that something has changed over recent years... when it came up
at the focus group nobody could accurately say just what has changed,
however the notion that, in general in things to do with sustainability
something has changed, remained agreed. We see this in the sudden prominence
of global warming. It's as if it reached a tipping point when knowledge of
it and public perceptions about it went from the linear growth that
characterised preceding years into nonlinearity that shot it to the
prominence it has today. I guess I'm trying to say it seems to have
undergone a phase change, as if it reached some trigger point, a point of
transmutation, after which it took on a somewhat diferent nature and
prominence.

The connection with permaculture is around the question of our adapting to
new public concerns and offering achievable ideas on dealing with them. This
generates relevancy. I think David Holmgren's focus on relocalisation -
connected with both global waring and peak oil - these past couple years
indicates that some of permaculture's leading thinkers have the capacity to
utilise the design system in new ways.
 
> The Topic is an important one I think and warrants some discussion. I am
> unclear what this might mean in practice

So am I, it is something that needs consideration to define detail and
direction.

> and just the thought of partnerships with government makes me tired. (and
> nervous) However broadly speaking I think Russ is onto something here.

Relations with government make me wary too. My focus was on local government
because of its immediacy in people's lives. I recall discussions with Robyn
Francis many years ago about the potential for cooperating with local
government where that was possible. So far, a few councils only are dipping
their bureaucratic toes into the warming waters of sustainability but I
suspect the number will grow. Some local governments are moving ahead on
this, others are acting a little tardy and uncertain, some are acting like
dinosaurs.

Indicitative of the uncertainty local government feels about how to approach
sustainability and to engage the public in it is the policy directions
document I am presently working on for a Sydney council. They instigated the
project because they are uncertain if or how to respond to approaches to
start community gardens in the municipality.
 
> Graeme George:-    What might this mean for Permaculture Melbourne?
> 
> Russ:-    Could you give your opinion on why "site visits and the like -
> became increasingly unattractive to members"??

I was talking about the decline of Permaculture Sydney around the turn of
the century. I don't really know why site visits became unattractive, so I
can't give you a definitive answer. I would guess that it was bound up with
the overall decline of what had been a pioneering and active organisation.

My idea is that there wasn't a sufficient diversity of activities on offer
and that the organisation might not have offered activities that could
establish bonds of acquaintanceship and friendship between people. These are
informal activities like shared meals, shared video screenings and the
like... activities that encourage conviviality.

Permaculture, while having a serious mission, should be fun to participate
in and should bring people into a convivial network of shared work, mutual
assistance and social enjoyment.

I've no idea if this helps with your question Laurence, or whether it is
just lines of waffle.

...Russ

 
> Laurence Gaffney