[Pil-pc-oceania] National P-Day and the need to go slow and organise

[Graeme George]

Russ and others

Thanks for the constructive comments on this process.

Russ and John, your posts have stimulated a thought that we may be  
able to come up with a national structure for Pc in Australia as an  
outcome of this discussion about establishing a national Pc day.  Of  
course we should be using Pc Principles and methodology in the design  
of a national structure and a national Pc day. So yes, let's start  
with Use of Small and Slow Solutions. I also suggest we heed  
Mollison's principle  "make the least change for the greatest possible  
effect"  (Mollison 1988 p15).

What we have to start with is -

1. Numerous autonomous Regional groups incorporated under State  
legislation, eg Permaculture Melbourne Inc, Permaculture North Inc.  
(calling these groups Local Regional is a bit confusing).

2. One national body, PIL, established under Federal legislation.

3. Various models of Local Groups operating under the legal protection  
of the incorporated Regional associations, eg Yarra Valley PG (PcM),  
Hornsby Group (PN).

4. Several emerging networks of autonomous groups, eg Sydney Basin,  
Blue Mountains, without formal structure (?), corresponding to the Bio- 
regional level of organisation in the PN proposal.

I suggest we don't need any more levels of legally established  
entities other than (1) and (2). How Local Groups are established  
within Regional Groups and how these Regional Groups network with each  
other should be left for the groups involved to decide, but hopefully  
informally.

At least for the short term, let's work with PIL as it is currently  
set up. All groups can ensure they have a voice in PIL by ensuring  
that they have individual members at that level. If having to fork out  
two lots of subscriptions is an issue for some individuals, then  
Regional Groups can get around this by paying the membership fee for  
their "representatives". Members of PIL would then be a mixture of  
unaligned members, members of regional groups subscribing to PIL as  
individuals, and some members of Regional Groups sponsored by those  
groups. All would still be individual members of PIL, with equal  
voting rights, so no constitutional problem there.

It has already been suggested that a Committee of PIL be set up to  
handle the National Permaculture day. A National Coordinating group  
under the PIL structure is a logical way to go about implementing the  
idea. However, I suggest that most of the organising needs to be done  
at the bio-regional and regional levels as the success of the event  
will rely on good promotion through State-based media outlets. Bio- 
regional coordinating committees, made up of representatives of Pc  
groups in the region, could manage the promotion of a series of  
events, with the actual work being done by the participating Regional  
and Local groups themselves, so we avoid another hierarchical level in  
our national structure, and there would be no additional insurance  
issues to have to consider.

Activities to be associated with the event should be the  
responsibility of existing incorporated Regional Pc groups (and any  
Local Groups operating under their umbrella).

These regional groups would nominate a representative to liaise with  
other groups in their bio-region to coordinate activities and  
promotion of the day (Russ's convivia).

The bio-regional groups would in turn be represented on the national  
coordinating group operating as a Committee of PIL.

Under this model, coordination would occur at Bio-regional and  
National levels, but the actual implementation of the activities and  
promotion of the events would be carried out by the Regionally- 
incorporated bodies. These bodies would fund the promotion and their  
profiles would be raised as a result of the promotion of the events.

Yours in Permaculture

Graeme


PS #1  Permaculture Melbourne's Committee informally discussed the PND  
proposal last night and came out in favour of a date around the Spring  
Equinox.

PS #2 Random House have advised that they are the successors of Corgi  
Books, but their records don't go back to 1978 and they can't help  
with a publication date for Permaculture One.



On 02/04/2008, at 9:47 AM, RussGrayson wrote:

> It has been interesting to watch the conversation on this list as  
> people
> deliberate the idea of a national P-Day, a day to highlight  
> permaculture.
>
> Here's a suggestion: Given the potential value of a national P-Day (an
> aspect which so far has attracted little comment), who don't we take  
> a leaf
> from the Slow Food and Slow Cities movements and adopt a process for  
> this
> topic that we could call something like... Slow Decisions.
>
> What's the hurry? Stephen Covey wrote that society is afflicted by an
> 'urgency addiction', but is that a feature we wish to replicate in
> permaculture? Sure, there are times when rapid decision making is  
> warranted,
> but is the P-Day question one of these? In regard to this, I recall  
> a person
> telling me about someone who said something about 'small and slow
> solutions'. Is this a time for such solutions or do we need haste? You
> decide.
>
> And, oh yes... there was another quote and it has to do with the  
> value of
> this discussion through which we have started to explore the concept  
> of a
> National P-Day. It's about the value of putting aside time for  
> discussion
> about important topics and it goes something like 'use protracted and
> thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless  
> labor'. Now,
> who was it who said that? And can we equate our conversation with the
> 'observation' mentioned in this passage?
>
> So far, we have discovered that the national calendar is filled with  
> days
> for this and days for that and that some times of year are more  
> packed with
> events than others. There have been constructive suggestions that  
> could
> provide the hook from which to hang national P-Day:
>
> 1. Bill Mollison's birthday
>
> This has some support but not anything like universal support.  
> Objections,
> some of them quite strong, allude to the possibiilty that  
> celebrating P-Day
> on Bill's birthday could lead to the design system being mistaken  
> for a
> cult. That, they say, would discredit permaculture and crash its
> credibility. Others say that David's birthday is an equally valid  
> date. Some
> fear a focus around a person simply brings into permaculture the  
> 'cult of
> the celebrity' that afflicts our society.
>
> A commentator on the listserv described the adoption of this date as
> potentially divisive.
>
>
> 2. An astronomical event - the equinox
>
> Occurring twice a year when the sun crosses the celestial equator  
> and day
> and night are of the same length, these could be seen as 'neutral'  
> dates.
>
> As such, they are unlikely to arose bitter opposition. The operative
> question is what is available in planting systems to show people at  
> these
> times.
>
>
> 3. Attachment to existing events
>
> How would P-Day go attached to an existing event such as  
> international Earth
> Day or the like?
>
>
> 4. The publication date of Permaculture One
>
> This is the book that launched permaculture upon an unsuspecting  
> world, and
> for me that makes it a date of potential significance for our  
> permaculture
> demimonde. The actual date chosen would presumably be that on which  
> it went
> on sale in bookshops, as this would be permaculture's actual launch  
> date.
>
> I understand that some permasleuths are attempting to track down  
> this date,
> however could I suggest that we look to the month of the launch of  
> the book
> rather than the actual date as that would give us some latitude in
> nominating a National P-Day. It could allow us to avoid other,  
> similar days
> during the month. As it may turn out, the actual launch is likely to  
> fall on
> a week day, necessitating the shifting of National P-Day to the  
> previous or
> following weekend. Let's hope the book wasn't launched in the middle  
> of the
> Tasmanian winter when only gorse and blackberry thrive in the island  
> state's
> gardens (apologies are here offered to Taswegians).
>
>
> SO, WHAT HAPPENS ON NATIONAL P-DAY?
>
> First things first:
>
> 1. Do we want a National P-Day?
>
> 2. If so, when?
>
> 3. If so, what should it's focus become?
>
> 3. If so, then what should it consist of?
>
> Although permaculture conviviums (sorry to steal your word, Slow  
> Foods, but
> your term is far better than 'groups') might organise events  
> appropriate to
> their locale and although these might differ somewhat across the  
> continent,
> it might help to define more or less exactly what a National P-Day (or
> whatever it is to be called) should set out to accomplish.
>
> This would have to be stated in broad terms to accommodate differing
> actions. It would, ideally, be adopted by all conviviums  
> participating. As
> an idea, a statement of purpose for National P-Day could go  
> something like:
> National P-Day celebrates the permaculture design system's  
> contribution to
> social, ecological and economic sustainability and showcases ideas  
> for sane
> living in a perplexing world.
>
> That's just an example, not a proposal.
>
> For participating groups (or conviviums), adoption of a set of key  
> messages
> about permaculture would guide what it is that they present to the  
> public
> while allowing them latitude in what it is that they actually focus  
> on for
> the day. These would be negotiated collaboratively on this listserv  
> and
> might include key messages like:
>
> a) Permaculture is a system of designing the places in which we live  
> - our
> homes, neighourhoods and cities - so that they can persist into the  
> future
> as humane, productive places.
>
> b) Permaculture is guided and defined by three ethics: care of  
> people; care
> of the Earth; the sharing of surplus goods, resources and ideas.
>
> c) The design and implementation of permaculture projets and works  
> is guided
> by sets of principles (ie. by those of David Holmgren, Bill Mollison  
> and
> others).
>
> d) Permaculture can be practiced by anyone. Permaculture co- 
> originator, Bill
> Mollison, suggests that we start to practice permaculture where we  
> live by
> doing what it is within our capability of achieving with the  
> resources we
> have. Most of us can choose to:
>
> - conserve water and energy in the home
> - buy our food from those who grow it responsibly or grow our own in
> balcony, kitchen and community gardens
> - invest our surplus funds in ethical enterprises (via social  
> investment
> businesses)
> - cooperate with our neighbours on initiatives of mutual and  
> neighbourhood
> benefit
> -  adopt an open, fair and deliberative approach to making decisions  
> that
> affect us all
> - your turn...
>
>
> ORGANISING NATIONAL P-DAY
>
> How would the national day be organised?:
>
> 1. By a national secretariat?
>
> 2. By independent organisations in states and bioregions?
>
> 3. As a day of variable date in different regions, somewhat negating  
> the
> 'national' part of P-Day?
>
> Here's an idea that has just jumped into my head. If National P-Day  
> is to
> actually be a national day, then we already have a national  
> permaculture
> entity that could, were its members willing, assume the organisation  
> of the
> thing. It's called Permaculture International and it was the focus of
> renewed energy at APC9. That in itself suggests that it could attain  
> the
> capacity to run a national day.
>
> Permaculture International exists as task groups or committees that  
> link
> directly to the national board of directors through one of those  
> directors
> who participates in the committee. A National P-Day could be organised
> through a National P-Day committee of Permaculture International.  
> The only
> requirement of those participating would be membership of Permaculture
> International.
>
> I've prattled on enough so I'll end here.
>
> ...Russ Grayson
>
>
>
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