[Pil-pc-oceania] Small and Slow Solutions

[Tim Winton]

I'd like to back Russ up on his suggestion about taking our time with the
proposed National Permaculture Day debate. I think we can go to David
Holmgren's 'small and slow solutions' principle for this issue and a lot of
other permaculture topics. In a world reaching limits to growth,
permaculture needs to demonstrate the processes of sustainable collaborative
action as well as the products. Short term, hurried actions have lead to an
unsustainable situation on this planet and it is hard to see how continuing
with that pattern of activity is going to lead to any real progress. To
paraphrase Albert Einstein, problems cannot be solved with the same level of
thinking that created them. Let's show that we can practice what we preach. 

Thanks for an excellent clarifying post, Russ.

Tim


Message: 2
Date: Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:53:44 +1100
From: RussGrayson <info at pacific-edge.info>
Subject: [Pil-pc-oceania] National P-Day
To: pil <pil-pc-oceania at lists.permacultureinternational.org>
Message-ID: <C419CD08.9679%info at pacific-edge.info>
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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