[Pil-pc-oceania] Biofuels ...freak meeting

[Deb Guildner]

Good story, thats a perfect illustration of how institutions 
malfunction.......
of course one could argue that it was visionary of Shell to do 
that...because Shell is now in the box seat to take up any work by students 
of the Design Ecology studies unit, whereby one of two things could happen, 
depending on Shell's priorities. They could either pay the student off, 
patent it, buy the patent and lock it away in a vault,
or use it to instigate positive change in the their business activites.

But, either way, as they are one of the top 10 or 20 biggest corporations on 
the planet, it will all revolve around profit.

Petrol companies are as we know involved in the whole cycle of petrochemical 
engineering....and the total control of agribusiness...from fuel...to 
chemicals...seeds...the whole lot.

They may only convert to biological systems design when all other options 
are exhausted, thats been their modus operandi so far.

The move to fund the Design unit is also good PR for Shell I guess, and 
probably entirely tax dedustible.....sigh.

Cheers
Deb
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <stevehart at maxnet.co.nz>
To: <pil-pc-oceania at lists.permacultureinternational.org>
Sent: Friday, April 11, 2008 10:50 AM
Subject: [Pil-pc-oceania] Biofuels ...freak meeting


> Biofuels ...freak meeting
>
> Just something to add to the interesting file. While in Brasil last year I
> had a very freak by chance mtg with an old mentor of great standing, in my
> personal view. Professor Miguel Altierri. One of the founders of the
> Design Ecology movement who is still teaching at UC Santa Cruz.  He stands
> in my book alongside Fukuoka and Goldsmith . It was a very strange and
> chance mtg which today still amazes me how it occurred. However in the 5
> minutes we conversed he informed me that his faculty had just been bought
> by Shell for M$500.... literally....its goes down on paper as a grant, but
> those were his words. "They now own us and will direct everything we do in
> the future" ...have we heard these stories before...well they continue. In
> 5 minutes he was gone...bring on the butterfly....ahh no the chrysalis
> first....Steve Hart
>
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