What a Way to Go: NetworkPermaculture Design Certificate course (Internationally recognised)
Hi folks
I've just returned from doing a 2 week intensive Permaculture Design Certificate course. I would strongly recommend this internationally recognised training, as a basis for ark-building, getting to know your land-base and bio-region, moving off in a different direction.
If there is any hope for us civilised ones, it's through this sort of awareness raising and re-visioning work.
It was a 24/7 experience, at times challenging, but very much a wonderful eco-personal growth course. Being grounded in ecological reality will become essential.
I now know what I'm doing for the rest of my life, not matter how long or short it is...it will be studying, integrating, passing on this sort of message, falling in love with my landbase, doing what I can to protect, preserve and pass it on in good shape.
As the great unraveling picks up pace, do what you can to have permaculture trained folks as part of your community, it could make quite a difference.
Regards
Ted Howard
Nelson, NZ
kitesfun@ihug.co.nz
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Hey Ted!
Good to see you here. It's been a while since we've communicated. Sally and I were just talking this morning about how we'll need some permaculture-savvy folk in our community... and here you are confirming that. Got any interest in moving to the US? (Yeah, right... we're all wishing we could to get to NZ!) Glad your course went so well. Very cool.
Tim
Yo!
Yo Tim and Sally
It's been awhile since I visited here, been procrastinating over work that needs to be done, catching up on reading emails and posts here instead...
The PDC was very much the way forward. I like the way David Holmgren (co-founder of PC) describes the next wave: pre-industrial life was labour intensive, industrial live was machine and energy intensive, and post carbon life will be design intensive, as we'll be forced to redesign everything we do, and all the ways we are, to be sustainable or at least to go off in that direction.
I want to live in a different way, in community, don't know how it's going to happen, just have to trust the process. I really liked what Bernard and Sally wrote about creating community on the "We are drunk..." topic.
I got a little taste of it on the course, and I guess I yearn for more. We only had one heart sharing space on the course. It was emotional for me. I'd been part of a mens support group for 15 years that recently fell apart due to 2 deaths of members, and me and my friends activism not going down well. I was feeling so ripped up about it all, and for the planet, and in such turmoil with sadness and grief, my relationship with my wife not working too well, and at the same time sooo happy to be there, to connect to feel the joy of community. I finished by stating that what we were doing was sacred work, and that we were on sacred ground (by that I mean the whole planet!).
There's quite a bunch of foreigners moving here: US, UK, Canada, Europe, Australia, as the unraveling gathers pace. I really hope they come here for the right reasons and are ready to power-down. This is the last bus stop on the planet, and we're likely to be hit hard. The good thing is less population, mostly good growing soils and temperate climate (for now). But empire is still very much here and in charge....for now.
Study the bio-regions of the US, connect the climate change prediction dots and look to move to where it could still be good or at least OK. Small towns, hamlets or semi-rural areas well away from big cities to start with, are best choices for those from the cities and suburbia. Being able to walk or cycle for most of your transport needs is going to be important too.
Best regards
Ted
It's too bad we're all spread out around the planet...
This sounds good to me, my friend. Our move to Vermont is based on the same thinking you are doing. Vermont/New England appears to be a part of the US that may be less disrupted by climate chaos (this, of course, assumes we don't go into a Day After Tomorrow scenario... watch those bouy temps!). It has good water resources and lots of small towns and rural areas. The biggest potential drawback is it's relative proximity to the East coast urban areas. No place is perfect. Vermont looks pretty good. In case of zombies, head to Bethel...
I resonate with your yearning for circle and community. You are exactly right, I think: it IS sacred work on sacred ground. That's the work Sally and I are moving into next. Once we get re-located, we're wanting to lead more three-day dialogue/community-building workshops (or circles, or summits, our councils, or whatever we end up calling them) like the one we lead in Boulder, Colorado in January and the ones we've lead here in North Carolina. With our backgrounds in intentional community and healing and truth-telling and the world situation, we feel like we've got some good stuff to offer groups of people in terms of building community in the face of collapse. What we DON'T have is the permaculture piece, so we need to hook up with some folks who do.
Peace, sir,
Tim
Permaculture
I recently starting reading about permaculture after seeing some film clips of Bill Mollison. What an inspiring man! The only issue with it here in the UK is the climate - where Mollison is, the climate allows a lot more to be grown all year round than we could do here.
Saying that, me and my partner are in the process of shifting to a smallholding, run by two like-minded people, where we're trying to set up something as close as we can. The emphasis is on fruit and nut trees, as many types as we can get in.
I'm especially looking forward to helping create a new eco-system - digging ponds, planting the shrubs, herbs and flowering plants that will attract beneficial creatures, provide shelter and food, expand the food chain. I did that where we've been living and the change over six years has been amazing. The garden went from being pretty much barren and empty to a mass of buzzing, cheeping, croaking and rustling, with flowers all year round, even when it's snowing, and masses of fruit in summer and autumn. I like Geoff Lawton's words: “You can fix all the world’s problems in a garden" and want to try and make it happen.
And, yes, it is too bad that we're spread out around the planet. I'd really like to meet you all!
permaculture in the northeast US
Tim, regarding hooking up with permaculture folks in the Northeast/Vermont-- check out the Northeastern Permaculture wiki at
http://northeasternpermaculture.wikispaces.com/
You'll find contacts, event listings, lists of demonstration sites, etc. The permaculture community here is growing bigger all the time! Well worth getting connected. I'm part of the Western Mass. Permaculture Guild and I love it.
I'm so happy to hear you and Sally are moving to Vermont. May you have a good transition.
Thanks, Jen...
... that sounds like a good place to make some connections and meet some folk. And maybe we'll get to meet you!
Tim