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Permaculture Association (Britain)
'Convergence21' workshop
4 September 2004

Making permaculture ‘mainstream friendly’
Why and How?

Write-up

see also Handout

This was a very lively workshop and discussion tended to drift off the specific questions. The following 'spider diagrams' were recorded verbatim and have minimal editing for clarity.

What does permaculture have to offer?

Does permaculture have the potential to bring about the land revolution?

How do we make permaculture attractive to 'ordinary' people?

 

 


pc has tools to achieve sustainability
‘sustainability’ is mainstream usage, can we use this?

people working together in harmony rather than in competition; they want to but can’t

pc goes through everything

pc is long term

concern with word ‘mainstream’: must recognise multicultural society of Britain, and not exclude any of constituent cultural groups

pc is non-judgemental, avoids disempowering people

promoting / ‘marketting’ sustainability, researching and promoting / ‘investing in’ alternatives to fossil fuels appeals to people because it will cut their fuel bills

1. What does permaculture (‘pc’) have to offer?

 possible to come at pc in a softer way, eg showing people just how to grow a favourite fruitchance for empowerment

there are 70 ecological or environmental centres in Britain, pc could make links and help them

change occurs when a certain point is reached

pc can provide centre and base for people to work together

best way, lots of solutions

meet face to face

I don't know – people in general

people – us – to make it possible

permanence in fertility, go with fertility

 


need evidence that pc / organics can feed the world: 60% of production in Russia from back gardens, and those gardeners have short working day

can’t be achieved in isolation; George Monbiot’s group, BTCV, local and national partnerships, consolidation of vision

how we sell pc, range of farmers markets produce rather than supermarkets, which have advantage of agricultural subsidies, products grown in bulk, flown in

local food is becoming COOL

new trade agreements, 25% directly for food

2. Does permaculture have the potential to bring about the land revolution?

 changing attitudes: farmers markets have been cancelled following opposition from local shops; they need to be encouraged to cooperate to counter power of supermarkets

push for healthier eating in schools; opportunity for pc to get involved

locally produced clothing could be COOL too; the industrial revolution arose out of rural industries, Gandhi advocated return to rural textiles; we can grow fibre crops

I’ve got a nettle hat!

new Rights of Way Act is encouraging re reclaiming to land

 


empowerment and health and leisure through specific gardening methods provides a way in

make pc gardening COOL

there is a political agenda towards sustainability; they’ve got the money, work with Councils

we need to be careful about the word ‘sustainable’, it’s been hijacked

start with a window box, move on to LETS, and 5 years on we are listened to on sustainable development

3. How do we make permaculture attractive to ‘ordinary’ people?

promoting what we do – use the ‘p’ word

rest of Europe rather left behind, need to translate and adapt language, books; secret police have been known to attend pc public meetings

need to consider: ‘what laws will I obey willingly’; institutions built on a set of laws; land law, court’s interpretation, reconciling different rights, rights of dominion

leap of faith to switch from being a passive consumer

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