San Francisco Teacher Training Course
Courses/Workshops, Society — by P. David Stockhausen September 15, 2010
Among the cohorts of my permaculture community, I sense a growing urgency. There is a distinctive lack of calm which seems to infect us all. And for good reason; there appear to be few safe harbors for us to moor our leaky ships and await the passing of what we may wish was a transitory storm. With evidences of a world in crisis growing around us all each day like gnarly weeds, there are no doubt countless indicators which urge us all into creative action. But what action exactly? This sense of urgency, for us, often begs the question “What does the world need most?” or better “What does the Permaculture world need most?” The answer for so many permaculture people seems to lie in the realm of education, for how can we attempt to heal and evolve a world that is still in the first stages of understanding its crisis and today sits in denial and despair?
And while it should be undisputed that this urgent and creative action is nigh overdue, I argue that we still need more quality educators in order to gain more foot soldiers who will help wage an evolution of consciousness. Our urgency does us no good if we can’t communicate it effectively and clearly, inspiring others to take action in solidarity with us.
Comments (3)Notes from a PRI Internship Graduate: Permaculture Boot Camp; a Design Project in Action
Community Projects, Courses/Workshops, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education Centres, People Systems, Social Gatherings, Society, Urban Projects, Village Development — by P. David Stockhausen July 9, 2010
Before venturing to Australia and The Permaculture Research institute this past January, I’d found myself answering the same query over and over again “…okay, wait, tell me again, what is Permaculture anyway?” And now, since returning from the PRI to the San Francisco Bay Area, I’ve encountered the same questions from friends and family though now with more of a peppered interest in where Permaculture might lead me. My answer is often less about where Permaculture is going to lead me, but instead where it’s going to lead us.
Being a trained observer of natural patterns, it’s pretty difficult not to notice an obvious dearth in awareness around the subject of Permaculture. Furthermore, I feel that it goes without saying that there’s an urgent need for permaculture education that is a direct conduit to action. Once one knows and deeply understands our global state of affairs and environmental situation through the educational lens of a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC), it is difficult not to have a sense of urgency about permanent cultural repair. To me, it appears that this type of urgency isn’t often shared by those who don’t see the issues and the solutions through the lens of Permaculture and whole systems thinking.
Comments (6)Thinking Outside the Square In Wagga Wagga: Thoughts on Contour
Commercial Farm Projects, Conservation, Dams, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Earth Banks, Gabions, Irrigation, Land, News, Regional Water Cycle, Rehabilitation, Soil Conservation, Swales, Water Harvesting — by P. David Stockhausen May 10, 2010
Permaculture solutions have come to life at a Wagga Wagga farm in the midst of a heated debate over water. What Kevin Rudd Claim’s will help the Murray Darling River system and the Lower Lakes region has some farmers in the area fuming. Farmers and residents throughout the Murray Darling region have larger concerns over the Australian government’s 3.1 Billion Dollar irrigation buyback scheme. The Rudd government is reacting to reduced productivity in the area and increasing demand for irrigated water downstream. Yet, some local farmers are curious as to how the proposed plan will affect production in the area, and reports show that many aren’t feeling optimistic.
Comments (9)Cultivating an Education: A visit to Allyn River Permaculture
Courses/Workshops, Demonstration Sites, Developments, Education Centres, News — by P. David Stockhausen May 1, 2010
As the permaculture movement marches forward into the sustainable future, there appears to be a growing collective insight shared by permaculturalists world-wide; information is the new global currency. In response to a growing demand and an increasingly urgent need for education and information, strategies and techniques we can use to create a sustainable future are invaluable. And there are many who feel that they can’t be spread quickly enough. Sensing a call to action, some permaculturalists with access to land and resources have begun to see the value in the propagation of a truly sustainable crop: students. One of those permaculture designers is Peter Brecknock.
