"Permie.net" - 5 new articles
The Ecological Unconscious – Links for Further ExplorationYesterday’s Sunday New York Times Magazine included a real jewel of an article: Is There an Ecological Unconscious?. You’ll want to read it.
There was one part of the article that really struck me:
While reading it, I realized that this is exactly what part of the Ecology of Leadership program does…gives us a prescription for rebooting our operating systems through the daily sit spot practice and by creating a space for us to develop our awareness of our interconnectedness…we ARE nature. It’s very encouraging to see mainstream approachs to this topic appearing!
Garden Project IdeasWe’ve been getting some beautiful rains here in Northern California — a good time to ask yourself what garden projects you might work on this year. Here are some favorites that I’m thinking about! Build a SeedHouse/MiniGreenhouse! This is actually a cold frame, a good way to recycle a window or windowed door into a cozy place get seedlings and cuttings off to a good start!
Grow 100 lbs. Of Potatoes In 4 Square Feet: How To
If you’ve never tasted roasted potatoes fresh from the garden, you are in for such a treat! Garden Work Tables From Old Pallets This quick post from Lloyd’s Blog shows off the pallet table from Home Grown Evolution: By the way, I highly recommend that you follow both Lloyd’s Blog and Home Grown Evolution…both have excellent content. Home Grown Evolution is by the authors of the excellent book The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-sufficient Living in the Heart of the City
I like projects that remind us of how to use waste products in creative beautiful ways, and this idea for raised beds out of natural wood, perhaps from your post-storm brush pile, is a great example. Just some ideas to get your started. What projects are you thinking about for your garden this year?
Ecology of Leadership – Bay Area Program Registration Ends FridayFriday is the deadline for registering for Regenerative Design Institute’s distinguished Ecology of Leadership (”EOL” for short). If you’ve been awakening to a need for deep change in your life (or a way to respond to change that’s already happening), this program will provide a way to hold your vision and tools for moving forward.If you’ve ever considered participating in this course, I highly recommend that you take the plunge now.
I almost didn’t participate in EOL because of the word “leadership”…it was a really loaded word for me. But I think you could also call this the “Ecology of the Self”. Check out this “Grad in Action” report from Carl Shuller, a fellow EOL grad and friend. What that essay doesn’t describe is the powerful, open, and loving energy you’ll encounter when you meet Carl. And Carl himself describes the effect of EOL best: “I was given a set of tools and a new “operating manual” for creating a life vision that empowers me to take my gifts back out into my community.” Whether you’re inspired to be a community leader or (like me) simply want to gain a deeper understanding of how to lead your own life, EOL will help you access the capacity and abilities you already have. And you might be surprised at what they are! I won’t kid you, the program is challenging and sometimes difficult. But the atmosphere is fully supportive. I feel held by a vibrant community of people in my EOL circle. This upcoming course starts in February and meets one weekend per month at RDI’s beautiful facilities at Commonweal Garden near Bolinas. Please contact me if you’d like to chat more about this program; I’d be happy to talk to you via email or phone. I can also help you get a 20% discount on course costs. Links:
NY Times Article on “Green Disputes”The New York Times article Therapists Report Increase in Green Disputes struck a chord with me. If you’re the type of person who digs permaculture, you’re also, sadly, part of the counterculture in this country. While that kind of outsider status has a certain cachet for many of us, it can also lead to great pain if that outsider status begins to extend into your closest relationships.
The article also points out that, in many cases, the rift between couples in particular tends to happen along specific gender lines:
The article offers “tips” to the more environmentally conscious about how to accommodate the slower-changing members of their household. Mothers are warned to not change the family diet until all members of the family are ready. In other areas, “change only a few things at a time and provide lots of explanation.” The onus of accommodation is put squarely on the person who wants to live a less consumptive lifestyle. I don’t feel that we need to go into what the article describes as “high priestess” mode, and I’m sure that there are situations where people actually do become very controlling and insistent about the way of life they want. But that’s not always the case. All too often, women who speak up for change, or simply try to live a life in accord with their own values, are cast in this light simply because they’re not serving the status quo. I do think that, as permies, we need to find ways to express the joy and fun of permaculture…let’s hear it for sustainable hedonism! Although many of us respond to the environmental crisis around us, we need to remember that being in crisis mode all of the time is exhausting for everyone, and ultimately ineffective. I’d love to hear more discussion about how we can do that. If you make the choices that are in alignment with permaculture and harmony with the planet, the truth is, no matter how much you try to be sensitive about it, you’re going to trigger a response in some people that you’re being judgmental and critical. I urge you not to fall prey to this. Be loving, be kind, be open-minded and value small changes. But do not expend your energy to accommodate others. Don’t put a damper on your own light. Because when they accuse you of being judgmental and critical, they are often responding to a piece of themselves that they’re projecting onto you. And there is nothing you can or should do about that. Link: Therapists Report Increase in Green Disputes
REculture: Exploring the Post-consumption EconomyREculture is a weblog you can turn to for inspiring examples of reuse and repair.
Highlighting the work of people like repairmen, cobblers, and ragpickers, REculture helps me bring some of my own consumer longings back down to earth. Link: REculture
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. Lloyd Khan is the author and publisher of wonderful books on (among other things) DIY home building: 
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