Permaculture and Transition: Changing Lives
Workshop number:
20
Ruah
Swennerfelt
Carol
Barta
Short Description:
Author Bill McKibben writes that our planet is so radically changed from the past that it requires a new way of living. Learn about Transition and Permaculture-- two related movements that allow us to shape our response to this new planet in a way that fosters resilient communities and engaged citizens.
Long Description:
As we face the environmental, social, and economic challenges our day, Permaculture and the Transition Movement are positive approaches that focus on local solutions and building community resilience.
Permaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that is modeled on the relationships found in nature. It is based on the ecology of how things interrelate rather than on the strictly biological concerns that form the foundation of modern agriculture. Permaculture aims to create stable, productive systems that provide for human needs; it's a system of design where each element supports and feeds other elements, ultimately aiming at systems that are virtually self-sustaining and into which humans fit as an integral part.
The Transition Movement is comprised of vibrant, grassroots community initiatives that seek to build community resilience in the face of such challenges as peak oil, climate change and the economic crisis. Transition Initiatives differentiate themselves from other sustainability and "environmental" groups by seeking to mitigate these converging global crises by engaging their communities in home-grown, citizen-led education, action, and multi-stakeholder planning to increase local self reliance and resilience.
Permaculture influenced the development of the Transition Movement and they are intricately entwined. In this workshop we will provide the background of both movements and connect the elements of both to Quaker Testimonies and their underlying values. We’ll explore how we can use these tools in our communities. We will also provide many examples of the successes and experiences of people using these tools around the world.
During the week we will:
* Discuss the context for Transition Initiatives and Permaculture Design -- the current global situation that includes climate change, peak oil and resource depletion, and economic instability;
* Understand these models -– including the 12 steps of Transition and the Permaculture principles.
* Learn how to inspire positive action, reach diverse sectors of your community, and unleash an exciting and inspired expansion of transformational work in your community;
* Learn tools for supporting both the outer work of transforming your community’s dependence on oil, coal and other fossil fuels, and the inner and interpersonal work that is essential to resilience and collaboration.
Carol Barta and Ruah Swennerfelt have participated in Trainings for Transition (T4T) and are core members of their communities' Transition Initiatives. They are also both certified Permaculture designers. Using the materials available from the Transition and Permaculture Movements, and drawing on their own experiences, they will guide the participants through a thorough understanding of the movement and hopefully inspire people to return home to begin the process of change where they live.
It is helpful if people have read the Transition Primer in advance which can be found at http://www.transitionnetwork.org/resources/transition-primer and "The Essence of Permaculture" found at http://www.holmgren.com.au/.
