7th International Permaculture Conference/Convergence C/o PERMACULTURE INSTITUTE of EUROPE Istedgade 79 - 1650 København V - Denmark Tlf: +45 3331 5694 - Fax: +45 3325 7179 Email: vestergror@dk-online.dk www.Permaculture-Europe.org – www.ipc7.org
FINAL REPORT
The whole 7th International Permaculture Convergence/Conference was planned as it has been from the beginning of these gatherings in Australia in 84, in USA in -86, in New Zealand in -89, in Nepal in -91, in Scandinavia in -93, in Australia in -96 and now in Balkan The program consist of a preconvergence 72-hour course, a trip around to some of the spectacular plots in the region, a convergence for certificate holders and an open Conference for the public.
The 72-hours Course
The 72-hour Course was held in Podgrad, an old manor close to Vransko village in the eastern parts of Slovenia. The teachers was David Holmgren from Australia, George Sobol from England and Tony Andersen from Denmark There were 27 participants from 11 countries, mostly Europeans. The course was fulfilled according to the 72-hour standard course program and with designs for the whole estate. That includes the manor house, the old stables and barn, the surrounding fields and forests plus a proposal for a small ecovillage.
The Tour
The Tour started from Ljubljana at the Celica Hotel where the foreign participants met up. There tour was run in a Slovenian bus. The first stop was Podgrad to pick up those of the participants who had participated in the Course.
The first visit of the Tour June the 1st was Slovenian eco-society Planinca, and after that primeval forest Pecke (host: Jaka Subic). After that, driving for supper and sleep at village Vinica, close to the Croatian border.
June the 2nd, started with Anka & daughter presenting their garden in Vinica permakulturna eko-kmetija (host: Anka Cernec). Next stop the first organic farm in Croatia (host: Ivka Sever, www.eko-sever.hr). After that visit to Ivan Ladislav Galeta – PC pioneer, garden artist and professor at Zagreb University – at his place EndArt, Kraj Gornij. Supper and stay in Zagreb (hostel).
June the 3rd, visit to organic orchard at Slavonski Kobas (host: Basic, Marija Heffer-Lauc), and after that traditional Croatian village further east. Then a long bus drive to Hungary, with late arrival at BIOFALU, Mariahalom (host: Geza Lakatos).
June the 4th: The whole day spent at BioFalu, with presentation of the ecovillage, plenary sessions, music and dance in the evening. Bela Baji came visiting to present his project elsewhere in Hungary, by slides, and showing his plantation designs at BIOFALU.
June the 5th, short meeting on the road with local farmer breeding endemic Hungarian cattle and explaining about landscape deterioration and serious droughts developing in the area. And then another long bus drive to Tamsweg in Austria, staying overnight at Hotel-Pension Kandolf.
June the 6th, the whole day spent visiting Sepp Holzer’s project Krameterhof. Leaving around 8 PM for the last long leg of the Tour, arriving at Motovun well after midnight.
Notes and comments: Originally, Krameterhof should have been the first stop of the Tour. Due to Sepp Holzer’s only having time for visit Monday 6/6, the whole Tour had to be rearranged in the opposite order. That’s also why, an extra day had to be added to the Tour. The programme was well packed with interesting places to visit. Staying two nights at BioFalu was excellent. Some of the bus drives were very long, and timings were suited for private car, not a large bus. But all in all: A very rewarding Tour.
The Convergence
The Convergence was situated in Motovun, a middle-aged fortified town in the centre of Istria The centre of the events was the Hotel “Kastels-Motovun”, situated in the middle of the old fortified castle on top of the hill, and from where there was the most beautiful view of the surrounding valley. Among other things centre of the Mediterranean Truffle tradition. The program followed the general scheme from the earlier six Convergences with workshops, key note lectures and plenary sessions. Besides that were there a lot of different meetings about diploma procedures, academies, European network and convergences, course curriculum, future IPC´s etc. During the convergence where there formulated harsh criticism of the whole arrangement in relation to planning, to accommodation and to food. Despite that did the convergence end in a last day session where all the central decisions where concluded in close to consensus, and there were agreements of continuing discussions of different more specific subject to be managed in regional convergences and up to the nest International Convergence in Brazil in 2007.
The Conference
The Conference, were original planned to take place in Zagreb, but was of logistic reasons moved to Motovun in direct prolongation of the Convergence. The 2 days were planned by the Croatian groups with International presentations the first day, and presentation of the initiatives and projects in Croatia the second day. First day consisted of presentation by David Holmgren from Australia with an introduction to Permaculture in the perspective of Oil Peak and Energy Descent – Joe Polaicher and Trish Allen from New Zealand with there Rainbow farm, Ali Sharif from Brazil with his developed network of Permaculture projects and Tony Andersen from Copenhagen with community strategies and urban Permaculture.
Second day did the Zmack Group from Zagreb present there urban/land project Voukumeric, Bio Istra presented their work with organic farmers and the attempts to convert into Permaculture, Kneja group with the spiritual project at Eia in the middle of Istria, a group from the Permaculture Course on Cres presented the design from the village of Lubenice into a gradual transformation into Permaculture and at last a special presentation of spiritual elements in design plus a bio-fuel project and its implication into more integrated energy strategies.
The Evaluation
The practical planning and organisation was executed by the local organisations: in Slovenia the local Permaculture group and in Croatia the Permaculture association in cooperation with the “Green network of alternative groups” – Zmack, Kneja, Balkan Ecovillage Network and Bio Istra as the local organisation in Istria and practical organiser of the local infrastructure. The organisation of the different seminars, workshops and other sessions was be run by the European Institute by its organising secretariats, first in Copenhagen and secondly in Croatia – in cooperation with the scribe group from England. The European Institute had the overall economical responsibility
The planning process started already after the IPC 6 in Perth in -96. Pat Dare as the main-organiser there, and Tony Andersen as the main organiser from Copenhagen in -93, should co-ordinate the initiative to IPC 7. During the years were there several proposals from Mexico, Argentina, South Africa, and New Zealand. None of them fulfilled the criteria that we had put up for the organising theme. At the European Convergence in 2001 in Seveco in Slovakia, was it then decided to let the European network do it, because the international network at that time seemed to start a dissolving process, because the old global connection from the earlier IPC´s seemed to fade out. At the European convergence took the Croatian group up the task in cooperation with the European Institute in Denmark. The Croatian group where quit newly formed but consisted of a broad group of skilled practioners within a lot of occupations. Unfortunately did that group not show consistency to do the job and there had therefore to by created a new group. The creator of the Croatian Permaculture movement Marija Heffer Lauch had a keynote lecture about that at the Convergence. This new group was formed during a visit in Ljubljana and in Zagreb in connection to Tony Andersen from the European Institutes visit early in -04. In connection to that was the site for the Course and the Convergence decided, through a tour along the Adriatic sea, to visit 5 different locations, and were Motovun was selected because of the infrastructure, the organisation and the reputation. To form the local organisation group was it decided to run a 72-hour Permaculture course in front, which was done in September -04 in Lubenice at the island Cres, with Tony Andersen as a teacher. After that course where the actual division of planning organised and the different tasks divisionalised between Bio Istra, the Zagreb group, Marija from Osier, Ira from Ljubljana and the Institute. In relation to the start of the whole scheme did Tony in the first week of the 72-hour preconvergence course, again went into a trip to Motovun and Zagreb to get the last pieces together.
As it could be imagined did the difficulties in organising such a big event with so many actors over so long distances very soon shows some difficulties. During the process were there a lot of times where we asked our self if it wouldn’t be better just to cancels the whole event – but as there haven´t show anybody els up to do it, we decided to continue. Before and during the Convergence were there expressed criticism of the arrangements. In the first hand about the insecurity of the accommodations, next about the food. About the accommodation did the prices raise since the first visit to Motovun a year earlier, and it took a good deal of negotiations to get them right or almost right. About the food was it organised by the local organic organisation, Bio Istra, and prepared by our own cooks – but interference from an outside group with not professional cooks, disrupted the process to a degree that it stopped, and had to be reorganised. About the accommodation did we succeed to get the prices down close to the estimates from the announced program, and we got the promised standards on the different levels: Hotel, boarding house, dormitory and tents. Even the actual places were arranged were late, 2 weeks before. The food was supplied a bit more expensive that estimated, except for the camping, where it was provided from a nearby market (Pazin). All in all did the booking at a hotel show the inflexibility of connecting a full board arrangement with all the difficulties of fitting to all individual wishes.
Conclusions
About the results was it decided that the next Convergence should be in Brazil in 2007. There were a big group that didn’t want to go so soon after this one, but according to the wish from the organising group was it decided to accommodate their wish. For further discussions was the subjects of: - Qualification principle, the organising of network; associations, regional groups, institutes, diploma procedures, academies, universities - Another important question was the understanding of Permaculture, as an integrated strategy and its coherent conception of all elements interrelationship based on the growth of plantsystems and forests – more then on technical solutions. - The whole Permaculture networks intercommunication should be much more transparent and the feed back information flow organized in a way that it is obvious and in a form that it adaptable to the whole network - The whole IPC was announced in a search for the new international generation, to replace the older ones that tends to die out (in memorial of Karol Koncho and Emilia Hazelip). Generations to carry on the network and the global understanding of Permaculture in its local practise in projects.
So – it was supposed to be some kind of the new generations entering the scene. And so there was. But in stead of bringing a renewal, there seems to be a tendency of reviving the old political traditions from the 60ies and 70ies – the generation that fought the hard political fights with self-righteousness and attempting to outmanoeuvre and marginalise other groups.
Every international convergence seems to have its burden. In Scandinavia ’93 was it the elements of some people wishing to fit Permaculture into the new age movement with spirituality as an overruling ideology. In Perth, Australia ’96, it was a group of hippies with only a superficial insight in Permaculture that changed the decision of place of the next convergence from the agreed South Africa, in consequence of which the whole continuance of IPCs became disrupted. And here now in Europe ’05 it seems to be the revival of political power struggles.
It might be a part of a growing Permaculture movement that it is becoming a part of the general fights of our surrounding society, struggling for the control of organisations and movements by marginalising and manoeuvring in stead of cooperating. What is important in relation to that is the coherent understanding of the movement, its internal powers, its structure in different communities with there specific characteristics and the interrelationship of the overall strategy.
A lack of community understanding that might have been coursed by the lack of exactly the kind of events like IPC 7. It is therefore one of the great achievements at IPC 7, that we decided to strengthen the international network through keeping up a momentum of IPC, and to form a structure of networking groups for that. At the same time did the continents of the industrialized world take the obligation to support participants from the less fortuned continents. In 2007 was it decided to host IPC 8 in Brazil. There were proposals for Island in 2010 and Africa in 2014.
Besides that did the activities give the local Croatian organisations a reputation that has resulted in new initiatives and courses: a teachers training course and a new 72-hour certificate course. These courses are supported by local funding, just as a couple of projects have obtained some support.
The Secretariat
The Convergence secretariat was formed of the Croatian group for the practical, the English scribe group of mediation and scribing and the Danish group as the key organisers. A lot of the time this group worked under a lot of stress because of the constant criticism of the planning and of the arrangements. Though it help after it was decided to concentrate the critical remarks and comments to the daily plenary session. The Croatioan team should have been more then the 5 of them, so they would have been able to follow more of the sessions in the convergence. The English scribe team worked perfectly and professional during the whole event – and got all reports into the WIKI-page. The Danish team was stressed not only by the practical work, and the demand of the constantly changing demands - but too by the constant aggressiveness from some of the participants – with some personal costs, because of the lack of understanding of what could be demanded by voluntary workers.
The Accounts
The overall economy of IPC7 came out with a deficit of app. € 3.700. A more detailed account is made available at the website www.perma.superserver.dk During the events of IPC7, the accounting administration broke down, and the accounts have had to be reconstructed afterwards to the best of possible. There were a number of unforeseen expenses, we had to accept. As an example, it was necessary to book and pay for rooms in surplus at the Hotel Kastel, to be sure to have rooms for all. It has been the experience of all international PC gatherings till now, that participants don’t keep the deadlines for enrolment, and that they change their bookings and wishes on the way. IPC7 was no exception. It was decided that the local Croatians should only pay 50 kuna (€6,85) for participation at the conference, June the 13th-14th. The IPC7 also payed for 3rd world participation. In advance of IPC7, UNDP had promised to sponsor five local participants, but shortly before the conference UNDP withdrew their promise, with the reason that IPC7 didn’t fit their profile. During the last two years of planning for IPC7 a number of international organisations was contacted with requests for sponsorships of 3rd world participants, but unlike previous IPC’s no external funding was obtained from these organisations. The danish PC association has made an arrangement with the bank to pay back the debt of € 3.700 with monthly payments until it is paid out. It will of course be helpful to the danish situation, if any of you would wish to transfer an amount to help cover the deficit. If you so wish, money can be transferred to the same bank account that received your deposits:
Merkur Bank Vesterbrogade 40 DK-1620 Copenhagen V Denmark
Swift/BIC RIBADK22 IBAN nr. DK1284010001048406 (Danish registration nr. 8401, account nr. 0001048406)
PUBLICATIONS
Around all the activities where there produced different publications Newsletter 1 – as the first announcement and call was it send out in a number of 1200 in the beginning of 2004 Newsletter 2 – should have been send out in marts 2005, but was delay to a degree that it never came out but was distributed at the opening of the Convergence. The reason for that was that the information’s about accommodation, food and the definitive prices not was available until the start of the events. The information needed for participants to arrive to the destinations for the events was send out by e-mail to the enlisted participants.
- In relation to the opening were there send out a Press Release to all the national associations around the world that had reacted in the newsletter 1
2 local newspapers and a radio station showed good interest in the events and had several articles and a radio broadcast National Croatian TV shoved up the last days of the Conference, which resulted in a program about the Conference.
WIKI
In relation to IPC 7 did the European Institute establish a internet homepage for the international Permaculture Network - www.perma.superserver.dk – in the form of a WIKI page where it is possible for everyone to get into dialog. All reports from the all events, workshops, plenary sessions etc. are situated there, and are open for comments, proposals etc.
If anyone knows how to place the following on a seperate page I'm sure we all would appreciate it! Please do!
COMMENTS TO IPC7 FINAL REPORT
-By an idealistic peace loving co-operative non-political Permaculturist.
The whole 7th International Permaculture Convergence/Conference was planned as it has been from the beginning of these gatherings in Australia in 84, in USA in -86, in New Zealand in -89, in Nepal in -91, in Scandinavia in -93, in Australia in -96 …. During the early convergencies there were no such thing as email and Internet. While traditions can be valuable, it may be in the spirit of PC to integrate the possibility of participatory input, allowing for a national concensus towards certain important issues, so an event with such large embodied energy as an IPC could actually make international binding agreements on central issues such as academies, courses, etc.
The Tour: Comments: It was clear from both guide and participants that while the tour had been enjoyable; it had also been poorly planned, to the extent that even the Danish guide did not know about the route, nor about the places.
The Convergence was situated in Motovun, a middle-aged fortified town in the centre of Istria …Notably in the highest priced tourist spot with prices in German levels. Symbolically the only available cheese for sale in a 3 km radius was imported from Argentina. The place left zero options for people to do sustainable food shopping. In addition the location is significant due to the fact that it’s virtually impossible to reach with public transport, causing the IPC7 to cause more destruction to the environment than it can heal.
Besides that were there a lot of different meetings about diploma procedures, academies, European network and convergences, course curriculum, future IPC´s etc. To the best of my knowledge there was never any announced meetings serving to create international agreement to the basic concepts about diploma procedures, academies, course curriculum, nor future IPC’s. There were however agreements made between a small handfull of (mainly elder) men in these regards. Only cause for meetings regarding convergencies was due to the wide spread dissatisfaction of the IPC7. While it is true that the IPC8 was agreed to by concensus, however the process of selecting the host happened through the ‘old boys club’.
The Evaluation In connection to that was the site for the Course and the Convergence decided, through a tour along the Adriatic sea, to visit 5 different locations, and were Motovun was selected because of the infrastructure, the organisation and the reputation.
During the process were there a lot of times where we asked our self if it wouldn’t be better just to cancels the whole event – but as there haven´t show anybody else up to do it, we decided to continue. During the spring the DK sekretariat received several offers from several participants to help with the execution (including Homgren and Bennett). Offers included arranging for local (experienced, but non-certified) cooks, bringing camp kitchen, tents and bulk organic food. Some participants also offered to cook. All offers were initially ignored, later ignored, in the case of the cooks sabotaged, and later side-tracked to a place 3-6 km away from the place of the meetings. Afterwards these offers from participants got titled ‘sabotage’ by the DK secretariat.
About the food was it organised by the local organic organisation, Bio Istra, According to Bio-Istra their only concern was not to offer GMO food; Local and organic was never even mentioned. – but interference from an outside group with not professional cooks, disrupted the process to a degree that it stopped, and had to be reorganised. Email offers and a local phone call by a group of experienced Croatian cooks to hear if you needed help = interference?
The food was supplied a bit more expensive that estimated, except for the camping, where it was provided from a nearby market (Pazin). It’s very noteworthy that the way the prices were brought down in the hotel was through subsidizes from all participants including those who couldn’t afford neither food nor hotel. It’s a procedure quite similar to the tax cuts for the weatlhy carried out by President Bush. The participants who stayed at the camping had to organize their own food shopping trips to the market, which required a car to get to. The food they bought was not subsidized by those wealthy enugh to stay at the hotel.
All in all did the booking at a hotel show the inflexibility of connecting a full board arrangement with all the difficulties of fitting to all individual wishes. Proving the fatal overall mistake. Having a world of PC designers to help, it seems odd that such a design mistake could be allowed to happen.
Conclusions So – it was supposed to be some kind of the new generations entering the scene. And so there was. But instead of bringing a renewal, there seems to be a tendency of reviving the old political traditions from the 60ies and 70ies – the generation that fought the hard political fights with self-righteousness and attempting to outmanoeuvre and marginalise other groups. Another way of viewing it is that the core group of men past ….average age (!), whom by word offered the new generation to enter the scene, failed to live up to it in reality. The only political fights I witnessed was among these old cats, (or is it simply cat?) especially in this way of naming all attempts of ensuring participatory input and democracy as ‘Political Games’. I personally do not have any political agenda, nor did I have any set animosity against Tony [prior to the IPC7!]. The extend all input and openness was rejected is a proof to me why PC is still only for the few, raher than a saviour for the many.
And here now in Europe ’05 it seems to be the revival of political power struggles. In case the intentions of handing over the heir to new generations had been honest, it would be impossible to use the term ‘struggle’. I do believe the ‘next generation’ was perfectly willing to honor the ‘Elder’ (and actually also did so), however the behaviour of the ‘Elder’ made honorable behaviour extremely difficult.
struggling for the control of organisations and movements by marginalising and manoeuvring in stead of cooperating. I’m personally aware that I offered help on a series of cases, from planning, fundraising to the food scene. It’s all outlined in a mail below this text for those interested in the reality of the cooperation offered which now is termed ‘Sabotage’ and ‘struggling for the control’. I’m unaware about others offers to help (apart from the food scene), but I’m certain I can’t be the only one. I also did not observe anyone strugglig for control. I did observe several people wondering about the lack of transparancy and real democracy in the PC movement, especially in Europe. [Real democracy refers to inclusive decision making, not exclusive as carried out on EPC’s]. in regards to the term ‘Marginalising’, I’m only able to refer this to the statement by the Chariman from the other Danish PC organisation, who use the term to descibe the hardship Tony had caused them for years, due to his approach to control of PC.
What is important in relation to that is the coherent understanding of the movement, its internal powers, its structure in different communities with there specific characteristics and the interrelationship of the overall strategy. The knowledge I gained at the IPC7 is that this ‘coherent understanding’ must refer to acceptance that PC is ruled by a ‘old boys’ club and any changes and strategy is dictated and manipulated by them.
The Secretariat A lot of the time this group worked under a lot of stress because of the constant criticism of the planning and of the arrangements. Aye, and I believe we were many who felt –and expressed- sympathy for the young ones, having to deal with the mistakes caused by the s-elected Secretary.
The Accounts The IPC7 also payed for 3rd world participation. While I’m intensely happy for the few token 3rd world participants, then it seemed strange to me that we had to finance luxury hotel conditions for them all. Had the event been less luxurious, more people could have attended. –Or perhaps we could have afforded/ organised interpretation, allowing PC to be shared by non-English speaking people?
During the last two years of planning for IPC7 a number of international organisations was contacted with requests for sponsorships of 3rd world participants, but unlike previous IPC’s no external funding was obtained from these organisations. Perhaps this illustrates the need to allow opennes towards participatory input and cooperation? I would personally have been able to help with fundraising had we been notified earlier, and had emails or phone calls been replied. When I finally found Tony's home number and called, it turned out to be too late in accordance with deadlines.
PUBLICATIONS Newsletter 2 – should have been send out in marts 2005, but was delay to a degree that it never came out but was distributed at the opening of the Convergence. The reason for that was that the information’s about accommodation, food and the definitive prices not was available until the start of the events. It seemed strange to many of us to receive the expensive color printed maps and detailed instruction of how to get there…once we had arrived. Nice looking printout, but timing is everything...And costs high.
The following is a mail I was forced to write in November to some Croats after Tony had recommended them not to go to a course where I should be facilitating. As I didn’t wanted to get back in the negativity of the IPC7, I tried to shape it as a learning explanation/experience. Perhaps it will help more people to see some ofhte many issues. The email started with H.C. Andersen’s tale “It’s quite true”: The story of how a feather turns into 5 whole chickens through gossip.
Do you all know Wam Kat? Back in 1998 the Ecotopia camp happened in Freiburg Germany. (Wam was part of starting both EYFA and the concept of Ecotopia camps). Wam wanted to go to ecotopia that year and present the ecovillage of Zegg. Unfortunately someone felt that Zegg was a place where you could be brainwashed into such radical thoughts as ‘Free Love’, and so Wam was not allowed to participate. Earlier this year Wam was in Bruxelles to receive the annual GEN award for Zegg for being Europe’s best Ecovillage. Who lost out by the decision made by the youth in Ecotopia? Not Wam, nor Zegg, they could only shake their heads..
I don’t care much for bad mouthing someone who’s not present. I’m a quite rare species as I don’t have a big problem expressing issues directly to someone, rather than to people around them. In the following I’ll give a few questions with which you’ll be able to learn some permaculture elements along with some basic information necessary to get the whole picture: Remember seeing the whole whole picture is very important in order to come up with a permaculture design.
1) When I signed up for the IPC I submitted the attached article in order to be part of a good solution. Please read the article. Did you see any of the permaculture principles in use at the IPC? http://www.permaculture.org.uk/mm.asp?mmfile=Article_Hosting_Env_Gath
2) In January I made 80% of an application for an Action 1 in order to help fundraise for participants from the poor countiries. I spent money for a few calls to DK as the secretariat didn’t respond. In the end I had to give it up as there was no response. Did you see a fair representation of people from poor countries at the IPC? Did the DK secretariat manage to provide ANY fundraising during the 2+ years of planning the IPC?
3) During the spring I was one of many having questions relating to the IPC, and finding no answers by the secretariat I resorted to setting up an internet forum to help participatory input related to issues such as ride-sharing, children, bringing material, and food. Did you at any given time experience any attempt of the secretariat to include the participants in the planning? -Especially considering that the participants consisted of experts in organizing, alternative energy, facilitation and food growers?
4) As time was getting close we were informed about the increase in accommodation and food price+ that all food would be made for us by a hotel..and that it wouldn’t be organic. I offered to find a cook, arrange for organic produce and bring a camp kitchen. I was told not to interfere. Do you see any reason why it should be necessary to make the event extra expensive and un-organic?
5) I called Vlasta 5 times and left messages on her answering machine. I also emailed her. Through my contacts in Zelena Istra I located a team of young cooks from Pula who was willing to cook for some of us. They contacted Vlasta, however as she only wanted someone to cook in the hotel, and as these cooks was not certified and did not cook meat, she turned them down, sabotaging the last chance of good meals for min. 25 of the participants who had expressed concern about the price and offers. This included David and Sue. (Whom Tony also did not reply to). Can you see any reasons why a permaculture event should not include organic food and team-work?
6) As I arrived in Motovun I soon discovered that the location was chosen due to the fact that Tony wanted the IPC to be by the mediterranean, and that the theater was able to use for cheap for the conference. A campground had been arranged 3 km away at a PC farmer. I also learned that Motuvun is one of the biggest tourist spots in Croatia, and that the prices often are higher than in a country as Germany. Can you tell me any reason why our money was not spent to buy a large tent for the local farmer + rented/built toilets? This way the event could have been at that place and participants in need of hotel could have been driven up to the hotel at night. With some planning the farmer could have provided 70% of the food, being partly pre-paid and ensuring that our fees went to support local PC, not the hotel management at a tourist resort
7) During the week we became aware that the food served at the hotel for those wealthy enough to buy it, was subsidiesed by money from all participants. In effect this meant that all of us who had brought food and cook stoves from home, who were cooking in the various flats and the many who stayed at the campground and had very limited chance to cook /eat in Motovun, was subsidizing the people eating in the hotel. The only available local shop offered cheese made in Agentina. Would you mind telling me how the PC ethics of Fair Share/ People Care/Earth care fits with this?
8) The program did not touch any of the key issues which really needs to be decided internationally: Restructuring of the 72 hour course/ accept of the new Diploma system/ fractionalizing of national associations/ new concept of academies etc. One reason given was that it would all have had to be put out to the many who were not present in Motuvun prior to the IPC, if we should have been able to decide anything. Why wasn’t it? Considering the amount of embodied energy it takes to gather 100 permaculturists, couldn’t we at least discuss it and come with recommendations to these key issues of the PC movement?
9) Part of PC includes focus on the learning process. Some of the workshops and a few events did consider this, however could you please tell me who the only lecturer was who did not include any considerations such as opening the shudders, calling for a stretch/jump, asking for input, or arrange the presentation to be inspiring and interactive? Clue: It’s the same and only lecturer who had 10 out of 80 listeners sleeping and who ignored a raised hand for 10 minutes.
10) I mentioned the issue of national fractualizing on stage, however it was not popular: I was directly told that in DK theres no such problem. Please have a look at www.permaculture.dk and tell me if it exists? It’s a group which reasearches and does PC in practice. A group which Tony for years has attempted to kill. [Some of the Danes from the IPC has now left Tony’s club (got blacklisted) and recently thanked me for telling them about the other group.]. I suggested mediation and we tried it a little among us ‘Czech’s, however to little time. Later Radka and I went to PK(CS) for a meeting,which should have been followed up at the Slovak convergency. Unfortunately Wam got sick and we had to substitute him at our TSoLife camp.
....There’s many more issues, however I’m sick to the bone of the Motovun experience. I experienced virtually zero PC in practice there and in actuality I only went there to gain my diploma as advertized in the program by Tony, but at the IPC it secretly got manipulated so I wouldn’t be able to gain it. The decision was made by Tony and his ex-students in Czech. I personally trust Mollisons personal comment to me that he thinks I’m quite a bit like him...
Following this experience I offered to host the next EPC in PermaLot, offering a program and facilities which covered all areas, including childcare, enterpretation, organics and so on ...all for a budget price. I had called Erwin from Austria and Josha from Germany who both supported the idea. ..so did the 3 other Czech organisations who boycut the PK(CS)....and we even received a mail from the PK(CS) saying that at their convergency it was decided that it was ok for them to have the event in PermaLot...‘if a few people in Europe’ agreed to it. I posted the call, which resulted in Tony calling a large amount of his PC friends having them call Joscha and Erwin. ....all of the following can be read on the Forum, suffice to say that Tony still haven’t included a tiny bit of permaculture or participatory input in his announcement of the next EPC [In October] He did announce publicly that I’ve sabotaged PC internationally for the past 2 years....the above tell you his definition of sabotaging...I personally view it as trying to participate and ensure real Permaculture.
You’ll be the judge.
And don’t worry; we’re fine to stay home; plenty of things to do and 300 visitors/volunteers a year keeping us busy.... however just like Wam and Zegg in the case of Ecotopia, then we’re aware of who’s loosing out.
Peace and Love, Max –Permaculture Designer and Natural Builder www.PermaLot.org
"We are like trees, we must create new leaves, in new directions, in order to grow." - Anonymous