Monocultures of the mind

The “monoculture of the mind” treats diversity as disease and creates coercive structures to remodel this biologically and culturally diverse world of ours on the concepts of one privileged class, one race and one gender of a single species. As “the monoculture of the mind” took over, biodiversity disappeared from our farms and food. It’s the destruction of biodiverse rich cultivation and diets that has led us to the malnutrition crisis.


http://www.commondreams.org/views/2013/04/24/tackling-monoculture-mind

Facilitating cultural shifts

Facilitating cultural shifts - the great turning

• Demonstration – Capturing people’s attention and showing them that there are alternatives can be the first spark. When people have direct experience of the beauty and a share in the abundance, such as a walk through a forest garden, they are inspired. If visitors can see for themselves that people can live

attractive, radiant lifestyles they will be interested to know more.

• Training – Moving people from seeing to doing for themselves. Building people’s skills and providing them with the practical know-how support them on their journey. Giving people the information they need; a map of the territory and map-reading skills.

• Resource production – Seeds, plants, trees, films and books are instrumental in continuing the journey. Sometimes it is a tool or resource that is needed to enable a shift in patterns. Having the right resources enables self-responsibility.

• Research – It is of ongoing value to be continually refining and improving based on research. Research can reveal the benefits, costs, disadvantages, and short-, medium- and long-term effects. A centre can afford to make mistakes they can learn from, more than farmers in Nepal who are dependent on results for their livelihood.

We can do these things as individuals as well, inspiring others by transforming our

selves, widening our own capacity and modelling the values we believe in and thereby

promoting the benefits.

previous text was taken from the Book : People and Permaculture - highly recommended!

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The New Economics Foundation started the Happy Planet Index,The 10 steps to sustainable well-being that they have laid out are:

• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Improve healthcare
• Relieve debt
• Shift values
• Support meaningful lives
• Empower people and promote good governance
• Identify environmental limits and design economic policy to work within them
• Design systems for sustainable consumption and production
• Work to tackle climate change
• Measure what counts

the time is now.........

NATURE IS SPEAKING

Some of the most famous American actors (from Julia Roberts to Robert Redford) have lent their voices in the name of nature. This is a global invitation to collaborate with Nature….


They say it simply in their Humanifesto:

It doesn’t matter if you’re an American
A Canadian
Or a Papua New Guinean.
You don’t have to be particularly fond of the ocean
Or have a soft spot for elephants.
This is simply about all of us coming together
To do what needs to be done.
Because if we don’t, nature will continue to evolve. Without us.”

 http://natureisspeaking.org/about.html

PDC Spain October 2014 - with TreeYo & Soil Sun Soul & Active Earth

some nice images from our last PDC in collaboration with TreeYo,Sun Soil Soul and Active Earth at the amazing Nature Reserve Alta Garrotxa! 2 weeks course of learning,sharing and experiencing together.....

watch it here:
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvjMnPm8OF4

 

The Toolbox for Sustainable City Living

About the book

The Toolbox for Sustainable City Living is a DIY guide for creating locally-based, ecologically sustainable communities in today's cities. Its straightforward text, vibrant illustrations and accessible diagrams explain how urbanites can have local access and control over life's essential resources: food production, water security, waste management, autonomous energy, and bioremediation of toxic soils. Written for people with limited financial means, the book emphasizes building these systems with cheap, salvaged and recycled materials when possible. This book will be an essential tool for transitioning into a sustainable future threatened by the converging trends of global warming and energy depletion.

Topics covered in the book include:

• Aquaculture: ponds, plants, fish and algae
• Microlivestock and city chickens
• Rainwater Harvesting
• Low-tech bioremediation: cleaning contaminated soils using plants, fungi and bacteria
• Constructed Wetlands/ Greywater
• Autonomous energy: bicycle windmills, passive solar
• Biofuels: veggie oil vehicles, methane digesters
• Struggles for land and gentrification
• Humanure and worm composting
• Floating Islands to clean stormwater
• Asphalt removal and air purification
• And much more!

http://radicalsustainability.org/rust/toolbox