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Women’s Leadership in Northeast Permaculture

May 7, 2015

What is the status of women’s leadership in permaculture in the northeast?

The article “Permaculture or Spermaculture: Confronting Patriarchy in Permaculture and Alternative Food Movements” by Trina Moyles in BriarPatch Magazine has sparked debate and discussion over online forums in recent weeks.

In 2013, the article “A ‘Pattern Language’ for Women in Permaculture” by Karryn Olson-Ramanjuan in Permaculture Activist also sparked discussion, and is featured on this podcast.

PINE is taking action to support women’s leadership in northeast permaculture by supporting the “Women in Permaculture” seed team in holding two gatherings this year:

1. Women Serving Women Summit at Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, NY, May 27-29 2015
18 womyn will attend to discuss organizational development of the growing group Northeast Women In Permaculture, and network w/ other groups dedicated to women’s support and leadership.

2. 3rd Annual Northeast Women in Permaculture Gathering at Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, NY, September 20-23 2015
This gathering is open to all women — those assigned female at birth and gender-variant individuals — who are actively engaged as permaculture educators, organizers, and/or designer/practitioners in the Northeast to gather for exchange and renewal. Attendance is currently capped at 40 attendees. More information can be found at the gathering website.

To become more connected to the Northeast Women in Permaculture group,
Find them on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NortheastWomenInPermaculture
To join the mailing list, email: nepcwomen@gmail.com

hand spiral from the 2013 NE Women in Permaculture Gathering

PINE Supports Sub-Regional Convergence Events in 2015

April 2, 2015

PINE SUPPORTS SUB-REGIONAL CONVERGENCE EVENTS IN 2015

For the last ten years, the Northeast region has had a regional Permaculture Convergence. From meeting with David Holmgren in 2005, to yearly convergences in New York, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, each summer is punctuated by this PINE-sponsored event. The 10th Convergence was hosted in 2014 by Maine and the Resilience Hub at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) fairgrounds this past summer. (see photo below)

The convergence has been an event to bring together active permaculture practitioners from around the region to celebrate their achievements, share experiences and skills, provide solidarity in the challenges we face, and provide a chance to bring exposure of permaculture and the amazing network to the event location. It’s a place for newcomers to dip into the chaos and camaraderie of the permaculture network.

The regional convergence is a challenge to host. Traditionally, each year a team of volunteers comes together and hosts the event in their area. More recently a paid staff model was developed. The event has grown from 40 people in 2005, to over 100 in Ithaca, NY in 2007, and ballooning over the last several years to 300 – 400 attendees. Tours of nearby projects, hands-on activities, forums to discuss issues on farming, education and organizing, informational presentations, keynote speakers, panels, excellent music, and a hurricane last year have all made for great events, touching many people and strengthening the movement.

This summer will be the first year since the event began that the Northeast will not have a northeast regional convergence. We are recognizing the cycles of network organizing and the challenges faced by organizing such a big event. It seems like a good time to take a step back, look at what the regional convergence has been, what it might be, and do some open, strategic thinking. We are designers, after all. And the problems with our successes are really just opportunities.

There are several aspects to this coming year we want to specifically call attention to:

PINE (Permaculture Institute of the Northeast) will host some convergence planning sessions this fall at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. For those who feel called to participate, please be in touch. Email: info@thepine.org

Participate or develop in a “sub-regional” convergence or event for your local community. The events we know of are below. Go to an event, help organize one in your area. Let us know you are doing it! Email steve@fingerlakespermaculture.org with info.
Think about hosting a regional event in the coming years. Do you have a location that can support 300-600 people? Can you facilitate a team to carry out the necessary logistics? Hosting can be highly rewarding, but also takes a significant amount of work. Recently, budgets have been developed to make this an event where some staff can be paid. While this is a summer event, planning and organizing begins the winter prior (9 months before!). We are hoping to receive proposals for 2016, 2017, and 2018 and will be issuing an application form for this in the spring of 2015. Email info@thepine.org if you are considering applying.

Together we can continue to gather, share, and develop a robust and resilient network. Join the conversation!

2015 SUB-REGIONAL EVENTS IN THE NORTHEAST

(updated as of 3/25/14)

March 14^th, 11am-4pm – Permaculture Resources of Pennsylvania invites you to

A Permaculture Gathering! – The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

www.therotunda.org

Come network, share, & learn with the regional permaculture community. We held our first gathering in Lancaster on November 1st, 2014. Sixty permaculturists from Eastern Pennsylvania gathered to discuss the possibility of forming a regional organization to support the permaculture movement. Let’s meet again to continue building this community! Email susq.pc@gmail.com to RSVP.

Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/589069707895588

June 26 – 28 – Rockaway 4th Annual Community Health Festival and Transition Convergence – NYC

The Mid-Atlantic Transition Hub and Transition NYC are joining Battalion Pentecostal Assembly and Community Service of Far Rockaway to jointly produce the event, which will aim to enhance community food security and knowledge of how to creatively and constructively manage waterfronts throughout the Rockaways.

Besides a wide range of health exhibitors, there will be presentations on an array of resilient responses: gardening, healthy food preparation and preservation; energy efficient buildings; capturing and filtering water, natural remediation of flooded and polluted soils; and much more.

See more about the Festival here.

We have also asked residents and community leaders to offer locations on which permaculture, gardening, resilient community design and art projects can be installed this spring, at no charge to the residents, to be showcased at the Festival in June. So far, residents have submitted information and photos for four sites and we expect more. Click here for links to pages about them.

August 21 – 23 – Finger Lakes Permaculture Tours and Regional Convergence

This weekend event showcases the beautiful Finger Lakes Region and the burgeoning practice of permaculture evidence in sites, systems, and people who farm, garden, teach, and live there. Come learn about the principles and practices of permaculture and see active sites on a wide range of scales, from urban gardens to large acre farms. Connect and network with others who are interested in living more sustainably, and walk away with ideas for your own property.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

8/21 FLPCI Alumni Day and camping (at Cayuta Sun Farm)

8/22 Permaculture Tours (at various sites in the Finger Lakes)

8/23 Finger Lakes Permaculture Convergence (at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County)

More details to be announced. Email info@fingerlakespermaculture.org

August 22 – NH Permaculture Day – Inheritance Farm Chichester, NH

https://www.facebook.com/inheritancefarmnh

September 27 – Acorn Festival – Guilford, VT

We are a one-day, family-friendly event that will serve over 30 workshops, demonstrations and children’s activities to both inspire and educate the Southern Vermont community (and beyond) in the ways of the Earth. Attendees will have opportunities to learn everything from hide-tanning, to herbal medicine, to primitive food preparation and more. And not just that – there will be some great music.

http://www.acornfest.org

October 3 – 4th Annual PermaFest & Skillshare – Brooklyn, NY

Annual Permaculture festival and skillshare at the Old Stone House, a community garden and education site in Washington Park (336 3rd St. Brooklyn, NY 11215). This is a family-friendly event featuring local and regional educators, hands-on workshops, demonstrations, talks and local goods.

http://theoldstonehouse.org/

PINE Board Retreat – February 2015 – from a new PINE member…

March 10, 2015

by Justin “Hood” Young, Swan Lake, NY (on right)

The other week, I got lucky enough to find out about the PINE leadership retreat. I had heard of PINE before, but I am new to the region. I had trepidations – but the personal invite I received was so warming, and I knew I couldn’t not be a part of this region’s permaculture group. So, off I went on a 6 hour drive, when there is work to do on the farm, to spend a weekend with the folks of PINE at D Acres of New Hampshire.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I only knew one person, I wasn’t on the Board, and I had never inputted anything into the system yet.

That being said, I cannot tell you how amazing this weekend was! And even more than that, I cannot express how important this organization is. The organization isn’t about forcing a way on others; it isn’t about control. It is about People Care, Earth Care, and Fair Share.

PINE is all about being a helping structure for the Northeast as a whole by means of supporting permaculture in the Northeast. As Josh Trought of D Acres said it best in his response to “What is permaculture?” – “That’s easy. It’s the answer to everything.” So, how do we create an abundance of truly sustainable and real foods and medicine? – It is by supporting permaculture everywhere, but first at home. For us, that is the Northeast.

At this retreat, there was no limit on the conversations. There were about 15 of us present – yet the schedule was filled with diverse topics, filled with plans for the future. The main discussion I took part in was the Power and Privilege working group and associated topics. There was so much care for people… that I finally witnessed People Care in action! This year there have been a few documents generated regarding power and privilege in permaculture:

https://permiesforequity.wordpress.com/2014-napc-poc-and-allies-caucus-resolutions-requests/

http://blackpermaculturenetwork.org/solidarity-statement/

In addition, the Women in Permaculture group also came out with a statement, that sadly I cannot find at the time of this writing.

PINE took initiative to take these requests and statements and make them a priority. The organization is drafting best practices to include these for PINE events. What a beautiful place, watching People Care grow in front of my eyes.

As a gay man, I felt so welcomed in this space. No judgments, and when I asked if I could help start up an LGBTQ working group, everyone was so eager to see it happen. Uma – one of the attendees – jumped right in the boat and hopefully there will be momentum in our group in the very near future. In the spirit of what PINE is working towards, perhaps the working group should discuss an official name? Maybe GSD: Gender and Sexual Diversities?

Then came the part I was worried about – the Board meeting. Should I go for a walk in the woods, or should I stay and listen. I definitely can’t participate, right? Wrong. Wrong on it all. PINE is so open to transparency and wants this to be an organization for the entire region, that Laura encouraged me to stay, and when I asked questions or made suggestions, everyone was attentive, and welcoming to input. I have never met such a warm and welcoming experience.

I am glad to be a member of PINE, I hope you join this group of beautiful spirits, brains and souls.

Permaculture Institute of the Northeast Opens for Membership! Join today.

December 11, 2014

Greetings Northeast Permies!

You’re invited to JOIN the Permaculture Institute of the Northeast to strengthen our Permaculture network and to increase community resilience throughout our region.

Permaculture inspires and empowers thousands of people across the Northeast to imagine and design healthier and more functional relationships with nature and with each other. Whether you apply Permaculture at home, a garden, farm, or regenerative business — connecting with others for community and to share resources and best practices will support you.

Through our Membership Drive, PINE will:

Map the thousands of individual and business members that make up our network. Regional organizers in the U.S. and Canada estimate there are 6,000-10,000 permaculture supporters in the Northeast – wow!
Further develop a searchable database of regional Permaculture demonstration and teaching sites, courses, jobs, internships, and useful seed/plant/equipment resources;
Circulate regional permaculture news about innovative projects and collaborations, “permacultural” responses to major issues, and more;
Call together a Spokescouncil to support cross-regional communication and support local permaculture organizing efforts
Continue to convene regional gatherings and convergences

Between now and March 1, 2015, PINE wants to connect 1500+ people and raise $30,000-$60,000 to fund these initiatives.

On average, $20-$40 per member will reach our goal! At the same time, we invite you to join us nowregardless of whether you can make a financial contribution.

PINE members have direct access to participate in and shape the projects that PINE takes on and to influence the direction of our regional movement. The projects above are based on years of community input and PINE wants your involvement. For example, join today and nominate local leaders to the regional Spokescouncil!
We thank you for your participation and support and trust that building PINE will give everyone in our region better access to each others’ wisdom, enthusiasm, vision, and good strategic thinking.

Thank you,
Elyssa Serrilli and Uma Lo (former PINE Board member)

on behalf of the PINE Board of Directors
Jono Neiger
Lisa Fernandes
Keith Morris
Steve Gabriel
Alice Oldfather
Laura Weiland

Click here to learn more about PINE and 10 years of service to our network.

How Can the Permaculture Movement be in Right Relationship with Place, People of Color, and Indigenous Peoples: A Discussion from the October Gathering at Omega

November 13, 2014

by Jesse Watson

This year’s Northeast Regional Permaculture Organizer’s Retreat held at Omega in Rhinebeck, NY was a nice mix of open space topics and work sessions focused on PINE action items (the Permaculture Institute of the Northeast). I rather timidly brought an open space topic for discussion with which I had but a passing familiarity. It was a topic whose initial catalyst came from Rafter Sass Ferguson’s article that gave an overview of the permaculture movement (“Critical Questions, Early Answershttp://liberationecology.org/2014/08/08/toward-21st-century-permaculture-new-articles/ ). In this article he referenced the racial homogeneity of the permaculture movement as a vulnerability. How he suggested we address this is the important part though, because he said the response should not be one of recruitment or tokenism, but rather requires some deeper reflection on how we can be relevant to communities of color. While it’s a challenge, it’s also a tremendous opportunity.

As i reflected on how i could be relevant to communities of color close to where i am located in rural Maine (which is mostly white), i started thinking about making bridges with Native American communities to the North. As i ruminated on the difference between recruitment, green missionary work, and relevance, i also started to ask how i could use my privilege and agency (as a white cis-male) to be an ally to marginalized Native communities. I reached out to my close friends and eventually we found an article titled “Decolonization is not a Metaphor” (http://decolonization.org/index.php/des/issue/view/1234/showToc). This article made my head explode. (Figuratively)

So this was the topic i timidly brought to discuss in the Open Space session. As a topic, it was closely related to another proposed topic on the subject of “building bridges with diverse communities using a regenerative lens.” So we decided to combine the topics. What resulted was an open-hearted, if unsettling, discussion on a subject that was new to me and that seemed deeply relevant to the permaculture movement in the Northeast. It was a rather ‘unsettling’ discussion not least because of the ideas we discussed, but also because of how this new lens of analysis may affect our perception of this thing we call permaculture. Some of the important ideas include the notion that decolonization is not a metaphor, the triad structure of white settler-Native-settler of color, and settler ‘moves to innocence’ (of which there are many. See the article above for a list).

One proposal that emerged was that we consciously refrain from self-applying the term ‘indigenous’ if we are not, in fact, indigenous to Native North or South America. So instead of making a statement like “Permaculture allows us to remember how to be indigenous to place” we should choose other language. The reason for this relates to a concept in the article “Decolonization is not a Metaphor” which the authors call “settler moves to innocence.” A move to innocence is an attempt by a settler person to absolve themselves of the guilt of living on stolen land by some form of catharsis without actually addressing the difficult structural societal issues involved with the decolonization and legal return of stolen Native land. So saying something like “Permaculture allows us to remember how to be indigenous to a place” makes a metaphor of indigeneity and hence, erases the lived experience of real peoples who are actually indigenous to Native America and who still resist campaigns of genocide and expropriation of land and resources that continue to this day. The modest proposal is to consider how important language is. And that making indigeneity or decolonization a metaphor (“decolonize your mind/school/praxis!”) is a form of “settler move to innocence.” Instead may we suggest an alternate sentence like “Permaculture allow us to remember how to be in right relationship to place.” A subtle but profound difference.

Another proposal is that we make an offering at the beginning of our events where we acknowledge First Nations and who the first peoples are who live/d on the land we are now occupying. We should seek relationships with existing First Nations, ask how we can be relevant to their lives, and ask for permission and endorsement of our activities and events.

Some open questions i still have in my mind revolve around issues of permaculture and its relationship to colonization. To what extent is permaculture a product of a settler people? Are there instances where design principles or techniques associated with permaculture were misappropriated from indigenous peoples without their permission? To what extent is permaculture practiced as a form of ‘green missionary work’ throughout the world? While i get excited about the National Agroforestry Center looking into ‘Traditional Ecological Knowledge’ (TEK) with the interest of transitioning tillage-based agriculture to perennial ag systems, i can’t help but notice the possible pattern of colonial appropriation happening (http://nac.unl.edu/documents/agroforestrynotes/an44g14.pdf). This time settler peoples are potentially studying and appropriating indigenous forms of land management, which can be positive (i think?) as long as the tools and techniques are willingly shared by the indigenous peoples and not brashly stolen, like so many other times throughout history.

And finally what does the decolonization of Native North America look like? How do we organize for that kind of vision or dream? How do we incorporate righting this egregious, unresolved, and ongoing historical crime into our culture-jamming work? How do you organize and convince ‘white, black and yellow’ people into giving their land back to the ‘Red Nations’ from which all this land was stolen?

These are a few thoughts i’m left with. I don’t have any answers, i just care deeply about being a good neighbor and a good ancestor. And i am deeply grateful for Omega for being our host and i am grateful to the other participants in this conversation to help unpack these ideas and figure out how to apply them to our permaculture organizing efforts. Onward to regeneration of healthy systems!

In solidarity and respect,

Jesse Watson

Glimpses from a new Permie’s journey to Omega

November 5, 2014

by Justin Remus, New York, NY

Our Omega plan was simple: Monica, my fiancee and budding permaculture star, would attend the regional workshops. I would hit the sauna, practice yoga and meditation. After a brutal last 10 months at my job for a magazine publisher, that seemed like a good fit. Then, at the last second, we decided I’d attend the workshops, too. After all, I’ll be the curator of Monica’s website for her consulting biz, Beyond Organic Design, responsible for its design and managing its content on a daily basis.

The first night, group introductions were made. I felt painfully shy and out of place but got through it. Later, en route to our cabin, Monica and I walked along the dirt trail through the rustling leaves, the brisk, fresh air providing a stark reminder we were no longer in Manhattan. Once ensconced in our new digs, we were interrupted by what sounded like a sorority house commando raid in the adjoining room. Who were these rambunctious cabin mates?

Workshops followed the next day. Topics ranged from the mundane to the ambitious. I listened and absorbed what I could, asked a question or two. But I felt in over my head. This was a whole different world. More group sharing ensued and I survived that, too. In between, delicious organic food was savored at a large eating hall that reminded me of summer camp. Omega is the more rustic counterpart to Kripalu, where Monica and I celebrated Christmas two years ago.

Gradually I got to know people. Everyone was inclusive. John, whom I identified with because he was relatively new to permaculture, was starting a tincture business using mushrooms he gathers himself, revealing the labor-intensive process of preparing the tinctures and their medicinal benefits. On our second night, Jillian Hovey gave an extraordinary slideshow from her amazing permaculture design work worldwide. Then, the following morning when sharing the common bath, we uncovered the identity of least one of our cabin mates—-the mild-mannered Jillian. Who would’ve thunk it?

The third day: more workshops. Throughout, I kept thinking maybe I should’ve stuck with the sauna and yoga. But after the group communed in the late afternoon, fun and interesting activities were planned that night. Monica and I had to exit early. To my surprise, I felt sad. It was like leaving a new family behind. I thought about sharing my feelings with the group, but then everyone was shuttled outside. Photos were taken. After saying our goodbyes, Monica and I took a cab back to the train station, but our passage was delayed.

While waiting, gestures of people’s kindness lingered in my memory: Rachelynn confiding during one workshop that her seamless confidence when conducting the Open Space was a little bit of a front… Jono, telling me not to be too hard on myself when I said I was overwhelmed one day outside after lunch… Bonita’s gentle laugh and bright smile… Frances inviting me to play frisbee… Jillian, locking onto me during one group session, saying, OK, you’re feeling uncomfortable, next time you may be leading the session. I doubt that, but it was still a nice thing to say.

by Justin Remus, New York, NY

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