10. Keeping permaculture in my life
Design summary
Planning how to keep permaculture in my life after I've finished the diploma
Design framework: Looby Macnamara's design web
Vision, helps, limits, patterns, ideas, principles, integration, action, momentum, appreciation, reflection, pause
Dates
September 2019
Planning how to keep permaculture in my life after I've finished the diploma
Design framework: Looby Macnamara's design web
Vision, helps, limits, patterns, ideas, principles, integration, action, momentum, appreciation, reflection, pause
Dates
September 2019
Introduction
I did my Permaculture Design Course in 2001, with Patrick Whitefield at Ragman's Lane Farm. I thought about the diploma for many years but couldn't think of a good reason to sign up. Eventually, a friend pointed out that I could have done the diploma several times in the years I'd been talking about it, and eventually I signed up in 2014, thirteen years after my PDC.
That was over five years ago, and I've enjoyed having the diploma in my life. It's been mostly in the background, something to structure my thinking. I've been to many diploma-related events, and met some wonderful, committed, engaged, lovely people.
For a long time I didn't feel ready to close this diploma-themed chapter in my life. I wanted to stay engaged in the network, still thinking about permaculture, and I knew if I didn't have a 'structure' there was a danger I would drift away.
However, nothing can last forever, so I committed to finishing my diploma and accrediting at the Diploma Gathering in March 2020, almost six years after I signed up.
This final design is my attempt to work out how to fill the diploma-shaped hole and keep permaculture in my life in the future.
That was over five years ago, and I've enjoyed having the diploma in my life. It's been mostly in the background, something to structure my thinking. I've been to many diploma-related events, and met some wonderful, committed, engaged, lovely people.
For a long time I didn't feel ready to close this diploma-themed chapter in my life. I wanted to stay engaged in the network, still thinking about permaculture, and I knew if I didn't have a 'structure' there was a danger I would drift away.
However, nothing can last forever, so I committed to finishing my diploma and accrediting at the Diploma Gathering in March 2020, almost six years after I signed up.
This final design is my attempt to work out how to fill the diploma-shaped hole and keep permaculture in my life in the future.
Using the design web
This is very much a 'people' based design, and probably the most emotional (rather than practical) design I've done, so it felt right to use the design web.
Most of my design write ups have been lengthy, possibly too lengthy, so I was keen for this final one to be short and to the point. A lot of thought has gone into it over several months (possibly even years), but I'm going to fight all my waffling urges and keep the main write up to a single, hand drawn mind map.
Most of my design write ups have been lengthy, possibly too lengthy, so I was keen for this final one to be short and to the point. A lot of thought has gone into it over several months (possibly even years), but I'm going to fight all my waffling urges and keep the main write up to a single, hand drawn mind map.
As you can see from the mind map, I've decided that there are three good, manageable ways to keep permaculture in my life after my diploma has finished
All three of these activities fit nicely with things I would have been doing anyway. I have to design for our own land - so why not extend that and invite others to visit? I regularly write anyway - why not write about my designs, and the process of becoming a LAND centre? If I'm opening to visitors, why not offer tutorials?
The Gantt chart below shows a timeline for starting these processes and making decisions.
- Writing - on my own blog, and possibly for other publications
- Registering as a tutor and offering tutorials at my own place or at existing events
- Working towards becoming a LAND centre (permaculture demonstration site)
All three of these activities fit nicely with things I would have been doing anyway. I have to design for our own land - so why not extend that and invite others to visit? I regularly write anyway - why not write about my designs, and the process of becoming a LAND centre? If I'm opening to visitors, why not offer tutorials?
The Gantt chart below shows a timeline for starting these processes and making decisions.
Area |
Detail |
2019 |
2020 |
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Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Jan |
Feb |
March |
April |
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Writing |
Write on own blog |
Diploma process |
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Considering tutoring options |
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Water |
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Overwintering the veg garden |
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Dry stone walls |
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Tutor |
Blog post (see above) |
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Make decision about registering |
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Tutor training |
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LAND Centre |
Visit other LAND centres |
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Tutorial with LAND tutor |
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Make decision |
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Permaculture ethics
This whole design embodies the three permaculture ethics.
Earth care: by continuing to practice permaculture, to write and help others to learn about it, I will be spreading a hopeful message and practical knowledge that will help us all to tread more lightly on the earth.
People care: I am well aware of my tendency to over-commit, and also know that I am regularly heard to exclaim - this thing that I'm doing right now is my favourite thing and I want to do it all the time! Because of this, I am building in a deliberate pause of at least a month before I register as either a tutor or a LAND centre. I will continue collecting information in this time, but will NOT sign any forms or hand over any money. I also work full time, and don't want to spend my holidays travelling to teach courses (and right now I don't want to host courses at home either).
Fair shares: I love the land here, and I wanted to find a way to share it in a way that feels manageable to us. So no holiday homes, camping, festivals, work parties or anything like that (for now). But writing I can do, and opening to visitors several days a year with advanced warning is fine too.
This whole design embodies the three permaculture ethics.
Earth care: by continuing to practice permaculture, to write and help others to learn about it, I will be spreading a hopeful message and practical knowledge that will help us all to tread more lightly on the earth.
People care: I am well aware of my tendency to over-commit, and also know that I am regularly heard to exclaim - this thing that I'm doing right now is my favourite thing and I want to do it all the time! Because of this, I am building in a deliberate pause of at least a month before I register as either a tutor or a LAND centre. I will continue collecting information in this time, but will NOT sign any forms or hand over any money. I also work full time, and don't want to spend my holidays travelling to teach courses (and right now I don't want to host courses at home either).
Fair shares: I love the land here, and I wanted to find a way to share it in a way that feels manageable to us. So no holiday homes, camping, festivals, work parties or anything like that (for now). But writing I can do, and opening to visitors several days a year with advanced warning is fine too.
Evaluation
Using the design web over a long period of time has encouraged me to think flexibly and creatively about my options for building permaculture into my life after the diploma. I've particularly found it helpful to think about patterns - I have such a strong tendency to over-commit and then feel under pressure, that it was important to me to avoid that.
There were certain things that I felt I 'should' do after the diploma. I've never taught on a permaculture course, for example, not even an introductory one, but in the process of doing this design I've realised I just don't want to. Not right now. I work full time teaching adults, and I don't want to spend my free time doing something that feels a little bit too much like work. And that's ok. As part of the Final Portfolio Assessment y tutor, Hannah Thorogood suggested design consultancy, but for now it feels more sensible to focus on my own land given we have so much of it and it still feels quite overwhelming.
I've also realised in the process of this design that I can take things slowly. I can continue to design, and I can write about that on my own blog and see how it feels. I can visit other LAND centres, and start seeing how I might meet the criteria for becoming a LAND learner - but I don't have to sign anything just yet. The same for the process of becoming a tutor. The next tutor training day is at the Diploma Gathering in March, and that feels like a good amount of time to make a decision.
There were certain things that I felt I 'should' do after the diploma. I've never taught on a permaculture course, for example, not even an introductory one, but in the process of doing this design I've realised I just don't want to. Not right now. I work full time teaching adults, and I don't want to spend my free time doing something that feels a little bit too much like work. And that's ok. As part of the Final Portfolio Assessment y tutor, Hannah Thorogood suggested design consultancy, but for now it feels more sensible to focus on my own land given we have so much of it and it still feels quite overwhelming.
I've also realised in the process of this design that I can take things slowly. I can continue to design, and I can write about that on my own blog and see how it feels. I can visit other LAND centres, and start seeing how I might meet the criteria for becoming a LAND learner - but I don't have to sign anything just yet. The same for the process of becoming a tutor. The next tutor training day is at the Diploma Gathering in March, and that feels like a good amount of time to make a decision.
Reflections
I've been working on this design for a long time, and as a quick typist with a tendency to waffle, it's been difficult to keep this short. However, I have followed another pattern in my life, which is to leave (some) things to the last minute. With little time to write this up before my Final Portfolio Assessment, I opted to experiment with something short and sweet, and do you know what? It feels ok. Not perfect - there's a lot here that I'd like to explain in more detail - but ok.
I found the design web a bit unstructured when I used it for Design 3: Turning our house into a palace. But this time it felt right, intuitive, and I wonder whether this is about choosing the right framework for each design. I've got several frameworks in my toolkit now, and I'll be sure to think carefully about which would best suit the circumstances.
I found the design web a bit unstructured when I used it for Design 3: Turning our house into a palace. But this time it felt right, intuitive, and I wonder whether this is about choosing the right framework for each design. I've got several frameworks in my toolkit now, and I'll be sure to think carefully about which would best suit the circumstances.