Who's changed the course of their life for permaculture?

Discussion in 'The big picture' started by Tildesam, Mar 16, 2012.

  1. Pakanohida

    Pakanohida Junior Member

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    LOL aww come on, I can't help that I love Hawai'i, surfing, scuba diving, swimming, outrigger racing, snorkeling, pineapples, and some of the best coffee in the world... ..I mean come on Ludi, it's all in the same place for me!

    Here I got 40degree F water and sharks 20' long that my Ozzie's surfer friends call guppies! ;)
     
  2. Spidermonkey

    Spidermonkey Junior Member

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    Purple Pear, Who's being defensive? Is this because I disagree with you? I refer you to my earlier post.
    I agree there is no point in owning acreage to spend the weekends mowing it. Like everyone else on this site I am concerned with food security and living a better quality of life. If the suburban garden is the most productive land then you could live in the suburbs and teach 20 families to produce their own food and run PP organics workshops on common land. The fact is you want to live on acreage and there is nothing wrong with that as you are using the land well.
     
  3. Grahame

    Grahame Senior Member

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    The way I see it...

    Whether you live in the urban setting or the rural setting, the current 'system' runs counter to permaculture. The direction we as self-proclaimed permaculturists wish to move is in the opposite direction to the way society is moving (in general). So whether you are in the urban environment wishing to keep a rooster, or in a rural environment wishing to run a small enterprise you will inevitably bang your head up against red tape and bureaucracy. If you wish to help change the general direction society is moving then you have to slash the red tape and push back against the bureaucracy. You have to be bold and lead. Or, you have to get creative and work around it!

    I believe, like Eco said, community is one of the most important things that will make or break the widespread uptake and success of permaculture. There really is no culture without the people. It needs to be a culture, a living growing organic organism.

    I also agree with Ludi, looking after even a few acres is a big job! but it is doable and it is very rewarding.

    Ludi, I thought I wrote a post that said how we make ends meet but it seems to have not made it... In short, we make the ends as short as possible. We sell some produce at local farmers markets. I do some gardening, pruning etc for local people. But then again we have the great advantage of not having a mortgage. We don't use air conditioners, and rarely heaters. We turn everything off at the plug. We wear 2nd hand clothes and clothes from the various Op shops. We use the library and other free forms of entertainment etc etc etc. It's amazing how little we really need.
     
  4. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    I'm hoping that when petrol gets to about $5 a litre that the local council will cease to exist and I can keep rosters and have a composting toilet etc etc. So long as I keep passing food to my neighbours to keep them happy it could work right?

    $1.58 today and climbing....
     
  5. Terra

    Terra Moderator

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    No way im leaving the land to live in town it would drive me insane , spider you get your patch of land , it doesnt matter if you dont have the resources to 100% fully use 5 , 10 , or 1000 acres if your doing the best you can then that is good enough . Ecos on to it with councils sooner their history the better , thats the worst part of land ownership councils decide that your property is suddenly worth more that last year and of course your council rates go up and up , so yes you have to have an income stream of sorts just to keep your land
     
  6. Curramore1

    Curramore1 Junior Member

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    Curramore, Blackall Range, S E Queensland, Aust.
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    Sub-tropical to temperate 2000mm rain, elevated 350-475m
    Hello to to SammyJoePeters from the sydney North Shore,
    I planned this lifestyle from about the late 1970's when I went shares with my older brother in a 50 acre block of rough, timbered country in the Blackall ranges when I was 18. We read "Grass Roots" type magazines etc., built a log cabin and paid off the block by cutting and milling it ourselves about half of the block's ironbark timber. I then studied Ecology at Uni and after working as a Scientist went teaching, then owning and/or managing various primary production enterprises here and O/S . My partner and I have worked full time for the last 30 years. I started out like you in an urban flat with a big bookshelf and some dreams.
    We worked in higher paying professions until the mortgages were gone, then I retired to set up for our years from 50 'til whenever. My partner still works full time as a Teacher for the present while our children are still at Uni.

    How do I make my money now? I sharpen local chainsaws or anything else you want sharp, weld and fabricate stuff and other general blacksmithing and ironmongery, plan, build and install hydraulic ram pumps, slash other people's paddocks, spread mulch and manure for others, fall trees and cut fence posts, mill logs into sawn boards, perform cattle husbandry for other locals like insemination, preg testing, dehorning, vaccination, calving assistance etc., plant trees for other locals, assist with property plans and organise and oversee the resultant contractors for prospective or new land owners locally, find real estate for prospective buyers who want to lead a semi/sustainable lifestyle, remove feral pest animals, identify weeds and useful plant species for other land holders, sell 100 odd beef cattle plus 50 sheep a year, breed, train and sell a couple of working horses and dogs a year, do home kills for people and teach them how to cut it up and make sausages, sell fresh honey and produce from asparagas to zucchini, also I work with the animals and guests at a local farm stay and do general duties there as well. I have also led teams of unemployed youth and unemployed over 40's in learning revegetation and landcare related job skills. Anything within 15 minutes drive from my home basically. I have the added advantage of living here for a time and my wife and I being related to a large % of them. Just a general local dogsbody.
    Good luck and a happy voyage.
     
  7. Pakanohida

    Pakanohida Junior Member

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    Diesel fuel for trucks here $4.23 per US Gallon currently.
     
  8. Pakanohida

    Pakanohida Junior Member

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    3 acres solo, is very difficult, but like you 2 said, fun and rewarding.
     
  9. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    Sheesh! That works out at $1.12 US per litre. That's cheaper than here!
     
  10. labradel

    labradel Junior Member

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    dont forget that a us gallon is smaller than an imperial gallon
     
  11. Curramore1

    Curramore1 Junior Member

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    Just a wee bit different in the amount of Government taxation I suggest. Diesel was 151 c/litre here today for 10000 litres home delivered.
     
  12. Pakanohida

    Pakanohida Junior Member

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    Eco was dead on. $4.23 / 3.785 = 1.117569352708058 per liter.
     
  13. Tildesam

    Tildesam Junior Member

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    This has been proven to be quite a beneficial thread - I didn't realise there was such a variety of contexts to take from!

    I get that moving completely in one direction will undoubtedly be hard work. Anything you want to take all the way is.

    I've not been on earth long (you could say) and already I'm fed up with the city. Everywhere I live is being swallowed up by dense housing, there's so many people that it's hard to find somewhere quiet - and I'm feeling increasingly caged-up chasing a sliver of sun on my tiny balcony.

    (Before you say it! I've visited the local community garden, it's relatively new - but the people that run it seem to have a highly political agenda of constantly fighting the local council which I think is a waste of effort. They're more interested in talking in each other's houses about politics rather than getting outside and working!)

    So I don't know, I feel really fed up with it all - and I think I want to take the plunge and get away before it gets worse (and as oil becomes more scarce, it will ONLY get worse I think)

    I'm in an interesting situation at the moment - I have a student debt but no mortgage. I have enough income at the moment that I can get rid of the student debt in 6 months if I put my mind to it.
    The downside is that I haven't entered the property market yet.
    Not sure where to head from there - purchase an investment property and wait until I receive returns on it before I move out of the city - or scale back a purchase on a property I want to live on straight away.

    I'm facing lots of risks but if I can successfully set up a lifestyle now then I have lots and lots of time to work on developing a really stable setup which could provide good returns in the future.

    P.S - Naturally my parents think I'm nuts.
    "What?! You don't want work a high-paying job in an office for 40 years?!"
     
  14. annette

    annette Junior Member

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    I'm hearing you Sammyjo. Lots of people feel the same way, including me. High paying job in an office but I could see buildings being built around me and felt I had to get out. Mobile phone towers going up everywhere around the building but people thought I was nuts leaving.

    Personally I think the property market is going to fall, so if I didn't have a home I would be saving money like crazy and just waiting. A friend of mine left work, went up the coast and parked his caravan on someones acreage, out of the way so no one can see, set up a garden and does odd jobs for work. He is pretty self sufficient and now has no debts. It's ok for some others want security of property.

    You're not alone in your thoughts.

    cheers
    Annette
     
  15. Michaelangelica

    Michaelangelica Junior Member

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    remember 38.5 c/L excise tax + 10% GST
     
  16. Tildesam

    Tildesam Junior Member

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    Phew, Annette! Glad I'm not the only one thinking that. :)

    Now I know what to do, I think I've just gotta knuckle down and get rid of my student debt. Then I can work on gathering savings to take action.

    Until then, I think I need to quell the impulses to get out, keep the bigger picture in mind and utilise the community I have here for now to gather valuable info. Really, the fact I can have something survive on my own balcony, and resources like the internet (and you guys!) are the few things keeping me from going nuts at the moment.

    ... would this count as "First World Problems"? :nod:

    Also, why are PDCs so crazy expensive?!
     
  17. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    Because they are life changing and worth every cent.

    https://permaculturesunshinecoast.org/courses/permaculture-design-certificate/ Tom charges $1200 for his here on the Sunshine Coast. Given that it's a 72 hours course that is only $17 an hour..... And that doesn't include preparation time, teaching resources, loss of income earning potential of farm during the course etc etc.... I doubt he's making much out of it! At the end of the day though he (and any other PDC teacher) deserves to have the opportunity to be able to practice and teach permaculture full time, and that means being able to charge a fee that enables that.
     
  18. annette

    annette Junior Member

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    ... would this count as "First World Problems"?

    Yes probably. lol.:rofl:
     
  19. mischief

    mischief Senior Member

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    Eco, when you put it like that, it isnt very expensive at all.
    Might have to do one as well as one on cheese to lower my frustration levels on both counts.
     
  20. purplepear

    purplepear Junior Member

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    warm temperate - some frost - changing every year
    if you want to swum the ditch mischief - we do them both at Purple Pear and they are even less expensive - no frills weekend PDC $800 starts soon
     

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