MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY and Permaculture

Discussion in 'Buy, sell, trade, give away & exchange' started by Geoff Lawton, Feb 5, 2007.

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  1. greeny

    greeny Junior Member

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    Hi, Geoff and Nadia you both sound amazingly dedicated! I hope to meet you one day. I must say I really enjoyed the frankness and honesty of the participants on this thread ( and this board). I felt extremely warm towards those expressing parts of their inner workings to us all. Especially the painful bits. and to observe how each person reacted , or not to their remarks.
    In a way I feel that the anonymity that choosing a name on this board brings with it the freedom to express ourselves as we would like in the outside world . I have learned so much from this forum,
    I would like to send flowers to you all!
    rose
     
  2. permaculture.biz

    permaculture.biz Junior Member

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    G'day Chris,

    Just got home today from the farm at Moriac where I have spent the last week renovating an old Connor Shea Super Seeder in readiness for the autumn pasture sowing season (gotta keep building that carbon). We're getting our apartments ready to rent out from the start of April. All those little time consuming jobs when you're on the way out the door.

    Note on Cam Wilson: lovely fellow who worked for us down at Moriac for a while - he and I met in 2005 at the Djanbung Gardens APT teacher training course - he is very capable indeed.

    Off to Viet Nam this saturday for a couple of weeks for our various Mars Inc projects - and yes Chris the cacao systems are going well.....

    Ciao,

    Daz
     
  3. RobWindt

    RobWindt Junior Member

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  4. earthbound

    earthbound Junior Member

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    I feel inspired by the works and words of such people as Geoff, Daz and Jeff. To be successful in promoting permaculture into multinational corporations as well as the average person on the street, is the only way to save our world.

    I have no quarms about giving my money to these people as I understand their passion for what they do, and I know that the money is well spent, through encouraging their passion, and giving them the ability to share with others.

    It's rare to see such openness and straight forward thinking Geoff..

    In the words of Ali G, "much respect..."

    :)
     
  5. barely run

    barely run Junior Member

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    Have read this thread with great interest.....some points are my best wishes to Geoff and Nadia...you are doing great things O.S. as well as Australia. There are many oportunites to volunteer in Aust that do not take a lot of money/time.
    Offer to start a vegie patch/container growing at a local nursing home...you will be happy with the support you'll get....and gently introduce the concepts of permaculture to the family and friends of the residents. what about the local schools. Tezza have you considered teaching an Adult Education Class at the local TAFE You dont need formal qualifications just a sound knowledge of the subject....and there is the spin off of community exposure generating paid consultancy work.
    U3A groups are also a great place to educate people on the value of permaculture....same thing ... you teach as a volunteer and members attend at very minimal cost, again no formal quals required.
    For me at present not volunteering anywhere....not in the same place long enough lately to make contacts....have done heaps over the years thou. and for those members who dont know me I'm Cathy Sexton, post as Barely Run.....was planning on a property with a barely made footprint and am also a nudist hence the double use of Barely run...lol. Currently in Brisbane for who know how long...
    Cheers
    Cathy
     
  6. ecodharmamark

    ecodharmamark Junior Member

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    Re: Major Consultancy Work

    G'day Geoff and Nadia :)

    Love your work! Thank you for continuing to take the message to all parts of the globe.

    Wow, making some (rich) friends in high places, I see! Excellent. Just because the majority of the world's social and environmental ills are caused by the 1% of the human population that holds 90% of the earth's (material) wealth does not mean that we shouldn't engage these people in the process of reform. If anything, we need to work at all levels to ensure that the message continues to go out loud and clear: Care for the planet, care for the people, redistribute the surplus!

    So you wear a Guci tie with your op-shop bought suits, or a pair of Versace high-heels with your sunday market frock, AND you fly business class? Who cares? When in Rome, do as the Romans do. If having to 'look the look' while 'talking the talk' means doing just that, then keep up the great work!

    Yours in permaculture (by stealth if necessary),

    Mark Chesterfield - student (Bachelor of Urban, Rural and Environmental Planning - LaTrobe University, Bendigo)
    Caretaker of 1-acre (drought effected, but the indigenous (nitrogen-fixing) plants are coming back, and we are still making compost)
    CVA volunteer/WWOOFer (during the holiday breaks)
    Loving son, brother and uncle (and a friend to many hundreds)
    Permaculture designer and consultant (paid only by the experience received, thus far :))
    Ecoanarcho-dharmapermaculturalist
    Lover of learning and all things living (or dead)

    Oh, and soon to be stacking shelves well past midnight at a multi-national supermarket near you...

    Peace and love to you all
    :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
     
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  7. Nathan Edwards

    Nathan Edwards Junior Member

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    Geoff and Nadia.
    Thanks for the inspiration! I completed a PDC with Max Lindegger at crystal waters in 1992 and came out of it bewildered by what to do with Permaculture. I tried to convert alot of friends yards into productive sites. All failed when I left as the owners were not really concerned with their 'emergy footprint' and so did no maintenence. Young, disheartened and confused, I just moved to Melbourne and became a muso for 15 years with my own little rental food gardens. Then I knew I needed to do more. Something in me just said "enough!". I did a PDC with you (Geoff) and Bill in Jan 2007 which was a huge catalyst and I cannot thank you enough. I registered the business name 'Permaculture Pathways' and with fellow student Keith D'Agostino have set about getting our business together. We are building a website, looking at advertising options, have made little business cards etc..
    Dan Palmer who helped on the course has been extremely helpful. He has in fact passed on to us our first 3 clients (paying). We are charging very low fees at the moment - $20 per hour (more than my hospitality job though) and it is teaching me HEAPS! (thanks Darren Doherty for showing me some of your biz model tips and the soil testin info). But I guess I'm just posting to say that making money from others who don't have the time to learn or even do permaculture (maintenence services are an exciting possibility) is just exchanging services. In fact, the more money I get the more permaculture I do. I can't get a water tank without it,or a shovel, a ride on a tractor etc.
    Thanks again.
    I'm coming up to Northern NSW in may. Will you and Nadia be around for a visit? I would love to show my partner your place to excite and inspire her.

    P.S. I can't believe you get the time to read those emails. I'm gonna teach you to touch type one day to save you a little bit of time.
    Nathan Edwards
    Permculture Pathways
    https://www.permaculturepathways.com
     
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  8. Frank1

    Frank1 Junior Member

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    Geoff I don’t get it, I just don’t get it.

    Can you please explain something for me?
    You say you have doubled your consultancy fee regularly since starting? Suppose you have been in this business for twenty years and you doubled your fee every two years with a starting fee of $25 per hour. On that basis you now charge $12,800 per hour. Why can’t you employ ten people to go with you and learn first hand by doing stuff under your direction? Why do you insist that people volunteer?
    I have some experience in many pc related areas but I doubt my wife would be impressed if I took off for ‘a while’ and left her with the kids to fend for themselves with no money coming in. Where’s the ‘care of people’ in that?
    With the type of money you are earning I don’t understand why you can’t pay someone to develop your farm and run courses there now. Can’t you employ someone to check your emails at least?
    Why can’t you employ people like pcplants for these $30,000,000 projects instead of him having to endure abuse for trying to scratch together a few dollars by selling some old tapes? What about permaculture.biz? He has publicly thanked you on this forum for giving him the poorly attended South American course gig, but then he has to put himself out there to organise a tour to earn a living when it sounds like you have jobs going begging. Do you not trust the skills of these people or have they not paid their dues by volunteering for you?

    One way to fill these thousands of positions is to employ contractors. Tell us what contract you need to fill, we apply to you, you pick the best person for the job, you take a cut for finding the right person, and we’re away. Everybody’s happy, even my wife. Obviously you can handle the suit route and the boardroom stuff, some people would rather be in the field, can’t you organise the contracts and then subcontract? Do we all need to be a stealth permie? Isn’t there a role for us normal permies in this brave new world?

    Surely you would be the person to run $20,000 courses? That would give you plenty of time to develop your own property and pay off your debts.

    You say some projects stop functioning; do you mean plants die? This must be a fault of the design system surely? If projects fail, the designer must be responsible? I agree being positive is essential but this sounds like I don’t know what. Not taking responsibility for your work at the minimum. You say ‘but as we know this is not ever a fault of the design system’?? No it is the fault of the designer who has not reviewed his work and learnt from it.

    What happened to spending a year on site before designing?
     
  9. Geoff Lawton

    Geoff Lawton Administrator Staff Member

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    Hi Frank

    Hi Frank
    all of what you ask we are doing.

    We are employing people to run our farm and teachers to teach there when we are stuck over seas on projects.

    We are giving permaculture teachers positions in over 14 different country positions this year already.

    We are employing designers and consultunts in multiple locations on major projects.

    We are asking for resumes and contacts of interested people.

    Cheers Geoff
     
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  10. Tamara

    Tamara Junior Member

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    The more money we make, the more surplus we have to redistribute. If we don't make any money from 1st world clients, how can we afford to give courses in the 3rd and 4th world?

    I finished the April practical course with Geoff at Bill's farm in Tas.
    Geoff said that one of the main reasons he runs the practical course is run to produce teachers.

    On that note, the big news is that I gave a free (as it was my first go) swale workshop at the weekend for 3 women that did the January PDC in Melbourne. It went really well. I could answer all their questions! The practical course created a teacher.

    I have found my mission.

    Geoff, I am available for design and assistant teaching jobs in Australia.
     
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  11. Luisa

    Luisa Junior Member

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    I'm looking for someone to design a layout for my place. I'm in Rockhampton in central Queensland.

    I have 3 and 1/2 acres in the middle of suburbia, some site limitations, but plenty of potential. I'm not looking at total self sufficiency but at healing the land, making it visually attractive to neighbours as well as a home for me and my animals, and long term I want to keep it from being McMansioned over (think Parkview) and don't know how to do that.

    I work full-time, professional with the govt, and not worried about paying $$ for a consultant. I want to cut back to part-time work and spend more time at home. Is there anyone up here who would come have a look, talk with me about designs? You would have to be able to work within council requirements eg. I don't know how much recycling of blackwater I would be allowed to do, etc.

    (I think the permaculture principles are fine but a lot of the techniques I read about seem specific to rural situations where the people have no off-site employment taking up their time. Permaculture for urban areas will have to be very different.)
     
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  12. Tamara

    Tamara Junior Member

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  13. Cosmic

    Cosmic Junior Member

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    This topic made me dizzy.
     
  14. Ojo

    Ojo Junior Member

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    I think more co-ops and networks, like this maybe
    https://www.rootstock.org.uk/
    https://www.pcuonline.org/
    and more ways of reaching the REAL poor 'permies' (the ones who don't have computers and internet, the ones who's lives may depend more on it.)
    AND more free stuff, "forsaketh not the public domain"
     
  15. Pedro Mansouri

    Pedro Mansouri New Member

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    Feedback

    I felt the need to express my thoughts on what i have read on this thread! People with Enterprise and passion who follow their calling in life, work to perfect their chosen craft and begin to bear the fruits of the labours should always be held with high esteem and great respet from others in society especially like minded individuals. For if there is no unity amongst the core how can change occur amongst the masses, the movement is stunted and doesn't move forward. I was truly shocked to see such negative and hurtfull comments made to such noble individuals. I am 26 never having heard of permaculture before in my life, one thing led to another and i saw Geoff on you tube. I googled him straight away and now i'm here. Nothing else but the passion in his voice!

    All i wanted to say is that above all else. The way you have both held yourselves amongst all these discussions has cemented my beliefs in who you are and what you do. I know i will one day be priveledged enough to attend one of your coarses and just listen and learn. I wish and pray for your continued success in all your endevours.

    Pedro
     
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  16. Sololeum

    Sololeum Junior Member

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    Well oil production peaked well over two years ago now, economic collapse is immenent and already beginning in the USA - The Greatest Depression will wipe off massive doses of wealth and low EROEI technologies will not allow such wealth to be accumulated anymore so those millions in perma-fees won't be there much longer -
    It's just not an issue, unlike the real one of knowing where YOUR FOOD is going to be comming from :? :?
     
  17. ppp

    ppp Junior Member

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    Geoff

    Can you indicate the skills and types of people that you require.

    For example I have ~5 years experience as a consultant in Australia and overseas. Through this work I present a professional image, identify needs, produce quality correspondence and drawings, plus supervise site work involving multiple operations.

    The catch - all of my experience is in Geotechnical Engineering (mining and civil engineering)

    I am sure alot of people on the forum have unique skills which aren't purely of the permaculture flavour which could take permaculture to the next level.

    I myself would not be ready to assist since I have not (YET) undertaken any formal permaculture training, however have read about permaculture and try to practice it at home.

    PPP
     
  18. Guest

    Re: MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY and Permaculture

    Just curious: How may $20.000 PDC were held since this post?
     
  19. Bigfred

    Bigfred Junior Member

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    Hey Tezza, give the man a break; I have no doubt the course is worth the money, it would cost more than $20k to do a uni course in just about anything and if no-one learns the ropes who will teach the rest of us
     
  20. Geoff Lawton

    Geoff Lawton Administrator Staff Member

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    Just got back from Tanzania

    I got back from Tanzania where we are setting up a new project demonstration site education center and it is very badly needed many children are dying when all is needed is good BASIC DESIGN.

    This is just aid work for the greater good, see the article on the front page with the follow up article. about to be launched.

    Nadia could not get her Tanzania visa in time due to Jordan passports taking many weeks to process, so she went to Jordan with a dumpy level a 20 liter micro compost tea brewer including the air pump. She ran compost making and compost tea making courses, survey of the new Jordan Valley project site and directed the construction of the swales, directed the new Jordan Valley permaculture society groups office establishment and organised the purchase of bulk fruit trees for the new site.

    We are now back at Diversity Farm at The Channon, NSW and teaching a PDC with a training camp follow up which will involve a 5 ton exscavator donation for the course, should be fun.

    We are swamped with enquiries and have now agreed to run a 3 day earth works course at Mudgee, NSW on the 18, 19, 20th December.

    We are always keen to help people if we can, we need help ourselves with administration so we can do things better.

    The idea of a $20,000 PDC is still out there for anyone to pick up and run with, it is an interesting button to push and if it worked and the students were people like Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Al Gore or Oprah it could be very interesting, it does not worry me who I teach, if they are prepare to sit in on 72 hours of PDC I stand a very good chance of terminally infecting them with permaculture.

    Geoff
     
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