Can We Really Take Responsibility?

Question: How fully must we embrace the prime directive of permaculture, and how far do permaculture ethics go in terms of personal responsibility?

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About Geoff: Geoff is a world-renowned permaculture consultant, designer, and teacher that has established demonstration sites that function as education centers in all the world's major climates. Geoff has dedicated his life to spreading permaculture design across the globe and inspiring people to take care of the earth and each other and return the surplus.

About Permaculture: Permaculture integrates land, resources, people, and the environment through mutually beneficial connections – imitating the no waste, closed-loop systems seen in natural systems. Permaculture applies solutions in rural and urban contexts and at any scale. It is a multidisciplinary toolbox including agriculture, water harvesting and hydrology, energy, natural building, forestry, waste management, animal systems, aquaculture, appropriate technology, economics, and community development.

#permaculture #permaculturedesigncourse #ethics

[JesseWetherell]

Great one Geoff,
"we need to be realists, not idealists."

[gangofgreenhorns]

Responsibility is not hyper-individuality, eg. better securing your food supply with your neighbors is just as much taking responsibility for it as doing it on your own--if not more-so bc you're recognizing the reality that no one person can do everything on their own, and better things are possible with collective efforts.

[peggyhelblingsgardenwhatyo]

Great answer, Geoff👍
The Oxen is slow, but the Earth is Patient
We can all help with little steps starting today 👍

[CorwynGC]

I think you want to interpret 'responsibility' a bit differently. It doesn't mean that you need to do everything yourself, it means that you need to make sure people doing things on your behalf are doing so as sustainably as possible. If I buy food from neighbor farmers, who I know are farming well, that is just as good as farming those things myself. And so on. Be aware of how the things you acquire affect the environment, and work to reduce any harm, and increase any benefit.

[loue]

I really can’t do much to be self sufficient. But I do try and go all I can when I can. I live in an apartment but I grow some things in containers and make some of my own things like soap or herbal remedies. Try and not use more water or power than I need. I do shop in grocery stores but also go to farmers markets. I think it’s about doing what you can and building on it as you go.

[jenniferspring]

Great answer Geoff! Really like the part about when everyone gets in motion, things start to speed up. I think that’s extremely critical. When I talk to people, they are giving up. I think the secret sauce is everyone just getting in motion, like you say. Thank you so much for explaining the phenomenon! Intention, movement, the magic of nature and creation being activated.

[aron]

Being self sufficient and living off grid these days is a luxury, it takes decades of saving while having a very high paying job. It is just as equally as hard to join a community of like minded people if you don’t have a family with similar ideals. 10 years into my quest at this point, and still reliant on 90% of my needs from the system. I have had to except my place in this world. I’ll never have a good enough job to bank enough resources to by the proper land to live self sufficiently and be able to share abundance with others. But I can raise a few chickens, grow a small pasture for them, raise a few goats and graze them on the public lands in my area. We can’t do it all. It took generations to get people to where we are now and it will take generations to get us back in touch with the lands we have abandoned and abused. Lands are valued for their use of being subdivided and developed, not for permaculture, it’s a difficult world for a permaculturist. I have developed a love hate relationship with the concept over the years of mostly failures. But I won’t give up.

[christa]

You can get involved in the One Small Town initiative worldwide! We take responsibility for food, energy, health and mother earth. 🌟💚

[livefromplanetearth]

orientation. start facing the right direction and make the road by walking. you inspire us all mr lawton

[titanlurch]

Anything you do to for yourself is a step in the right direction.Don't stress about trying to be perfect . It will only mess you up. Eat your greens.

[Bpt]

Beautiful. I am moving towards as much sustainability as I possibly can - and as soon as I decided to do that, I began seeing more and more opportunities to do so. It really is a matter of attitude.

[Somewhere-In-AZ]

I was raised to be conscious of my choices. I’m responsible for my health, my family’s health, etc. but also the trash that we generate. When I have a choice, I’ll chose, for example, paper egg cartons over plastic. These choices add up. As small as they seem, on a global scale it could be massive.

[bethra.flowers]

Great answer! Thank you Geoff! Intentional desire drives change.

[iseetheglory]

A little at a time so you don't get overwhelmed don't put yourself in a spot where your financially overwhelmed doing it or stressed out from doing it
this is supposed to be fun so a little at a time

[Brunnhalk]

I feel so connected to these sage words of Geoff, thank you so much to feed my soul! Look coincidence, I was yesterday reading Donna Haraway talking about being responsable and response-able. Its Just what Geoff Its talkin a out also! Lets think about it! Hugs from Brasil

[AmzBackyardOrchardandVineyard]

Greetings from arizona, we definitely try to do our best to be self-sustainable, we harvest the sun in many ways including solar energy and heating. We also collect as much as we can of rainwater, nearly 400 gallons of storage capacity. Cheers 🥂😎

[iTeerRex]

Native Americans consider the effects of their actions on 7 generations into the future. But we want fiat money right now regardless of the real cost.

[anatoliialbin]

Good question, realistic answer and seems that Geoff had recovered pretty well as he is looking good!

[chrisyoung]

My understanding of this ethic is that you will still participate in value for value exchanges but you will be a producer of value. that no one is going to give you something without your exchange of value and then in order to be responsible for your own existence and that of your children means to provide valuable goods and service for either of them or others who are willing to barter or trade or whatever system you want to use for those items. that you have no right to someone else’s production but by your ability to exchange value from your own production

[philinit]

Hi geoff, hope your well good to see another video from you. I have a block in the lower blue mountains that is in a sand stone gully with a creek that captures road run off during rain events at the bottom. Some areas have good soil and are currently forrested with unproductive trees like privett and box elder, also some natives like gum trees and Acacia.

What advice do you have for capturing water from this creek with the sandy soils and also how to go about transitioning a forest to a food forest? Mostly i see videos of people starting from bare land or parsture and building in swales. This seems quite difficult on my gully block that is already forested.
Thanks mate
Phil