September Just Posts

Once again, welcome to the Just Posts. Although I currently have a half finished essay and a four o'clock deadline, I believe in this forum and the importance of making time for it. However, I can unfortunately not give it the love and attention it deserves. I will therefore share part of my research proposal on eco-villages with you. If I had more time I would have rewritten it in a less academic format so please forgive the lack of poetry.


Before launching into my proposal, I will attempt an introduction to the subject . My research looks at the community building lessons that we can learn from eco-villages. What makes them work and what makes them fail? Can we use community building techniques that work in one community and apply them to another? How do closely knit communities influence the individual? Can eco-villages change the world into a more sustainable place for all?


I do not yet know the answers but what I have already discovered is this: Ultimately our sense of community resides within our hearts. We can choose to allow both our own and other peoples' strengths and weakness to just be. When we allow all four these realities to emerge, life reveals hidden depths and magic occurs.


This magic is one form of magic that might well transform our world. A second is the magic of acting with integrity and speaking our truths. This is what just posts represent to me. A small seed growing into a tree filled with birds and berries. A tree that holds the moon in one branch and the sun in the other. A space where we can learn and grow. A community that is committed to change. There are many other magics. I trust that together we will find them.


Social interactions in eco-villages and their applicability to other communities: A case study of community building processes within a sustainable drylands permaculture project in the Klein Karoo.

“What makes a community? What binds it together? For some it is faith. For others it is the defence of an idea, such as democracy or the fight against poverty. Some communities are homogeneous, others multicultural. Some are small such as schools and villages; others as large as continents. What binds us into an international community? In the broadest sense there is a shared vision of a better world for all people.Together we are stronger.”
Kofi Annan (date unknown) as cited by Gaia Education (2005, p2).


South African cities often provide a favourable breeding ground for economic and social problems. Our socio-political history resulted in segregated cities and the denial of resources to large parts of the population (Irrgang, 2005).
Adding to this, current economic and social developments seem to focus on increasing business turnover, claiming that the increased economic capital will eventually “trickle down” to the “poorest of the poor”. However, despite increased growth in third world economies, inequalities and the marginalisation of the poor have increased (Trainer, 2002).


It is becoming clear that current financial growth only benefits a small minority of people. Modern market growth concentrates on competitiveness and the enrichment of individuals rather than on social cohesion and the welfare of communities and environments. Poverty and environmental degradation can therefore not be eliminated unless we experience a “radical change in our settlement, systems, values and culture, and without dramatic simplification of the lifestyles of those who live in rich countries.” (Trainer, 2002, p66)


Such a change in lifestyle is currently expressed mainly in two ways. In many Third World countries groups are spontaneously formed to create economies that take a cooperative approach to problem-solving, are self sufficient, and can operate independently from the national market system. In Western societies the eco-village movement is an attempt to develop a simpler lifestyle. Their aims are to be self sufficient; have mutually beneficial lifestyles; create cooperative societies and leave small ecological footprints (Trainer, 2002).


Eco-villages are defined as rural or urban settlements where groups of people try to combine supportive social environments which integrate with a lifestyle that does not impact negatively on their surroundings (Irrgang, 2005). Gilman (1991, p10) further defines an eco-village as “a human scale full featured settlement in which human activities are harmlessly integrated into the natural world in a way which is supportive of healthy human development and can be successfully continued into the indefinite future”.


However, as emphasised by Forster and Wilhelmus (2005), 80% of intentional communities fail within the first two years. Metcalf (2006) highlights the role that social sustainability plays in communal living. Similarly Rossi, (2007) emphasizes the importance of kinship bonds and social networks in poor communities. Without support systems, the initiation of incremental development programs in immature communities is extremely challenging.


Berg en Dal is an intentional community that started in 1990 in the Klein Karoo. The members of the Berg en Dal community attach a lot of importance to the use of permaculture in creating sustainable green environments.

Permaculture systems are defined as:
consciously designed landscapes which mimic the patterns and relationships found in nature, while yielding an abundance of food, fibre and energy for the provision of local needs. People, their buildings and the ways in which they organize themselves are central to the idea of permaculture. Thus the permaculture vision of permanent or sustainable agriculture has evolved to one of permanent or sustainable culture. (Holmgren, Mollison, 1978, p 12)


Community members are also actively involved in community building which they apply to their own and to historically disadvantaged communities. The study of community building techniques within Berg en Dal could therefore offer valuable insight into the social dynamics of newly formed communities as well as generate ideas for more participative development strategies.
(end of proposal introduction)

These words do not speak of moonlit mountain walks or lush permaculture gardens. They cannot share the unspoken agreements of inspired hearts and companion plants. But I can and I will. As soon as this essay is handed in...


Until then I give you over 81 posts from approximately 63 blogs.

And don't forget to check out the Just Posts at Mad, Jen and Susanne 's blogs.


Alejna with Squandered and A Post for Burma
Ally at Zone Family with Rainsong
Andrea at A Garden of Nna Mnoy with The Green Family: All right, Ms. Smartypants, what am I supposed to do then? and Frances Friday: Faith
be present be here with love and truth
biodtl at I am the Master Evil Genius with No Childs Left Behind and Hungry
Blithely Babbling with The Value of the Victim
Blog Antagonist with Solicitation and A Gift To Yourself
BlogHers Acts Canada


A Commonplace Book with Why Republicans Could Win the White House in 2008
Casdok with Have a Rant on Me
Cecileaux at Shavings off My Mind with What is to be done
Chris Jordan with The modern mother
Christine at Running on Empty with I'm all worked up!!
crazymumma with Untitled, Marina and Mussolini and snowbirds/airshow
DC Metro Moms Blog with An Open Letter to the Presidential Candidates--from a Mom


Feministing with Fired pregnant woman was told to suck in her belly
Fortune and glory after a cup of coffee with "Paranoia strikes deep ...."
Her Grace with He may move slow but that don't mean he's going nowhere
Ijeomaublogcreativity with Sneak preview.... and More Food for Thought
Ismail Farouk with GreYeo: Community Based Internet Communication in Yeoville and Apartheid, The South African Mirror: Instuments of Racial Classification



It's Not a Lecture with Facebook's Worst Nightmare, part II
Jangari of Matjjin-nehen for Woolies and Welfare, Indigenous language education and indigenous rights, and UN votes on indigenous rights
Jenandtonic with Naked, naked, naked LOVE!
Jen M at Get in the Car with her Philanthropy Thursday series


Jen at One Plus Two with Brother Can you Spare a Dime, This is how it starts (jumping off), Jump, Shelter-(ed), Door to Door, Chasing Tails
Jen at Under the ponderosas with I'm an environmentalist/I'm not an environmentalist
Jenni of Girls for Glaciers with War is not healthy for children or other living things
KC at Where's My Cape with The Good Influence and Moral Spin, Mortal Sin


Karen at Needs New Batteries with Places I Love
Kellee Terrell at Pop Gumbo with Justice with a snap and Jena 6 protests: the media finally gives it airtime
Kelly at A Child is Born with Fuck off Facebook and Bill Maher
Kevin at Life Has Taught Us with Hip Hop Justice, or Yet Another Story You Haven't Heard About


Kevin Chanas with The Deadliest Item at Your Grocery Store
Latoya Peterson at Racialicious with The Gentrification Shuffle
Lawyer Mama with On Becaming a Lawyer and Facebook Sucks
Liv with something wonderful happened today
Marcella Chester with Sexual Violence in the Congo
Maria Niles on blogher with Learning the lessons of Ugly Betty: real women have curves


Mir on blogher with Everything I never wanted to know about breasts I learned from Facebook and on WCS with Our job is to teach them to suck it up
Mouse with Global Warming Wednesday Haiku for bak to school
Mrs Chili of Blue Door with Ten Things Tuesday (or Ten reasons why I’m an outspoken GBLT advocate/ally)
Painted Maypole with family values, Easy Philanthropy Thursday and Activist Philanthropy
PeterAtLarge / The Buddha Diaries with Acts of Courage: Burma and War



Pundit Mom with Iraq War Solution by Pundit Girl
Rachel's Random Ramblings with Protests in Burma
Radical Mama with Watch Me Point Out the Obvious
Roy at No Cookies for Me with Can I be a feminist?
Sagefemme with Will this be on the exam?
Shelly of Girls for Glaciers with The Elephant in the Room
Stumbling and Mumbling with Unions and Inequality


Susanne at Creative Mother Thinking with Mommy guilt is not personal and Wiping with cloth
Thailand gal with Are ideas dangerous
The Assimilated Negro with Clowns run Klan out of Knoxville
The League of Maternal Justice
Third Story with September
Thordora with Out of suffering have emerged... and When I Cry

Trudi at Hypergraffiti with Everybody's Got a Story That Can Break Your Heart

Under the Mad Hat with Little Green
Wayfarer Scientista with October 2007 Scientiae Carnival
Where ever ewe go there ewe are with Sunday Front Page

Womenspace with No Jena Six until the same to-do is made over the lesbian/New Jersey Seven
writing as jo(e) with What we talk about at lunch

Givin' the nod
Alejna
Ally
bon

BubandPie
Carrie
Cecilieaux
Chani
Christine
flutter
Hel
Jen

Jess at Oh the Joys
KC
Lawyer Mama
Mary Murtz
Shavings of My Mind

Susanne
Tabba


this is magic

tomorrow I will come and visit

until then

this community rocks!