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 BurmaAlly at Zone Family with
RainsongAndrea at A Garden of Nna Mnoy with
The Green Family: All right, Ms. Smartypants, what am I supposed to do then? and
Frances Friday: Faithbe present be here with
love and truthbiodtl at I am the Master Evil Genius with
No Childs Left Behind and
HungryBlithely Babbling with
The Value of the VictimBlog Antagonist with
Solicitation and
A Gift To YourselfBlogHers Acts Canada
A Commonplace Book with
Why Republicans Could Win the White House in 2008Casdok with
Have a Rant on MeCecileaux at Shavings off My Mind with
What is to be doneChris Jordan with
The modern motherChristine at Running on Empty with
I'm all worked up!!crazymumma with
Untitled,
Marina and Mussolini and
snowbirds/airshowDC 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 bellyFortune 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 nowhereIjeomaublogcreativity 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 IIJangari of Matjjin-nehen for
Woolies and Welfare,
Indigenous language education and indigenous rights, and
UN votes on indigenous rightsJenandtonic 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 TailsJen at Under the ponderosas with
I'm an environmentalist/I'm not an environmentalistJenni of Girls for Glaciers with
War is not healthy for children or other living thingsKC at Where's My Cape with
The Good Influence and
Moral Spin, Mortal Sin
Karen at Needs
New Batteries with Places I LoveKellee Terrell at Pop Gumbo with
Justice with a snap and
Jena 6 protests: the media finally gives it airtimeKelly at A Child is Born with
Fuck off Facebook and Bill MaherKevin 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 StoreLatoya Peterson at Racialicious with
The Gentrification ShuffleLawyer Mama with
On Becaming a Lawyer and
Facebook SucksLiv with
something wonderful happened todayMarcella Chester with
Sexual Violence in the CongoMaria 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 upMouse with
Global Warming Wednesday Haiku for bak to schoolMrs 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 PhilanthropyPeterAtLarge / The Buddha Diaries with
Acts of Courage: Burma and War
Pundit Mom with
Iraq War Solution by Pundit GirlRachel's Random Ramblings with
Protests in BurmaRadical Mama with
Watch Me Point Out the ObviousRoy 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 RoomStumbling and
Mumbling with Unions and Inequality
Susanne at Creative Mother Thinking with
Mommy guilt is not personal and
Wiping with clothThailand gal with
Are ideas dangerousThe Assimilated Negro with
Clowns run Klan out of KnoxvilleThe League of Maternal JusticeThird Story with
SeptemberThordora with
Out of suffering have emerged... and
When I Cry
Under the Mad Hat with
Little GreenWayfarer Scientista with
October 2007 Scientiae CarnivalWhere 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 Sevenwriting as jo(e) with
What we talk about at lunch
BubandPieCarrieCecilieauxChaniChristineflutterHelJen SusanneTabba
this is magic
tomorrow I will come and visit
until then
this community rocks!
And the song is for all of you.
And now I'm of to bed to dream of running wolves and dancing around the fire with my blogging sisters.
