RE: Seeking a model organic farming community

This term "sustainable community" is tossed around a lot without anyone
knowing - or apparently caring - what it means, if anything. Can't someone
describe it in terms of some level of sustainability? How sustainable? Are
they talking about some imaginary full sustainability or throwing in a few
solar panels (which use a lot of fossil fuels in their manufacture)?  How
sustainable is a community that relies on outside corporate jobs to pay the
bills?  Will those 5,000 people already know how to grow sustainably or
make use of their production? Will it still get most of its food from
industrial farms or feedlots hundreds of miles away, trucked in by fossil
fuels?  Won't the residents still rely on cars and have a lot of concrete
or asphalt paving? Will this farming community collect rainwater or deplete
an acquifer?

Looking up "Crystal Waters Permaculture Village" as it's called, I like the
rammed earth, recycled materials, growing areas, wildlife, etc.  But
looking at the prices I see it's actually a business venture for the
wealthy at
http://www.ecologicalsolutions.com.au/crystalwaters/real_estate/real_estate.
html . At another site I see "In 1996 this eco-village received the Habitat
Award from the United Nations for “pioneering work in demonstrating new
ways of low impact, sustainable living”."  I'm sure they don't want to
hear that it's nothing new at all. Permaculture is just rediscovering
sensible, traditional ways of living on the land, and a fancy name for
publicity. Lots of people and cultures the world over have used those
principles for millenia. 

paul [email protected]
http://medicinehill.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 2/7/2005 at 10:07 AM Bill Taylor wrote:

>Thank you John!
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: John Schinnerer [mailto:john-/Gao9/[email protected]] 
>Sent: Saturday, February 05, 2005 4:20 PM
>To: [email protected]
>Subject: Re: [Ecobal]Seeking a model organic farming community
>
>Aloha,
>
>Poul Emil Tvermoes wrote:
>> just for those interested a guy is building a sustainable community, so
>the pr 
>> says, in new South Whales and will house 5000 people? Very curiouse to
>the
>new 
>> town proposal as about to start a smilar development in Western
>Australia.
>
>In Oz you have several existing examples, the most well-known (in the 
>USA anyhow) being Crystal Waters.
>
>John S.
>
>-- 
>
>John Schinnerer - MA, Whole Systems Design
>------------------------------------------
>- Eco-Living -
>Whole Systems Design Services
>People - Place - Learning - Integration
>john-/Gao9/[email protected]
>http://eco-living.net
>
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