Terry Leahy, Key-note speaker for our upcoming mini-conference takes on health and it’s connection to wealth.

Terry writes: Diabetes is the sign of the hidden malnutrition of an affluent community. Basic causes are too much animal fats, too much sugar and salt, insufficient leafy greens and all the usual stuff, not enough exercise, weight related to that and so on. It is much more likely for poorer people – whether the working class generally or Indigenous people or Pacific Islanders and Maoris. I doubt whether the problem is just the cost of good food. These people are under stress and the culturally approved method of dealing with stress in our community is to eat lots of food that gives you a quick boost. In other words, don’t get angry and lash out, don’t have lots of meaningless sex, don’t drink or take drugs. They are all bad but food, that is fine.

In the Australian working class such foods are considered plain simple healthy fare and a legitimate reward for hard work. For Polynesians, food and lots of it is an expected expression of connection to relatives and friends.

These problems cannot be solved in an economy that stigmatises certain people and occupations as lower class and pays them accordingly. It cannot be solved when some people are in a state of continual insecurity in their daily lives. It cannot be solved when the only concern of those running the food industry is how to make the biggest profit. It cannot be solved when there is no money for outreach programs run to educate people and help them to adjust their food cultures. It cannot be solved when the competitive structure of the economy means that the middle class who run such programs see their privileged position as an appropriate payoff for their hard work and supposed intelligence. They tend to see all these problems as purely medical and just a deficit in information.

In a permaculture utopia we would be growing our own food in our neighbourhoods and sourcing it from people we knew as gifts. We could be educated about food and health as part of a community process of support and life skills. We would be working outdoors and getting some exercise merely by living in our neighbourhoods and spending some of our time doing manual work.”

Join us on Sat April 30th in our mini-conference on Permaculture in Society and Development

Permaculture is Deep at the Roots

As part of the celebration for PermacultureDay.org, this mini-conference brings together a lot of great minds in a harmonious collaboration.

Permaculture is a lot more complex than designing food forests. Lets examine how we can abundance, and empowerment into a social context. How can we build lasting changes in our relationship with nature?

Permaculture may be the best lifestyle we can design but if it’s not integrated into our society, it will never truly blossom.
Permaculture is still very much is a minority movement. We need to examine why and what we can do about that?

Every community has different needs and social issue and culture. Listening and building strategies is our gift to our neighbourhood. We can sit down and flesh out how we make real and lasting changes. Lets build our passion for doing good, get stimulated and enjoy meeting up with others who work for a better future.

Mini-Conference Program Overview

Dr Terry Leahy will give his presentation then we will have short presentations by some amazing permaculture activists. You are invited to present a 5 min talk about what has been working for you and where you would like support. Then we will have world-cafe style discussions.

In this mini-conference, Dr. Terry Leahy will deliver a key note speech guiding us through sessions to explore how we can develop and apply some new permaculture ideas in our community.

Who is this mini-conference for?

This workshop is for all people interested in building resilience, connections and skills in our community.