[Scpg] Fw: [permaculture-oceania] In Defense of Suburban Permaculture: A Call for Support

Sun Apr 30 05:22:09 PDT 2006

Dear colleagues,

It'd be great if there was a flurry of international pressure on the
suburban real estate agent involved here - do what you can to s[read this
message far and wide - and email Dan Palmer (dan at transactionalview.org)
with support statements - have fun with it!!

warm regards,

Steve

----- Forwarded by Steve Burns/WVIO/WorldVision on 04/30/2006 10:19 PM
-----

             Dan Palmer                                                    
             <dan at transactiona                                             
             lview.org>                                                 To 
             Sent by:                  Daniel <dan at transactionalview.org>  
             permaculture-ocea                                          cc 
             nia-bounces at lists                                             
             .cat.org.au                                           Subject 
                                       [permaculture-oceania] In Defense   
                                       of Suburban Permaculture: A Call    
             04/27/2006 12:58          for Support                         
             PM                                                            

             Please respond to                                             
             permaculture-ocea                                             
                    nia                                                    
             <permaculture-oce                                             
             ania at lists.cat.or                                             
                   g.au>                                                   

Hello.

We are Cat, Adrian, and Dan, the three tenants of a small three-bedroom
house on a quarter-acre block that we rent in Thomas Street, Clayton,
South-East Melbourne.  We are all passionate advocates of permaculture,
an approach to designing sustainable human habitats that model natural
ecosystems.

Part of permaculture is an emphasis on growing more of the food you eat
where you live.  Growing your own food is an alternative to dependence
on an energy-intensive agricultural industry in which food is grown
with the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides before being
transported large distances.

Accordingly, we have developed an extensive edible garden with
integrated poultry (chickens and ducks) and ponds.  Each day each of us
spends time in the garden, as much watching and enjoying it evolve as
anything else.  During the summer months when the garden was really
pumping, we estimate that we were growing about 75% of our own food.
Although that percentage has dropped with the colder and shorter days
of Autumn, we are constantly getting better as we learn more.  With the
use of chickens, composts, mulching, and a wormfarm, both the quantity
and fertility of our topsoil are always on the rise.

In developing the garden, we made what we consider an ethical decision
to sacrifice a good deal of what was originally lawn.  We have replaced
that lawn with a diversity of productive food plants.  We think it
ecologically irresponsible to maintain large areas of purely cosmetic
lawn while relying on supermarkets and hence environmentally
destructive industrial agriculture to meet our food needs.

Over the two or so years we've been here, the garden has become well
known in the local community.  In addition to hosting various open days
and skill-sharing workshops, we coordinate a regular series of
permaculture makeovers in the houses of members of CODEMO, a local
community group composed primarily of South American immigrants (see
http://www.codemo.org.au/).  It has been exciting to see seeds, plants,
compost, and skills literally flowing out of our garden into the lives
and gardens of others.  So exciting, in fact, that we are developing a
little business whereby we might draw an income from doing what we love
(see http://www.permaculturesolutions.com.au/).

Now that's all well and nice, you might be thinking, but why are you
telling me?  The reason stems from fact that three days ago, Monday
April 24, we received and opened a letter.  The letter announced itself
as a "Breach of Duty Notice" from the agent representing our
landlord.  It was premised on the belief that we have breached our duty
as tenants because we "have altered, renovated or added to the premises
without the [landlord's] consent."  The notice continued as follows:

"The loss or damage caused is
The property was lawn from fence to fence with agapanthus along the
front fence.  The tenants have dug up a large percentage, approximately
70 percent of lawn and put it under intensive permaculture with
associated ponds and mulch supply."

The notice then stated the requirement that we restore the lawns to
their original condition and remove the ponds and mulch supply within
14 days of receiving the notice or that we pay the landlords the sum of
$2100.  In addition to informing us that we must not commit a similar
breach again, the notice closed by letting us know that if we did not
comply with it, that "the landlord may apply to the Victorian Civil and
Administrative Tribunal" for a compensation or compliance order; or, if
S249 applies, may give notice to vacate"  (We looked up S249 which
refers to committing multiple breaches).

Despite our concern over the prospect of either raising the requested
sum or being taken to court, we were at the same time impressed with
the opportunity this situation represents.  In permaculture, one common
saying is "the problem is the solution."  The idea is that happenings
which might initially seem to be a bad thing, such as too many snails,
can be transformed into good things, such as free duck food.  We are
taking this approach to the notice, viewing it as an excellent
opportunity to publicly highlight the issue of whether people renting
should be able to grow some of their own food at the expense of
pre-existing lawn.  We understand the position of our landlord, who is
naturally concerned that future tenants may be harder to find given the
large garden which does of course require some ongoing
maintenance.  Then there is our position, which is that given the state
of the planet and the emerging energy crisis, it is imperative for
people to be growing more of their own food at home.  Have we really
caused a loss or damage?  Or in improving the topsoil and the
self-sufficiency of the property, is there a very real sense in which
we have added value?  Should we be punished or should we be praised?
Whatever your position, we think it high time these issues were being
publicly discussed.

If you too are passionate about the right of tenants to engage in urban
and suburban permaculture, then we would love to hear from you.  If you
might be interested in participating in a campaign to raise the profile
of this issue, please contact us with any ideas you have.  To those of
you that have visited our garden, a quotable statement would be
fantastic.   It would also be great to hear from those of you with
links to different media outlets about any possible interest in running
with this story.  Finally, we are organising a public open day and
fundraiser for the afternoon of Sunday May 7 - let us know if you would
like to receive an invitation when we have one ready.  It will be a fun
day celebrating permaculture and the right of people to grow food where
they live with garden tours, skill-sharing workshops, stalls, various
talks, a strong multicultural community presence, live music, great
food and an auction.  Any other ideas or opinions are equally welcome.

You can email us back, leave a comment on our blog
(http://thomasstreet.info), or phone Dan on 0422448933.  Feel free to
forward this email on to anyone you think might have an interest.

Best,
Dan, Adrian and Cat.

----------
"What permaculturists are doing is the most important activity that any
group is doing on the planet.”
(David Suzuki)_______________________________________________
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