Fair Share

We’re not shy here. This is from the Holgren’s Permaculture site.

We are provided with times of abundance which encourages us to share with others.

The icon of the pie and a slice of it represents the taking of what we need and sharing what we don’t whilst recognising that there are limits to how much we can give and how much we can take.

When a tree fruits, it usually produces much more than one person can eat. It makes sense to share what we can’t use. It takes time to pick, eat, share and preserve the harvest and there are limits to how much fruit we can produce and use.

The growth in human consumption and the accelerating extinction of species make clear the impossibility of continuous growth. Sometimes we need to make hard decisions and consider what enough is.

We need to focus on what is appropriate for us to do, rather than what others should do. By finding the right balance in our own lives we provide positive examples for others, so that they can find their own balance.

We’re all looking for models that help us reach something different than our current setup. It can feel frustrating sometime, like being stuck on two treadmills going opposite directions.  Thankfully, some folks at Ted Talks are proposing a change of direction like Collaborative Consumption and Designing for Generosity.

Organizations that have a local presence — like Pachamama and AWARE — work to break down those barriers that might prevent us from working with each other for a brighter tomorrow.  Part of what will get us to a new and stronger culture will be taking lessons from the old, which is why causes like the Vanishing Cultures Project can be so vital.

Then again, what’s the point in having neighbors if you can’t speak to them?  Portland has an organization called Language Hunters that uses a game and sign language to preserve and revive languages. Cal State Northridge has one of the largest sign language programs in the world and Los Angeles holds the blessing of dozens of different cultures — indigenous and foreign living here.  Do you think a marriage between these concepts might bear amazing fruit?

More resources will be posted here as they come in.