Hi, I just read the new paper and wanted to say thank you for doing what you’re doing! I thought the Wal-Mart article was really well done.
I’m also writing to let you know how a little article in the Octopus three years ago changed my life. It was written by a guy who was living work-trade style on a permaculture farm in Hawaii. It was my first introduction to permaculture, and his listing of all the energy inputs required just to bring a can of soup to your lunch table as an example of the wasteful and stupid design of our “modern” systems really opened my eyes. This article led me to read some permaculture books, and two years later (last year), I took a Permaculture design course and spent the year work-trading (working for room and board) on organic and Permaculture farms.
The point is, when people read about positive ways and organizations in which they can get involved, they often take action. I’m excited to see that the IMC will be a great source to inform people who might be waiting for their inspiration.
I spent the last three months as an intern helping an ecovillage in Iowa get started. The project is not so much a hippie commune as it is a sustainable subdivision, totally off the grid of public utilities, located on the edge of a small town. As far as they know, it is the first of its kind. The web site is http://www.abundance-ecovillage.com. Permaculture provides people with solutions, starting right outside their back door, to the problems that face us. I hope that it can be discussed in a future “public i“.
Gordon Kay