Wrote this in response to a colleague who commented in a thread about doing away with long-distance travel, especially flying. She feels we should not be criticizing the jetsetting perma-bro, but instead focusing our criticism on the Paris-lunching Kardashians of this world.
I replied:
1 Actually, those of us who identify as eco-minded / climate-aware — and ESPECIALLY those of us who identify as ecological *professionals* / climate communicators etc — are the ones who need to hold ourselves to the strictest standards. I have no business expecting a “civilian” (be they Kardashian or just regular folk) to voluntarily rein in their travel or other consumption. WE have to take the lead and set the tone.
My models in this regard are the landscaping reformer Benjamin Vogt, and the professor and “low-footprint motivator” Joshua Spodek, both of whom takes a hard line on travel even for professional purposes. They rightfully believe in the power of virtual conferencing / workshops. And they refuse in-person long-distance requests even when it’s uncomfortable to refuse.
2 I don’t know and don’t need/want to know the name of the permie-celeb you reference. There are SO MANY of these guys who fit the same description. So many. I receive their email newsletters and have even taken some of their webinars. Online is a great way for them
to disseminate their teachings globally.
And, in each bioregion, there are gifted & knowledgeable people undertaking the physical tasks of planting trees and so on. Part of our job is to identify these local hands / “boots on the ground” and resource them. Empower the locals in each place!
When we get into justifying our flying or other high-footprint activities “because MY work is so important,” we are going down the slippery slope of eco fascism. I get to consume resources; you don’t. No wonder so many people distrust the eco movement as a whole.
3 What we did in our professional lives in the past is what we did in the past. Be it high-flying perma-bro or jetsetting climate-conference attendee. Many of us used to travel to teach, consult, etc. in person.
But times change, and now we have a rich ecosystem of tele-community tools at our fingertips. The rise of virtual learning and conferencing opens up deep worlds of connection ad collaboration — free of the distractions of jet lag and hotel arrangements and expensive meals, all the while constantly worrying about the home front and trying to keep tabs on our families/neighborhood urgencies back home. It’s an exhausting and toxic hamster-wheel.
In travel as in all other areas, the escalating biospheric crisis calls for ratcheting-up our voluntary self-restraint. WE are the ones who need to lead that. No one else has motivation as strong as we do.
4 Core principles and ethics of Permaculture design call for pushing back against the rapacious consumption that has become so normalized we don’t even think about it. This casual and deadly normalization includes submitting to the ruthless extraction of our OWN human energy and life-force; the diversion of our innate creative juice.
Permaculture design principles and ethics instead lead us to prioritize a smaller, slower, more human scale. What a great opportunity we have here to show REAL leadership.
The government is intricately hitched to war and extraction motives, and cannot politically afford to do what we the eco professional sector can & MUST do.
WE have the tools and the inspiration to help people create beautiful livelihoods in their own neighborhoods and bioregions. How cool is that! And it’s already happening. The shift is under way.
5 – PS. Regarding teleconferencing, distance learning and collaboration, the fact is that the Bioneers set an example of success in this mode decades ago! Long before Zoom.
Further Exploration:
• Joshua Spodek website. https://joshuaspodek.com “My mission is to help change American (and global) culture on sustainability and stewardship from expecting deprivation, sacrifice, burden, and chore.”
• Benjamin Vogt website. thttps://www.monarchgard.com/benjamin-vogt.html “Benjamin is author of several books, including the disruptive, call to action A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain Future (watch the presentation based on the book) as well as Prairie Up: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design. Active on social media with over 60,000 followers, he runs the Facebook page Milk the Weed and posts frequently on Instagram.”