I’ve really debated about whether to write this, how to go about writing it, and then whether or not to post it. I’m putting it right into the cider press because I don’t see, unfortunately, how it will stay out of there. But I think the lessons learned and information below are too valuable not to share.
Please don’t turn this
thread into a battleground about religion and
politics. This thread is about mobilizing existing communities to grow and do good, and to integrate a secular movement (
permaculture) into how they operate so they can do better by the world. This is also not a place to debate climate change.
These last couple of years I’ve been volunteering to work with religious groups to include
permaculture in their practices and teachings. I’ve since done all sorts of presentations, gardens, and food forests at or near these communities, and even though COVID-19 has set me back in this activism, I hope to continue. I just thought I’d share some thoughts on what I’ve learned. It’s been a really fun, exciting, and fruitful (literally!) process.
Lesson 1: Being patient with pushback.
Whenever I start working with a congregation there’s usually immediate pushback (especially in cities/suburbs). People are afraid. They’re scared that it will look messy, that plants will die, that donors will get angry and leave. They’re afraid of hidden costs. But if you can convince them to try it out, those same detractors almost always become your strongest supporters once they see it works. Planting a food forest almost always revitalizes a congregation, because suddenly they’re connecting with master gardeners, giving talks about
permaculture and
gardening at the building, and even hosting science classes from
local schools. Younger people who have left the community start to come back, and parents with children come back in.
Food forests are also a really nice space to be spiritual in, and they can even do small ceremonies like weddings there
When there’s pushback about aesthetics (of the landscaping) the argument I make is that it represents a pivot in values. Before putting in edible landscaping or a food forest, the values being expressed by the
lawn and ornamental planting were values that embodied cleanliness and prosperity. By planting an edible landscape, the congregation is acknowledging the existence of (and its commitment to dealing with) issues such as pollinator collapse, pollution, and inequality (among others).
Lesson 2: You have to connect
permaculture with the problems that are important to them.
A lot of these groups really care about certain issues.
Freedom and liberty? Well, permaculture can help them become more food secure and self reliant, so, that fits! Migration? Well, a food forest/garden can be used to
feed people, bring different groups together (pre-pandemic anyway) and (very importantly) provide food not available in stores to people who are new to the area. Where I live, you just can’t get things like tomatillos, figs, quince, etc from the store--but you can grow them. A lot of congregations do a lot around homelessness and hunger, so food forestry fits right in there.
Lesson 3: You have to scare people.
A lot of pastors and rabbis pleaded with me to soften my presentations. They didn’t want me to leave in the parts about how dire certain things are and how we really need to act now. But people need to hear it--so long as you go on to provide hopeful, realistic, step by step strategies that work. Tell the audience that there are places that are running out of
water. Tell them that cheap resources like fossil fuels are running out (regardless of your opinion on climate change). The combination of shocking them but then going on to provide solutions is important. They’re adults. They can (usually) handle it, so long as there’s support.
Lesson 4: There’s relevant scripture and principles backing this up.
Without getting into theology too deeply, I will say that there are TONS of passages in all the world’s major religious
books that talk in some way about taking care of community and creation. And many modern denominations have social principles that are easy to find and comb through that can be used as the foundation of an argument for implementing permaculture practices. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel or bring in outside arguments to convince people.
Lesson 5: People want to do good.
Yes, people are often fearful and destructive, but in my
experience, they also want to do good, though they may need some healing and coaching. Oftentimes they might also need help redefining what “good” and “bad” practices are (some people have honestly never thought twice about spraying poison, and need someone to teach them).
Lesson 6: Grow things that they ate historically, and tell stories about the plants you’re using.
There are tons of plants that you can introduce to people that seem really weird to them. These plants have a lot of value though. Quince, Medlar, Persimmon, Skirret
root, and others are all plants that are valuable in a food forest and do well where I live. Try to make them less weird by reminding people that these are the things that their (or someone’s) grandmother probably grew.
Also, lots of
trees and heirloom seeds have neat stories behind them. People love stories, even grownups. Saying that a plum or cherry cultivar has been grown for hundreds of years gets people excited. There’s a butternut tree in Olympia Washington (alive today) that was brought west as a seedling from Missouri in a covered wagon by a free black man in the 1800s. That tree is still thriving and you can get seedlings from it today. It has fed people locally through both world wars, the Depression, and the Cold War, and people love hearing that and feeling connected.
Lesson 7 (finally!): Show, don’t tell.
Lots of people have never been exposed to permaculture or natural gardening/living before. I forget this all the time, and take things like
gardening skills for granted. If you can, try to give people access to a site (yours or someone else’s) that they can visit to see what these practices look like. Swales, sheet mulching, food forests, etc are all very foreign to people until they see it. But once they have, they become comfortable with these concepts shockingly quickly and start to practice and spread these cool technologies.
Once a
project has been done at or near a religious building, it quickly spreads. Usually they want to start small because of fear, but once they taste success they’ll start doing these things at home or wherever they can.
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