What would you do with unlimited funds?

We have been thinking a lot about what we could do to promote permaculture, forest gardening and holistic management if we were to win millions of dollars in the lottery. How could we raise awareness of permacultre? How best to promote permie projects? How to insight real and lasting change? The thought of it has our imaginations running wild...start a land trust, alternative school funding, relief work, grants for farm starts, free publications...

So what would YOU do for permaculture if you had millions?

Well I am a sheep farmer so if I had millions of dollars to spend I would just keep farming until the money ran out!

All joking aside, I really am not sure. I do not get caught up in all the hype about money. I need it to survive, but as my Great Uncle once said, "When it is all said and done, and the coffin goes in the ground, it is the farmer that is the richest man of all."

It really is true. I grew up farming and have been one all my life. A lot of the great farmers near me have all died, except for a few, but growing up I was never kicked off their tractors, or told to go find something else to do. And generally have lived a very full, well rounded life. That is priceless, but then when you add up what the farmland is worth, the livestock, the resources, etc...it is worth a lot as well. On paper, I am worth a lot, but my plan is to do what my father did, and what his father did, and that is hand it off to the next generation. I am a 10th generational farmer on this farm, and 14th if you go back to the Mayflower, but I broke from tradition and paid for this farm so my parents could go into retirement with some extra cash. I am proud of that.

So that is my plan, despite having some resources to exploit for my own use, it is just to be conservative as my ancestors before me did, and prudently take care of what God has entrusted me with.

Create urban, suburban, and rural tourist-friendly example properties to demonstrate rainwater harvesting in my region. All with food-growing, waste management, and energy production, of course.

Well, a million dollars doesn't seem to buy a whole lot in terms of programs and social movements these days. But if I truly had nearly unlimited funds over many years towards making lasting change in permaculture I would put it into the best, most validated programs for child abuse prevention. More than anything else, the data point to non-nurturing rearing environments as the root cause of internal hostility that turns outward,.....to those closest to us, to our communities and other humans, but often even before that, to a natural world that often can't or won't fight back. Conversely, nurtured children tend to want to pay it forward as adults, generally encompassing the non-human as well as human world under that umbrella.
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"....We may now be the possessors of the world's flimsiest identity structure, the products of a prolonged tinkering with ontogenesis--by Paleolithic standards, childish adults. Because of this arrested development, modern society continues to work, for it requires dependence. But the private cost is massive therapy, escapism, intoxicants, narcotics, fits of destruction and rage, enormous grief, subordination to hierarchies that exhibit this callow ineptitude at every level, and, **perhaps worst of all, a readiness to strike back at a natural world that we dimly perceive as having failed us**. From this erosion of human nurturing comes the failure of the passages of the life cycle and the exhaustion of our ecological accords."--Paul Shepard, Nature and Madness. (my asterisks added)

I would buy lots of land and let people live there and do Permaculture stuff. I would also Travel the world with my wife and visit permaculture and natural farming sites.

Unlimited funds. Aaaaah😍😍😍.

My huge private army would help the good guys and destroy the bad guys. As emperor, I would decide who is who.

Dale Hodgins wrote:Unlimited funds. Aaaaah😍😍😍.

My huge private army would help the good guys and destroy the bad guys. As emperor, I would decide who is who.

I like that!

In addition, I'd love to make Haiti the next powerhouse like China. They would half finish the machining. The items would then would be shipped and be finished by American workers, so both countries would have job creation.

John Weiland wrote:If I truly had nearly unlimited funds over many years towards making lasting change in permaculture I would put it into the best, most validated programs for child abuse prevention. More than anything else, the data point to non-nurturing rearing environments as the root cause of internal hostility that turns outward,.....to those closest to us, to our communities and other humans, but often even before that, to a natural world that often can't or won't fight back. Conversely, nurtured children tend to want to pay it forward as adults, generally encompassing the non-human as well as human world under that umbrella.

This is a wonderful vision...where underprivileged youth could be given a solid grounding in permaculture, a way forward, and some real tangible learning to go forward with and act upon with little funds. Love it! It reminds me of Pandora Thomas' work with Pathways to Resilience ( https://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2014-12/pandora-thomas-responding-prison-industrial-complex-permaculture-and-resil )

For us, part of Permaculture is about dropping out of the money game...finding a way to live that doesn't rely upon man-made systems. But the idea of having millions to spend on something which survives and thrives on so little has me wondering how hoards of money could be used for a catalyst for change. I feel there is great importance in retaining the permaculture principles in the way the money is used. Keeping a systems approach, where the money wouldn't be depleated, but regenerative instead. Investing in programs and ideas that were start ups and could grow exponentially from their startup investments...because of the merit of the program, not the funding. Throwing money at things rarely works. And I could see this being especially true for permie projects. So I'm thinking through what the ingredients would be for a successful start-up...because the money is only the match, you still need the kindling and logs to keep the fire going!

I would start a culinary farm.
Think value added products combined with farm tourism.
It is a place where not only are plants and animals raised, but fermented foods, dried foods, canned foods, etc. are prepared.
Things are then taken up a notch by having indoor and outdoor cooking areas where said food can be prepared by and for groups of foodies to enjoy in a very nice setting. It takes soil to table to a whole new level.

I am finding that many young people live in places where they have limited ability to garden, can or preserve food, or even cook outdoors.

How many of you have a real brick pizzia oven? How many have a real smoker? In many cases it just is not practical to have all this stuff when you may only use it a few times a year.
Who has a fermenting area or root cellar?
What if you cannot only buy shares of food, but can buy shares of meals?

Just as food shares can be based on work, money, etc. meal shares and value added food shares can be based on such.
A couple counties over from where I live is a group that help people who want to produce food to sell. They have a kitchen and packaging area they rent out along with advising the business.

One can also look at renting out the facilities to people who want the use of such facilities and equipment. Some kitchens in my area rent out by the hour for this type of activity.


The are many options to make this idea work.

So I would build a culinary farm, offering alot of value added.

Nobody has unlimited money, and the unexpected thing that happens to normal people when they get a lottery win sized amount is they feel great for a short while, then they set about worrying about loosing it.

But if you were truly wealthy and could consider such a thing as described, just spending a lot of money would drive out real solutions. So lets say you imagine RMHs can save the world, and you determined to make them for half what they cost today. First thing that happens is everyone in the culture can't afford to compete, so they stop participating. And this guy, off to the side with the solution that is several times better, he is driven out of the market by the now cheap RMHs.

So I guess I would look really carefully at how the Gates type foundations are dealing with things, trying to identify a few sectors that will make the most difference. Looking at opportunities global through to local. Looking for overlooked opportunities to innovate. Making sure that there isn't some missing link that will not allow progress though all other aspects are present. In the case of RMHs a key problem is the regulatory environment, and the insurance environment. Those are the kinds of things that a foundation could deal with that might not stifle innovation. For instance one could set up testing facilities, or lobby for code changes. Focus on results, not just splashing money around and feeling good.

After rooting out all evil, my army would need to find other causes. Perhaps a cultural revolution where we continue to seek out and find those working against us. All animals will eventually become equal in this utopian paradise. Perhaps the pigs will be just a little more equal. 💀

My husband and I dream of having a sustainable farm and rehabilitation program for alcoholics and drug addicts and animals. My husband has been sober for six years now and he counsels addicts at the local drug rehab facility and sponsors many others. We currently raise our own turkeys, ducks, chickens, bees and Idaho Pasture Pigs. We have had individuals in recovery stay at our house and don't charge them anything and they help around our little farm. It is amazing to be able to witness how much difference it makes when you are hurting inside and lost to be able to help care for an animal and see the results. We also have dogs and cats. Many times we have had pigs in the house that needed to be fed every 2 hours and our "guests" have always been quick to help out. It is my theory that it is a lot easier to find a "higher power" while holding a bottle for a 2 day old piglet that is grunting and snuggling in your arms. We would love to have enough money to have add horses and cows and a "bunk house" for our "guests". My husband and I are both chefs and we have a large garden and love growing our own herbs. We cure our own meats, smoke them (our jerky is to die for!) and create our own medicinal teas. So many times my husband sees people on the road to recovery that have no place to call their own and are often put back into the same circumstances that brought them to rehab to begin with. We would love to be able to give some of them a home and a solid start on their new lives. I don't need millions...just something to get us started.

Some guys would spend all of their money on Bare Naked Ladies. Here's a song by that band.

"If I Had A $1,000,000"

If I Had $1000000 (If I Had $1000000)
I'd buy you a house (I would buy you a house)
If I Had $1000000 (If I Had $1000000)
I'd buy you furniture for your house
(Maybe a nice chesterfield or an ottoman)
If I Had $1000000 (If I Had $1000000)
I'd buy you a K-Car (a nice Reliant automobile)
If I Had $1000000 I'd buy your love.

If I Had $1000000
I'd build a tree fort in our yard.
If I Had $1000000
You could help, it wouldn't be that hard.
If I Had $1000000
Maybe we could put put a little tiny fridge in there somewhere
([Talking:] We could just go up there and hang out.
Like open the fridge and stuff, and there'd be foods laid out for us
With little pre-wrapped sausages and things. Mmmmm.
They have pre-wrapped sausages but they don't have pre-wrapped bacon.
Well can you blame them. Yeah)

If I Had $1000000 (If I Had $1000000)
I'd buy you a fur coat (but not a real fur coat that's cruel)
If I Had $1000000 (If I Had $1000000)
I'd buy you an exotic pet (Like a llama or an emu)
If I Had $1000000 (If I Had $1000000)
I'd buy you John Merrick's remains (All them crazy elephant bones)
If I Had $1000000 I'd buy your love

If I Had $1000000
We wouldn't have to walk to the store
If I Had $1000000
We'd take a limousine 'cause it costs more
If I Had $1000000
We wouldn't have to eat Kraft Dinner.
(But we would eat Kraft Dinner. Of course we would, we'd just eat more.
And buy really expensive ketchup with it.
That's right, all the fanciest Dijon Ketchup. Mmmmmm.)

If I Had $1000000 (If I Had $1000000)
I'd buy you a green dress (but not a real green dress, that's cruel)
If I Had $1000000 (If I Had $1000000)
I'd buy you some art (a Picasso or a Garfunkel)
If I Had $1000000 (If I Had $1000000)
I'd buy you a monkey (haven't you always wanted a monkey?)
If I Had $1000000 I'd buy your love

If I Had $1000000, If I Had $1000000
If I Had $1000000, If I Had $1000000
I'd be rich.