CHILDREN

My drive to introduce children in to the permaculture movement is happening through a project entitled Re-LEAF. Briefly, it is an acronym for Learning, Entertainment, Art and Food. I think it is a well-thought acronym don't you think, really encompassing what permaculture is. The interesting thing here is that when you view children all these aspects seem to meld together into a Steiner-type philosophy; only when one gets older into conventional cultures do you notice how everything is compartmentalised. I like to think I am still a child.

There are such a mass of photos in my library that I found it difficult to put them in any real order; chronologically it may have served a function, and most of the kids in them have grown up it has been that long since I did all this stuff. Nevertheless I laid down a culture and should be remembered for it. Of note is Elfi on my shoulders at the Permaculture Convergence at Braziers Park. Below that is a gathering at Wassailing at Honor Oak Park. Unfortunately I was depicted as some hippy guru in Time Out which went to the distaste of the allotment committee. There is a good mix of pictures here showing kids at play work, so important to learning with the hands at a young age. If you look five rows down you will see that I have got them using a log cleaver and draw knife, which as traditional tools go, are designed intuitively to work with nature. You will see that most of the events are outdoors from doing permaculture convergences, festivals like the Green Gathering, the Festival of Life, Hope, Brockley Max and my own Green Man fayres and apple days. Likewise I worked with Purple Broccoli theatre group and Peckham Wildlife Centre during nature celebrations, but was also called out to schools and housing cooperatives. All in all it is a sacrifice and massive energy expenditure but it evolved my spirituality to the level I am now, looking towards an ecotheological community lifestyle.

Courses

Guerilla gardening
Backgarden permaculture
Spanish permaculture
Cob building
Green wood
Children
Gathering centres
Habitat surveying

Volunteering