Many of the world's problems are created by the disconnection of people from each other, and from the environment that supports us. Our rising carbon emissions and dwindling oil supplies are a result of this disconnection, where environmental damage and social breakdown are invisible and easy to ignore by the over-consumer.
Sustainable cities can be created when communities reconnect and take responsibility for their consumption. Communities can do this by getting together and figuring out ways to become more self-sufficient, through growing their own food, harvesting their own water, generating their own energy, and sharing goods and services. When they work together, communities can turn around the destructive path we are on, and create a sustainable, responsible world for future generations to inherit.
To do this, PSN has set up Local Groups in council areas throughout our region. These groups are building sustainable communities through sharing permaculture skills, and running local events, workshops and projects. Local activities include permabees, cooking and preserving workshops, clothes swaps, community gardens, sustainable construction workshops, movie nights and other hands-on, practical activities. Through joining your PSN Local Group, you can connect with people in your local community who are passionate about creating change through sharing permaculture, and working to improve sustainability at the local level.
The only ethical decision is to take responsibility for our own existence,
and that of our children
(Bill Mollison: Permaculture, A Designer's Manual)