Get Yourself Into the Worldwide Permaculture Network (WPN

I conjured the idea of this database more than two and a half years ago, and with the support of PRI Australia we've been trying to squirrel away finances to build it ever since. Whilst saving our pennies, I've had a static HTML project listing up in the interim, but it was always a cumbersome way to display and promote projects of course and over the last several months as I've been working on this database, I've had to neglect that section entirely.

With this new system you can create your own user profile, and, if applicable, advertise your status as a consultant and/or aid worker. You can add your project(s), of whatever type, be it an urban residential project, or an African or Californian aid project, a Sydney or Delhi suburbs commercial project or something not even land based - like an economic project (LETS, or similar), or a political activist project, and more. Educational projects get to list their courses.

By adding a profile (People and Projects), you get added to an interactive world map! You can browse projects by their summary cards and filter by climate zone or project type - or just by clicking on the pins on the map. You can find 'People' by different criteria also - climate zone, consultants, aid workers, teachers, etc.

You get your own blog with your profile, and if you're sharing interesting and valuable updates to your blog you'll find other users clicking to 'follow' you so they can easily monitor your updates via their 'dashboard' - where you arrive after logging in. The best updates will be 'featured', thus attracting more followers and potentially supporters of your work (including attracting more students, and/or consultancy customers, etc.).

Because of my work over the last five years, studying world issues and writing about them, I am acutely aware of the more-than-precarious situation we are in as a race. I have created the WPN as a tool to help fast-track the take-up of permaculture design concepts to help ameliorate our predicament as rapidly as possible. The WPN system has enormous potential if we make use of it in the way designed - i.e. using it to share information, resources, inspiration and encouragement. In addition, the WPN can, if it receives community-funded support for the costs involved, continue its development to tailor/improve it to meet the needs of users. At present we at the PRI have diverted funds to create this system from our own urgent need to expand and improve facilities for students and from other projects that needed it, but we've done so in the belief that the WPN has such a potential, and that time is so short, that if we didn't go ahead and initiate such a much-needed project, then as economies continue to collapse we might never see such a system getting created at all.

It would be great if we can all build on our common shared vision, and I offer up this system as a tool to help accomplish this. Your feedback and support to improve will be welcome, and acted upon as we have time and means to do so.

As architect of this system, I warmly invite you to go to www.permacultureglobal.com , and sign up. After signing up, please ensure you complete your personal profile and pretty it up as a good example for subsequent users to emulate. Then, add your project if you have one (it might be your own residential yard, or a project involving many more people, like a permaculture local group, or other, etc.), also ensuring to maintain a high standard of textual content, formatting and a good sprinkling of nice images, etc., so we can ensure people investigating permaculture for the first time are wowed with what they find in the system.

Permaculturists - this is our time! Let's stop considering permaculture as an 'alternative lifestyle' and accept the fact that there really is *no alternative*. As far as our place in history, it's permaculture or bust. We need to come out of our closets, and recognise that it's the time to share and nurture, to build community, share seeds and designs, share enthusiasm and wisdom, and practical knowhow. The WPN will facilitate this like no other system available today. I have laboured in the hope that you will make best use of this system.