This article originally appeared in the PAN 2019 Spring Newsletter
by Ruth Roudiez
On a frigid weekend in January, our board members gathered to review our past year and plan for the next. There are very few times we see other board members in person at all, and this yearly retreat is the only time we everyone all in one place. We have monthly group phone calls and update each other over email chains, but face to face communication, commiseration and contemplation yield far richer results.
Our meeting place was D Acres, the 20 years established educational homestead and hostel run by Josh Trought and his dedicated team in Dorchester, NH. As we arrived one by one that evening, traveling from near and far, we were welcomed by a raging hot fire and a bottomless vat of homegrown herbal tea. Josh’s vision and fruition of this place is really something special. There are quotes and art up everywhere to remind us the mission of skilling ourselves to the end of sustainable living and right relationship with the environment. The root cellar is well stocked with preserved produce and animal products from seasons past. The library is overwhelmingly abundant with every book you could ask to turn to to learn how we might live in harmony with the natural world.
As the sun set on that day of arrival, we received word that one of us had to stay home and care for a child, and then another of us had the flu would be missed as well, and then yet another had car trouble and was going to arrive much later than expected. So it turned out to be a smaller portion of us than intended, and the mood was a bit deflated. Our two longest serving and most hardworking board members got to talking late that night about the efforts they’d exerted up to this point that had left them quite beleaguered and questioning the future relevance of our work. This didn’t seem like the best foot to start off with as we arrived to an important weekend of effort in our mission, but it was noted, and fresher minds instructed them to have a drink and exert themselves at a game of ping pong instead.
In the morning, we were truly able to arrive and be there fully thanks to a great night’s sleep and a big breakfast by Josh and his right hand man, Will. Patty led us through a presentation on being a better board which was inspiring and also instigated thoughts on how this information could assist other groups working in similar fashion. We reviewed our financials and identified avenues which didn’t suit our mission anymore and those that we will be putting more effort into sharing in the future. Mainly, on the downside, we realized we are not great purveyors of t-shirts. On the upside, our capability to provide fiscal sponsorship to groups aligned with our values serves the stacked function of mutual benefit to all. As we went through everything we had done over the past year such as webinars, the educator’s pledge, and new partnerships, those who had expressed fatigue the night before were suddenly shown how much had been accomplished. Well-deserved pride and a sense of accomplishment began to shine through their eyes, and slowly a wave of enthusiasm for the future swelled to a crest.
“The problem is the solution!” we exclaimed as we realized the fragmentation of permaculture in our region was both our undoing and our strength! Through the power of personal connection, we had all been led to this earth-changing work. We experienced that connection within our PDC’s, and were here reminded again that it is by our relationships with one another and the inspiring leaders who came before us that we are empowered to collectively problem solve and move forward on this work we feel called to do.
The culmination enunciated itself as a call for Convergence. We will host a planning retreat this autumn, to bring together those from around the northeast who wish to help plan the summer of 2020 regional Permaculture Convergence, which we’ve lacked since 2014. The hope is that all our smaller, locally acting permaculture partners will find their way to us for a weekend of fun and function. Meeting each other face to face, realizing common goals and finding paths to support each other will connect us and grow our movement. Our region is geologically diverse, resource rich, and full of strong-willed hardy northerners who aren’t giving up any time soon. The power to create the kind of world we want to live in lies in our hands, so we hope you’ll join us and stay connected, reach out and add your unique voice. Please stay tuned to our newsletters, webinars, course listings, allies, and Facebook updates so you can be a part of this ongoing effort, we can’t do it without you!