by Jenni Perez

I originally thought of my participation in the Permaculture Design Certification course (www.OAEC.org) as a trial period of sorts. I had already climbed on board with the realities of climate change and peak oil, but thought of this Permaculture thing as an answer – not necessarily the answer. After all, I was raised in the suburbs – tending goats and chickens seemed like a lot to ask of this espresso-sipping “indoor” girl. Couldn’t I just take shorter showers and drive less?

Upon the first night’s meet-and-greet, my lukewarm mentality was immediately lost in the shuffle, as my classmates (self-proclaimed “beginner Permies”) rattled off the organizations they were leading, the sustainable business degrees they’d earned, the houses they were currently retrofitting with food gardens and greywater systems…

Their reasoning? A shrug and a simple, “It must be done.”

It wasn’t until the class lectures began, however, that I began to understand the phrase, “It must be done.” There was no hand-holding, no tip-toeing, no whispers of, “There’s a Wal-Mart down the street if this is all too much for you.” With a simple click of the Powerpoint remote, our instructors proceeded to drop bombs of truth strapped to parachutes printed with “DUH.”

Cancer, drought, famine. And these are only the things that humans – one species out of millions on our planet – are faced with. This is all because, for centuries, we humans have led an existence that’s been unabashedly egocentric. We take, and take, and take from a planet that provides us bountiful resources, with no intention of giving back. In fact, in our wake, we devistate ecosystems and polish off entire species that cohabitate our planet.

This behavior isn’t necessarily in the name of evil; it’s in the name of convenience. We work hard in order to work less than our previous generations. Many of our day-to-day activities are hooked up to modern systems that require little to no thought from us. And because our current operating systems are stamped with the word “convenient,” our society fails to notice that they are unbelievably backward. And the reason we fail to notice, of course, is because we fail to question these systems. But have no fear – Permies just so happen to be in the business of questioning.

This video (already a cliché in the seasoned Permie world, I know) asks all the right questions, outlining human-egocentricity and destructive systems very thoroughly. Though I had seen it before, watching it during the thick of the course really helped it all sink in. It’s worth all 21 minutes and 16 seconds, I promise.

Learn about complex problems and simple solutions, in Confessions of a Permgin, Part III!