Greetings all: I need some advice & assistance from the world
Permacultural Community.

I'm currently negotiating with the Mayor of Pitcairn Island - Steve
Christian - to transform Pitcairn Island (my ancestral homeland) into
the world's first totally 'permaculturally-designed' Island.

Pitcairn is still a British Colony, but the UK basically wants to shut
the Island down (ie. the colony is "not economically viable") & sell
the Pitcairn Islands (Pitcairn, Henderson, Oeno, Ducie) along with
their accompanying 200 nm. exclusive economic zones to the French*
(presumably so that the latter can test nuclear devices on a volcanic
Island rather than an atoll).

One possible way to save the Island & it's unique heritage, would be
to transform it into the only 'holistic-permaculture-nation-state' on
the Planet; not only to make it completely independent of the British
Exchequer, but also to lay the foundations for a limited ecotourism
industry which could possibly enable the Island to become totally
self-sufficient at a relatively comfortable standard of living.

Steve Christian is warm on the idea, but - being one of the most
remote places on earth - "Permaculture", is a complete unknown to the
Island community.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, what I need is some advice on the best way to introduce the key
principles & concepts of Permaculture to the Pitcairn Islander
community.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All & any advice or suggestions on moving this Project (tentatively
titled 'Biosphere3') forward, will be graciously appreciated.

For those unfamiliar with Pitcairn, the following site provides useful
links:
http://www.escapeartist.com/pitcairn/pitcairn.htm


* there are substantial deposits of manganese, iron, copper, gold,
silver, and zinc, which have recently been discovered within the 200
nautical-mile exclusive economic zone surrounding the Pitcairn Islands
(Pitcairn, Henderson, Oeno, Ducie).

cf: 'Convention on Maritime Boundaries between the Government of the
French Republic and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland'

http://www.un.org/Depts/los/LEGISLAT...-GBR1983MB.PDF

(briancady413) wrote in message -----------************-----------------
Would they really radioactively contaminate a potentially vauable ore
source?

I suspect that after 175+ nuclear tests on Muruoa, they've already
done so. Mururoa is a seamount atoll ie. a basalt base and an upper
layer of limestones and corals which leak like a sieve
www.abc.net.au/quantum/info/mururoa.htm

There are those who actually enjoy French rule, and perhaps the most
of us are not very attached to which european country on the opposite
side of the planet claims and rules our home. Maybe such a changeover
won't matter much. The French run a few islands off Newfoundland, too.

I'm something of a Francophile myself; they could hardly do worse than
the British have done.

However, Pitcairn has been a farflung nook of the Anglosphere for over
two centuries now & they have no desire to become French.

[edit]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, what I need is some advice on the best way to introduce the key
principles & concepts of Permaculture to the Pitcairn Islander
community.
------************************************----------------
Can you talk with family there? Do any PC designers have Ed. degres or
teaching experience, with which they could get employed there? Could
you invite him or someone he trusts to a PC designer training?

From the email feedback I've had on this topic, the consensus advice
is, that the optimum approach would be to conduct PDC's on the Island
for all interested parties; in conjunction with supplying the
community with Permaculture reference material. The Islanders could
then come up with their own design plan.

Sounds good to me. Only problem is getting an English-speaking PDC
Trainer, along with relevant reference materials, out to the most
inaccessible inhabited Island on earth.

Meanwhile, both the global tourism industry
http://www.enn.com/news/wire-stories...1/ap_45445.asp & sundry
fringe political groups have designs on the Island eg.
www.freedonia.org/pitcairn.html


[edit]


Brian Cady

Steve Christian is warm on the idea, but - being one of the most
remote places on earth - "Permaculture", is a complete unknown to the
Island community.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, what I need is some advice on the best way to introduce the key
principles & concepts of Permaculture to the Pitcairn Islander
community.


Get them online.

Regards, NT

Don't Mennonite, Bruderhof and Amish have traditions of land
stewardship and of forming colonies? I think Mennonites have started
quite a few tropical communities, although perhaps in highlands.

Gaviotas is a recent colony in highland Columbia that just might want
to move or split, with recent violence there. They seem like really
neat folk who have done amazing ecological transformations that any
permaculturalist must respect, if not stagger in awe of, if reports
prove true. Alan Weisman wrote about them. I heard one of the Canary
Islands has a tradition of excellent, pre-permaculture gathering and
storing rare rain there, which has transformed the isle.(which might
be Fuerteventura.) I heard it was a rocky, barren low island that
didn't get much rain, and now its full of gardens and people living
their lives. (Some Canary islands are high and catch rain, some are
low and dry.
Maybe also there are refugee communities seeking sanctuary, with whom
Pitcairn
islanders would feel a cultural or empathetic bond with.

Maybe inviting a variety of lifestyle/belief gropus could help
eventually form.
On the other hand, maybe the women of Pitcairn could select from among
a world-full of men through online personals, those that would suit
them and the island's opportunities.
I actually once stumbled across a translated Japanese analysis of
which churches had most successfully colonized Hokkaido, which had,
and has, an indigenous gropu very unrelated to most japanese. This
colonization was actualy not that long ago. Southern Japanese colonist
farmers in Brazil, I have heard, have been very successful and
responsible farmers there. Is this a similar climate?

I'm interested in going to an island for good, but think of Tristan de
Cunha, with its climate more suited to my western european gene set. I
have messed around in small boats every summer as a kid, racing
sailing dinghies in choppy, but swell-less Buzzards Bay in Southern
New England, and crewing with my family aboard my fathers' cruising
sloops. I previously trained in Re-evaluation Counseling, a
peer-to-peer counceling method focusing on recovery form any traumas,
with some great strengths and a few weaknesses, but I'm quite rusty.

What's news?

Brian Cady

(briancady413) wrote in message . com...

[edit good stuff]

Some very interesting references there Brian - particularly Gaviotas,
which I hadn't previously been aware of.

Pitcairn is probably the most fertile environment on the planet - so
the 'biological' aspects of Permaculture, in this case, is not the
issue.

The real issue, is positioning the 'value-proposition' of creating the
world's first 'nation-state model of sustainability' to the
Pitcairners ...without, in the process, indulging in a kind of
ideological imperialism.

The benefits may be self-evident to middle-class, tertiary educated,
New-Age Westerners; perhaps not so obvious to everyone else.

Therein lies the challenge.

If you're interested in visiting the world's most remote inhabited
Island, the following expedition would be the way to go:

http://www.bountybay.org.uk/

For a birds-eye view of Pitcairns topography, click on the second link
in the frame to the left.

....

Pitcairn is probably the most fertile environment on the planet - so
the 'biological' aspects of Permaculture, in this case, is not the
issue.

BC: Thanks, I hadn't realized the climate until I followed your
weblink to the 'bountybay' expedition.



The real issue, is positioning the 'value-proposition' of creating the
world's first 'nation-state model of sustainability' to the
Pitcairners ...without, in the process, indulging in a kind of
ideological imperialism.

BC: I worship, but haven't practised, the grassroots organizing
concept of knocking on doors and asking folks what they want and need;
asking them to join in working together for what that group would
democratically agree is firstmost, asking them to allow facilitaton,
to consider training in working together well as equals, etc.
Rodale Institute has a Community Renewal workbook that gives a
step-by-step plan for reaching into one's community that seems well
done.


The benefits may be self-evident to middle-class, tertiary educated,
New-Age Westerners; perhaps not so obvious to everyone else.

Therein lies the challenge.

BC: At first it seemed flippant, but more and more I wonder if NT's
'Get them online.' might be the best way to allow the chance to learn
of opportunities, if done right. Our social groups help us, as
individuals, make sensible choices - web access in a public place
might help a community guide individuals to use the web in ways that
preserve the community and the individual, physically and ethically. I
guess I'm thinking about a library. Permaculture books could be
donated - Pitcairners could read them if they wanted to.
Have you chatted with cousins there, beyond the chief guy? I wonder
what their thinking about the recent population changes there.
With land constrained there, and with the distance, I think of trying
to gather sea products - In Japan, pink salmon are nurtured when
young, then let out to sea to fatten. Two years later they return to
their natal stream, where the water flow has been diverted through a
cannery. Here eggs and milt are harvested, brought to a hatchery
upstream, continuing the cycle of fishing without fuel, nets, motors
or boats. There are other migrating fish, some more tropical, as I
remember. I keep wondering about the chances of getting extra iron
into fish that are going out into an iron-poor sea to feed, which
might help them as well as the production of that area of the sea
itself - iron concentration is _extremely_ low in these areas, near
half a microgram per kilo of seawater, if I calculate right, and the
iron that might 'leak' out of supplemented birds and fish could
nourish their next meal, making that meal possible. - it is the
limiting nutrient, so small amounts could yield large productivity
increases, and the ocean can quickly use any extra - everything else
is set to go.
I also think of trying to reach to customers in the neighborhood;
round-the-world sailers could re-provision there, buying dried fruit
and nuts, pressed oils, canned or dried fish. If they can afford a
boat, they can at least afford to buy a bunch to resell later on.
Here big questions would be how many land there now, and how many
more would if they knew about such a thing.

BC: Is water, or water quality limited? (It sure looks green and
verdant.) There are machines which use waves to pump water through
reverse osmosis filters, to get fresh from salt, and windmills might
help with this and power in general. I've heard of work on a wind
machine design that would pump air with a very simple structure, so it
would be economical, reliable and easy to fix.
How about a Pitcairn site for an Outward-Bound rustic boarding high
school, or a trauma recovery center?

BC: What do Pitcairners want now? Would they prefer to be part of the
French Polynesian community? Easter Island seems as close, too, a
connection to Chile. Perhaps national boundaries mean little so far
from the nations' centers. Would they want to learn frecnch and
spanish, to ease visiting their neighbors?

Brian Cady

BC: What do Pitcairners want now? Would they prefer to be part of the
French Polynesian community? Easter Island seems as close, too, a
connection to Chile. Perhaps national boundaries mean little so far
from the nations' centers. Would they want to learn frecnch and
spanish, to ease visiting their neighbors?

BC: My apologies; Peter, you already said they want to keep themselves english.

Brian Cady

(briancady413) wrote in message . com...
...

[edit]

With land constrained there, and with the distance, I think of trying
to gather sea products - In Japan, pink salmon are nurtured when
young, then let out to sea to fatten. Two years later they return to
their natal stream, where the water flow has been diverted through a
cannery. Here eggs and milt are harvested, brought to a hatchery
upstream, continuing the cycle of fishing without fuel, nets, motors
or boats. There are other migrating fish, some more tropical, as I
remember.

Damn clever Japanese. Unfortunately there are no rivers or sizeable
streams on the Islands, so salmon farming is probably not an option.

However, as the Pitcairner's religion - SDA - prohibits the
consumption of many types of seafood (in Seventh Day Adventist
communities, only finfish are consumed, due to religious prohibitions
on the consumption of anything without fins and scales; so effective
a conservation measure has this prohibition been, that there is great
abundance of invertebrates, especially crustaceans and holothurians
around the Pitcairn Islands) there would probably be some scope for
limited commercial harvesting within the 200 nautical-mile exclusive
economic zone surrounding the Pitcairn Islands (Pitcairn, Henderson,
Ducie, Oeno & Sandy).

I imagine any deal struck with the Japanese would need to be in accord
with:

'Convention on Maritime Boundaries between the Government of the
French Republic and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland'

http://www.un.org/Depts/los/LEGISLAT...-GBR1983MB.PDF


I keep wondering about the chances of getting extra iron
into fish that are going out into an iron-poor sea to feed, which
might help them as well as the production of that area of the sea
itself - iron concentration is _extremely_ low in these areas, near
half a microgram per kilo of seawater, if I calculate right, and the
iron that might 'leak' out of supplemented birds and fish could
nourish their next meal, making that meal possible. - it is the
limiting nutrient, so small amounts could yield large productivity
increases, and the ocean can quickly use any extra - everything else
is set to go.

Very interesting point. If memory serves the SE-Pacific is within the
40% of world's ocean which is extrememly low in iron concentrations
ie. production of phytoplankton is iron limited with obvious impact on
the marine food chain.

I'm not too sure about the efficacy of using birds or fish as iron
vectors; however there are two active submarine volcanoes about 100 km
southeast of Pitcairn. One of these rises to within 60 m/200 ft of sea
level; although pumice has a much lower hematite content than say
basalt, unlike the latter, it floats well & breaks down a lot faster.
I wonder if inducing regular pyroclastic flows from these cinder cones
would do the trick?

I also think of trying to reach to customers in the neighborhood;
round-the-world sailers could re-provision there, buying dried fruit
and nuts, pressed oils, canned or dried fish. If they can afford a
boat, they can at least afford to buy a bunch to resell later on.
Here big questions would be how many land there now, and how many
more would if they knew about such a thing.

The reason Christian selected the Island in the first place, was
precisely because there is no safe harbour. In fact the whole
littoral zone is extremely hazardous & is - currently - an
insurmountable barrier to the size of vessel able to be used by the
Islanders.

If there was a technological solution which would somehow allow the
berthing of an ocean-going vessel, able to make safe passage to
Rikitea on Mangareva, most of the Island's logistics problems could be
solved.


BC: Is water, or water quality limited? (It sure looks green and
verdant.) There are machines which use waves to pump water through
reverse osmosis filters, to get fresh from salt, and windmills might
help with this and power in general. I've heard of work on a wind
machine design that would pump air with a very simple structure, so it
would be economical, reliable and easy to fix.

There is no subterranean aquifer or spring water on the Island.
Potable water has to be harvested from rainfall. Huge scope here for a
technological fix.

Some stimulating ideas there Brian - esp. re. phytoplankton limiting
factors. Seems to me that there is huge scope for leveraging marine
food resources worldwide if there was a magic-bullet fix for this.


Brian Cady

the Pitcairner's religion - SDA - prohibits the
consumption of many types of seafood (in Seventh Day Adventist
communities, only finfish are consumed, due to religious prohibitions
on the consumption of anything without fins and scales; so effective
a conservation measure has this prohibition been, that there is great
abundance of invertebrates, especially crustaceans and holothurians
around the Pitcairn Islands) there would probably be some scope for
limited commercial harvesting within the 200 nautical-mile exclusive
economic zone surrounding the Pitcairn Islands (Pitcairn, Henderson,
Ducie, Oeno & Sandy).

One needn't eat a thing to sell it.

I imagine any deal struck with the Japanese would need to be in accord
with:....[snip]

I mentioned Japanese salmon fishing only as an example of anadromous
seafood 'ranching'.

There are machines which use waves to pump water through
reverse osmosis filters, to get fresh from salt, and windmills might
help with this and power in general. I've heard of work on a wind
machine design that would pump air with a very simple structure, so it
would be economical, reliable and easy to fix.


There is no subterranean aquifer or spring water on the Island.
Potable water has to be harvested from rainfall. Huge scope here for a
technological fix.

I think the wave units are ready to ship.

Brian Cady

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aloha....In regards to Biosphere 3, I have a couple of questions....is most of the food consumed on this island locally grown? Is there import of commodities? I also live on an island in the middle of the pacific yet we have a large amount of tourism....and here we are doing our best to implement example sites incorporating permacultue techniques in all avenues, not just the garden. I feel a great method of approach to the mayor might just be a whole systems approach.....incorporating the lifestyle...economics, education, etc. Being an island Pitcarin is set up to be a leading example for the world of how we each as individuals can take and share responsibility for ourselves, eachother, our environment and most important our children...

Peter Ward Wrote:
Greetings all: I need some advice & assistance from the world
Permacultural Community.

I'm currently negotiating with the Mayor of Pitcairn Island - Steve
Christian - to transform Pitcairn Island (my ancestral homeland) into
the world's first totally 'permaculturally-designed' Island.

Pitcairn is still a British Colony, but the UK basically wants to shut
the Island down (ie. the colony is "not economically viable") & sell
the Pitcairn Islands (Pitcairn, Henderson, Oeno, Ducie) along with
their accompanying 200 nm. exclusive economic zones to the French*
(presumably so that the latter can test nuclear devices on a volcanic
Island rather than an atoll).

One possible way to save the Island & it's unique heritage, would be
to transform it into the only 'holistic-permaculture-nation-state' on
the Planet; not only to make it completely independent of the British
Exchequer, but also to lay the foundations for a limited ecotourism
industry which could possibly enable the Island to become totally
self-sufficient at a relatively comfortable standard of living.

Steve Christian is warm on the idea, but - being one of the most
remote places on earth - "Permaculture", is a complete unknown to the
Island community.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, what I need is some advice on the best way to introduce the key
principles & concepts of Permaculture to the Pitcairn Islander
community.

All & any advice or suggestions on moving this Project (tentatively
titled 'Biosphere3') forward, will be graciously appreciated.

For those unfamiliar with Pitcairn, the following site provides useful
links:
http://tinyurl.com/53jnq


* there are substantial deposits of manganese, iron, copper, gold,
silver, and zinc, which have recently been discovered within the 200
nautical-mile exclusive economic zone surrounding the Pitcairn Islands
(Pitcairn, Henderson, Oeno, Ducie).

cf: 'Convention on Maritime Boundaries between the Government of the
French Republic and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland'

http://tinyurl.com/6svfs------------...--------------
Aloha....In regards to Biosphere 3, I have a couple of questions....is
most of the food consumed on this island locally grown? Is there
import of commodities? I also live on an island in the middle of the
pacific yet we have a large amount of tourism....and here we are doing
our best to implement example sites incorporating permacultue
techniques in all avenues, not just the garden. I feel a great method
of approach to the mayor might just be a whole systems
approach.....incorporating the lifestyle...economics, education, etc.
Being an island Pitcarin is set up to be a leading example for the
world of how we each as individuals can take and share responsibility
for ourselves, eachother, our environment and most important our
children...


--
Gd Seals