Journal / Issues / Volume 1 / Volume 1, Issue 1 / Locavore Living: Taking Back the Commons for Common Good

Photo credit: Gregor Gamble

This special panel discussion featured as part of the 2019 Sustainable Living Festival in central Melbourne. Hundreds of people attended live. Let's spread it further!

“Today in the United States of America I operate in a capitalist system, so I have to do two things at once: try to tear stuff down and build up something new in the process” - Devita Davidson

There’s a new story inspiring a global movement for positive change. It’s all about re-inhabiting the commons and sharing. Listen in to this special festival panel and hear how communities are re-activating neighbourhoods, co-designing, growing food commons, working and living together, and addressing the big questions with powerful local responses. In other words, how they’re transitioning to a new economy.

The Panel

• MC'd by the awesome Costa Georgiadis - permaculture, compost and community garden advocate.
• Helena Norberg-Hodge, of Local Futures, author of Ancient Futures and the film The Economics of Happiness, was unable to attend, but her colleague Henry Coleman stepped in to discuss the backstory of the global industrial food system.
• Dr Nick Rose, Sustain Australia and editor of the recent book Reclaiming The Urban Commons discusses the recommoning and delocalisation of our food system.
• Devita Davidson, Food Lab Detroit, explores re-activating decaying urban neighbourhoods through local food enterprises.
• Morag Gamble of Our Permaculture Life and Permaculture Education Institute explored permaculture and ecovillage recommoning projects and the role of citizen design.
• David Holmgren, permaculture co-originator, talks about a bushland restoration project in his local commons.

The panel was organised by Morag Gamble and hosted by the Sustainable Living Festival 2019.

Thanks to all the panel members and MC who kindly volunteered their time to participate so generously. Thanks to the incredible team who organised the 2019 Sustainable Living Festival in Melbourne at Birrarung Marr. Thanks to Gregor Gamble and his daughter, Rhiannon Gamble, who filmed and edited this event for us to share widely.

Photo credit: Gregor Gamble

Morag Gamble

Theme Editor for New Economy & Permaculture

Permaculture is Morag Gamble’s life. For 25 years she worked as a permaculture educator and designer in 22 countries on 5 continents. She lives in the United Nations World Habitat award-winning permaculture village near Maleny surrounded by perennial permaculture abundance in the ‘off-grid’ home she built with her family. Morag leads the Permaculture Education Institute, Our Permaculture Life and the Permaculture Life YouTube channel. She also cofounded Northey Street City Farm and the Australian City Farms and Community Gardens Network, and leads the permaculture charity, Ethos Foundation.

See all articles by Morag Gamble

Copyright © 2019 by the author(s). This article is presented under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. You are permitted to share, copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, and to adapt and build upon the material. You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. You may not use the material for commercial purposes.