What tools we use - Permaculture Principals - Fair Share

The final principle of permaculture, fair shares,  encourages us to consider what is enough?  What should we ethically do if we produce more food than we can eat or store?  How much impact do we have on the wider biosphere, are we well within the carrying capacity of it?  We must carefully consider what is enough for us in our life and encourage others by our example to try and do the same.

We need to curb consumption, hugely, on this finite planet.  We already consume (in the West) more than the earth can replenish.  It's October 2014 so we are nearing that particularly grotesque time in the West, of Thanksgiving (in North America) followed by Christmas, where we will be implored to consume... the simple question to ask yourself is this... Do you need this or are you being manipulated into wanting this?

Consumption isn't only about plastic crap made in some crappy third world export zone, consumption includes your food purchasing habits too.  If you don't reign in your consumption, if you insist on eating whatever you want, whenever you want instead of only consuming what is in season then you can end up adding to the already burgeoning food waste pyramid!

Is this enough? All you can eat whilst others live in poverty is quite simply disgusting!

Cooperation is more important than competition!  I'll share mine if you share yours... actually I'll share mine regardless of whether you share yours, and if any of you have some pickled chillies, please share, we didn't grow any this year and I'm devastated!

 Ultimately our goal is to develop a gift economy.  We try this on a small scale with our vegetable boxes, gifting as much as we can to our friends and neighbours.  This doesn't have to just be produce though, your time and your skills or your labour can be gifted.  If you interact with us in any way shape or form, prepare for that type of interaction; it is more important than the exchange of money.