the urban homestead

[Berti]

authors kelly coyne and erik knutzen did start an urban homestead, and trying to be self-sufficient, in USA
its all about being ish.....grow your own, make your own, you name it.
seems that nowadays more and more city slickers (like me) are awakening to these ideas and giving it a go.

the book is meant as a handbook and it very well IS< and a lovely read too!
interesting tidbits throughout and in the back a resources etc list, covered by topic.
they state ANYONE can go homesteading, even when living in an apartment (!!)

it covers a lot of topics in depth...
how to start growing things, raised beds, compost
foraging includes dumpster diving....
livestock: chicks, ducks, rabbits, pigeons, quail and beest
home economics : canning, fermenting stuff,storage, dehydration, green cleaning
how to be your own utility, save water/ energy or make your own
thoughts about transportation

are just a few.
I find it very inspiring because it really explains the how-to and why of things, what is useful and how do you make choices, which is made easier to me, by this book
no coffeetable book but very easy to take along and enjoyable read.
its kinda like an ish bible but with a different take and more detail on some things.

[madabouthens]

I follow a site www.urbanhomestead.org . Maybe not relevant to us in Britain, but the family actually make a living from their yard and lectures, but they do a lot more . Lots of food for thought.
Tony

[Berti]

the site of the authors is www.rootsimple.com by the way.
I agree about the site above by madabouthens!!
good to see the ish word is spreading more worldwide huh? I still like my ish bible though!

[contadina]

The Dervaes family (authors of urbanhomestead.org, daves garden and various others) have trademarked urban homestead, along with a few other well-known and used definitions. Whilst I've no problem with people earning money out of their knowledge and experience, this totally goes against the whole ethos of self-sufficiency for me.

So far, they've sent desist letters to the Santa Monica Public Library for hosting a free event on urban homesteading and have forced Facebook to shut down several groups with "urban homesteading" in the title.

This is the letter they've been sending out to anyone who dares use their now trademarked name...

"If your use of one of these phrases is not to specifically identify products or services from the Dervaes Institute, then it would be proper to use generic terms to replace the registered trademark you are using. For example, when discussing general homesteading or other people’s projects, they should be referred to using terms such as ‘modern homesteading,’ ‘urban sustainability projects,’ or similar descriptions.

"When using a phrase listed above to refer to the work of the Dervaes Institute, proper trademark usage should include the proper trademark notice [®], use the protected phrase in all capital letters, and note in close proximity that the term is a protected trademark of Dervaes Institute."

Such stupidity and greed will probably be their undoing. Here's the FB campaign http://www.facebook.com/pages/Take-Back ... eTheater=1

[Susie]

Just came over to post what contadina said! (although she said it better ;-) ). I agree, what a daft thing to do (the people who have trademarked it are not the people who wrote the book Berti is referring to - looks an interesting book, Berti, thanks for the recommendation).

It reminds me of when Sew Fast Sew Easy tried to trademark Stitch n' Bitch and caused all sorts of trouble for tiny knitting groups. Also someone tried to copyright something called 'slow cloth' (sorry, it's a ravelry link so you have to be on there) and it didn't win friends or influence people. These things never end well :-(.

[Nomada]

I agree, what a daft thing to do (the people who have trademarked it are not the people who wrote the book Berti is referring to - looks an interesting book

Lot's of people are buying this book in protest of what they've done, especially that they were demanding google delist the URL for the book on amazon. Shouldn't be able to trademark such common words, it's as silly as trying to trademark living things....

[madabouthens]

I have only just learned of the problems using the term "urban Homestead". At one time the Dervais site was "Path To Freedom". I agree it is a shame that all this has come about...it will end in tears. After all, we are all on the same side, fighting the same cause and showing the way for others to follow.
Tony

[Berti]

the dervaeses have not yet managed to trademark ANYTHING.
now they have got at least one lawyer AGAINST themselves, that I know of, and lots of people protesting.

so please, protest against what they are trying to do. (and what makes matters even worse, is that they are telling plain lies on their website, denying that they are threatening people with lawsuits and stuff etc)
trademarking something is OKAY if YOU have come up with an original idea and not just taken any existing term that has been around for long (even urbans do have an homestead anyway....to me, an homestead is the place where you live) but they are just "taking the path to freedom" to make life easier for themselves.....and not the numerous Urban homesteaders out there.
and many more coming up too.

more and more people, even in cities, are starting to try and grow some of their own foods.
some even have chooks.
or bees.

and what have we Ishers been doing all those years then?

[oldjerry]

Sorry, can't agree with the above,why should ANYTHING be trademarked? Shouldn't things be shared? Isn't art,music,science,knowledge for the benefit of everyone? ( I dont rate the copyright thing either,the best music came from poverty,Robert Johnson or U2?..Erm.....)

[contadina]

So why are the authors of Urban Homesteading (Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen) receiving warning letters and takedown notices from the Dervaes family (even though they wrote their book long before the Dervaes even had a homestead)? Coyne and Knutzen are, incidentally, being represented by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who are suitably unimpressed by the decision to trademark a commonly used phrase . https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/02/r ... complaints

[Berti]

Sorry, can't agree with the above,why should ANYTHING be trademarked? Shouldn't things be shared? Isn't art,music,science,knowledge for the benefit of everyone? ( I dont rate the copyright thing either,the best music came from poverty,Robert Johnson or U2?..Erm.....)

oldjerry I think you misread me.
please read again.
I am NOT agreeing on the trademarking......as I am asking people to PROTEST AGAINST IT :)

[Berti]

So why are the authors of Urban Homesteading (Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen) receiving warning letters and takedown notices from the Dervaes family (even though they wrote their book long before the Dervaes even had a homestead)? Coyne and Knutzen are, incidentally, being represented by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who are suitably unimpressed by the decision to trademark a commonly used phrase . https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/02/r ... complaints

its not only Coyne and Knutzen receiving warning letters.
the Dervaeses are after ANYONE using "urban homesteading".
they cannot take down ANYTHING from ANYONE and so they are "bigmouthing" and spamming people who have all the right to be proud of their work.

INDEED Coyne and Knutzen had their urban homestead LONG before the dervaeses started theirs and the last mentioned are more than welcome to prove otherwise I just cannot stand people like them.

EFF rocks :) , they have a very good lawyer now who wrote to the dervases and telling them to try to trademark.
that they have no right to do so at all, based on nothing and the lawyer comes up with examples.
really great, have read most of the written stuff that is on the internet for the moment.

personally I think the dervases are going to pay a price for what they are trying to do.
stay tooned....

[niknik]

Can´t remember who said it........
but for this wghole debacle. it´s what first springs to mind!

"there´s no such thing as bad publicity!"

[oldjerry]

trademarking something is OKAY if YOU have come up with an original idea


That's the bit I disagree with.....but anyhow,whatever, right behind all the rest......

[Susie]

I think they think like in the south park episode with the underpants gnomes.

Plan to make money
1/ Trademark words
2/ ????????????????
3/ Make lots of money.

You have to have seen the episode with the underpants gnomes for that to make sense.

I think I will trademark the phrase 'it's got the wow factor' and then every time someone says it on TV I will get lots of money* which will compensate me for the fact that I am clenching up and cringing and throwing things at the telly.

* I assume it will be unproblematic and straightforward and possibly done through paypal.