In Garden News... I'm usually not one to get into gardening politics, and I am not an urban homesteader myself, to be honest. I have to let you guys know about this though because it threatens the rights of bloggers, writers and everyone else in gardening community. The Dervaes family of "The Urban Homestead" (Not doing them a favor by linking to them) has been sending out letters to Facebook groups, authors and even the Santa Monica Public Library, insisting that they replace "Urban Homesteading" with more "generic terms". They've even sent a copyright infringement notice on the 13th to the authors Kelly Coyne and Eric Knutzen who authored the book "The Urban Homestead" two years ago.
Last time I checked, the (quite generic) term "urban homesteading" has been used for decades, before they arrived on the scene. Now the gardening community is in an uproar, their longtime followers are turning on them, and the Dervaes family is making one excuse after another, insisting that they never sent out cease and desist letters in the first place! Now they're... you know what? Why don't I pass this story off to Gustavo Arellano, who's been covering this story so well. Back to you, Gustavo. The Original Report, Updated
I've been trying to visit the Dervaes website for more of the hilarity, but it's been overloaded with all of the shocked onlookers, as if it were a gruesome car accident. Their (former) fans are really disappointed and hurt.
If this kind of bullying sickens you too, please join the Facebook page Take Back Urban Homesteading to take a stand. As a lover of free words and the overwhelming generosity I've found in the gardening community, I'm determined to help put an end to this nonsense. The Dervaeses are really soiling (couldn't help myself) the image of the generous gardener, and it's only a matter of time before the walls come tumbling down. Oh yeah, sign the petition too.
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Oh my goodness. What next! I think the Dervaes family has changed over the years, and obviously not for the better.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this.
FlowerLady
Is too bad they are doing this. Urban homesteading (do I have to out a copyright here?) is about self sustainable living and joining the community of people who encourage. This just goes against that belief.
ReplyDeletewow it always seemed to me that they wanted to show everyone the good side of "urban homesteading" Maybe consumerism has taken over in their lives.
ReplyDelete