Open Source Conference
Meeting in
Olaposi Abiola, OVF
Nigerian country director recently traveled to the Open Source Conference in
Reliable
Internet connectivity is vital towards overcoming the digital divide. Satellites
such as the one use by WorldSpace to transport radio stations to people in
developing countries that have special receives could also be
used to connect isolated areas to high speed Internet. Relay communities
(Unity Centers) would pick up satellite transmissions and then transmit and receive
data via low-cost wireless technologies to surrounding communities, thus
bringing down the cost of satellite connectivity by way of a distributive and
disruptive wireless technology.
These
technologies like
ICT-enhanced Resource
Access Unit (RAU) is a web-based portal called e-Village to promote
Young people can and are
harnessing the power of information and communications technologies (ICTs) to
assure opportunity, empowerment, and inclusion for all. Youth Creating Digital Opportunities (www.YCDO.net) provides young people with a chance to meet other
youth who are using ICTs for development and to share their experiences and
also seeks advice and resources in their projects Led by TakingITGlobal,
and in cooperation with such partners as the International Institute for
Sustainable Development and the Global Knowledge Partnerships,
this coalition actively participated in the World Summit on
Information Society.
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Krisha Alluri of
The
communities we grow up in impact who we are and how we see the world. Yet there
is a tendency to undervalue the intrinsic value of community, because it cannot
be easily monetized or commodified. There is a great distance between
indigenous cultures and the modern world in terms of how each defines profit. Any
sustainable knowledge transfer between cultures, must
involve a mutual respect of each culture’s contributions towards the other. Akiwowo
says the Yoruba culture teaches its people that profit is more than financial
including five different social criteria of success and well-being. One of the errors of modernization is
that there has been an undercurrent of contempt for not just African culture,
but for indigenous cultures all over the world. Economic programs to promote
sustainable development in non-consuming nations should value and validate
local culture ensuring that modernization complements and affirms local
culture.
|
Ecology/Sustainable
Development |
Integrated Agricultural Systems
The
industrialization of agriculture sustained an exponentially increasing global
population. In the scope of three centuries human
numbers have risen from 1 billion to 6 billion. Yet the downside of this system
is that it does not account for the long-term ecological impacts that may spill
over into surrounding systems adversely affecting their function.
Industrialized monocultures are one of the greatest threats to the planet’s
ecosystems. Related to this is the fact
that we treat the planet’s precious biomass as if it were garbage mixing it
with the rest of discarded items and then burying it in dumps. The time has
come for the emergence of a new and better system of producing food. The
oneVillage Foundation is researching a variety of approaches to sustainable
closed loop agriculture and fish farming systems. Our
goal is simple develop a system of producing that is highly productive,
requires minimal inputs, is suitable to a host of environments and has the
capability to convert industrial, agricultural and municipal biowaste into
value added products.
Several
highly productive
systems have been developed around the world, enabling
communities to choose what will work for their environment and culture. They
require minimal inputs and cover a very wide range of environments, and some
can convert industrial, agricultural and / or municipal waste into value-added
products.
In my meeting with Prof. Chuck Harris of Harvard I became aware of Tracy Hightower of Bioshelters (www.bioshelters.com).
They have an operational model called waterfiled
farms in
More
on Integrated
Agricullture and Sustainable Development
Following the WSIS
conference in
Rising chaos and uncertainity
that brings us together seeking networks that will enable us to start to
realize our vision of how the world should be. The OVF Knowledge Wheel is the
hypothesis for this vision. The
Pip Coburn technology evaluation strategist in UBS
Bank: says in an interview with CNBC
that "..."People will be
spending on integration. We're no longer in the age of information,
we're in the age of integration, making use of all this stuff."
Shariq from the research lab in
Stanford identifying groups in
With support from the Government of Japan, infoDev
launched the Incubator
Initiative in 2002, aimed at enhancing entrepreneurship,
innovation and
competitiveness of the small business community in developing
countries, which will contribute to sustainable economic and social
development.
This program is dedicated to
strengthen business incubators and similar programs, stimulating the emergence
and growth of innovative, highly competitive and ICT-enabled small enterprises
in developing countries. The initiative also fosters international
dissemination of successful practices on business incubation, and in particular
on the effective use of ICT and e-services as vehicles to achieve greater
efficiencies and higher productivity in business incubation programs and across
small enterprise development cycles.
Rafael
Incubator Initiative
infoDev Program
Humanity is in a period of great change and upheaval, a great birthing
process. We are being pulled by this evolving energy
in a multitude of ways that reflects the immense diversity of our species.
However, due to social stigmas many of us may be reluctant to fully acknowledge
and talk about the possible root causes of our feelings.
Relationship outreach
Promote our solutions and make them better known
Connect with the major IT players
get the endorsement of NEPAD.
For those of you who are not familiar, Arcology is a
term for a new and revolutionary building concept developed by Italian
architect-philosopher Paolo Soleri in the 50s of the last century. Soleri asked
for the total elimination of the car from the city/human habitat and for
"efficient density". To prove the viability of his theories and
designs, he and his followers starting building Arcosanti, an experimental city
in the deserts of
Franz gave up on travelling
to Arcosanti after 1995 as he was trying to broaden his horizons and become
inspired by different visions - permaculture, ecovillage. All approaches hold
valuable insights into our future. A source of frustration for him is how many
in the intentional communities and ecovillage neglect the fantastic opportunity
Arcosanti constitutes for learning about living densely and light on this
planet. He says he sees “enormous blindness when everybody wants to reinvent
the wheel” in that there is still that organizational-centric desire to be part
of something that creates all the needed information to fix humanity. “The
future is too complex to build it at one place” he
adds. “All that we can do is work on some building blocks. And then, slowly
starting to integrate and play with elements.”
Mindset is the main problem. Too often
we seek a one size fits all approach that unconsciously aims to stifle the
natural tendency towards human evolution and diversity. What is
needed is a global alliance of alternative thinking visionaries who are
also grounded in the everyday challenges of implementation of ideas into a practical
practice. In the remaking of our world towards a sustainable society there will
be many approaches and methodologies tested out and some will be urban, some
rural, and some will defy either classification such as for example Arcosanti.
Franz is focusing his energy on the newly formed
European Alliance of Telecottage Associations. They
have an installed base of almost 1000 community learning
centers spread all over
There is a great need to provide useful content for
people who have open minds and who are flexible in relation to change. The One
Village Foundation (www.onevillagefoundation.org)
is currently working on a knowledge base for ecoliving and sustainable
development for developing regions of the world, but we feel this can be
applied to the developed world as well which is why we
are working with the Green Century Institute to create the Green Community
Network.
While there is much that has
developed from the Arcosanti experience that is of use to the eco-living
community the more extreme interpretation of Arcologies that Paolo Soleri has
long advocated is a turn off for many people. We need to work on the idea of an
evolving concept Arcology that seeks to remake and rethink how we see and
relate to the built environment, rather than as one man's specific
architectural approach. To increase the viability and relevance of Arcology
theory we need reconfigure it as a practical approach towards "the shaping
of local living spaces" that actually reflect the needs of the people that
live in these spaces while doing this in a ecologically responsible way.
The Green Community Network can be
seen as a prototype for the “virtual university of the future that
features multimedia content that is convincing and easy to present." The
idea of multimedia content is important as a promotional tool in educating the general public as well as the countercultural community. I
see the importance of promoting the relevance of an integrated approach to sustainable
development through civic organizations, educational institutions, government
and the media.
I have 'expanded' upon the work of Bhakti-Tirtha Swami Krishnapada
of The Institute for Appled Spiritual Technology (http://www.ifast.net/) after having spoken
with him during an event some years ago.
Having a full spectrum of activities of a community
would be the 'ideal', while considering self-sufficiency and sustainability,
keeping in mind the necessity (and hopefully the desire) to interact with
neighboring communities. There are basic
activities that I consider essential within the context of basic
'self-sufficiency', particularly within the context of the 'ecovillage'. These are nestled in with the divisions of
responsibility I lay out in this posting.
These activities are education, 'medical' care, economics, and of course
environmental concern.
To be sure all bases are
covered, and working within the concept of 'intentionality', while looking to
the experience of others, I have developed a system of 'responsibility
divisions'. These are broken down into
12 sectors, falling under 4 primary categories, being:
1 - Food & Shelter 2 - Business & Barter 3 - Security & Protection
4 - Personal Growth & Development
Keeping in mind that there are really no divisions in
reality, there is substantial overlap between these, and these responsibilities
might be represented better in a circle rather than a
list. A list such as this could simply
be a starting point for some, at least something to work from.
Further refinement into 12 sectors follows:
I --- Food & Shelter - Design, Finances, &
Implementation considerations
1. - Building & Development
2. - Food & Farming
3. - Utilities
II -- Business & Barter
4. - Material Needs
5. - Industry & Fundraising
6. - Management & Research
III - Security & Protection
7. - Collective Self Defense
8. - Legal
9. - Public Relations
IV -- Personal Growth & Development
10. - Health
11. - Education
12. - Counseling
These 12 can be refined even further by determining
what tasks are necessary to achieve the objectives at hand, or aspects which might be included within the community, somewhat
of a checklist. These would all be
according to the particular circumstances of each community. Notice how many of them actually 'point
toward' other sectors of responsibility, thus providing the need for a
framework of collaboration within the community... Examples follow of where
priorities may lie:
I. Food & Shelter - Design, Finance, &
Implementation considerations
1. - Building & Development
A. - Maintenance
i. -
House
ii. - Garage
B. - Infrastructure
i. - Sustainable Energy
.. >>> Utilities
ii. - Development
Planning
C. - Grounds
i. -
Garden & Aesthetics . >>>
Food & Farming
ii. - Water Drainage
and Resource Management
D. - Construction
i. -
Tools and Equipment
ii. -
Work Equity planning. >>>
Business & Barter
2. - Food & Farming
A. - Gardens
B. - Greenhouses
C. - Food Co-op
D. - Community Supported
Agriculture
E. - Sister Community Connection . >>> Outreach
3. - Utilities
A. - Ground Source Heat Pumps
B. - Solar Energy (primarily
active)
C. - Solar Hot Water (passive)
D. - Water Retention
E. - Wind Power
F. - Communications
G. - Bio-diesel Generator(s)
II. Business & Barter
4. - Material Needs
A. - Food Plans
B. - Clothing exchange
C. - More Extensive Permaculture
5. - Industry & Fundraising
A. - Cottage Industry
i. -
Services Co-op
ii. - Permacultural Products
iii. - Grantwriting
iv. - Parties / Events
v. -
Educational Outreach. >>>
Management & Research
6. - Management & Research
A. - Accounting & Bookeeping
B. - Legal Department ....... >>> Security & Protection
C. - Lending Library
D. - Office Organization
Management
E. - Outreach ...............>>> Industry & Fundraising
F. - Education >>>
Industry & Fundraising
III. Security & Protection
7. - Collective Self Defense
A. - Larger Community
Relations...> Public Relations
B. - Martial Arts
8. - Legal
A. - Rights
B. - Responsibilities
9. - Public Relations > Bus.&Barter:Mgt.&Outreach:Industry&Fundraising
A. - Outreach
B. - Education
IV. Personal Growth & Development
10. - Health (insurance)
A. - Diet ....................... >>>
Food & Farming
B. - Physical
Modes (Exercise, Yoga, etc.)
11. - Education ............... >>>
Mgt. & Research : Ed. & Outreach
12. - Counseling -...within processes of
conflict resolution & mediation
Within the framework of the community
I'm working on, examples of practical application and various basic aspects are
as follows:
I --- Food & Shelter - Design, Finances, &
Implementation considerations
1. -
Building & Development
- 2 buildings belonging to the originating
housing collective
- Residents in others participate in meals
and common projects
- 4 participating houses in a row at this
point
- We have a resident architect
- Working on getting legal
and group issues in order to proceed...
2. -
Food & Farming
- Participation in food co-op and Community Supportes Agriculture
- Large gardens inbetween
the houses
- Developing permaculture based systems
3. -
Utilities
- Preliminary planning for ground source heat
pumps
- Plans for solar hot water
- Plans for photovoltaic usage
II -- Business & Barter
4. -
Material Needs
- Sharing of building materials within the
community
- Sharing services and cooperatively produced
goods amongst locals
- Food, soaps, and other basic supplies
provided for in budget
5. -
Industry & Fundraising
- Members' participation in
cooperative ventures w/sister comms.
- Large network of friends doing various
fundraising events
- Plans for doing cottage industry
6. -
Management & Research
- Concensus based
management
- Intentional community movement support and
networking
- Focus on environmental, economic issues,
and social justice III - Security & Protection
7. -
Collective Self Defense
- Familiarity with neighbors and the larger
community
- Martial arts training
- Legal help waiting in the wings
8. -
Legal
- Legal help waiting in the wings
- As an activist community, our rights are a
primary issue
- EV Development issues as they relate to
codes being addresed
9. -
Public Relations
- Block meetings
- Involvement in
- Involvement with other local intentional
communities & projects IV -- Personal Growth & Development
10. - Health
- Yoga in the morning, martial arts in the
evening
- Doctor, chiropractor, physical therapist,
massage therapist,...
- Emphasis on organic, wholesome food, with
vegetarian/vegan meals
11. -
Education
- Incorporation as educational institution
(housing collective)
- Neighborhood children participate in
gardening, laying bricks...
- Plans for more structured programs for
children & adults
12. -
Counseling (and mediation)
- Mediation procedure written into bylaws
- Meetings give space to bring issues out
- Larger network of friends available for
support
These are some of the necessary
elements we have, that as a forming ecovillage development we can build upon to
become a substantial example of an intentional community taking responsibility
to work towards creating our own little corner of sustainability.
Trust - Unity - Take care of Yourself'
Joy Tang
In the quest of finding how technology could serve
humanity in the past three years, I found myself in the network of women who
TRUST their heart desire for a peaceful world for all in the Gather the Women Conference
(www.gatherthewomen.org)
in
It was a three day
conference where the women involved became deeply affected by the compassionate
energy of each other's presence. The women were immersed in the healing energy
that they created by sharing with each other their deeply held convictions and
feelings.
One dilemma is when you create this loving
environment in conventional society it is often temporary and that we often
soon end up missing that loving environment. Gather the Women organizer Kathe Schaaf talks about holding that space of communion and
solidarity towards social transformation and bringing into our lives on an
everyday basis. She speaks of an “increased sense of urgency about all the
things that must shift on this planet soon.” Schaaf adds that “it is important to make time for silence, for
deep listening and for tuning in to your sources of sacred wisdom. Make it a
priority in your life to ask for help and guidance from your Spiritual
Source... and to listen in new ways to the answers you are getting.”
This makes all our efforts at OVF all the more
relevant because we seek to create built environments that affirm these
feelings on an everyday level with the goal of making it easier to devote our
energies towards increasing the level of change and transformation in our lives
towards becoming a model of inspiration to others.
I command the effort of all these women, connected in
heart and spirit, now we are connected further by
learning how to use the information and communication technology (ICT) to
facilitate in our actions.
The PlanetWeavers link at www.gatherthewomen.org is a site that provides
women with an opportunity to dialogue, to share stories and experiences, to
connect with projects for action. Carol
Hansen Grey is equipping us with ICT skills and turn
us into 'heart engineers.' Her devotion
is contagious and our learning platform is getting stronger each day.
As women come together, united as ONE, we exuding our natural instinct to care for our children,
our life, our mother earth and of one another.
As we released the 100 monarch butterflies with our
dreams and visions at the end of the conference, the one I released with Jodi Weisbart will bring the message to the world: TRUST your
heart desire, UNITE with the rest and TAKE GOOD CARE of yourself.
With deepest love to all,
Joy Tang
****************** By Jeff Buderer *************
Joy Tang's core strength as founder is in pulling the
group together and in conveying the sense of need in relation to “Mother
Africa” to the donor community. She recently attended a conference where she
says women displayed courage in voicing their feelings in relation to their
lives and where the world is going.
It was a three day
conference where the women involved became deeply affected by the compassionate
energy of each other's presence. Joy says the women were immersed in the
healing energy that they created by sharing with each other their deeply held
convictions and feelings.
One dilemma is when you create this loving
environment in conventional society it is often temporary and that we often
soon end up missing
that loving environment. Gather the Women organizer Kathe
Schaaf talks about holding that space of communion
and solidarity towards social transformation and bringing into our lives on an
everyday basis. She speaks of an “increased sense of urgency about all the
things that must shift on this planet soon.” Schaaf adds that “it is important to make time for silence, for
deep listening and for tuning in to your sources of sacred wisdom. Make it a
priority in your life to ask for help and uidance
from your Spiritual Source... and to listen in new ways to the answers you are
getting.”
This makes all our efforts at OVF all the more
relevant because we seek to create built environments that affirm these
feelings on an everyday level with the goal of making it easier to devote our
energies towards increasing the level of change and transformation in our lives
towards becoming a model of inspiration to others.
The PlanetWeavers link at www.gatherthewomen.org is aite
that provides women with an opportunity to dialogue, to share stories and
experiences, to connect with projects for action.