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Friends and collaborators~Human Resources~Global Initiatives~Music~Contact Massive Change -The Future of Global Design. "The most profound impact of information technology has been to transfer the potential of the scientific method - the ever-expanding accumulation of knowledge - to the cultural sphere. Internet protocols allow us to link any two computers, enabling an explosive global network of networks and generating a worldwide cultural accumulation beyond imagination, available to anyone, anywhere. Our unprecedented ability to collect, generate, understand and communicate information means more sharing of knowledge and leads to more holistic views of our world. As the limitless virtual world becomes larger and more powerful, and access to information - the true catalyst for change - increases exponentially, so too do the opportunities" Massive Change's ultimate ambition is to create an international network of action and awareness. It is therefore understandable that the project itself was born out of a spirit of multidisciplinary collaboration. Through the commitment and energy of a group ranging from students and design e rs to publishers and galleries, Massive Change has had the opportunity to become a communications project in the truest sense. From Working with the basic elements of live, to changing the way we feed the world - From Design Economies to Movement Economies to Energy Economies, the Massive Change Web-site, and its partner sites, are one of the most profound resources for people who are interested in changing the world to look to. Learn:Design has emerged as one of the world's most powerful forces. It has placed us at the beginning of a new period of human possibility, where all economies and ecologies are becoming global, relational, and interconnected. Act:Massive Change online is moving into a new phase, from communication to action. Join the project and connect with people around the world to share your ideas, discuss the critical issues, and collaborate on changing the world. Positive News The brainchild of Shauna Crockett-Burrows, the paper now has a circulation of 75,000 worldwide, and continues to expand. Positive News reports on issues rarely covered by the mainstream media and promotes the many enterprises that are working for a sustainable future. The UK edition of the paper is published by Positive News Publishing Ltd, a not-for-profit company based in Shropshire. The paper flourishes thanks to the valuable support of its loyal readers in the form of subscriptions and advertising. All subscribers receive a free copy of our 36-page full colour magazine Living Lightly delivered to their door. Donations are welcome from individuals and organisations who wish to provide greater support for our work and can be made online through the Enrichment Fund, Phone Co-op or Simply Energy.
Pomegranate Center—based in Issaquah, Washington—is an internationally recognized leader in developing neighborhood gathering places and is a leading nonprofit devoted to community-generated design and development. Our mission is to facilitate the creation of meaningful, community-crafted gathering places. We do this by integrating social, artistic and environmental perspectives into: Our work addresses the decline of community life in our times. Modern communities—impacted by complex issues including rapid change, sprawl, traffic congestion, and staggering environmental degradation—are suffering from decreased participation in activities that support local vitality, along with a lost sense of community and pride. There is a growing public consensus that neighborhoods are healthier, stronger and safer when they include public spaces where people can gather. Shared public spaces create opportunities for conversation, sharing information, performances, celebrations and play. In doing so, they create an increased sense of well-being, belonging and neighborhood pride. Pomegranate Center was founded in 1986 by artist and community organizer Milenko Matanovic. Concerned with the direction of modern communities, he created Pomegranate Center to explore how artists can link art with social and environmental issues to help build better communities. Read more about Milenko. Each year, neighborhood associations, housing authorities, non-profit developers and government agencies turn to Pomegranate Center for community-based planning, technical support and design-build services. And over 19 years, our work has improved the quality of life for countless thousands in the U.S. and abroad. Read more about our history and accomplishments. City Repair
With a mostly volunteer staff and the help of hundreds of volunteer citizen activists, our many projects: City Repair was formed in Portland, Oregon in 1996 by citizen activists who wanted a more community-oriented and ecologically sustainable society. Born out of a successful grassroots neighborhood initiative that converted a residential street intersection into a neighborhood public square, City Repair began its work with the idea that localization (of culture, of economy, of decision-making) is a necessary foundation of sustainability. By reclaiming urban spaces to create community-oriented places, we plant the seeds for greater neighborhood communication, empower our communities and nurture our local culture.
Restoring Trust In A Government By-and-For The People (Public Works: The Demos Center for the Public Sector) I believe that the Sekem Initiative is one of the best blue-prints for the corporation of the future. Read on, and please visit the web-site for a much fuller picture of this fascinating community. The SEKEM initiative was founded to realise the vision of sustainable human development. SEKEM aims to contribute to the comprehensive development of the individual, society and environment. A holistic concept encompassing integrated economic, social and cultural development forms the key SEKEM vision. Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish founded SEKEM 1977 in Egypt and he received the RIGHT LIVELIHOOD AWARD also known as the “ALTERNATIVE NOBEL PRIZE” for “establishing a business model for the 21st century in which commercial success is integrated with and promotes the social and cultural development of society through economics of love.” Soon after SEKEM was established, Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish was joined by other Egyptian and European individuals, whose combined effort helped develop the SEKEM initiative further, strongly indicating what could be achieved by a group of committed, enthusiastic, self-motivated people to further and promote the development of the goals and aims of SEKEM. SEKEM is producing a large variety of consumer products of a high quality. SEKEM seeks to enhance and bring about a greater integration of the Arts, Religion and Sciences, by establishing and promoting institutions rel ated to education, applied research and health care. A holistic vision, encompassing economic, social and cultural endeavours with the main aim to develop the people, SEKEM means Vitality from the sun
Leading Image, Policies and Mission of the SEKEM Initiative: The SEKEM Initiative aims to meet the challenge of the time by contributing towards the all encompassing development of man, community and the earth. Through the striving towards spiritual science, and the source of the religious we susta in our dynamic developmental impulse. • We endeavour to build our economic, social and cultural activities so that they invigorate each other. • We wish to build a longterm, trusting and fair relationship with our partners. • We nurture the development of all co-workers by facilitating the possibility to learn through their work; to commit themselves to their task and to practise peaceful co-operation. • We intend to restore the earth through implementing and developing biodynamic agriculture. • We want to provide various products and services of the highest stan dards to meet the needs of the consumer. • We educate and train children and youth according to contemporary human sciences. • We provide Primary Health Care and therapy using holistic medicine. • We strive through our research to meet the questions of all aspects of life for the present age. "We are an international network of ecological builders who form partnerships with communities and organizations around the world to create affordable housing from local materials and to work together for a sustainable future. We believe the solution to homelessness is not merely housing, but a local population trained to provide housing for themselves." Housing is a human right - yet increasing numbers of people are homeless, due to war, poverty, and environmental disasters. In Kosovo alone, an estimated 100,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, while recent flooding in Vietnam has left 2 million homeless. After initial disaster relief, longer-term solutions such as transitional housing are required, as well as the restoration or replacement of homes in devastated areas. Permanent housing is also needed for the chronically underhoused poor, whose situations are often as desperate as those recovering from a war or natural disaster. Since its founding in December of 1999, Builders Without Borders (BWB) has formed a dynamic team of ecological builders and other volunteers dedicated to manifesting the idea that the solution to homelessness is not merely housing, but a local population trained to provide housing for themselves. We have determined our role to be largely educational -- our goal is to support those working in the field, through providing resources, advice, networking, and training so that hard-won successes can be widely shared and disseminated. We advocate the use of straw, earth, and other easily obtainable materials for the construction of homes, to help decrease reliance on expensive, and often unavailable, alternatives.
Kiva lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world. By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can "sponsor a business" and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the business you've sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back. We partner with organizations all over the world We show you where your money goes The Soil Association
Ruskin Mill initially attracted arts and craftspeople who set up independent workshops in the building. They also shared a vision of social and cultural renewal coupled with life-long learning. As the redevelopment of Ruskin Mill progressed, the centre was instrumental in establishing the beginnings of the educational programme that later became the foundation for the Ruskin Mill Educational Trust. This programme enabled students to enter professional workshops and learn practical and social skills with craftspeople. The centre is also the venue for public workshops and courses in various arts and crafts, and is in partnership with both the Nailsworth Community Arts programme and the Nailsworth Festival. Ruskin Mill has an active cultural and social calendar of events (see Ruskin Mill events). This includes a range of acoustic and classical music by local, national and international artists, some of whom also provide workshops open to the general public. There are also lectures and presentations on topics that reflect the cutting edge of social, cultural, environmental, educational and spiritual issues of our time. The gallery, open daily from 10 am to 5 pm, hosts high quality craft and fine art exhibitions throughout the year including an end of year student exhibition in August.
The American Friends Service Committee carries out service, development, social justice, and peace programs throughout the world. Founded by Quakers in 1917 to provide conscientious objectors with an opportunity to aid civilian war victims, AFSC's work attracts the support and partnership of people of many races, religions, and cultures. AFSC's work is based on the Quaker belief in the worth of every person and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice. The organization's mission and achievements won worldwide recognition in 1947 when it accepted the Nobel Peace Prize with the British Friends Service Council on behalf of all Quakers. The AFSC is directed by a Quaker board and staffed by Quakers and other people of faith who share the Friends' desire for peace and social justice. The American Friends Service Committee is a practical expression of the faith of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Committed to the principles of nonviolence and justice, it seeks in its work and witness to draw on the transforming power of love, human and divine. We recognize that the leadings of the Spirit and the principles of truth found through Friends' experience and practice are not the exclusive possession of any group. Thus, the AFSC draws into its work people of many faiths and backgrounds who share the values that animate its life and who bring to it a rich variety of experiences and spiritual insights. This AFSC community works to transform conditions and relationships both in the world and in ourselves, which threaten to overwhelm what is precious in human beings. We nurture the faith that conflicts can be resolved nonviolently, that enmity can be transformed into friendship, strife into cooperation, poverty into well-being, and injustice into dignity and participation. We believe that ultimately goodness can prevail over evil, and oppression in all its many forms can give way. Burning Man How does a tribe of cosmic dreamers sit down and design a city? As one might imagine, the process drew from disparate sources and methods -- ancient and modern, idealistic and pragmatic. According to Tony Perez, city superintendent of Black Rock City, the incidental metropolis that springs up each year during the last week of summer on the high-desert playa of Nevada, the design began simply as a circle around the Burning Man, a giant humanoid sculpture incinerated on the final night of the festival. In 1998, Perez made the first city plan based on a horseshoe, which he called a failure, because it was too difficult to create. The next year, the organizers settled on the shape of a clock, with blocks spanning from 2 o'clock to 10 o'clock. Every 15 degrees is equivalent to half an hour, giving participants a way to instantly determine their whereabouts. Since then, the city has grown by simply adding layers to the concentric circles. In the first one, at 6 o'clock, Center Camp offers public art projects and an acre of shade under a parachute tent, where a café sells ice and coffee. Surrounded by the blueprints from various incarnations of Black Rock City, Perez spoke of the origin of the community's physical shape. "It was based on ancient ruins," he said. "Every year, we begin the process of building the city. Standing in a ceremonial circle, we drive a cement stake into the middle of the city." Then, more than 100 volunteers go about making a metropolis from scratch. Perez uses a turn-of-the-century railroad transit (a sort of rotating telescope with crosshairs) to determine the placement of the blocks fanning out fr om the center. ("Anything electronic fries in the sun out there," he explained.) Lines of volunteers drag 200-foot-long chains to determine the parameters of the blocks, and, finally, Perez creates the "roads" the low-tech way: by leaving tire tracks as he drives his truck along predetermined routes. Though the design has remained relatively similar over the years, the city's steady population growth has naturally created complexity. "In the outer edges, it's more suburban," said Perez. "People take up more space -- some people even have lawns and golf courses. In the inner city, it's more dense. People are arguing over inches.What's remarkable about the urban planning of Burning Man is how this social experiment illuminates what is essential about what we need to live together. Do we need money? Maybe not as much as we think we do. But do we need roads -- oh, yes. In any case, nothing can be left to the whims of freedom. Safety requires control, giant groups demand intelligent design and culture thrives in smaller tribes. Form must bend to function, but function is elevated by beauty. And perhaps most enlightening is what is learned as a result of the continual remaking of this temporary city, allowing Black Rock City's urban planners to experiment with creating the perfect city. -Carol Lloyd
"An association of people from all walks of life, with architechts and builders, we are rebuilding our neighborhoods, slowly rebuilding the earth." Since being introduced to Pattern Language, and its companion volume, A Timeless Way of Building, I have found that there is no other set of books spoken of with the same amount of pure reverence and gratitude by builders, designer, and architects, as well as people in every other field of study. These books know no borders. They have inspired a hugely informative web-site with articles, building services, town and neighborhood planning services, new patterns, photos, news, and an invitation to join the Pattern Language Associaton. "Pattern Language, and its companion volume A Timeless Way of Building, are reputed to be the best-selling treatises on architecture of all time. The tools in these books allow anyone, and any group of people, to create beautiful, functional, meaningful places. You can create a living world." "Nominally about architecture and urban planning, these books have more wisdom about psychology, anthropology, and sociology than any other that I've read. Nearly every one of this volume's 1170 pages will make you question an assumption that you probably didn't realize you were making." These books present us with over two hundred (roughly 250) "patterns" that they believe must be present in order for an environment to be pleasing, comfortable, or in their words, "alive." The patterns start at the most general level -- the first pattern, "Independent Regions," describes the ideal political entity, while another of my favorite patterns, "Mosaic of Subcultures," described the proper distribution of different groups within a city. The patterns gradually become more specific -- you'll read arguments about how universities should relate to the community, the proper placement of parks, the role of cafes in a city's life. If you wonder about the best design for a home, the authors will describe everything from how roofs and walls should be built, down to how light should fall within the home, where your windows should be placed, and even the most pleasant variety of chairs in the home. An underlying theme of all the patterns is tha t architecture, at its best, can be used to foster meaningful human interaction, and the authors urge us to be aware of how the houses we build can help us balance needs for intimacy and privacy. A Pattern Language offers a practical language for building and planning based on natural considerations. The reader is given an overview of some 250 patterns that are the units of this language, each consisting of a design problem, discussion, illustration, and solution. By understanding recurrent design problems in our environment, readers can identify extant patterns in their own design projects and use these patterns to create a language of their own. Extraordinarily thorough, coherent, and accessible, this book has become a bible for homebuilders, contractors, and developers who care about creating healthy, high-level design. Read Reviews of Pattern Language and A Timeless Way of Living. Pattern Language Association Creed of unashamed Idealism: WE ARE TRYING TO DO WHAT WE CAN, IN OUR LIMITED WAY, TO HELP ALL PEOPLE ON EARTH BECOME FREE WE ARE TRYING TO FIGHT AGAINST THE ENSLAVEMENT OF PEOPLE BY MONEY, BY POWER, AND BY BUILDINGS AND BY DEADLY LANDSCAPES AND CITY NEIGHBORHOODS IT WILL TAKE ALL OUR ENERGY TO FIND WAYS OF REPLACING DEAD CITIES AND ENVIRONMENTS, WITH THOSE IN WHICH WE CAN MORE EASILY BE FREE HUMAN FREEDOM IS NOT ONLY IN OUR MINDS: IT IS A STATE OF GRACE, NATURAL TO US, BUT TOO OFTEN PREVENTED BY THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH WE LIVE THIS IS OUR FIGHT TO GIVE BACK THE WORLD TO ITS PEOPLE: YOU AND ME
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