We are working with former Rockridge colleagues (and others who’ve since joined our ranks) to bridge the gap between insightful knowledge about the mind, on the one hand, and the political world, on the other. A major thrust will be to restore trust in the political process by helping people understand the manipulative and deceptive techniques used to spread propaganda, reducing the effectiveness of these harmful techniques while empowering citizens with vital self-knowledge. Along the way, activists and advocates will gain valuable skills - and new professional practices - to enhance their efforts to build a more progressive world.

Want to learn more about it? Contact us directly with inquiries or sign up on our mailing list to receive updates as things progress.

And look for us in the upcoming issue of Environmental Forum, a publication of theEnvironmental Law Institute, where we explore the importance of cognitive policy for the environmental movement in the cover article.

The process, according to John Seely Brown, a theorist of information technology and former director of the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, reflects “a huge shift in popular culture, from consuming to participating” enabled by the interactivity so characteristic of the Internet. It is sometimes called open-source science, taking the name from open-source software in which the source code, or original programming, is made public to encourage others to work on improving it.

The trick, of course, is to structure the process appropriately.

A tremendous breakthrough occurred during the middle of the 20th Century when two metaphors emerged in the physical sciences:

The new understanding, a foundation of information science, was that the form of physical structures can be understood as abstract representations and that they could be conceptualized as having an inherent “potential” which physicists call potential energy. So it became possible to think of information as the structure of energy and the potential work that energy could do in its current configuration.

What does this have to do with crowd-sourcing? Everything. You see, it is not sufficient to simply stand above the masses with a megaphone and ask questions. The potential work that the community is capable of will be influenced considerably by the structure of the community. So, for example, there needs to be an easy and cheap way for people to communicate with each other if ideas are to be exchanged. The internet provides considerable structure to communications with its myriad pathways and low cost routes for shipping snippets of thought.

There also exists a creativity potential through the contexts of interaction that shape what the situation means to participants. This is evident in scenes of genius (called “scenius” by some, as I’ve written earlier) where the context plays a vital role in shaping the inspiration of people who linger around. The “structure” of this component is immanently cultural and may be difficult to extract by emphasizing the material environment in isolation from its conceptual landscape.

Care needs to be taken in building the right kind of community if crowd-sourcing is to succeed. Structure is vital in this process and should not be overlooked.

I am optimistic that crowds can solve our biggest problems. Ultimately, the solutions to our climate crisis, energy needs, and sagging economy will be shaped by the technologies of social organization. Figuring out the best ways to organize ourselves will be challenging work, no doubt about it. We’ll need to depend upon existing structures - like the internet - to transform the pooling of effort into success.

Technorati Tags: community, crowdsourcing

As the article observes, selling products that are environmentally (or otherwise) harmful to raise funds for a good cause clearly sends a mixed message. This concern can be elevated in importance when it is children who are asked to sell products to raise funds for their school. Such concerns helped prompt the entrepreneurs cited in the article to find better alternatives to the standard fundraising offerings.

The Wall Street Journal article Businesses Emerge to Help School Fund-Raisers Go Green notes that changing attitudes about consumption, health, and the environment are altering parents’ choices about the products they would like to see offered in school fundraisers. Traditional choices such as candy and cookie dough are on their way out due to growing awareness of childhood obesity. Worries about lead or other hazardous substances in some types of imported products for children also sparked doubts about what school fundraisers were attempting to promote. (Whether such fundraisers are an appropriate means to fund an education system is another question, which is not examined by the article.) Outside of education, some nonprofits are likely wrestling with some similar questions.

Lisa Olson founded Greenraising in response to growing interest in environmentally responsible products as well as the apparent mismatch between typical fundraising products and the lessons that schools sought to impart about the environment and health. Her company says that it was started not only to help raise funds for schools, but also to “give children an opportunity to learn that their actions can change the world.”

Greenraising sells reusable lunch bags made from recycled materials by a women’s cooperative, reusable water bottles, environmentally friendly cleaning supplies, and fair trade tea and other products. It enables school or other non-profit groups to raise funds through its website or through catalog-based fundraiser drives.

Another company in this field is Green Students Fundraising, which is based in Toronto. This company got started in 2006 by offering compact fluorescent light bulbs for sale through school fundraisers and began to expand its offerings as the energy-efficient bulbs became more commonplace. Green Students Fundraising keeps track of the carbon dioxide emissions that its bulbs have displaced, which currently stands at 1,262,750 kilograms. It also makes use of Facebook in its marketing efforts.

You can see a Canadian television interview with Green Students Fundraising founder Corey Berman and its marketing manager, Michelle Boigon, below:

While one might question why we continue to rely upon fundraisers to provide a share of the resources for public education, it is encouraging to see some people who are making the best of the situation for students, parents, and the environment.

Evan

Technorati Tags: climate crisis, energy, food, green business, health

As one of the entrepreneurs quoted in the article notes, “Nature doesn’t make any waste.” When we redesign our processes in a thoughtful way, we can move society closer to the standard that nature sets. One company described in the article sees its role in redesigning processes we live by as a form of planetary healthcare.

The company that intrigued me most of those mentioned in the Celsias article Waste-to-Resources: The Ultimate Sustainable Industry? is R-Earth. Located in British Columbia, R-Earth is helping communities on Vancouver Island to keep more of the waste that they produce from entering the landfill. At the same time, it generates fertilizer, and is gearing up to produce liquid fuels and electric power as well. While some efforts to use waste for such purposes can be hazardous due to toxins in the waste stream, R-Earth has found a way to contain this risk. The company uses organic waste as the input to its processes, which largely bypasses this concern.

R-Earth began by working with restaurants and grocery stores on Vancouver Island, which agreed to separate their organic waste and provide it to the company. Later, regional districts on the island instituted curbside collection of organic waste in separate bins, which deliver them to R-Earth, providing it with more material to work with.

Among the products that R-Earth produces are organic fertilizer, compost, and liquid plant food. The company is also gearing up to produce ethanol and synthetic diesel fuel as well as electric power from biogas in the coming months.

As the company, which also operates as International Composting Corporation, notes, roughly 7 to 10% of carbon dioxide emissions in North America can be attributed to landfills. It also claims that 40% of the waste deposited in landfills is organic waste, which accounts for all of the greenhouse gas emissions of landfills. With growing demand for energy sources, increasing pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and interest in reducing the flow of waste to landfills, the model that R-Earth has developed seems to have great potential. R-Earth/International Composting calls itself a “planet healthcare company” for the response it provides to these environmental and social afflictions.

You can also see a video demonstrating some of the company’s operating processes online.

Evan

Technorati Tags: biogas, energy, food, recycling, waste

As they flock to the area’s farmers markets in search of fresh local produce, however, a new problem is emerging, which markets in other areas may also face: not enough local growers.

The article Harvesting business: Farmers markets a growing trend observes that established farmers markets in the Jacksonville area are expanding and new markets are opening to meet increasing demand. As markets extend their hours, however, there is a risk that there will not be enough farmers to go around.

Jimmy Orth, the executive director of the environmental organization St. Johns Riverkeeper, encountered this problem while working with others to expand farmers markets in part of the Jacksonville area:

“There’s a growing interest in local agriculture, but you need more farmers to meet the demand.”

Orth maintains that farmers markets will probably become a necessity as food prices keep rising, indicating a need for active efforts to encourage local food production.

Similar to the local foods seminar offered as part of the Miami Valley Grown program in Ohio that I highlighted recently, a new course called Growing Growers offered by the University of Florida Extension Service is seeking to prepare landholders to grow and sell crops for local markets.

Such steps may be just the beginning of what is needed in order to make a successful transition to a way of life in which far more production takes place locally.

Evan

Technorati Tags: farming, food, local food

Does this mean that CSA farms have finally hit the big time?

The Times article presents some evidence that CSA farming is beginning to catch on in the U.S. in a significant way. It cites (unnamed) academic experts who found that the number of American farms using the CSA model has grown from fewer than 100 in the early 1990s to nearly 1,500 today.

According to the article, the Internet has been critical to the proliferation and success of the CSA model. Growing interest in local food and community is also a strong component:

“I think people are becoming more local-minded, and this fits right into that,” said Nichole D. Nazelrod, program coordinator at the Fulton Center for Sustainable Living at Wilson College in Chambersburg, Pa., a national clearinghouse for community-supported farms. “People are seeing ways to come together and work together to make this successful.”

In part, the article profiles Erehwon Farm, a four-acre CSA located 35 miles from Chicago. At some CSAs, members do not just pay for shares of the produce; they may also work on the farm as volunteers. Offering the example of a retired computer consultant who recently did some weeding at the farm, the article states that CSA members are now “turning the old notion of sharecropping on its head.”

Not only is the number of CSA farms growing rapidly, but, in many cases, the number of members that particular CSAs serve is also rising quickly. Erehwon began operating as a farm in 2001 and is now up to 150 members. Others have grown even larger, such as The Golden Earthworm Organic Farm on Long Island, which grew from 10 members in 2000 to about 1,300 today.

One interesting development reported in the article is that Heifer Ranch, a model farm and research program operated by Heifer International, is exploring ways to make it easier for farmers around the world to make productive use of the CSA model.

Meanwhile, farmers who have implemented CSAs in the U.S. are finding that consumers are catching on to the idea of local food from a familiar source. Thomas Wrchota, whose Wisconsin ranch offers shares of grass-fed beef and organic produce, explains:

“Up until about five years ago, we had to do a tremendous amount of guerrilla marketing. The consumer who is interested now, they’re doing their homework. They know the health and taste benefits.”

You can see a slideshow of CSAs featured in the New York Times article online.

Evan

Technorati Tags: csa, food, local food

While the festivals survive, some of the farms whose produce they once honored have been sold off to developers in recent years. The farms that remain may get a boost from the festivals, although the article notes one case in which the namesake vegetable of one festival was crowded out by treats such as sno-cones.

Some communities, however, are taking a more active role in promoting local farms and the foods they produce, as two recent articles on a local food initiative in Ohio demonstrates.

Ohio’s Dayton Daily News examined the creation of a new initiative to match up local farmers and consumers. The program, called Miami Valley Grown, was started by a county commissioner and an educator from Ohio State University Extension who sought to make it easier for consumers to gain access to local foods.

The program cites economic as well as environmental advantages to eating local foods, but does more than simply educate consumers about these benefits. Miami Valley Grown helps to launch and expand farmers markets, which the program calls a way to “cultivate community,” and takes steps to ensure that local foods are integrated into other sales channels.

The initiative works with grocery stores to understand their requirements and find ways to get locally grown foods onto their shelves. One local grocery chain responded by instituting an “Eat Local Challenge” in partnership with local growers. Shoppers who purchase locally grown produce and create recipes and meals using local foods will be eligible to win prizes from its stores.

Miami Valley Grown has also approached restaurants in an effort to make locally grown foods a prominent part of their menus. Colleges and universities in the area have also been approached to help ease access of local farmers to their food procurement processes. Organizers of the initiative also convened a local food workshop to train farmers about opportunities to market their foods locally. A map (PDF) of area farmers markets, CSA farms, and restaurants that feature locally grown produce is also part of the mix.

One local farmer quoted in a second article about the local food initiative finds that the freshness of locally grown produce can be its greatest strength. Describing the salad mix he now sells at a farmers market, Michael Malone says:

“‘We pick the night before and refrigerate it, so when a customer buys it, it’s 12 hours old,’ said Malone, who along with Krysta Relyea grows organic vegetables, fruits and flowers at Little Creek Gardens off Clyo Road in Centerville. ‘I’ve had customers come back the next week and tell me how amazed they were that my salad mix was still fresh in their refrigerator a week later. Well, I know the reason why.’”

In a time of unease about the safety and origins of the food we eat, feeling confident about the source and the freshness of one’s food surely brings satisfaction as well.

Evan

Technorati Tags: csa, farming, food, local food, organic farming

Today, National Public Radio highlighted three such efforts in different parts of the country. Collectively, they reveal that we have a long way to go before we get a handle on this massive problem.

NPR’s All Things Considered began with a report on Utah’s decision to shift most state government employees to what Governor Jon Huntsman calls a 4/10 schedule, a work week comprised of four ten-hour days. Utah’s governor says that the move to a four day work week for most employees will reduce energy usage and carbon dioxide emissions and save the state $3 million per year. The report noted that workers for the state government were surprised by the news, and most either loved or hated the plan. While the shortened work week will allow many government workers to reduce their commuting costs, it also disrupts patterns that some employees had come to rely upon. Problems with child care arrangements as well as night school classes were cited by some employees as conflicts that the new policy would create for them and their families.

A second story addressed an unusual move by sheriff’s deputies in Fairfield County, Ohio to save gas. While some have resorted to walking to reduce government spending on gas, a few deputies are using golf carts that have been painted to resemble conventional patrol cars. Oddly, the text of the story that appears on NPR’s website refers to the vehicles as “electric carts,” while on the audio a sheriff’s deputy mentions filling up the cart’s six gallon tank. At any rate, the carts, which were originally purchased for use in parades, have some drawbacks, including a top speed of 25 miles per hour and the fact that they are open air, which one deputy quoted in the story chose to regard as a benefit during the summer months.

Finally, All Things Considered covered a community college in Tennessee that is responding to the rising cost of commuting for the students it serves. Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, which serves a rural population that must drive a long distance to campus, previously introduced online classes and concentrated weekend classes. Now, it is introducing what it calls full-time Fridays, which enable students to take all of their classes in just one day each week. Taking four classes back-to-back amounts to a staggering 13 hour day! The reporter notes, “There is some concern that academics could suffer,” and the administration recommends the new option only for highly motivated students. Frankly, I can’t imagine anyone who would thrive on that schedule.

While the kinds of measures described in these stories may provide a little assistance at the margins, they are clearly not adequate solutions that will help people or institutions in the ways that are needed in the long run. As energy costs continue to mount and the effects of peak oil become more pronounced, institutions cannot hope to extend or scale these fixes into durable solutions. A work week of four ten-hour days might be feasible for most people and might help a little, but the state can’t move to two twenty-hour days per week when energy prices go up further! And we’re not likely to find a significant portion of police forces switching to golf carts either. More comprehensive solutions are needed, but these will only come when there is a better understanding of the nature of the problems we face.

You can listen to the audio of all three stories on the today’s All Things Considered page on NPR’s website.

Evan

Technorati Tags: climate, climate crisis, commuting, energy, oil, peak oil

At the blog IonPlants, Diane profiles an heirloom seeds entrepreneur, whom she calls an inspiration:

“Jeremiath Gettle of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed company wanted to be a seedman from the time he was a young boy. He worked it out brilliantly, and has built an empire of heirloom seeds. Regular festivals feature folk music and plenty of old-timey goodness, and are drawing more people from around the US and the world each year…”

An article that Diane points to about Jere Gettle and his seed company explains that he was an avid gardener and collector from his childhood in Montana. Reading an article in Sunset Magazine about heirloom seeds piqued his interest, and led him to begin collecting seeds. He also began to learn more about seeds with the help of an organization called Seed Savers.

Gettle’s hobby grew into a business while he was still a teenager, as he began to produce a growing catalog of heirloom seeds for sale. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds now offers 1200 varieties of heirloom seeds, and Jere Gettle spends months each year expanding that selection further. His catalog is prized by renowned chefs who value heirloom fruits and vegetables for their unique qualities, including color, taste, and nutrition that differ from common commercial varieties.

Festivals incorporating bluegrass, cowboy and mountain music, crafts, and, of course, gardening attract thousands to the Ozark hills of Missouri, where Baker Creek’s store is located amid the old fashioned Bakersville Pioneer Village. Its Bakersville website describes their Spring Planting Festival as the largest heritage gardening event in the country and invites visitors to:

“Enjoy a sense of community with fascinating seed collectors, renowned musicians, national speakers, historic demonstrators, food activists, home schoolers, western re-enactors, organic growers, gourmet chefs, free thinkers, Ozarkian crafters, trendier vendors & herbal hippies…”

Jere Gettle is also active online, with a personal website that features his photographs of heirloom fruits and vegetables, his company’s festivals, and some of the people and places he has met on his quests for seeds. He is also responsible for an online community called I Dig My Garden, which offers advice to thousands of heirloom gardeners, as well as a print publication called The Heirloom Gardener.

While I haven’t tried his company’s seeds yet, with all the ways that Jere Gettle is building community and empowering gardeners, it is easy to see why people find him inspiring.

Evan

Technorati Tags: food, local food

Here’s a quick look at some ways in which communities can make reuse easier.

1. Reuse Superstores

There are plenty of small stores, both for-profit and non-profit, that sell used clothing and occasionally a few other used products, but what about a reuse superstore? Urban Ore in Berkeley is one such place, offering what it describes as “3 acres of well-organized used goods.” Its offerings range from building materials to appliances, computers to power tools. Urban Ore also designs reuse facilities for other areas. While people sometimes assume that it is run by a non-profit, it is actually a for-profit business. Its management believes this business model will be replicated widely in the future, noting on its website:

“As the world’s resources are depleted, this type of for-profit eco-retail will likely become more common.”

2. Free Swap Shops

Some towns create swap shops to divert items from entering their waste stream, making them available for reuse. The Earth 911 blog recently highlighted one such effort in upstate New York. The swap shop that opened in the town of Victor, New York this week accepts a wide variety of household items, including toys, sporting goods, and furniture, which town residents can take home at no charge. Victor’s swap shop was created on a budget of just $2,500, the cost of the small storage facilities needed, and is staffed by volunteers. An article in the area’s newspaper notes that such swap shops “are catching on elsewhere.”

3. Free Sharing Websites

Freecycle and similar websites have been around for several years, but I had little sense of how popular they had become until I read an article this past week in the Christian Science Monitor, which was noted in Energy Bulletin. The article notes that Freecycle, which was created five years ago, now has more than 5 million members in 4,500 local groups in 85 countries, and it is not alone. As the article notes, Freecycle was founded by Deron Beal, who used to spend much of his time driving a pickup truck to various non-profit organizations in Arizona, asking them whether they needed furniture or computers that his recycling organization had received. Beal then created an email list, starting with 30 members, which led to the basic Freecycle model: members post items they are offering or items they would like, but do not barter or sell items. From a modest start, Freecycle has grown so large that that Beal estimates its members keep about 500 tons of stuff out of land­­fills every day. With the lagging economy, membership in Freecycle and similar sites is rising quickly. In addition to Freecycle, readers of the Christian Science Monitor article recommended FreeMesa and ReUseIt in their comments.

Of course, this short list has barely scratched the surface. There are many other familiar means to enable reuse, including direct donations to organizations and online sales, such as through Craigslist, which tends to be local, and eBay, which usually is not.

Forms of reuse have probably been around as long as humans have been making things that are durable, but it is good to see new ways in which people are coming together to make reuse easier, especially given the imperatives we face.

Evan

Technorati Tags: recycling, reuse