Get involved

Floating site for volunteer information organization experiment. I am planning to copy a lot of information here to compare it side by side and let subcategories emerge. -Marie

Contact: opensourceecology@gmail.com

Check out our current priorities.

Contribute

Donate

The tools under development are to help you! We are building the world's first replicable self-sufficient village, so that anyone can "buy out at the bottom" to transform society by transcending survival - so that we all can evolve to freedom. When the project is complete, replication can be had by all at low cost. You may have seen our documentation of progress at our weblog. We are making real things, not just ideas. Any donation, big or small, can help. Thank you!

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You can also donate resources such as food, services, seeds, metals, and materials to OSE. We have a list of needed items and materials. Please email OpenSourceEcology@gmail.com to find out how.

Become a True Fan

Generating and maintaining True Fans is a way for individual and small groups of artists, producers, inventors and makers to crowd fund their continuing work. Open Source Ecology is looking for people to fund its projects by donating a fixed amount per month. The Standard Subscription is $10 per month. As of September, 2010, there have been requests for larger donation options. In response, we created Gold, Gold Extra, Platinum, and Angel subscriptions at $20, $30, $50, and $100 per month, respectively.

We have shown consistently that we spend nearly 100% of donations directly on prototyping and product release work surrounding the 40 items of the Global Village Construction Set

Standard : $10.00USD - monthly Gold : $20.00USD - monthly Gold Extra : $30.00USD - monthly Platinum : $50.00USD - monthly Angel : $100.00USD - monthly

Help Develop the Wiki

This wiki is a means to share detailed information about Open Source Ecology, the Global Village Construction Set, and the work that is ongoing at Factor e Farm. The site is currently in the process of being reorganized to increase users' ease of access to the current content and to content added in the future as the project grows. This is a great way to contribute some of your time to furthering the goals of the OSE project. We are looking for volunteers to:

• Add relevant content
• Help in the process of categorizing and organizing

To request a user account for our wiki, ask for one using our contact form, using "Wiki Account Request" as the subject from the pull-down menu.

To orient yourself to the standards and current projects of this wiki, please consult:

• Instructions for working with Media Wiki, which powers this site
• Wiki Documentation Standards
• Wiki wish list, including the discussion page

Spread the Word

Our "core message": "Creating tools for building modern off-grid resilient communities that can be reproduced by anyone at low cost."

• Add OSE as a friend on your social networking sites - see our facebook page, myspace page, twitter, and identi.ca.
• Make contact with any of the groups listed on the Marketing page. We are looking to build bridges with people that are interested in interested in openfarmtech.org products.
• Help us make contact with specialists and experts who can aide us in broadening and improving our set of open source tools and technologies.
• Contact us about potential venues and opportunities to present the project to a new audience. Marcin is available to come and speak in your community / to your group / at your institution given the right circumstances.
• Tell everyone you know about Open Source Ecology!

Co-laborate

(as distinct from 'collaborate')

Share Your Expertise

If you are an expert in any of the many bodies of knowledge that relate to our project of creating open source machines / tools, we would love help improving our designs. The more open source technologies and tools we have, the less we need to be locked to proprietary technologies, the closer we come to making our vision a reality. If you can help us design better tools, please do!

You can:

• Review the plan and development process for the Global Village Construction Set.
• Help us design a specific project or a sub-assembly of a project. We are currently requesting review and bids on our Specifications for a number of projects.
• Look at our list of subject areas in need of an expert to see if your expertise matches up with needs as we currently see them.
• Send us a proposal for the development of a possible open source tool or technology to our project.

Co-laborate on the Farm

Joseph Zarr plastering in the CEB workshop, early Feb 2009

Before considering volunteering at the farm, please read the following:

• Factor e Farm Social Contract
• Factor e Farm's Rules of Conduct.
• in development -> Life on Factor e Farm

We are seeking individuals to come to Factor e Farm for one month project-based visits to help develop the GVCS and the infrastructure at Factor e Farm. Proposals for projects are being accepted and reviewed. The suitability of proposals depends largely on a candidate's level of skill and experience. This is also our route for accepting new people for long-term stays as part of the Factor e Farm experiment.

Ideally we are looking for:

• Confident and highly dynamic self learners and researchers.
• People motivated by innovation and change, who are open to new ideas and excited by diversity of thought.
• Developers who can take a project from concept drawing to real world implementation.
• Those comfortable in rural and rustic settings.
• Willing team members, self starters, and project leaders.

We are offering a place where you can put the philosophy of sustainability into action. We are a physical experiment in building a post industrial global village - a space for all people to learn and grow. Because of the diversity of our activities, we believe a Factor E experience can be exceptional and life-changing, but that doesn't mean it's for everyone. There are countless opportunities available in the realm of sustainability and justice (ie. wiserearth; idealist; organicvolunteers; WWOOF; growing growers--(a Kansas City area based farmer's training program)).

We are looking for Project Managers to lead the development of tangible products to be deployed at Factor e Farm. At present, we have 3 projects being managed: the CEB, Sawmill, and Solar Turbine. Each of these projects may be divided into sub-projects. For example, the Solar Turbine may be divided into the steam engine, metal casting, open source lathe, and other sub-projects. If you are interested in leading the development of one of the components or sub-components of the GVCS, please let us know.

Nate and Ama

Feb. 17 - 20 - Nate and Ama

• Feb 28 - Fruit Propagation Workshop

Left to Right - Jeremy, Kate, Tom (True Fan), Lisa, Toby, John, Sarah, and Steve

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• March 2-5 - Building the second Solar Cubicle

O.R.

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• May 25-27 - Bhaskara and Jacek

Ben, Marcin, Bhaskara, Jeremy, Jacek

Ben, Jacek, Marcin, Bhaskara

• January 2010 - Andrew and Liora from Gaia University

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There are many ways you can help contribute to creating the first Open Source Global Village:

• We need help at all levels of organizational, research, and hands-on work.

• You may visit Factor e Farm to help design, build a prototype, and implement a project. This can mean visits of a week minimum at a time, or full on site, year around living at Factor e Farm. If you wish to visit to work on your project, and if we have no additional housing (check with us on this), you will have to either bring your own housing (tent, camper, etc), or need to build your own shelter, or donate $430 to have it built before you arrive (Once the CEB press has been modified, your shelter will be a CEB house, not a Solar Cubicle). If you are staying for an extended time (1 month or more), you will also need to build your own Organoponic Raised Bed using materials provided, or contribute $225 to have it built before you arrive. In that case, you will then be fully responsible for your shelter and your raised bed while you are on site. Please consider volunteering at least once before you decide that you wish to take this route - see Volunteer at Factor e Farm. Living on site is a major lifestyle change which may not be for everyone.

• If you do not have the skill or expertise to help us design and you know visiting Factor e Farm isn't for you but you'd like to see a project finished, you may donate material or funds to a specific project.

• People to work on GVCS projects, and in particular, the Build a Village Project.

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1. Build some of the machines yourself, test their performance and report back any difficulties or problems you faced while building and using them;
2. Find groups of people who could benefit the most out of these machines, but who still don't know about their existence. Let them know. Eco-villages, permaculturists, farmers, and so on; Report your efforts on Outreach 2010;
3. Visits the pages listed at the Category: Collaboration Discussions page to get to know current collaboration ideas; Create new pages in that category;
4. Propose better ways to do something we're doing, or propose new things we should do.
5. Add more ideas to this page
6. Produce CAD drawings and fabrication drawings for the tractor, CEB press, Power Cube, and rototiller.

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=Core Team Membership= - those people who are physically located at Factor e Farm on a long-term basis

Open Source Ecology at Factor E Farm has many opportunities for participation. For those of you interested in a hands-on experiential approach, a long-term (one month or more) stay may be a good option for you. We want this to be the "right" experience for you, so read the blurb below to get a feel of what life might be like on the farm. We also welcome student research projects, on site or remote. There is a large number of practical topics that may be turned to a research/independent study project, paper, or thesis. You have the opportunity to do exactly what you want and get college credit at the same time. We have a Ph.D., which helps facilitate academic credentialing for your study. If you are interested, please fill out the application and email it to: opensourceecology [at] gmail.com.

Where will I stay?

The present option (as of 2.9.09) is on-demand housing construction using standard construction methods, at $400 per 8x8x8 foot solar cubicle. This is until we master the CEB-Sawmill infrastructure. See our community portal for our program until the end of 2010.

What we are.

• A research and development center
• A farm
• A network
• A diversity of ecological living
• An experiment station
• Explorers of truth
• Durable
• Visionary
• Creative
• Self-directed
• Homesteaders

What we are not.

• Experts.
• Agricultural only.
• Luxury Lifestyle.
• Babysitters.

Is Factor E Farm for you?

Browse through our website; email or call us with questions. When you feel prepared, fill out an application.

The Application

If you've made it this far, congratulations. This application is not set in stone. If you don't like one of the questions, don't answer it. If you have a better question, please create it. The written word makes communication simpler. However, if you prefer to communicate through a different medium, feel free to do so. (if you need to send something via the postal service, please email us for a physical address .) Please give us one month to process your application. (If you were hoping to come sooner, please send us a note and we'll see what we can do.)

Name (real and preferred)

Age

Contact Info (Give us what you want, but the more info, the easier it will be to contact you. Email, cell/work/home phone, Skype name, location, etc.)

Proposed Stay What are your proposed dates of stay.

References Please include contact information for three references or attach a letter of recommendation from them.

Describe yourself In 5 words or a short phrase; In a story or anecdote or other media

Skills and Tools What type of skills do you have; will you bring a car, computer or other tools?

Interests Given the list below, what are your top two or three areas of interest? Is there anything that is not interesting to you? Why? Did we miss one of your key interests/passions? Add it in.

Agriculture: Animals, Gardening, Permaculture, Hydroponics, Orchard, Composting, Edible Landscaping

Processing: Dehydration, Lacto-Fermentation, Canning, Baking, Solar Cooking

Energy: Passive Design, Babington Burner, Solar Panels, Hot Water, Telsa Turbine, Solar Concentration, Wind, Combined Heat Power

Fuel: BioDiesel, Straight Vegetable Oil (?), Wood Gasification

Water: Well, Rooftop Collection, Filtration, Greywater/Reuse, Living Machine, Hot Water

Building: Smart Design, CEB Press

Tools: Agricultural tools, Food Processing and Kitchen Equipment, Workshop Tools

Communication Internet, Phone, Publications, Group Work

Health Food as Medicine, Healing Plants and Minerals, Exercise, Therapies

Art Beatification, Music, Dance, Visual Arts

Other Legal, Resource Development, Marketing, Website, Public Relations

R & D Proposal: Your actual activities will depend on our needs and your interests. A Research and Development project may be beyond the scope of your stay (especially for short-term volunteers). But imagine for a moment that you could pursue one of your top interests. Please describe what your effort might entail.

Experience Describe some of your most important experiences in your life: learning opportunities, as a Team Player, as a Leader, "Roughing it", how you draw Inspiration, in Pursuit of a Dream/Goal, Community Living, Resourcefulness

Goals What would you like to learn/accomplish/achieve during your stay at Factor E Farm? Does this goal coordinate with any of your life goals? What are some of your life goals?

Anything Else?

The Contract

Here is a sample contract that you will be given to sign if you are interested in a long term stay.

http://openfarmtech.org/Volunteer_Contract.doc

Here is a Waiver of Liability that you must sign if you are visiting for long or short term stays.

http://openfarmtech.org/Release.doc

[edit] What it's like at Factor e Farm

Please learn about what it's like at Factor e Farm before you come.

[edit] How to volunteer

Volunteers should email OpenSourceEcology at gmail dot com. Also check out the Volunteer Application. We host Organic Farming Volunteers and Student Projects. See [1] for more info.