Dan Miner

Dan Miner

Team Culturing Information

last updated: 11. April, 2011

WHO are you?

• Name/Nationality/Ethnicity - Dan Miner, American

• Location - New York City, New York, US

• Contact Information - danminer@peoplepc.com, beyondoilnyc@yahoo.com, 917-319-2924

• Introductory Video -

• Resume/CV - http://www.beyondoilnyc.org/Dan-Miner-resume-3-11.pdf

• Hobbies and Pastimes -

During the last ten years, I’ve worked as SVP of Business Services of Long Island City Business Development Corporation, a business services nonprofit in western Queens, NYC. I’ve promoted City government programs, raised funds, assisted business constituents, and put together many networking and educational events.

During this time I've also engaged in a series of volunteer projects around climate change response and urban sustainability.

Beside standard NYC pastimes such as reading books while riding the subway, and going out to restaurants and movies, I also enjoy taking hot yoga classes.

WHY are you motivated to support/develop this work?

• Do you endorse open source culture?

Yes. I met Marcin when he spoke in New York City in December 2010. I instantly grasped the significance of the project. A detailed review of my activist projects in NYC will explain my understanding of is work, and my motivation to support it.

• • After reading Richard Heinberg's book "The Party’s Over", I became the organizer of the NYC Peak Oil Meetup http://www.meetup.com/peakoilnyc/
  • Was one of the co-organizers of a NYC peak oil conference in 2006 http://www.energysolutionsconference.org/
  • In 2008, I published a report on how NYC could integrate fuel volatility preparations into its PlaNYC 2030 long-term sustainability plan, proposing an energy volatility resolution for NYC Council, as suggested by Daniel Lerch of PCI http://www.beyondoilnyc.org/SCNYCG-energy-report-2-08.pdf
  • Have attended a number of Community Solutions and ASPO conferences, and completed a permaculture design course
  • Promoted Transition intro talks and trainings in NYC
  • During two years as chair of the NYC group of the Sierra Club, I worked to develop grassroots projects
  • As an independent activist, I continue that effort at www.beyondoilnyc.org and www.beyondoilnyc.blogspot.com, striving for a balance between neighborhood level projects that will appeal to many New Yorkers, and more challenging messages about the need for greater resilience
  • Am currently promoting the painting of NYC building roofs white, both to lower summer air conditioning costs, and to start conversations. In collaboration with 350.org and others, assisted in organizing the painting of 4 NYC roofs in 2010
  • Have pitched white roof painting to scores of Queens elected officials and civic leaders in 2011, resulting in 4 buildings applying for the program so far

• Why are you interested in this work?

While my activist projects in NYC have been competently executed, they have not catalyzed rapid enough cultural change for me to continue focus on them. At the same time, the economic development nonprofit I work at has lost its major grant from New York City. While my job is not at risk, it makes my continued employment here much less interesting. So I am looking for other work. I am seeking to collaborate with organizations that can rapidly accelerate social change and increase sustainability and resilience.

• Are you interested in teaching about the GVCS?

Yes. I would need to learn more about the GVCS, but my background and experience is all about promoting government programs, and sustainability initiatives. I am very good at outreach, public relations, and building community partnerships.

• Are you interested in economic relocalization possibilities arising from the GVCS?'

Yes. As a longtime supporter of Post Carbon Institute and the Transition movement I recognize the crucial role that the GVCS can play in relocalization.

• Do you want to use the GVCS technologies yourself? Do you want to build them yourself?

Yes, I would be glad to learn how to use the technologies, and am open to the possibilities of where it might lead. I don't have a mechanical background so it would be unlikely for me to speculate about building them.

• Are you interested in starting up enterprise using the GVCS technologies?

I would be interested in taking part in setting up enterprises using the GVCS technologies.

• Are you interested in having the GVCS technologies fabricated by your local custom fabricator?

That would make more sense than my attempting to assemble the technologies myself, yes.

• Are you interested in applying the GVCS to third world development? To redevelopment of crisis areas? To development of derelict areas in the developed world?

Yes, those are all valuable projects.

• Are you interested in starting up Industry 2.0 flexible fabrication enterprises for your local community, by drawing from a global repository of freely down-loadable designs and fabricating using open source fabrication equipment?

Yes, I think GVCS technologies are urgently necessary here in the US to build resilience.

• Are you interested in the potential of the GVCS for developing local food systems?

I am extremely interested in supporting local food systems.

• Are you interested in doing academic studies/papers, publishing books, or doing other analysis of our efforts?

No.

• Are you interested in financial investment opportunities arising from our work?

Yes.

• Are you interested in the distributive economic aspects of our work, and if so, how do you see this playing out?

Yes. I see opportunities to identify potential users of GVCS systems, tell them about it, and connect them with resources to help implement them locally.

• Are you interested in building renewable energy production facilities based on open hardware (solar concentrator electric, wind, biomass power).

• Are you interested in building resilient communities based on access to the GVCS?

Yes.

• Are you interested in creating a bug-out hut using GVCS technologies?

• How do you think that the GVCS can help alleviate the instabilities of global monetary systems?

GVCS represents levels of economic activity which are to a great degree independent from extremely unstable global monetary systems. The more skilled users and productive capacity can be created outside of those systems, the better we all are. As the dollar and digital wealth diminish in value, GVCS systems represent a new tangible form of value that will stabilize communities and offer hope.

• How do you think that the GVCS can address issues related to resource conflicts?

With depleting supplies of fuel, water, food and mineral resources, resource conflicts will surely rise. Michael Klare has written about this extensively. GVCS can reduce local need for imported resources.

• How do you think that the GVCS can address issues of overpopulation?

It's known that increasing educational opportunities for women reduces birthrates. Greater local resilience and self-sufficiency will reduce mortality rates, and the perceived need to have larger families. Again, wide distribution of GVCS can promote hope for a more stable future around the world, especially in countries with very high rates of growth.

• How do you think that the GVCS can address issues of resource depletion and environmental degradation?

Developing the capacity to re-use steel and extract aluminum from clay are just two ways the GVCS would reduce the need for electricity from coal combustion. There are countless ways the GVCS will buffer the impacts of resource depletion and environmental degradation.

• Other comments

WHAT

• What have you already contributed to the OSE project? (technical contributions, blogging about us, financial support, organizing events, translations, interviews, video editing, publications, publicity work, behind-the-scenes work, CAD work, wiki contributions, computer support, etc)

Communications

• I have substantial experience in marketing government programs to business constituents, and organizing educational and networking events, within New York City.
• I am a good writer, and have created marketing materials for printed and online distribution.
• I blog at: http://www.beyondoilnyc.blogspot.com/

Organizational

• Substantial experience in public event and community organizing. I'm a very good public speaker and networker, with many years of official employment and volunteer effort with a number of nonprofit organizations. I am extremly good at outreach whether by phone or in person. I am comfortable asking for financial support and corporate sponsorships.

Home Economics

• In my early years I worked in my family's garden. Recently I took a permaculture design course, and while I don't have access to a garden now, I am very interested in a comfortable with agriculture. I recently reported on an urban agriculture conference I attended in NYC: http://beyondoilnyc.blogspot.com/2011/04/report-from-nyc-urban-agriculture.html
• I have worked and volunteered in kitchens and food prep situations.
• I am a hard worker, and have no reluctance to do dirty or menial chores.

HOW can you help?

• How are you interested in contributing to the work of GVCS development?

I can see assisting with promoting and communicating GVCS, and supporting the implementation of GVCS projects.

• Can you volunteer to work with us, and if so, how many hours per week?

I would be very interested in volunteering with GVCS. If we could identify how I can significantly help GVCS, and that it could lead to opportunities within the greater GVCS community, that would be very attractive to me.

• Are you interested in working with us for pay? If so, what services can you offer, and what is your hourly or per-project rate?

I would definitely be interested in working for GVCS for pay.

• Are you interested in purchasing equipment from us to help bootstrap development?

• Are you interested in bidding for consulting/design/prototyping work?

• Are you a True Fan? If not, why not?

• Would you like to see yourself working with us on a full-time basis?

Yes, if we can identify a suitable role for me within the GVCS community I would be very interested.

• Are you interested in using the technologies that we are developing directly?

• Are you interested in being part of the world's first, open source, resilient community? The GVCS is the preparatory step for the OSE Village Experiment - a 2 year, immersion experiment (2013-2014) for testing whether a real, thriving, modern-day prototype community of 200 people can be built on 200 acres using local resources and open access to information? We are looking for approximately 200 people to fill a diverse array of roles, according to the Social Contract that is being developed. This may be the boldest social experiment on earth - a pioneering community whose goal is to extend the index of possibilities regarding harmonious existence of humans, ecology, and technology - as a beacon of light to benefit of all people on Earth.

Yes. I am ready to do something much more meaningful with my life, and willing to step out of the box.