Media-wiki:Community Portal: Difference between revisions

From Open Source Ecology
Jump to navigation Jump to search
No edit summary
(Redirected page to Build a Village Project)
Line 1: Line 1:
=Build a Village Project=
#redirect [[Build_a_Village_Project]]
 
We are clarifying our path to building the '''''world's first replicable, open source, modern off-grid global village'''''. Has one already been made? If so, [mailto:opensourceecology@gmail.com please tell us about it.]
 
We are calling this the '''''Build a Village Project'''''.
 
What is our goal? It's a fully-functioning village, with a built-in economy, of about 30 people living a real life setting, in an off-grid community of about 30 acres. Our goal is abundance and high quality of life.
 
Our means to this are the [[Global Village Construction Set]] as an infrastructure base for this village - a basic set of 40 or so open source technologies for integrated, regenerative living. Our social approach to this is gathering a group of [[Integrated Humans]] to subject their lives to this experiment. While we are clarifying the [[Build a Village Project]] here, and actively seeking participants, the group who is going to make it happen is largely self-selecting. If you might be one of these people, look into [[Visit Factor e Farm|visiting Factor e Farm]].
 
 
=Social Technology Approach=
 
Last year, we have proven that we could build technology - with successful deployment of the open source tractor, [[LifeTrac]], and of a high-performance [[CEB press]].
 
We have also demonstrated that we could fund open source product development work via [[crowd funding]] methods.
 
Thus, the missing frontier to date has been acknowledged as the lack of people on the Home Team or core development team. We have been consistent in ''not'' meeting deadlines, and in retrospect, the culprit is not having people here. Of those that did come here, a number of these left because of inadequate accommodations.
 
Our approach until today focused on creating the building infrastructure of [[CEB press]], [[LifeTrac]], and [[Sawmill]]. The challenge with this approach is that even if we develop this infrastructure fully over the next few months, we will still need people to do the actual building. So why not focus on getting people first?
 
That's tricky business, since we don't have the accommodations to house these people. This is a catch 22 of our current bootstrapping approach: we can't develop the infrastructure without the people, and we can't house the people to build the infrastructure without having infrastructure to begin with.
 
As radical as this sounds - our only solution is: on-demand building of housing.
 
In one day, a two person team can build a basic, insulated, heated housing unit for under $500. This is an 8x8x8' insulated [[solar cubicle]], complete with drywall. Then you're set until our self sufficient habitat infrastructure is up and running.
 
 
=Join Factor e Farm=
 
This includes designing and implementing "permanent agriculture," agricultural machines, construction, and metalworking. We don't just make diagrams or theory, we do hard mental and physical work building things that help people achieve their dreams.
 
Videos of our work:
<html>
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/p/E5373DEB6EC556F2&hl=en" /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/p/E5373DEB6EC556F2&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
</html>
 
Ideally we are looking for:
 
    * Confident and highly dynamic self learners or researchers.
    * People motivated by innovation and change.
    * Able to take a project from concept drawing to real world implementation.
    * Excited by diversity of thought.
    * Comfortable in rural and rustic settings.
    * Willing team members, self starters, and project leaders.
 
We are offering individuals short term or long term residencies for development of physical technology for the benefit of all people. Residency at Factor e Farm involves physical work, philosophical work, and community building work. Rustic and unique accommodations are available. Please contact us for more details.
 
Our research and development interests include but are not limited to:
 
    * Low Cost Housing built from local materials
    * Permanent Agriculture - food forests, orchards, CSA crops
    * DIY Agricultural tools and implements - tractor, spader, tiller, grain combine, hammer mill, hay baler
    * Low cost off grid energy systems - heat, hot water, lighting,
    * Low cost water systems - water wells, catchment systems
    * Metal work - melting, casting, cutting, forming, computer controlled manufacturing, whatever you desire
 
These are elements of the Global Village Construction Set - everything needed to create advanced civilization on a small scale.
 
 
What we offer:
 
A place where you can put 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.
 
 
=What it's like at Factor e Farm=
 
Please learn about[[Factor_e_Farm#What_it.27s_like_at_Factor_e_Farm| what it's like at Factor e Farm]] before you come.
 
 
=How to volunteer=
Volunteers should email [mailto:OpenSourceEcology@gmail.com OpenSourceEcology at gmail dot com]. Also check out the [[Volunteer Application]]. We host Organic Farming Volunteers and [[Student Projects]]. See [http://openfarmtech.org/index.php?title=Category:Volunteers] for more info.
 
 
=Volunteer Development - Motivating Alignment and Collaboration of Volunteers=
 
The first step in aligning a dedicated and voluntary team of developers is to recognize that such a team is available. Normally, the success of gathering collaboration is unquestioned, yet, in this case, it is instructive to raise the question whether such collaborators exist because we are looking for full commitment from unpaid individuals, and on top of that, for a project that is far beyond the norms of established society. To convince ourselves that such a team exists, we must prove:
 
  1. the endeavor has high value
  2. the value is practical or achievable
  3. volunteers can comprehend the value
  4. people without ego and angst exist in the population at large
  5. the value of the endeavor is so high that egoless people can shift their full attention to the endeavor.
 
Note that we assume that the unpaid individuals - those, in particular, with full commitment - must qualify as what is best dubbed ''independently wealthy''. These individuals are those who have free time because they do not have to work to make a living. These individuals could be ones who either have big savings, low expenditures, or both - such as monied individuals, voluntary simplicity followers, the unemployed, or those who do not have significant costs of living because of their particular situations.
 
1. '''High Value'''. We start with the stated goal as the definition of value: ''The approach of this project is to identify a small but comprehensive infrastructure base of robust, widely applicable solutions for living and working such that transforming the world is a byproduct.'' The intent is to produce a replicable business model for a number of successful and optimized enterprises, by which individuals may engage in [[right livelihood]] activity as defined in previous sections. This approach has clear value.
 
2. '''Practicality'''. A replicable business model for optimized enterprises is definitely achievable. We simply take existing enterprise models, work to optimize them, and release the knowhow in the open source to make it replicable. If the enterprise model is one that is successfully engaged by others, then it will be even more profitable if optimization adds further value. The key is to adapt progressive, ecological enterprise to the type of profit margins that are quite attractive to individuals, while ensuring that principles of right livelihood are followed. Specifically, the particular enterprises in the small but comprehensive infrastructure base must achieve a high Right Livelihood Selection Score in order to be included in the set of choices that collaborators agree to develop. This score automatically ensures the high potential impact for the transformative nature of enterprise deployment.
 
3. '''Understandability'''" - This is perhaps the most difficult point to prove, because understandability of this endeavor suffers from grave translatability issues due to the social conditioning of the population at large. It is difficult to convince people that an entirely different model of social organization which transcends centralization and top-down control - namely Right Livelihood - can be implemented, if the total force of social conditioning indicates to the contrary. It is required of the few people who are to understand this proposition that they are independent thinkers largely independent of the military industrial state. Some of these people still exist. These people need to be sufficiently connected to the land and nature in order to comprehend that right livelihood is a prerequisite for a harmonious, truthful way of living. Such individuals are the only ones who place sufficient priority to right livelihood that they would consider engaging in this project.
 
4. '''Ego and Angst''' - Even the people who understand this proposition as in point 3 will not truly understand it unless they conquer any ego and angst that stands in the way. This requires spiritual evolution on the part of the potential collaborator. There are many such individuals on planet Earth.
 
5. '''Full Attention''' - This is a hard requirement, but if people value the proposition sufficiently, the natural consequence is that they engage this proposition with full heart. The transformative potential is clear to such individuals, and they see that their own integrity leads them to promote the effort with their full energy.
 
 
 
=More about volunteering=
[[Organizational_Strategy]]
 
 
[[Category:Build a Village Project]]
[[Category:Volunteers]]
[[Category:Factor e Farm]]

Revision as of 23:48, 6 April 2009

Redirect to:

Retrieved from "https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/index.php?title=Media-wiki:Community_Portal&oldid=7831"