Get involved
We are looking for people of all kinds, in all places to contribute what they can to to this project. Please consider lending a hand.
Contact: opensourceecology@gmail.com
Current priorities
Take a look at our current priorities and current tasks to see the latest focus of our work.
Contribute
Donate
The tools under development are to help you! We are building the world's first replicable self-sufficient village. When it is complete, anyone able to buy a small amount of materials and land and develop basic skills will be able to replicate self-sufficiency using our plans. Our goal is to create a means to buy out of a damaging economic system and become more intimate with the landscape and resources that support human life. We hope to use open source technology to reinvent how the global economy works from the ground up, so that we all can evolve to freedom.
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
We are supported 100% by donations so that we can work on the GVCS full time. Generating and maintaining True Fans is a way for us to crowd fund our continuing work. Open Source Ecology is looking for people to fund its projects by donating a fixed amount per month. We have shown consistently that we spend nearly 100% of donations directly on prototyping and product release work surrounding the 40 items of the GVCS. Your subscription translates directly into the process of making the vision of Open Source Ecology a reality.
- As of November 2010, we have 160 subscribers.
- Read on our weblog about the 1000 True Fans - 1000 Global Villages campaign
- Meet some of our True Fans and read about why they chose to join the campaign. Also use this page to subscribe, if you choose to do so.
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 ease of access to lay a firm foundation for the growth of the project. Helping with the wiki is a great way to contribute some of your time to furthering the goals of the OSE project. We are looking for volunteers to:
- Give feedback on the accessibility of the site
- 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."
You can help by:
- Adding OSE as a friend on your social networking sites - see our facebook page, myspace page, twitter, and identi.ca.
- Making 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.
- Helping us make contact with specialists and experts who can aide us in broadening and improving our set of open source tools and technologies.
- Contacting us about potential venues and opportunities to present the project to a new audience. We may be available to come and speak in your community / to your group / at your institution given the right circumstances.
- Telling everyone you know about Open Source Ecology!
Collaborate
Manage a Project
We are looking for online or full time on-site 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 project may be divided into sub-projects. For example, the Solar Turbine relies on the development of 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.
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, we would appreciate your input.
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.
Collaborate on the Farm
Before considering volunteering at the farm, please read the following:
- Read about what it's like at Factor e Farm.
- Factor e Farm Social Contract
- Factor e Farm's Rules of Conduct.
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.
- Highly motivated innovators 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. Look at: Wiserearth; Idealist; GrowFood; WWOOF; Growing Growers Kansas City.
Visit Factor e Farm
Take a look at more photos of our work and the farm.
Higher Education
Did the thing with Gaia University ever happen? I noticed they are offering post-Masters certificates. Does OSE want to encourage people to take advantage of Gaia's open courses to study some of the things proposed as potential doctorate programs?
Negotiate independent study projects with students at colleges and universities? Is this still a potential reality?
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