Kurt Foster

Team Culturing Information

last updated: 23. April, 2011

WHO are you?

• Name/Nationality/Ethnicity - Kurt Foster, Australian

• Location – Melbourne, Australia

• Contact Information (email, phone, Skype) –

kurt.foster (at) ittalk (dot) com (dot) au
kurt.foster

• Introductory Video -

• Resume/CV – http://www.ittalk.com.au

• Hobbies and Pastimes -

I am saving to travel for 6 months starting in July. My current hobbies are sitting at home not spending money and watching Ted.
I am also working on some sustainable community ideas utilising Earthships.

WHY are you motivated to support/develop this work?

• Do you endorse open source culture?

Yes. I started an environmental consultancy business a few years ago and sold it to a corporate company. Through this process I have learnt that I was a bit naive to corporate culture and that I am more at home in an open source, community based environment. Although somewhat disappointed in corporate Australia, I am wiser for the experience.

• Why are you interested in this work?

I listed to Marcin’s talk on Ted, I think the open source machinery is a fantastic idea, something I would like to use in when I manage to get my own property to farm. I would like to use the tools being designed by the community so I would like to contribute if I can.
I also have some sustainable community ideas based around the Earthship concept, GVCS would fit perfectly into these ideas

• Are you interested in teaching about the GVCS?

Yes, it is an idea I would like to learn more about it and see distributed within communities in Australia.

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

Relocalisation is an idea I am very interested in and the major reason I am interested in GVCS.

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

I would love to build and use them myself but at this stage I don't have a farm to use them on.

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

Not right now but in the future.

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

Not right now but in the future.

• 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?

This is more what I am interested in the medium term, I have been working on some plans utiising earthships for third world development, GVCS fits in perfectly with these ideas

• 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?

Not directly myself

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

Yes. I see earthships as a great way to develop sustainable housing, with sustainable food production within the house. The GVCS would then provide the means for community based farming, manufacturing, markets and trade. Allowing for not only subsitence, but for an evolving community based society.

• 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?

Not at this stage, not enough money.

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

I have been slowly developing ideas based mainly around the earthship technology for some time. I see this as a fantastic extension to that idea. It is possible to build sustainable communities around the earthship, including production of food for sustenance. The GVCS will allow for a broader community including localised commerce through community based farming and manufacturing to bring third world countries not just back to subsistence level, but to a fully functioning and evolving society.

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

This is a topic I find interesting but not something that I have looked into personally. I do see it as vtial to the sustainable community ideas I have.

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

Yes. I want to help create off the grid local communities.

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

I will have to look around your site to see what a bug-out hut is.

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

Localised communities that are self-sufficient do not need much from the centralised system. Anything produced that is extra is a bonus, but during hard times, the basic needs of food shelter and water are still being met. Localised communities would also have no need for the creation and trading of various financial instruments, hedges, derivatives etc, there by assisting in alleviating the worst effects of the manufactured boom bust cycle. Only the poor lose during a financial crisis, if we are no longer tied to the system there is nothing for us to lose.

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

The GVCS could not be adopted by an entire country instantly and in numerous places around the world, the more violent members of society will always take what they want, which may happen with individuals adopting the GVCS. In many regions, particularly sub-Sahran Africa, the resources that are being fought for are not the basic needs of life. However, given the ease of access to a sustainable lifestyle provided by the GVCS, overtime, it should assist in alleviating some of the drivers for resource conflicts.

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

Overpopulation is not as issue on its own. Here is Australia, and I believe in the US as well, we flush 90% of our drink water down the toilet our out of the drains in our showers. At the same time we complain that we are running out of water. Living sustainably does not require setting a maximum number of people for the planet, it requires that we think more about the way we live. Also, raising peoples standard of living can improve their access to education. The most effective way to drive down the birth rate is to educate women, which leads to women gaining real choice in the direction their lives, rather being just a womb and a maid.

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

Relocalisation reduces the need for centralised collection of resources.

• Other comments

I will be travellin from July to January and will not be able to provide any help during this period. I would like to create a CMS for GVCS, however GVCS ould need to find someone to administer the site during this period. The technical setup could be completed before I go. I would need to know soon so I could get started.

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)

Nothing

Communications

• I am a bit of a Jack of all trades, master of none. My background is in software development. I am pretty handy with the Drupal CMS and CiviCRM and know my way around Photoshop, Illustrator and Fireworks. I currently develop some marketing materials for the company I work for and manage several large solar PV, hot water and dual flush toilet installation projects.

Organizational

• I am quite adept at strategic development, my current role is the group operations manager for all of the businesses owned and operated by Green Invest.

Computer Support

• Yes, sotware develoment and IT management, is what I used to do before I got into the operations role I am in now. I mainly contacted the site as I saw issues with the uptime on your site and tought I could help with setting up a CMS, and possibly a CRM if it is of use, and integrating it with Mediawiki.

Finances

• I hve written business plans before and have some basic knowledge of accounting.

Sociology

• I have not looked int the social contract for GVCS, I have a project that I have been working on here for which the GVCS will now become integral.

Home Economics

• I have been growing food in my backyard for the last 4 years, with moderate success. I live in the inner city and don't have a lot of room, but I still grow, tomatoes, eggplant, broccoli and silver beet as well as basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage, parsley and rocket. I have tried a few other things without much success. I am a pretty good cook. While I am writing this I am making pickled fish, a traditional South African dish and hot cross buns for Easter. I hope all my answers make sense, I am a bit distracted by the food.

Design

• No. I designed and built an organic based grey water treatment system with a friend for a house I lived in a while ago. I am pretty good at solving problems, but definitely not a designer.

Building

• No, but I can lift heavy things.

Electronics and Magnetics

• No

Automation

• No

Metallurgy

• No, but it fascinates me, metallurgy is a skill I intend to learn at some point.

Engineering

• No

HOW can you help?

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

Only on the CMS, I don't think I have any other relevant skills. If there are other things that you require assistence on, I am open to hearing about them.

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

No, I am in Australia.

• 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?

If there is something that I could do from here, yes. I would love to work doing something useful for the world. I am about to go on holiday for 6 months, so I can't do anything till January. I would be able to get the CMS and CRM up for you before I go but I would need to know soon and you would need a technical person to help with issues whie I am away. I will be able to provide some email support, but I will be out of communications for long stretches of time. I do not need to get paid for the CMS development, this will be a donation.

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

No

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

No

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

No. Just found out about it in this question, I will take a look

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

Yes, if that was a possibility. If there are jobs available in the US next year, I may be able to move.

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

Yes, when I have a property to use them on. I intend to use them in the projects I spoke of in my other answers.

• 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, possibly, although I have some project ideas myself. I will definately keep an eye on this.