Spaceship Earth
Online
a project of the Buckminster Fuller Institute
Project
Intent
The Buckminster Fuller Institute is developing a website to serve as a catalyst
for awareness and action towards realizing Humanity’s Option for Success
(HOS). This initiative is in response to what we believe remains one of
the least talked about crises of our information age—the lack of easy
to understand visual presentations of the big picture trends and choices
affecting our future. BFI believes that the kinds of resources described
[in the full project treatment document] typically exist in either a fragmented
or overly academic form. They have yet to be packaged together in such a
way that average concerned citizens can quickly "see" what's really
going on with the planet's life support systems, easily grasp what will
most likely lead to desired outcomes, and have ready access to tools designed
to facilitate being effective agents of change.
Spaceship Earth Online (SEO) will provide comprehensive online resources for education, exploration, communication, and action, geared to a broad audience, with particular focus on:
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Making visible the invisible trends now impacting all life on Earth.
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Presenting operating principles, strategies, and scenarios for meeting the life support needs of 9-10 billion Earthians expected to occupy our planet by 2050, on an ecologically sound basis.
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Fostering synergy between individuals, projects and organizations to accelerate the application of solutions to the long-term sustainability challenges facing humanity.
Historical
Roots
The project has its roots in the World Design Science Decade 1965-1975, a
program proposed by Buckminster Fuller in 1961 to the International Union
of Architects. For the first phase of the program, Fuller planned the development
of "dramatic educational tools" to promote "World Literacy
re: World Problems", including "dramatic indication of potential
solutions, by design science upping of the overall performance of world resource
units to serve 100% instead of the present (circa 1967) 44% of humanity."
Dynamic presentations of "Human, Trends and Needs" in relation to
an "Inventory of World Resources" available on a global scale were
envisioned to be central elements of the program.
Objectives
The SEO website will:
- Convey that humanity does have an option to achieve 100% success for all
- Provide a one-stop, easy to understand, overview of the critical life-support issues humanity is facing in the coming decades
- Make the currently invisible trends and principles impacting HOS visible to a broad audience (i.e. 16 to adult)
- Enable visitors to experience a major wake up call regarding our evolutionary crisis that inspires them toward positive action
- Educate about the operating principles and strategies for Spaceship Earth
- Offer positive scenarios supported by tools for whole systems thinking and design science methods for achieving desired outcomes
- Facilitate Earth’s ‘crewmembers’ to be engaged in productive dialogue and action
- Provide communication and resource tools for acting upon initiatives
- Provide a means for more in-depth exploration of issues and game play
- Provide easy to grasp Progress Gauges that track progress toward achieving critical path objectives in each life support area
- Connect concerned citizens with individuals, projects and organizations working to solve crucial global problems
For more information about this initiative contact Joshua Arnow, president of BFI.
copyright©2000 Buckminster Fuller Institute
