New Ecological Footprint Tool by GFN

Global Footprint Network has adapted their new Australian Ecological Footprint Tool for the U.S. Here’s the link.

Earth Day Fact: in 1998, there were 25 million environmental refugees (caused by catastrophic desertification, deforestation, industrial accidents and natural disasters). There were 23 million refugees from armed conflict.

Happy Earth Day.

Why Wait for Earth Day?

Our friends and collaborators at the Institute of Heartmath, creators of the Global Coherence Project (more on that below), have come up with this beautiful two minute meditation that’s an attempt to consciously share the energy of our appreciation with the planet. If this sounds impossible to you, consider the wisdom in this quote:

“All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident.” Arthur Schopenhauer

Click Here

The Global Coherence Project

The goal of the scientifically based Global Coherence Project is to unite millions of people, whatever their belief systems or cultures, to shift global consciousness from instability and chaos to balance and cooperation. This can be accomplished by increasing the potency of people’s positive heart-directed intentions and by deploying a Global Coherence Monitoring System (GCMS) to scientifically measure the effects.

A key component of Global Coherence Project is the Global Coherence Monitoring System, developed in partnership with internationally renowned astrophysicist and nuclear scientist Elizabeth Rauscher and Institute of HeartMath researchers. In effect, the GCMS will be measuring the “brain waves and heart rhythm” of the planet in real time. It will explore whether the earth’s magnetic field is influenced by collective human emotional resonance resulting from heart-directed intention, or in response to major events, and whether the emotional energy generated by the collective intuition about major future events is measurable in this field.

Research has shown that 0.1Hz is the human resonant frequency—the frequency at which spirit, heart, mind, emotions, and body are in resonant alignment with the planet. The term for this is heart coherence. The more heart coherent we are, the greater the resonant energetic connection we have with people, within ourselves, and with nature. This enhances individual and collective intuitive discernment for solving social, environmental and global problems.

Click here to contact us if you would like be part of the Global Coherence Project. We will also notify you when the next introductory webinar is going to be held.

Collaboration, Sustainability, and Personal/Collective Transformation

“Transformation…although it does have its moments of solitude, although there is a place for being alone on the path…I think that the commitment to transformation is something that is best done socially with a like minded group, with a society, with a community. I see the two great needs of our age as being the search for community and the necessity for sustainability of natural resources and of our life energies and we are not going to get either of them without transformation.”

— Stanley Krippner, Ph.D.

NNN and Collaboratory member Claudia Welss (and the author of this blog) is a research collaborator with the Institute of Noetic Sciences, and recently the results of the Transformations of Consciousness study that she–I–worked on have been released in the form of a book, a DVD, and IONS’ first online learning program, all entitled Living Deeply. Stanley Krippner’s quote is included in the first section of the online program, and I decided to make this a NN Collaboratory post because his quote reminded me that at its core NextNow is about transformation, both personal and planetary, and about all of us consciously co-creating the world we want from an expanded awareness, in the time we’ve got, and with as much gratitude and joy for what is and what can be as we can hold (and share). These qualities describe the kinds of projects our collaboratory is committed to helping further, especially when they’re combined with the best in collaboration and information visualization tools.

The learning program is in beta, and is free. The video below from the first session, created by www.Gratefulness.org, is my belated Valentine’s Day wish for our network, friends, colleagues and all who read this. If it doesn’t load below, use this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zl9puhwiyw

Don’t Change Your Lightbulbs

Bono at Davos, quoting Thomas Friedman, NY Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize winning author, on climate change: “Don’t change your lightbulbs; change your leaders.” DO BOTH.

Natural Logic and Sun Microsystems team up to create OpenEco

NextNowNetwork and Collaboratory member Gil Friend of Natural Logic has partnered with Sun to create this ecological footprint transparency tool. We found out about it earlier this week at Global Footprint Network’s annual bash in their new Oakland office. “Feedback is key to effective change. The better people understand how well they’re doing in relation to their goals, compared to their competitors, and compared to what’s possible, the more effectively they’re able to drive change in the directions they want it to go.”–Gil Friend.

OpenEco is a new global on-line community that provides free, easy-to-use tools to help participants assess, track, and compare energy performance, share proven best practices to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and encourage sustainable innovation. Join at openeco.org

Innovate or Die

This isn’t a collab project, but I had to put this up:

http://www.innovate-or-die.com/

Maybe it can be?

Origo Invites NextNow Collab to Meet 2007 Tech Laureates

Origo, the social entrepreneurship consultants and institutional partner of NNC, co-sponsored a private reception for the winners of the 2007 Tech Awards. Each year The Tech Museum in San Jose honors 25 Laureates worldwide for their innovative use of technology to benefit humanity. These Laureates are acknowledged for their brilliant accomplishments in addressing some of the most critical issues facing our planet in the areas of Environment, Health, Education, Economic Development and Equality. It was a real privilege to meet the innovators themselves–including Matt Flannery of Kiva (”Loans that Change Lives”) and Nick Yeo of TakingITGlobal–and to consider ways we might be able to collaborate to help further their missions. It was also great to meet other guests and run into friends like Robert Schingler from NASA Ames who we consulted with on our ISDE5 Digital Earth project in June, and who, as someone involved with NASA’s Colab, we look forward to engaging with as a partner in our “collaboratory of collaboratories.” (That’s more of a mouthful than “network of networks.”)

Here’s a summary of the winners in the individual categories, and a short description of their philanthropic or social/environmental enterprise. The Tech Museum website offered a link to the awards ceremony which was being streamed last night. PLEASE VISIT THEIR WEBSITES; they’re fascinating and beautiful.  (Speaking of fascinating and beautiful, at The Tech right now are 2 amazing features:  the BodyWorlds2 exhibit and the IMAX movie, “Human Body,” also well worth checking out.)

2007 Intel Environment Award

• Emulsified Zero-Valent Iron (EZVI) Team, Jacqueline W. Quinn, Cherie L. Geiger, Christian Clausen III, Kathleen B. Brooks, and Debra R. Reinhart: EZVI was created by placing zero-valent-iron particles into a stabilized, biodegradable water-oil emulsion to reduce environmental contamination risks when cleaning rockets in NASA’s space program.

• Fundacion Terram: The Integrated Salmon-Seaweed Cultivation project attaches algae to a salmon-net pen to absorb nutrients from the salmon to clean the environment. This technology reduces the demand for natural seaweed using an environmentally and socially integrated approach.

• Marc André Ledoux, Consortium SudEco Industrie: Ledoux combined two technologies to transform harmful aquatic plants into new cooking fuel. A floating grappling is used for fast and easy removal of the plants, which are then compressed, dried and turned into pellets for cooking fuel.

• Joe David Jones, Skyonic Corporation: Skyonic Corporation addresses the significant issue of greenhouse gas emissions through the mineralization of CO2 as carbonate compounds. It removes heavy metals and acid gases to address both the current problem with carbon capture and the future as demand increases.

• Solar Sailor: Solar Sailor created solar sail and hybrid marine power which is suitable for a wide range of applications from small unmanned vessels to large tankers including ferries, cruisers and yachts. Vessels using this technology have higher fuel savings, unlimited range, passenger comfort and are environmentally friendly with zero emissions.

2007 Accenture Economic Development Award

• Anil Chitrakar, Babu Raja Shrestha and Prachet Kumar Shrestha, Environmental Camps for Conservation Awareness: Environmental Camps for Conservation Awareness and Centre for Renewable Energy turned Nepal’s 300 annual days of sun into a safer light source and an economic opportunity by developing a solar-powered Tuki—originally a kerosene lamp that is both costly and emits toxic fumes—and by offering microfinancing and training for people to make, sell, and service the lamps.

• Association La Voute Nubienne: In sub-Saharan Africa, the Association La Voute Nubienne promotes the construction of vaulted, earth brick houses which are environmentally friendly, affordable and comfortable using the Voute Nubienne (VN) technique. The VN technique is a simplified, standardized adaptation of traditional construction methods from Egypt’s Nubian region and is relatively unknown in the Sahel and West Africa.

• blueEnergy: BlueEnergy provides a low-cost, sustainable solution to the energy needs of marginalized communities through the creation of hybrid wind and solar energy systems. By manufacturing wind turbines locally, energy costs are kept low, servicing is made easier and jobs are created in disparaged communities.

• CellBazaar, Inc.: Kamal Quadir founded CellBazaar, which provides an electronic marketplace that can be accessed through mobile phones. Product sellers can list their items on CellBazaar where they are visible to 15 million rural and urban mobile phone users in Bangladesh.

• Kiva: Kiva allows users to browse through profiles of qualified entrepreneurs on the Kiva website and make a small loan of $25 or more. Kiva pools money from individual users and transfers it to a finance corporation that will administer the loan. Journal updates allow lenders to see how their money makes a difference in the lives of the entrepreneur.

2007 Microsoft Education Award

• Canal Futura: Canal Futura uses television communication to achieve sustainability by providing free information, education and entertainment representing a country’s diverse culture. It is watched 24 hours a day by 33 million people and has trained 420,000 educators from social institutions and public schools.

• Elluminate, Inc.: Fire and Ice/Elluminate Live! is a real-time virtual classroom software product used for highly interactive live online classes, lectures, demonstrations and meetings. This product helps organizations increase student understanding, productivity and access to instructors. Whether on dial-up or broadband, Elluminate Live! offers equal, collaborative experiences amongst different cultures.

• Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education: OER Commons is a teaching and learning network whose purpose is to expand educational opportunities for all by increasing access to high-quality open educational resources. It is the first comprehensive network where teachers and students can access course materials and share their own ideas and strategies.

• Robert Shelton, Stephanie Smith, and Terry Hodgson, NASA Johnson Space Center Learning Technologies Team: MathTrax is an accessible education software tool to help blind and sighted students learn and understand math and science. It describes information in three ways – using “smart” text, non-verbal sound and custom graphics descriptions.

• TakingITGlobal: TakingITGlobal.org, is a free multilingual online platform that employs Web 2.0 community tools supporting youth creating change in their communities and around the world. Online community users can create their own blogs and engage in discussions, access opportunities and launch their own multimedia expressions.

2007 SanDisk Equality Award

• Counterpart International: Counterpart Data Warehouse, is a tool created in response to deadly crises such as the Asian Tsunami that will increase the effectiveness and transparency of international aid. It allows users to address humanitarian needs by designing projects, acquiring donated items, managing their shipment and following up with recipients.

• Devendra Raj Mehta, Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti: Mehta helped create the Jaipur Foot/Limb, a simple and extremely efficient prosthesis that utilizes innovative technology and materials. The Jaipur Foot/Limb allows normal walking, running, sitting, climbing and other daily activities. Since 1975, nearly 1 million people worldwide have been fitted for the Jaipur limb.

• Grameen Shakti (GS): Dipal Chandra Barua has developed an integrated approach to renewable energy technologies designed to reach rural people in Bangladesh through the installation of Solar Home Systems (SHSs), which are stand alone systems suitable for providing renewable energy to remote areas outside the reach of grid electricity. GS is also helping to promote biogas technology and Improved Cook Stoves in the communities it serves.

• Innocence Project: Innocence Project provides direct representation and critical assistance to prisoners that may be exonerated by DNA testing. Their ground-breaking use of DNA technology has been used to free innocent people wrongfully convicted due to systematic defects.

• Tropical Forest Trust: Indigenous Peoples Voice Programme developed computer mapping tools incorporating iconic software and automated GPS recording processes for use by illiterate indigenous communities. This technology supports forestry operations that identify and respect local religious, cultural and resource sites.

2007 The Swanson Foundation Health Award

• Diagnostics Development Unit, University of Cambridge & Diagnostics for the Real World: Uses Signal Amplification System (SAS) technology as a diagnostic format to greatly increase the sensitivity of lateral-flow based rapid tests. This technology has already translated into three new diagnostic tests for the detection of Chlamydia, trachoma and hepatitis B.

• Donald O’Neal, HELPS International: Guatemala Cookstove Project addresses the respiratory deaths of 1.6 million women and children each year by reducing the amount of required firewood by 60-70 percent. It was designed and verified using computer technology to monitor carbon monoxide and emission of carbon particles.

• PATH: Applied indicator technology for the Vaccine Vial Monitor which is a small chemically active sticker that adheres to the vaccine vial and changes color over time as the vaccine is exposed to heat. The Vaccine Vial Monitors allow health workers to recognize and replace expired vials that would not save lives or reduce illness.

• P&G’s Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program: PUR Purifier of Water is an in-home system delivered to families in developing countries. The system provides precipitation, coagulation, flocculation and residual chlorination for 10 liters of water.

• Vaxin Inc.: Vaxin, Inc. is developing a rapid-response bird flu vaccine that can be manufactured without the requirement of chicken eggs. Side effects and other problems associated with the current bird flu vaccine will be reduced or eliminated when this current version is released on the market

“Step It Up” is Saturday November 3

“The power of a single individual to create change has always inspired me. Earlier this year, my friend Bill McKibben decided he was going to establish a day of action to fight the climate crisis.Out of his idea, “Step It Up 2007” was born, and on April 14th tens of thousands of people, including thousands of members of AlGore.com, joined together at 1,400 rallies to raise their voices and demand that Congress cut carbon 80% by 2050. “Step It Up 2: Who’s A Leader” will take place this Saturday. You can find a rally in your area by visiting: http://events.stepitup2007.org People like Bill McKibben and events like Step It Up are helping us build the political will necessary to end the climate crisis. It is vital you participate in any way you can — November 3rd is going to be an incredible day.” Al Gore, www.algore.com

NextNowCollaboratory collaborates with the Eikosphere Project

www.eikosphere.org

Details soon.

Met(t)a-Earth

The Meta-Earth Confluence project is really a Met(t)a-Earth project, as pointed out by NextNow member Catherine Cunningham who reminded us that metta means “loving-kindness” in Sanskrit. However, rather than the complete absence of self-interest that defines pure metta, (http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/buddharakkhita/wheel365.html), Met(t)a Earth is about enlightened self-interest, where the self-interest of the individual is tempered by and continuously negotiating with the needs of the whole, so that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

From Barbara Marx Hubbard: “Here is what we learn by examining the principles of evolution. When nature hits limits and crises that cannot be resolved by doing more of the same, she innovates and transforms. The key method of transformation is to foster synergy and cooperation.

As evolution biologist Elisabet Sahtouris tells us, when young species are over populating, polluting, and competing, they either learn enlightened self-interest, negotiation, cooperation, and synergy or they become extinct. The same seems to apply to us. The only difference is that we are conscious of our situation, that we can destroy or evolve ourselves. This is a great step forward in evolution.

In order to get through this set of interrelated problems quickly enough, we need to cultivate SOCIAL SYNERGY, the coming together of separate groups, initiatives, and ideas to form a new whole system different from and greater than the sum of our parts.”

NextNow Collaboratory is about unleashing the social synergy in the NextNow Network of networks and the broader community, and leveraging it for the greater good, embracing the definition of metta as the philosophy and practice of universal love; love in action.