Bucky was fond of making up phrases when he felt that ordinary words did not express what he meant to say. He coined the phrase "Spaceship Earth" to describe our planet. He felt that all human beings were passengers on Spaceship Earth, and, like the crew of a large ship, people had to work together in order to keep the planet functioning properly.
Bucky concerned himself with humanity at large, and took a big-picture view of the world and its problems. He circled the globe many times, speaking to people at universities and public institutions around the world and trying to convince them that technology could help to better the lives of many people on planet Earth.
In his 1983 book, Grunch of Giants, Bucky wrote, "I do know that technologically humanity now has the opportunity, for the first time in its history, to operate our planet in such a manner as to support and accommodate all humanity at a substantially more advanced standard of living than any humans have ever experienced."
Bucky hoped that some day the resources of the planet would be equitably divided, and people all around the world would achieve a high standard of living with access to technologically-advanced housing and transportation.
Through his speeches and lecture, Bucky tried to convince people to take the initiative to develop comprehensive design science thinking to begin to address global problems such as poverty, inadequate housing, and unequal distribution of resources.
For this reason, many people have called Bucky Fuller a "visionary" who inspired others to think globally.
From: Stanford Libraries
At the heart of our mission lies environmental education. We believe that by informing and inspiring the public, we can collectively chart a course towards a healthier planet and a brighter future.
The U.S.S. Enterprise Replica: A Beacon of Hope
The U.S.S. Enterprise replica serves not just as a tribute to Star Trek, but as a powerful symbol of what humanity can achieve. By showcasing a vision of a technologically advanced society living in harmony with the environment, we can ignite a spark of possibility.
The Urgency of Action
The current state of our environment demands immediate attention. While the challenges may seem daunting, we refuse to give in to despair. There are solutions, and by working together, we can implement them.
Building a Sustainable Future: It Starts with You
The good news is that positive change can begin at the individual level. This website will equip you with the knowledge and resources you need to make a difference in your own life and inspire others to do the same.
Beyond Information: Taking Action
We believe in going beyond simply raising awareness. We'll provide actionable steps you can take to reduce your environmental impact, from sustainable living practices to community outreach initiatives.
The Legacy of Star Trek: A Guiding Light
Gene Roddenberry envisioned a future where humanity had transcended its environmental challenges. His vision serves as a powerful inspiration for us all. We can learn from the past, embrace innovation, and work together to create a more sustainable future.
Join the Movement: Be the Change You Wish to See in the World
We invite you to join us on this journey. Together, through education, action, and a shared sense of purpose, we can create a world that is not just for us, but for generations to come.
Stay tuned for informative resources, actionable tips, and inspiring stories that will empower you to make a difference.
Regenerative agriculture is a long-term, holistic design that attempts to grow as much food using as few resources as possible in a way that revitalizes the soil rather than depleting it, while offering a solution to carbon sequestration. The mantra is the slogan: “Healthy Soil = Healthy Food = Healthy People.”
Cultivating healthy food is noble, we do it through cultivating healthy people and soil. Medicinal food is the center of our community. Our food forest starts at the fresh water spring nearest the community center and continues for miles. Our forest gardens and landscaping produce tons of food. We have terrace gardens and swales to catch water and send it into the ground, building our aquifer. We believe the forest is the best garden. It is its own ecosystem, never needing outside fertilizer, watering, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.
Many of the practices associated with regenerative farming are management practices associated with organic agriculture to build soil health, promote nutrient retention, and encourage pest and disease resistance. However, regenerative farmers have zero-tolerance for synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, and other inputs that disrupt soil life
Saint Michael's Sustainable Community In Costa Rica is just one example of what can be done to make our present and our future better. But of course we Trekkies, have our own ideas; stay tuned.
The structure brings together unexpected uses of recreational and community space with some very impressive views.
The home is cooled using a passive cooling system, using cold air coming down from the Andes Mountains to avoid the need for air conditioning.
Photos By Sergio Pirrone
From Article by The Good Trade
Minimod is designed to create a connected experience to the environment that it is placed in. The simple design can be placed in almost any environment with minimal environmental footprint. MAPA architects created the prefab unit using a steel frame and sustainable wood and included green space on the roof.
Photos By Leonardo Finotti
From Article by The Good Trade
Studio Libeskind has architected some of the world's most iconic structures from the Pyramid in Jerusalem, to Harmony Tower in Seoul and One World Trade in New York City. While the Villa doesn’t top the skyline of a global city, its futuristic, eco-friendly design has earned plenty of attention.
The prefab home design can be delivered nearly anywhere in the world and is assembled within months. It is constructed using sustainable materials and is designed to integrate with geothermal, rainwater harvesting and solar technologies.
Photos by Frank Marburger
From Article by The Good Trade
This series of modern three-story townhomes brings a kind of livable futurism to West Seattle. Prefab construction allows for a drastic reduction in material waste and gives Method the ability to efficiently integrate LEED, ENERGY STAR and Passive House standards into their projects.
From Article by The Good Trade
From Article by The Good Trade
Sustainable development can be defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
It's an approach to developing or growing by using resources in a way that allows for them to renew or continue to exist for others. Using recycled materials or renewable resources when building is an example of sustainable development.
What are the Sustainable Development Goals?
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
Are we on track to meeting those goals?
As the SDGs 2020 Report makes clear, the world is not on track to achieve the goals by 2030. Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, progress had been spotty. Four years after the approval of the 2030 Agenda, the average of the SDG Index in the region stands at 63.1 , indicating modest advances in the goals set.
According to the SDG progress report for 2019, we’re making progress in some areas, but not fast enough. And worse, we’re facing big threats – like climate change, conflict, and inequality – that threaten that progress. But this assessment is not a reason to give up hope; in fact, it’s a reason to step up our actions.
Time and time again, we’ve seen that progress is possible when we act as an international community. When governments, businesses, and citizens work together and put resources and determination behind a goal, change happens: Families move out of poverty, children are protected from diseases, girls become students, instead of brides, and much more.
That’s why, in 2015, world leaders came together at the United Nations and agreed to a plan to end extreme poverty, tackle inequality, and protect the planet. As we head into 2022, now is the time for governments to step up and act bigger and bolder to achieve the SDGs so no one is left behind. We’ve got technologies and solutions; we’ve got resources; what we need is political will from our leaders.
As world leaders meet at the UN in July and again in September to assess how we’re doing on the SDGs, here are six reasons to keep pushing to achieve the promise of the SDGs of a fair future for people and planet.
1. More children are surviving:
Child deaths declined by nearly 50% from 2000-2017. The world mobilized to get more vaccines and health services to millions of children who previously weren’t protected from preventable diseases. Thanks to these efforts, child deaths have significantly dropped from 9.8 million deaths to 5.4 million in 2015.
We can’t stop until we reach every child with basic services and needs, including nutrition, health care, clean water, and education.
2. We can end poverty.
In fact, extreme poverty has dropped to just 10% of the world’s population. Extreme poverty declined from nearly 36% of humankind to just 10% between 1990-2015. We need to step up action though because progress is slowing and still more than 700 million live on less than $1.90 — a statistic that shouldn’t exist in a world with so much wealth.
3. Hunger is on the rise.
Children are going to bed without the food they need. And that is not ok. The data on global hunger is troubling for two reasons: 1) Because approximately 1 in 9 people in the world aren’t getting the nourishment they need, and 2) because hunger is on the rise for the third year in a row after a period of major decline thanks to the impacts of climate change and conflict. Now is the time to turn things around: We have enough food to feed the world; we need to address the barriers that prevent people from getting it.
4. Nearly 9 in 10 people now have access to electricity to power their futures.
Let’s finish the job. Most people in the world now have access to power in order to study at night, cook food, and run their businesses. While we’re making progress, we need to accelerate action to reach the 840 million people without access to electricity and the close to 3 billion people who still cook with inefficient, polluting, and often unsafe systems.
5. Climate change is running faster than we are.
But it’s still a race we can win, as UN Secretary-General António Guterres says. Greenhouse gas emissions reached a record high in 2017 and are now 146% higher than pre-industrial levels. Climate change is having devastating impacts and threatens to roll back the gains we’ve made on poverty, health, and more. Now is the time to step up urgency and ambition to act on climate, which is why the Secretary-General is organizing a climate summit in September for world leaders to come with plans, instead of talk.
6. Everyone, everywhere deserves equal rights.
But right now, no country is on track to achieve gender equality by 2030. Let’s change that. We can’t accept a status quo that denies girls and women equal rights. As the SDG report notes, girls and women continue to face high levels of violence, spend more time on unpaid care work, and are underrepresented in leadership positions.
Each of us can advocate for changes to policies and social norms that discriminate against women, so we can be the generation to achieve equality.
Why else should we act on the SDGs?
Because it’s more effective than doing nothing. It’s easy to be cynical and to believe nothing can be done to make the world better. But that’s not how change happens. Change happens when we work together — across borders and backgrounds — for the shared cause of a fair, just future for people and planet.
Helpfully, the SDG Report for 2019 lays out areas we should focus on, including:
*Reaching the most vulnerable to leave no one behind;
*Mobilizing financing; Supporting local action;
*Strengthening institutions;
*Investing in data;
*Leveraging science, technology, and innovation;
*Building resilience; and Advancing international cooperation.
We can move from the world as it is to the world we want –
but it won’t happen by accident, it will happen through action.
Written by Jenni Lee (Circa 2019) United Nations Foundation
The deeper symbolism of a sustainable lifestyle is the respect that we have for the environment – the air that we breathe in, the soil that we grow our food on and the water that we drink. Mostly, these things are a given, we take them for granted. But we need to take a close look at our lifestyle and our surroundings and start to make the changes to reduce our carbon footprint, not only individually, but as communities. As someone famously said, take a close look at the mirror and make the change! We can choose to transform and make our present community a sustainable community or develop a community which is sustainable with like-minded people.
Most people are aware of global warming and its negative impact on the environment. But they do not have an idea of the positive impact they can make by implementing certain environment friendly steps. A single community can make a big difference to the surroundings over a period of time. People have to be educated about the ways and methods, perhaps during community meetings. They need to be shown that a sustainable community has reduced crime rate, reduced waste, attract economic development and all the people residing there benefit from the preservation of nature. A community who works together to create a clean and green environment is a happy, close knit one and culturally developed also.
would bring many people together to build a sustainable community, whether by transforming the present one or by building a new one, which has sustainable features. Take the lead If you feel strongly about the conservation of the environment, you can take the lead. Make the changes in your home first, to inspire others. Let your roof speak for itself, with the shiny new solar panels. Take the initiative to have a collection agency collect the recyclables from your home or community, making it easier to recycle. Educate people about the reduction of plastic in their lives, and carry reusable water bottles and cutlery everywhere.
Interact with people, talk to them about the value of sustainability (including financial value), share resources with them, and be active and vocal on social media about the ways in which a sustainable community can be created. There might be naysayers, but encourage openness and ask for viable solutions. This is sure to get people thinking about what they could do for their community. Your efforts and sincerity will pay off, and slowly you will be able to inspire people to convert to eco friendly choices when they see the value of it.
Conserving energy is one of the foremost features, perhaps the most essential feature of a sustainable community. Energy conserving systems can be implemented while developing a community. For example, installing solar panels to generate clean and green energy. In areas where there is a great amount of wind energy, wind turbines can be set up, or use geothermal energy or hydroelectricity. All members of an upcoming sustainable locality can agree on the particular kind of green energy that they want to utilize. For communities which rely on conventional electricity, the members of the community can collectively decide on the method of green energy they want to opt for. Solar is right now the most popular eco friendly energy as there are a number of vendors providing the panels and installation services.
One key feature of sustainability is promoting local business. It can be done by buying local – construction materials to fruits and vegetable and other good produced locally. Locally grown produce helps to sustain the livelihood of the farmers of that region, and helps the local flora and fauna survive. Besides, communities can save their carbon foot print due to travel miles when products are imported from outside the region.
Building’s construction should be green, incorporating LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards. This will ensure that your community buildings meet the global standards for eco friendly buildings which include energy and water efficiency, indoor environment/air quality, renewable resources as well as sustainability. Some sustainable communities use natural and traditional methods of construction, which boosts tradition, culture and local business while residents get to live in naturally insulated buildings. The housing design should be such that neighbors can interact with each other easily. Some communities do not believe in having boundary walls between neighbors. Spaces for people to get together have to be incorporated in order for more interaction to take place.
To create a sustainable community, you should definitely develop gardens and parks. Children and adults can benefit from these natural spaces, where they have a chance to breathe in fresh air and interact with others, which is a requisite for all humans, to maintain good mental health. Residents can be encouraged to grow trees, shrubs and flowers and care for them.
Waste is a problem in all places in the world. One of the ways to control waste and save the environment is reduce its production. The world is facing a severe plastic pollution problem, pollution land and water. Landfills fill up with waste and in America, almost 251 million tons waste is generated every year. Encourage your community to recycle or reuse material at the time of construction to reduce construction waste. The water systems should be developed with features to recycle and reuse water. Organic waste generated in the community should be converted into compost. In existing communities, residents can reduce their waste by using products made from recycled material, or products which are packaged in recyclable material and then recycling everything possible such as plastic, metal, paper, e-waste. They can start a community composting initiative or compost individually at home and share with their neighbors. For a start, community members can pledge not to use one time use plastic products.