Research and Development
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A diverse committee of experts from around the world, convened at the request of the U.S. National Science Foundation, has revealed 14 challenges that, if met, would improve how we live.
"Tremendous advances in quality of life have come from improved technology in areas such as farming and manufacturing," said committee member and Google co-founder Larry Page. "If we focus our effort on the important grand challenges of our age, we can hugely improve the future."
The panel, some of the most accomplished engineers and scientists of their generation, was established in 2006 and met several times to discuss and develop the list of challenges. Through an interactive Web site, the effort received worldwide input from prominent engineers and scientists, as well as from the general public, over a one-year period. The panel's conclusions were reviewed by more than 50 subject-matter experts.
Today, a captivating online movie called The (Bio) Da Versity Code will begin informing citizens around the world about the dangerous loss of animal and plant species.
To launch the movie a notable group of leading conservation organizations will participate in a coordinated e-blast to approximately 1,000,000 people. Launch partners include the World Wildlife Fund, Sierra Club, Environmental Defense, The Center for Biological Diversity, The World Conservation Union, The Endangered Species Coalition, and the Species Alliance. This initiative is part of a growing trend in the use of "viral flash activism" to quickly reach millions of people about issues concerning social justice, environmental and human health.
The movie, created by Free Range Studios in collaboration with BFI and Harvard's Center for Health and the Global Environment, is a parody of the Da Vinci Code. It's an adventure featuring Robert Penguin and Sophie Minnow as they investigate the death of a polar bear at the Natural History Museum, and discover the 'greatest lie ever told': that humans can live apart from the web of life.
A new and much simplified version of EARTHscope™ has been developed to feature geo-stories about key fronts in the race to protect the web of life. The EARTHScope content is part of an online campaign focused on human induced mass extinction, an issue that has reached crisis proportions but has yet to reach a tippping point of public awareness like global warming.
BFI's web based geo-story telling tool was incorporated into the campaign as a way to provide a 'learn more' option to viewers of The (Bio) Da Versity Code, an animated parody of The Da Vinci Code which serves as a highly engaging front end to the campaign. BFI produced the accompanying geo-stories with scientific and editorial advice from the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School.
A notable group of leading conservation organizations is participating in a coordinated e-blast to approximately 1,000,000 constituents to launch the campaign. Launch partners include the World Wildlife Fund, Sierra Club, Environmental Defense, The Center for Biological Diversity, The World Conservation Union, The Endangered Species Coalition, and the Species Alliance.
Spaceship Earth - the Game
The on-line multi-user game to Save the World!
Spaceship Earth: The Game: Currently in development, Spaceship Earth: The Game (SSE) is a Massively Multi-Player Online "Reality' Game that harnesses the engagement, creative motivation and "hard fun' of network computer games as a catalyst for moving towards a more sustainable environment.
Spaceship Earth is not simply a game - it is a collaborative 'earth systems' modeling environment, a global systems educational tool; it is a community, a lifestyle, and a call to action. Players who engage in the game are asked not only to "play' but to commit to being a "crew member' of Spaceship Earth, and, in so doing, apply themselves to the game's goal of creating a sustainable future in as many ways as possible in their daily lives.
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A half century ago R. Buckminster Fuller - distinguished mathematician, pioneering inventor and 21st century visionary - realized that humanity's long-term success or failure would depend in large part on our ability to:
- "Find effective ways for all humanity to see total Earth"
- Gather & map an inventory of the world's resources, human trends, and needs
- Design "dramatic educational tools" to promote "World Literacy re: World Problems," including "dramatic indication of potential solution[s]"
BFI launched the EARTHscope project to extend this important aspect of Buckminster Fuller's research and vision.
EMERGENCY Shelters Project: Just days after Hurricane Katrina, the Emergency Shelter Special Projects Committee of BFI collaborated with World Shelters, on the installation of Fuller-inspired autonomous shelter units in Mississippi, to be used by staff of two destroyed fire stations. Mindful of Fuller's words that there can be "emergence through emergency" BFI's Board raised funds for two ready--to--deliver transitional structures of 750 square feet. The features of the autonomous units are particularly compelling as they will serve as tangible examples of what can be done--not only for the immediate recovery stage--but also for long-term shelter usage.
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EARTHscope (ES)
Interactive geo-stories about the state of the Earth, our communities, and possible futures.
The EARTHscope (ES) initiative is aimed at developing online tools for displaying the profound, yet often invisible trends affecting global and local communities. The prototype version allows organizations to publish their information as engaging "geo-stories": downloadable presentations that combine dynamic maps with supporting graphics, imagery, sound, and text.
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