Here are some of the programs, projects, groups and events that we have worked on and with in these areas over the last years. You will note that every single one of them is an international partnership project, and that most involve working with both public and private sector groups. And the volunteer sector. As you might guess it is a bit of a hodgepodge when one tries to put it all down in a synoptic list form like this -- but if you take the time to shop around you will begin to get the idea. In some cases you will find links to Web sites that may help better to identify the project, our partners, or otherwise put things into perspective. Of course, if you have questions or wish further details on any of these, you know where to turn.
Design, management and financing of this open WWW site which is available to groups wishing to test the WebWater for innovative concepts and approaches involving the socio-technical, sustainability issues which are our main concern. Several dozen international non-profit and public sector programs are already hosted under The Commons. Many of these projects involve events, publications, or media activities, for which you can find extensive further background directly consulting the sites.
This prize winning international program fired the opening shot in the car free day wars back in November 1994 with a call at the Ciudades Accesibles program (which by the way we had a hand in establishing the year before) for international cooperation and exchanges. To this end a Web site was established and a major long term international "accompanying effort" was set up to make these significant sustainability "triggers" work and proliferate. In June 2000, we were awarded the Stockholm Challenge Prize (Environment) for a path-breaking cooperative program with the City of Bogota.
Back
to top
We are using these approaches to support, enhance and extend an open international group project investigating the links between information society technologies and sustainable development -- and how these might be better anticipated and harnessed by public policy makers and others in the interest of a higher quality of life and social justice for present and future generations. Project is funded by the European Union under their Information Society programme. In addition to our substantive contributions, our main job is to use the available information tools to create an aggressive Outreach program which will not only permit extensive world-level distribution of the results and findings of the ASSIST project, but also to create active partnerships with groups and institutions who share our interest and our concerns, taking advantage of the open work structure.
This collaborative, multi-stage international program under The Commons has engaged in a cycle of media activities, joint research programs, debates, an on-line conference in collaboration with the International Labor Organization, a rewrite project for a book, etc. Full information on this path-breaking collaborative program will be found on the Rethinking Work Web site.
The Ciudades Accesibles ('Accessible Cities') is a national program in Spain that came into existence as the result of a long term program of trans-border technical cooperation, exchange and joint work on a variety of sustainable transport projects that first began in the late eighties. This program led to a virtual string of innovative transportation initiatives in the region, involving such things as traffic calming, non-motorized transport, strategic parking schemes, and TDM packages. In time these activities began to be better known throughout Spain and Europe and led to a general spilling-over of these kinds of projects and approaches to other agencies and places in Spain.
We are currently working with a group of international donors to sketch out and crate the base for a high profile international program which is to provide incentives and support for outstanding innovative programs that help to improve the quality of life of people who live on islands. One of the main themes of this long term program will be to support Information Society projects which help attack some of the worst problems and limitations of the insularity of most islands.
"If you live in a city. . . and if you drive less than 10,000 kilometers a year. . . you should probably consider carsharing" This is the motto of @World CarShare, which was set up under The Commons in early 1998 as a free, cooperative international information sharing and communications program in support of carsharing projects and programs, world wide. Strange though it may sound, carsharing is fast becoming a real sustainability option in many places, with plenty of room for both private and public sector initiatives and cooperation.
The Reading Foundation is being established in the closing months of 2000 to provide an entirely independent non-governmental, cooperative program ready and able to work with others to increase literacy, learning skills, and love of reading and books for children in underprivileged groups and parts of the State of Mississippi. The early focus is on finding ways to support existing programs and innovative efforts aimed at achieving 100% literacy for children in the rural Black community, starting with the strategic support of existing and new programs in Monroe County and Northeast Mississippi. All work of the Foundation is carried out through partnerships with local groups and on a volunteer basis.
We have thus far provided content consultant services and variously participated in the planning, organization and sometimes in the delivery of radio and television programs in Britain, Ireland, France, Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Brazil, and the United States. These projects invoked a range of assignments running from half day brainstorming and planning sessions to weeks of intense involvement and cooperation, at times using our videoconferencing and voice conferencing capabilities as well as all the more familiar means of communications and interaction.
These are commissioned and prepared on a regular basis. For local, national, international government, and for private sector groups in both Europe and North America. However, we work only with groups whom we believe to be sincerely committed to the issues of sustainability, or at the very least willing to engage an open public dialogue as part of a process of self-questioning and conversion to a more sustainable work and delivery agenda.
This new town project has at its core the sustainability concept. Our involvement there was, first, to work with the senior planners there to investigate every aspect of the project to determine how the plan might be oriented to achieve specific sustainability objectives. In particularly the communications, energy, activity location and transportation aspects were thus woven into a plan that provided a new model for urban development in unsustainable Southern California. Once the main pillars and structure of the plan were in place, we then went to work with the project team to make the concept known to surrounding communities, financial backers, environmental groups, the general public and the media. The media products included an extensive cycle of public meetings, several videos, brochures, and radio and television interviews and presentations.
This program has been working over the last decade to develop, cooperate with, support and promulgate such things as books aimed at the general public, Op-Ed pieces, films, videos, surveys, radio and television interviews, polls, exhibitions, posters, school programs, children's books, museum exhibits, design competitions, computer games, happenings, brainstorming sessions, public debates, etc. We are convinced that if we and others fail to harness the full spectrum of tools and means that are available, the challenges to which this program is addressed will go largely unmet. (Some of the individual Access Media projects appear below.)
An international collaborative program using the Net to create and inform local and national programs for car free days, with a difference. Includes organizational guidelines, technical support package, & media program. See the Web site for full details.
Also to be identified in more detail:
- Book in English and Italian
This multi-part collaborative project with the new technologies directorate of the European Commission has spread over a number of stages since 1993. It has thus far involved the organization of several international expert workshops, a continuing flow of working papers and reviews, the publication and distribution in more than 5000 copies of a "thinking exercise" with that same title, several supporting Web sites, and a cycle of skull sessions with companies, labor groups and public sector institutions looking for new ways of organizing work..
Media, educational, public involvement package for French Ministry of Environment. A 1997 open brainstorming project aimed at identifying and implementing a wide range of new citizen-driven measures & participatory responses to problems associated with urban air pollution at a time of increasingly frequent air alerts. One of the products of this series of meetings and sketch plan was the eventual national program that began one year later with the first national Car Free Day in Europe. (A full French language report on this project, its recommendations and accomplishments will be found in the @Library.)
Experimental collaborative program using Internet & several collections of electronic curricula together with regional support teams to teach environmental skills. Program created in cooperation with the Distance Learning group of UNESCO, Terc, and the International Forum for Human Sciences. Included several brainstorming sessions, videoconferences, an international expert workshop in Valladolid. One spin-off thus far has been the "Einstein in the Basque Country" projects undertake by Leber in cooperation with local schools in the Bizkaia area of Spain.
Developed concept, story board, production team for children's story for an international environmental group. Found publisher, negotiated contracts, and later located publishers and distributors for German language edition. This book is the first in a series for which English and other language publishers are currently being sought.
Working with author and producer, 21st Turtle developed story board for 30 minute color video, selected production unit, arranged international marketing, got financial support. Eventually shown on both English and Spanish TV (Also arranged dubbed version for Spain)
A cycle of do-it-yourself exhibits & events on a range of sustainability themes and issues, jump-started from a basic "kit" made available to schools, teachers and parents, as well as other cooperating local institutions and groups. Involves an end-of-program press and media event led by children.
In cooperation with Netherlands Institute of Design developed day-long presentation and public debate of new work patterns at a time of increasing unemployment. Made direct presentations. Aimed at financial press and TV/radio.
Consultants to organizing committee of international conference organized by OECD and Canadian government in Vancouver, Canada. Designed, developed and ran WWW site and support system. Also participated in the conception and organization of a parallel children's program and art exhibit.
A 4 month brainstorming program with ample use of graphics, film, audio and guest speakers to provide new activity and product leads for a major automotive manufacturer looking at diversification prospects in a troubled competitive international environment.
Illustrated bed-time story for Spanish television based on Family Mouse environmental series. In cooperation with Leber and TV VII in Bilbao.
In-progress program aimed at producing a "movable feast": exhibition, conference, series of happenings, public meetings, monster Wheels Tour of city, and coordinated media programs. First cut being prepared in conjunction with Netherlands Institute of Design for 1999 run in Amsterdam. Later slated to go on international tour.
21st Turtle Home
The @Forum
Post Office
Updated 20 August 1998