What Have We Done?

 

 

The World on Fire

Introduction

Apparently scientists are “shocked” or “scared” at the ever increasing rate of climate change. This year alone we have seen huge forest fires, like in California or in Siberia, flash floods, like those in Germany, China, or in Tennessee. We have even seen powerful tornadoes in the Czech Republic. But I don’t see any reason to be “shocked” by all this. Perhaps “scared” but not “shocked”. It is not as if this hasn’t been predicted. Scientists have been warning that this would happen for decades. Even if things are happening faster than expected that should have been given as a possibility. The climate is, after all, a non-linear, chaotic system and such systems can suddenly flip from one state to another state. Such a change is called a phase shift.

Despite all the warnings and all the evidence we haven't actually done anything to prevent the current changes have we? I’m sure we are all buying “environmentally friendly” stuff. We are all using some kind of “bio fuel” and our government has made all kinds of environmental agreements and introduced schemes like carbon tax. Yet, all that hasn’t really done much has it? It’s like throwing a bucket of water of the fires in California or Siberia; pissing in the ocean. And just to add to the problem, we have been busy with climate change denial and other activities to counter any advance we might make.

What’s the Problem?

Is the problem too little carbon tax or what stuff we buy? I would say no. And if that is so, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that we are not having much effect on preventing climate change. I would argue that the problem is to do with the way we do things in general; with our whole socioeconomic system.

Our socioeconomic system is a debt based money system that aims to grow exponentially with finite resources. This leads to an amazing advancement in human civilisation but it is also fundamentally unsustainable. We produce more and more stuff and in doing so produce more and more waste as goods are not made to last. We end up over exploiting the planets resources and creating the conditions for climate change as well as many other problems. So, if we really want to do something about climate change then we need to change our current socioeconomic system to something sustainable.

An Alternative?

There are probably many alternative socioeconomic systems to our current one. But I would propose one where we can maintain a high standard of living but one where we also balance our needs with those of the planet. We could do this given the huge waste we have in our current system. Think about cars, just as an example. Cars spend most of their time standing still in a car park or garage or just by the side of the road. Most of them are not actually doing something useful most of the time. Now imagine a system where cars are used for 80% of the time. We could do that if we shared cars. If I was to take my car to work in the morning I wouldn't just park it and leave it for the day until I need to drive home again. Instead, the car could be used by someone else to drive them to work or for other tasks. At the end of the the car would be ready and waiting to take me home again. So long as the car is there when I need it, does it matter if others also use it? If we had such a system we would need far less cars. If we had a system that minimised transport needs (by, for example, work from home) we could cut down the amount of cars even more. If we also made cars to last, we would not have to make so many new ones each year. If we did this for as many products as possible then we could drastically reduce our impact on the planet yet still maintain a high standard of living.

We can’t have such a system in our money based world, so I would propose a system without money. To do that we would still need some way to account for all the materials and energy we have in the system. We could do that by using exergy. Exergy is a measure of how useful the energy we have is (we can’t always use all the energy we have) but it can also be used to measure materials. If we use exergy we would have, what I would call, an energy accounting system. We could then allocate production capacity to people so they decide what gets produced or what services they can use. As the capacity to produce or consume a service will take energy and materials we can use exergy as a way to allocate these to the people.

But for such a system like that to work it will need experts to run it. The whole system is complex and is made of systems within systems. Just to understand how one part of it works can take many years of study or experience. So, we would need teams of experts from different disciplines to run the system, calculate out the exergy, allocate production capacity, and keep things running.

Such a system would also need to balance our needs with those of nature; it will be sustainable by design from the beginning. Again, we will need experts to design the system and the systems within the systems. Cars are just one example of that but cars are part of a transport system. If we think about how a transport system works and what it aims to do, we can start thinking about how to build such a system so it has minimum impact on nature. We wont have to worry about profit or cost, we just need to know if we have the energy and the resources to achieve the goal. But a transport system are part of cities as well, so we would have to think of transport within the context of cities and the other systems that make a city.

The system I propose is really about engineering society. It takes a scientific approach to what we do. Scientific because we need a good understanding of how nature works in order to balance our needs with those of the planet and still maintain a high standard of living. Science is demonstrably the best system for understanding the world. What I propose is engineering society as it is about applying science to society.

A Way Forward

The Bio Dome that EOS built

I say “I propose” but this is not just my proposal. There are a number of groups around the world working on similar ideas. One of the more well known groups is the Venus Project in the US but the proposal I have just introduced here is put forward by a group called EOS, which is based in Sweden. The full proposal can be found here. But a summery is also presented here and here.

If we want a sustainable future, a future that balances our needs with those of the planet, a sustainable future, then we need to act ourselves. It is not going to build it self. We also ready have people acting. EOS has not only worked on a proposal but has started to test some of the ideas out. From simple projects like building a bio dome, EOS is now working on building a test community. But more needs to be done. More people and more finances (irritatingly for an organisation that wants a moneyless world).

all a matter of time!

Ok, not our dome but we can dream!

I have had complaints that I haven’t written much for a while now; both here and on the Facebook page. I have had few reasons for that. First, I wanted to wait till we had something interesting to write about regarding the bio dome and now we have. We have finally received funding and have started to get the build process underway. We hope to have the dome up during the summer. So a big well done to all those who have put the effort in to get us this far!

Unfortunately, we don’t have full funding yet so the internals will have to wait till we get more funding.

Second; a lot of what I have to say I have said. We have put together our ideas into the Design and now, rather than writing, we want to start doing something. Also, I want other people to contribute. We, as in EOS, do not pretend we have the one and only perfect solution and the holonic design allows others to contribute their ideas as well.  As long as we work towards the same goals and work within the bounds of tolerance and stick to the core ideas we have room for many alternative approaches. To that end, I have seen a lot of activity on the Facebook pages where many people have thrown in all kinds of ideas and possibilities. Now we need to start building things. 

So, thing have really started taking off since we started in 2004 but things still move slowly.

Which brings me to another problem; time. We have the idea of testing things out, of experimenting, as we both take a scientific approach and as no group proposing an alternative socioeconomic system actually know what will and will not work. However, the more time passes the more we destroy the Earth and the more we run out of resources. So, I’m beginning to think about complementing our main idea. What would it take to get other people in other place on the planet to start testing out our ideas as well? What would it take to get other people to start building something? To start forming a network with us? The more of us who start building the more of us will start getting things done!

The Bio-Dome Project - A stepping stone.

Background

Today's cities are largely dependent on intercontinental transport to secure their supply of food. Globally, humanity has built a civilization that is dependent on fossil fuels to feed the growing cities. This leads to a difficult adjustment process now as the amount of newly discovered fossil fuels declines. The price of food will increase, which means a reduction of growth in many other sectors where consumption is severely limited by the greater part of disposable income swallowed up by rising food prices.

In a globalized world where information and technology travels quickly and efficiently, there is little reason not to act now. There are already technologies and knowledge that can show us a sustainable way into the future distinctive of adequate understanding of the earth's resources and the ability to allocate and use them right. In order to "build a bridge" that mitigate the impact of increased food prices focus has shifted to local production. The Scandinavian climate does not lend itself naturally to the production of agricultural products during the winter months without the use of greenhouses. Traditional greenhouses are not ecologically sustainable and rely largely on pesticides and fertilizers which not only can be questioned in terms of ecological sustainability but also because they are based on fossil fuels. Therefore, we want to develop a system of cost-efficient and climate-regulating greenhouses for sustainable production. The aim of this project is to create innovative models to support local action to pave the way towards a sustainable future for all.

Purpose

Innovative, Feasible

With this project, we intend to add new knowledge in technology and agrarian strategies for sustainable growth through technology that promotes self-sufficiency at the local-level and the reduction of greenhouse gases. These skills should be made available and the technological applications will be simplified to the level that people at the grassroots level can take these innovations and introduce them into their own business / everyday life. The idea is to deploy innovations to various municipalities, companies, associations and individuals regionally / internationally to support the transition towards sustainable development.

Long-term objective is to mitigate the adverse effects of rising food prices globally, which Västerbotten, where we are based, is a vulnerable region due to transport lengths and climatic conditions. We hope to excite interest, commitment and enthusiasm for alternative solutions, engineered ecosystems and implementations of alternative technologies to solve the agrarian problem. As part of this we want to apply the geodesic design, which represents one of the most ecologically sustainable ways to use materials.

Another objective is to create conditions for the large scale production of organic vegetables.

Goal

Thoughtful, Relevance, Sustainability

Milestones I: Prototype

Complete a semi-prototype of a bio-dome. Below is a breakdown of the components of bio-dome

a: Structure

A dome-shaped structure based on geodesics principles. Such a shape holds heat well in winter plus, with the need for ventilation in the summer the air circulation is done almost automatically by the air traveling up the sides of the dome and then out through the top, which is explained below (see Geodesics).

b: Aquaponics

A agro-systems that produces vegetables with fish feces as manure. Aquaponics has two main components; an aquarium, with aquaculture, and a plant bed. An aqua culture will be in the aquarium and in the plant bed, plants that provide the fish with vital minerals and bacteria.

(Vegetables, edible fish)

c: Control controllers

This system controls all sensors to keep track of the climate inside the dome, for example. temperature in the water / air, humidity, light, also bacterial levels, nitrite / nitrate levels in the Aquaponics system.

(Programs that control different sensors in bio-vault)

Milestones II: Employment Opportunities within the project

The project will open new opportunities for many different types of work, below is a list of the occupations that would be involved. It is also open for internships, where work on the project would be an advantage for participants. Participants can choose any of the following and have the opportunity to learn from a supervisor in the chosen profession.

a: Construction Work

b: biologists

c: Program Planner

d: engineer

e: Media Producers

f: IT

Milestones III: The Media

Continuously create new channels to communicate the collected knowledge and experience gained from the work in different media.

a: WordPress

b: Facebook

c: Tidnginar

d: Forums

Milestones XI: Scientific documentation process.

a: continuously measure and log levels in the Aquaponics system.

b: Continuous film construction of bio-dome

c: Total documentation and transparency

Milestones X: The public

a: Everyone should have access to the finished product.

b: A more developed understanding of ecosystems be given on the availability of bio-dome.

c: Improving our national footprint.

Milestones XI observance of equality

a: Achieving gender composition of the team.

b: Increase awareness and interest in these issues among young women.

c: Well, a good partnership between women and men in the project and oppose discrimination and suppression techniques.

Target

Delimited, Accessibility to, Well-defined

The primary target group for the project's end product is expert players in industry and academia with an interest in technology and studies and activities in sustainable development. The User Group is divided into primary users whose need of vegetables and fish will be met up to 70 percent by the bio-dome. The secondary user group consists of users, who through the activities that take place in bio-dome, gain greater knowledge and awareness of the importance of organic and local food.

Method

What we want to achieve

The bio-dome is an encapsulated and closed ecosystems in a dome built using geodesic principles. This means that the dome is constructed of triangles that are angled according to geometric calculations, maximizing the use of space and sunlight. The dome houses an aquarium with aqua culture for food fish, small fish, small shrimps and aquatic insects.

Above the aquarium are the plant beds with material of high porosity (eg hydrograins) for growing vegetables. In the plant bed will be worms which will eat up old plant matter so that bacteria levels are kept at a steady balance.

The water from the aquarium is fed to these beds and filtered through the root systems before returning to the aquarium. As they return to the aquarium, the water is enriched with vital minerals and bacteria that the fish need, particularly for the gills to function as they should. This circle of fish and gardening - aquaponics - forms a closed ecosystem that reduces the need for addition of new resources for the system's survival. The only thing that must be added on a monthly basis will be iron, which ends up in the plant beds through adding particles of dust to the aquaponics system, this will not harm the fish and goes through the system until it is completely absorbed by the plants.

How it is accomplished

• The first step is to write the project description and business plan as well as the budget.

• Financing of the project is done by searching stakeholders including public, private and social networks.

• Composition of a production team with the right skills.

• Collaboration with companies and public institutions for the production of components.

• A mix of bio-dome prototypes.

• Monitoring and analysis of the success of the project, final report.

• Organization

The project is owned by the non-profit organization EOS (or the economic association UBG14) and is thus the legal entity behind the project. For implementation of the project, working groups will be appointed composed of people who represent areas of expertise. A reference group is also connected to the project in order to review the business plan and provide feedback on the performance of the plan. The project will have three project managers with responsibility for the technical construction and management and a coordinator with coordinating mandate and overview of the business as a whole. Project managers work on planning, statement of operations for the project's working group for feedback and facilitation of follow-up.

The project will document all activities through documents and photography to achieve broad transparency in all relevant areas of the project.

Time and activity

Milestones Activity Time Results

Milestones in building prototype via existing channels within the Umeå University and the business community, seeking new expertise February 2013, extending skills base and increase the quality level

Organize information meetings from February to March deepening partner’s knowledge and connect with new partners for the project.

Contact representatives of the partners / target March. Forming peer group.

Applying for planning permission in March. Initiate the process of digging

Test new materials / models of Oil Heating and begin work on the control systems from April to October. Build dome control system 1.0

Excavation for the basic structure from May to September. Finished Building bio heating model.

Test material for Energy 1 and begin construction June to September. Determine the suitability of the material and produce prototype for Energy 1

Test materials for Aqua 2 October to April. Finished Building Aqua2

Purchase of fish / plants in March 2014

Aqua 2 and controllers tested April. Ensuring the validity of the model and the system.

Test Power 2 and heat 2 June to September. Finished Building Energy 2 and heat 2

Harvest Festival September arousing interest and curiosity and inform the public.

Presentation of the prototype in October. Identify new partners and begin marketing model

Milestones II:

Scientific documentation

Milestones III Study November 2013 ((Purpose and result))

Study June 2014

Effectiveness and expected results

Some indicators that will provide instructions on the projects performance are:

that we make progress with the construction of the structure and that it fulfills the same purpose as the mission statement, that we implement the project on a voluntary basis as it is described in the project plan.

Risk Analysis

RMP broken down by milestones. (This goes through the whole group together (SWOT))

Follow-up

From the outset of the project, will be linked external evaluators, beneficial representative from universities that will oversee operations in terms of plan accordingly, implementation, effectiveness, and dissemination of results.

Beyond this, the project managers will continuously keep log of activities and inform the Working Group on the work. In consultation with the working group and the reference group established the monitoring template for each milestone.

After the project is summarized, logs and documentation and a final report by the evaluator and project manager will be produced and signed.

Cooperation

EOS

Umeå University

International cooperation

We work for global sustainability, and therefore we work at national and international level with other players. Our goal is to promote social development, entrepreneurship and creativity worldwide.

Therefore, our projects seek sustainable transparency, collaboration with public, private and non-profit-driven actors, be inclusive and strive for gender equality and the participation of all major groups in society, to reflect the diversity we want to achieve at the global level.

A common strategy will be developed to realize this goal on the composition of the people involved in the project. We will work to support employment goals in Västerbotten region.

We will try to achieve diversity within the project and engage people with a wide variety of backgrounds and life experiences; we must also have the final report in English.