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This proposal was forked from Climate: Acquisition of Resources & Distribution (CARD) in the contest Adaptation 2018

Pitch

Clearinghouse: Climate project to secure water, energy, health & security solutions in any country. CARD revolutionizes solutions delivery.


Description

Summary


Credit: Dominicus Johannes Bergsma https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Insectenhotel.JPG

There's no single clearinghouse or team to distribute tested & proven climate initiatives at the grassroots level which are ready to be launched, and trade laws & practices are a burden.

CARD (Climate: Acquisition of Resources & Distribution) proposes that a world wide net be cast to bring in to one clearinghouse (a virtual warehouse) all the ready to go practices and technologies. These would include permaculture (practices and technologies), circular economy (practices and technologies), and DIY technologies such as products created by Billions in Change: Hans Free Electric™, Rain Maker, and Renew ECP.

CARD proposes a Train the Trainers & Open Source model of operation.

CARD would present options for communities & act as logistics manager to fulfill delivery of solutions, whether it be consultants, educators, or technology.

The success of CARD would require cooperation from governments to enable the distribution of the solutions. For example - no tariffs, no import fees & unfettered travel of those delivering knowledge and industrial procedures.

By engaging the global community, from government representatives to practitioners & technology owners, CARD will resolve several issues that hinder distribution of solutions currently.

  • Cost of information & products will be contained with cooperation of participating organizations & governments
  • Individuals and teams will have greater access to communities with cooperation of governments
  • Communities will have access to education and technology which has so far been out of reach
     

CARD will utilize communications technology appropriate for participating regions.

  • Community meetings
  • Internet
  • Radio
  • Television
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Meetings
     

CARD will engage "Hub" leaders in participating regions to carry out CARD's mission:

To bring solutions to those who need them to develop & strengthen community resiliency to face climate change.


Is this proposal for a practice or a project?

Project


What actions do you propose?

Acquire Non-Profit status.

Establish a team (Team 1) to produce the CARD Hub (the virtual warehouse and advertising space) to be utilized by team members to identify, organize and develop data and resources. Build online "store" to present the organization, it's partners, and enable global access to services and products.

Establish a team (Team 2) to liaison with resource groups (such as, but not limited to: permaculture representatives, circular economy practitioners and theorists, Billions in Change representative(s)), and climate security experts; develop outreach for communications delivery (establish information networking system - community meetings, internet, radio, television, newsletters). 

Recruit committed persons for the board of directors (BOD).

Train all team and BOD members in Sociocracy; use of the CARD Hub warehouse and advertising site; and investigative research methods (to be used in finding and evaluating solutions and country demographics and governance).

Identify organizations or community groups interested in participating as solutions recipients.

Collect and input data of resources and recipient communities.

Propose the CARD Hub concept to government representatives and community leaders.

Enter data of committed government representatives and community leaders.

Propose the CARD Hub concept to potential funders.

Enter data of committed funders.

Activate the CARD Hub.

Maintain open lines of communications and support systems for team members and participating resource "owners" and government and community leadership.

Evaluate activity, success rates and issues.

Adapt CARD  and CARD Hub according to findings of evaluations.

Next Level:

Grow the network. Invite solutions designers/developers to submit their ideas for public review and commentary of their not yet tested and proven products.

One example of how CARD will function:

CARD will partner with permaculture practitioners in each target country to contract with them to deliver food security solutions appropriate for their regions.

For example, in Uruguay, farming of vegetables and fruits requires greenhouses and shading due to heavy rain and high summer temperatures. Much of the produce is imported from other countries by trucks on roads that succumb to torrential rains and are often flooded and not passable. 

CARD proposes that permaculture practitioners in Uruguay teach vulnerable communities (poverty, flooding, heat) how to create sustainable agriculture such as food forests and how to build swales, berms, and hugelkultur to manage flood waters and sustain plants during high temperature days.

Traditionally permaculture practitioners derive income from their teaching engagements by charging a per person fee. CARD proposes that these practitioners put a cap on their earnings for group engagements so as to sever the largest number of persons possible in each community. Any fees charged to recipients would be to cover cost of transportation, lodging and food (in-kind donations from the recipient community may be applied). The 'take-away' for the practitioners is that they will reach more people and potentially contract their services at a later date in a larger market. And, of course, permaculture practices will be used in more places by more people, exponentially strengthening communities' ability to manage the multiple challenges of climate change.

Definitions:

Acquisition - contractual agreements (not buyouts)
Resources - information & products

Warehouse - virtual store of information & products
Distribution - logistical management to deliver information & products


Who will take these actions?

CARD Hub Team members and committed alliances under the direction and guidance of a board of directors using the Sociocracy methods of communication and governance.

For more information about CARD & CARD Hub, see: cardclimate.wordpress.com


Where will these actions be taken?

In the beginning, through virtual communications and global networking tools. Team members will work from their locations through internet communications systems.

Ultimately, actions will be taken from anywhere resource owners, community leaders, and governments commit to the CARD mission - where communities face climate challenges due to energy, water, health and security risks (grid outages, drought, toxins, food supply chain failure, technological disruption).

With the exception of the Faroe Islands, targeted countries chosen for solutions delivery represent at-risk communities which could greatly benefit from CARD and CARD partner services. The Faroe Islands were chosen due to it's unique geographical traits, proximity to other nations, and dependence on fossil fuels.


Credit: All images from Wiki Commons Free to Use License


In addition, specify the country or countries where these actions will be taken.

Uruguay


Country 2

Nicaragua


Country 3

Philippines


Country 4

Greece


Country 5

Faroe Islands


Impact/Benefits


What impact will these actions have on greenhouse gas emissions and/or adapting to climate change?

By streamlining access & delivery of proven practices and technology to vulnerable communities, potential harm to those communities and the world at large, is mitigated.

Through efficient, climate conscious logistical management, emissions can be reduced (use of internet for information delivery versus trainer/consultant travel by air, boat or other vehicle).

Nominal to zero GHG emissions will be created by CARD team members because each will work from their location - no commute required.

For example, one economy class direct return flight from SFO to ATH creates 3.00 metric tons of GHG (calculator.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx) versus a San Francisco trainer training leadership in Athens via the internet which does have a carbon footprint, (though I currently can't figure out what GHG would be for one person communicating with another for two weeks).

Credit: Climate Carehttps://climatecare.org/infographic-the-carbon-footprint-of-the-internet

Through cooperative technology production with technology owners, emissions can be reduced by establishing local facilities to produce solutions technology in situ.

Solutions proposed for delivery by CARD include "greening of the deserts" teams to ramp up natural carbon sequestration because, for example, "one hectare of Jatropha curcas could capture up to 25 tonnes of atmospheric carbon dioxide per year, over a 20 year period" & "closed, or endorheic, basins in deserts — areas into which water flows but doesn’t flow out — are significant storehouses of carbon."

In addition to carbon sequestration through greening the deserts projects, permaculture practices have successfully transformed desert regions into vital food production sites - DA Network: Permaculture Greening the Desert - Geoff Lawton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xcZS7arcgk.

Another solution which CARD proposes to deliver is Billions in Change's Hans Free Electric™ energy generating bicycle. One hour of cycling on the unit "yields a day’s worth of electricity for an average rural household. It’s electricity on demand" - billionsinchange.com/solutions/free-electric/. This solution addresses several issues.

  • Energy becomes affordable for more people
  • During power outages, refrigeration systems will function
  • The unit does not produce greenhouse gas emissions
  • The unit is easily maintained and doesn't require a utility or other service provider to function


Delivery of Circular Economy practices can be done via internet, radio and television infomercial programming as well as through community learning experiences guided by leaders developed through Train the Trainer programs.

Circular Economy practices negate ghg emissions by "closing the loop" which mitigates waste from beginning to end of a product's lifecycle. It also enables communities to seek relevant and achievable solutions to deforestation, plastic waste in the environment, & pollutants distributed through the practice of burning waste that should not be burned. http://www.circulareconomy.com/.


What are other key benefits?

  • Job creation
  • Rapid distribution of solutions
  • Affordable access to solutions
  • Many solutions free to acquire
  • Development of in situ resources
     


Costs/Challenges


What are the proposal’s projected costs?

At this time, expenses can only be estimated. Some expenses can be predetermined. Other expenses can only be determined after the teams and board of directors are in place.

Expenses:

The minimum start-up budget is $251,785 and is comprised of non-profit certification ($405), participant recruitment ($450), equipment sourced from TechSoup (TBD), database development ($1,000), office supplies ($3,500), first year wages for staff ($230,000), partnership compensation ($6,000), and contingency fund ($10,000).

The proposed expenses budget is represented at my google docs (updated 9 August 2017):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7PbzAzkdGjNeDFrZjRobFdCM2s/view?usp=sharing

Stage I of CARD. See the full Expense Projection

Income:

Because CARD plans to function as a non-profit, the cost of operating the organization will remain relatively low. To fund operating expenses, CARD will charge a nominal fee to technology owners on each sale to recipients and will sell advertising space to any climate solution 'owner' in a climate change "marketplace" (separate from the CARD Hub, but linked from and to the CARD Hub).

Challenges:

CARD will undoubtedly experience resistance from governments and industries due to CARD's non-traditional business methodologies (Open Source, free sharing, demand for unfettered access to deliver technologies, and capacity to replicate anywhere by anyone).

Other climate solutions/adaptation resources exist which CARD differs from. There may be some push-back by those entities because CARD may be viewed as a "disruptive" agent.


Source: CARD's Prospectus https://cardclimate.wordpress.com/prospectus/

To address these challenges, CARD will utilize cooperative dialog and governance methods such as Sociocracy offers and maintain focus on the fact that people need solutions today, not in twenty or thirty years. Many nations have agreed that climate change must be met with actions to ensure communities are secure and resilient (The Paris Agreement: 160 Parties have ratified of 197 Parties to the Convention unfccc.int/paris_agreement/items/9485.php). This fact will lay the foundation of all cooperative dialog to bring CARD to fruition.


Credit: Sociocracy 3.0 - Effective Collaboration at Any Scale  http://sociocracy30.org/

 

 


Timeline

Year 1

December 2017 - February 2018

  • Teams 1 and 2 identified and activated
  • Board of Directors (BOD) identified and activated
     

February 2018 - May 2018

  • Database developed
  • Online store developed
  • Training of Teams and BOD fulfilled


February 2018 - August 2018

  • Partnerships secured (government, practitioners/teachers, technology producers)


August 2018

  • Project Launched
  • Support systems in place
  • BOD feedback consulted/evaluated
     

October 2018

  • First internal evaluations completed
  • Adaptations/adjustments determined
  • Customer satisfaction survey conducted
  • Realignment begun


Years 2-15

  • Evaluate the Train the Trainer program
  • Evaluate Open Source materials & success
  • Evaluate contracts with governments, NGOs, partners
  • Recruit and train new CARD Hub managers
  • Recruit & partner with more solutions "owners"
  • Recruit more CARD program recipients
  • Recruit new BOD members as needed


Years 50-100

  • Evaluate all aspects
  • Repeat Years 2-15


About the author(s)


Pia Jensen lives in Salto, Uruguay & was the 2013 Climate CoLab Judges Choice winner in the Agriculture and forestry category (Nicaragua: Carbon Sink, Economic Driver & Medicinal Plant Preservation) & is currently creating an urban farm/food forest. Her experiences include grantsmanship, policy development, educating educators, customer service, & permaculture. Pia at LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/piacjensen/

Danilo da Rosa lives in Salto, Uruguay & has more than 15 years experience in computer information systems. His skill set includes:

  • Web: HTML, JavaScript, CSS, Python, PHP, SQL, web services
  • Frameworks: Web2py, Dojo, JQuery, Mobile, Bootstrap
  • Other Languages: C/C++, Java, Lua
  • GNU/Linux: Administration, Shell Scripting
  • Semantic Web: RDF, SPARQL, Triplestores
  • Permaculture design & teaching permaculture practices
     

Danilo's full CV is located in my google docs: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7PbzAzkdGjNM0hwOXBuNUdscHM/view?usp=sharing


Peter Rowan has deep experience in green economy development. His work includes Climate Negotiator & Green Economist - European Commission Director / Team Leader consultancy services; Horizon 2020 - Energy Innovation Evaluator (Consultant); UNFCCC - Joint Implementation (JI); Deloitte España - Heading up The Centre of Excellence for Climate Resilience & Sustainability - (Consultant). Peter at LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rowanp/

 
Radu Motisan is founder of Magnasci. Radu has worked in software architecture design, desktop & embedded software development, including iOS, Android OS, Windows or Linux platforms, Blackberry OS, & backend (such as multimedia data encoders for mobile bandwidth use). Radu at LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/radumotisan/


Jennifer Rau lives in Massachusetts & has taught in the Sociocracy Leadership Training & several webinars. She is in leading positions in three different sociocratically run organizations. Jennifer at LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-rau-bb75a513b/


Related Proposals

Permaculture Design Software this proposal is meant to be nested in the CARD Hub inventory of solutions.

Global Environmental Monitoring network because of this project's technological benefits at source sites & data relevance. This project could be in CARD's inventory of solutions.

Catalyzing systemic change to solve global warming because of the proposals grassroots methodology. This practice could be in CARD's inventory of solutions.

The Solution Revolution - A solutions-oriented movement for systemic change because their proposal embodies CARD's mission to bring solutions to the people through "boots on the ground" styled distribution. Yan Golding's concept is driven by "conscious collective evolution" - a grassroots movement which has the potential to infuse new life practices. Yan's proposal could be coupled with CARD which would shorten the timeline.

Climate Stories: a mobile community planning hub for climate adaptation because this proposal offers the opportunity for many to directly relate to the implications of a changing climate in an informative and safe environment. Urban Fabrick's project is in alignment with CARD's intention to broadly share information and tools and could be a resource distributed by CARD.

ECOS--Education, Communication and Outreach Stakeholders--a new UNFCCC C... because "ECOS aims to be an international network-of-networks supporting climate literacy, engagement & action" which is in alignment with CARD's mission. Though, Mark McCaffrey proposes a network of centers and a top down approach. By working with CARD, ECOS' timeline can be shortened and carbon footprint slashed.

More "Living Façades" on building exteriors because their proposed practice utilizes plants on a large scale which has multiple benefits and is in alignment with CARD's mission. Green Wiki's practice could be an information resource for CARD to distribute.

Vermicomposting to sequester carbon, enrich soil and improve livelihoods because their project is in alignment with CARD's mission and utilizes the key methodologies which CARD proposes also: involve key stakeholders, use of sustainable natural resources, and train the trainer model of delivery. Jaya Organic Yojana's project could be a resource for CARD to distribute.

Incentivized disaster preparedness & gamification because their "platform" and community concept is in alignment with CARD's mission (though it is specific to disaster preparedness). Saadithya and Sarkar's proposal could be a resource for CARD to distribute.

MIEPCO Deep geothermal Lady Lola (A) Australia because their project proposal is directly in alignment with CARD's cause - to use local resources to deliver energy. David Fletcher's proposal could be a resource for CARD to distribute where applicable.


References

CARD Hub - References Expanded https://cardclimate.wordpress.com/references/ Updated 9/3

Characterizing Plant Communities Canadian Permaculture Farms

Permaculture Institute: Training Sustainability Practitioners https://permaculture.org

Greening the Desert: Cooling the planet to feed the world greeningthedesert.com

Geoffrey and Craig Clitheroe, Permaculture The Documentary https://deepgreenpermaculture.com/2017/08/14/guest-article-permaculture-the-documentary/

Ellen MacArthur Foundation: What is a circular economy? https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy

Greyson, James: BlindSp t Think Tank Projects (Planet Levers, Climate Rescue Center, Circular Economy, Blindspotting) blindspot.org.uk/projects/

Greyson, James: "Let's precycle! Act now to stop tomorrow's waste" https://challenges.openideo.com/challenge/circular-design/ideas/let-s-precycle-we-can-design-out-all-waste?_ga=2.24807097.2043473594.1501329913-1063063179.1495708411International

European Commission: European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/index_en.htm

Billions in Change: Solutions billionsinchange.com/solutions/

The Center for Climate & Security: Exploring The Security Risks of Climate Change https://climateandsecurity.org

Climate Diplomacy: The EU and Climate Security https://www.climate-diplomacy.org/publications/eu-and-climate-security

Urban Drainage and Flood Control District: Earth Dikes and Drainage Swales - Urban Drainage and Flood https://udfcd.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/EC-10-Earth-Dikes-and-Drainage-Swales.pdf

Popular Mechanics: Berm, French Drain, Dry Well, Swale www.popularmechanics.com/home/lawn-garden/how-to/a7661/5-ways-to-stop-runoff-from-ruining-your-lawn/

European Geosciences Union: Press Release: Could planting trees in the desert mitigate climate change? www.egu.eu/news/67/could-planting-trees-in-the-desert-mitigate-climate-change/

Scientific American: Desert Basins May Hold Missing Carbon Sinks https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/desert-basins-may-hold-missing-carbon-sinks/

Josef Schmidhuber & Francesco N. Tubiello: Global food security under climate change www.pnas.org/content/104/50/19703.full

1023-EZ Form for 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt https://www.irs.gov/uac/newsroom/new-1023-ez-form-makes-applying-for-501c3tax-exempt-status-easier-most-charities-qualify

Conference Calls www.onconference.com/international-conference-calls-bs3.php

TechSoup Social Impact www.techsoup.org/oracle-netsuite-social-impact

Oracle Database Express Edition 11g Release 2 www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/database-technologies/express-edition/overview/index.htm

Climate Solutions https://www.climatesolutions.org/powerful-partnerships

Natural Climate Solutions https://global.nature.org/collections/natural-climate-solutions

Arcata Wastewater Treatment Plant & Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary www2.humboldt.edu/arcatamarsh/

Findhorn Ecovillage https://www.ecovillagefindhorn.com