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  • From: Nicholas Roberts <nicholas@themediasociety.org>
  • To: John Shiel <jshiel@westnet.com.au>, permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Cc: kt-b@comcen.com.au, William Vorobioff <wvorobioff@optusnet.com.au>, pil members list <pil-members@lists.permacultureinternational.org>, Tom Toogood <ecoed@dodo.com.au>, ross Brown <ross@darksidemasks.com>, Ben Henley <Ben.Henley@newcastle.edu.au>, Katie & Errol Moyle <errolkate@yahoo.com.au>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Transition Australia - Ning-based cousin for Transition USA ?
  • Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2009 15:18:58 +1100

all

the idea of building custom software for Transition movement is basically
stupid.

There are existing free and open source code-base and also large, cheap,
open and inexpensive platforms that can be customised

One free option mentioned on the software wiki page, but used to
successfully organise the World Social Forum process, with attendees of the
last event of 130 000 people is called The Open Planning Project out of NYC


World Social Forum review The Economist
http://www.economist.com/world/international/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13061828&source=hptextfeature

Open Plans
http://www.openplans.org/projects/opencore/project-home

Plumi - largely developed by Australian based http://www.engagemedia.org
http://plumi.org

World Social Forum - Belem - using Plone-based OpenPlans
http://openfsm.net

Australian SOcial Forum - project page on OpenFSM
http://openfsm.net/projects/australian-social-forum/summary

World Social Forum TV - Belem - using Plone-based PLumi
http://www.wsftv.net/

--
Nicholas Roberts
[im] skype:niccolor



On Mon, Feb 9, 2009 at 2:50 PM, Nicholas Roberts <
nicholas@themediasociety.org> wrote:

> there are network effects by using an already existing social network
> platform - Ning is exploding and it would make great sense to
> cross-pollinate with Transition USA
>
> I have created 2 Ning-based Australian focussed websites
> http://transitionau.ning.com and http://transitionaus.ning.com/
>
> they are empty containers... someone from Transition movement Au should
> take this on and build up the sites
>
>
> --
> Nicholas Roberts
> [im] skype:niccolor
>
>
>
> On Mon, Feb 9, 2009 at 2:16 PM, John Shiel <jshiel@westnet.com.au> wrote:
>
>> Nick,
>>
>> Transition Towns is a fairly big movement, and they are already creating a
>> world Web2.0 site - see http://transitiontowns.org/forum/forum.php?id=30,
>> and
>> http://transitiontowns.org/TransitionNetwork/TransitionSoftwarePlatform
>>
>> I think they are using an open source platform, and I am sure they would
>> welcome assistance - they have been going for a couple of months, but not
>> sure where its at.
>>
>> Locally, you are welcome to attend the TT Newcastle mtgs (next one
>> tomorrow, this Tues), where we are just putting up our website and
>> populating it at the moment.
>>
>> Best,
>> John
>>
>> Nicholas Roberts wrote:
>>
>> hi Tom
>>
>> in the short-term 1-2 years, in my view, the Transition movement offers
>> the best bet on democratic and community-wide permaculture activism ...
>>
>> I understand the UK founders of Transition Towns are in Australia now..
>>
>> I reckon we could organise using online social networks ..the US
>> Transition movement are using a social network called Ning, which is
>> commercial but still pretty good... it can integrate with Facebook,
>> WiserEarth, YouTube etc
>>
>> http://transitionus.ning.com/
>>
>> there doesnt seem to be an Australian cousin
>> http://transitionus.ning.com/main/search/search?q=australia
>>
>> Au, UK and USA are in very similar positions relative to the rest of the
>> world - both leaders and laggards
>>
>> makes sense to fold all these ideas into the Transition movement- I think
>> other permaculture cooperative projects can grow within this evironment -
>> such as permaculture TV etc... I have created a permaculture coop Ning
>> website, but am keeping it low profile for the moment..
>>
>>
>> what do you think ? should I create a Transition Ning space ?
>> to run alongside Transition US ?
>>
>> cheers
>> -N
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Nicholas Roberts
>> [im] skype:niccolor
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Feb 7, 2009 at 10:29 PM, Tom Toogood <ecoed@dodo.com.au> wrote:
>> > The news below is hugely important. Gaia theory (the glove that the
>> > Permaculture hand fits so well) founder James Lovelock says Carbon
>> Trading
>> > is a complete CON,
>> >
>> > And that the only climate change solution is for all farmers to start
>> making
>> > & burying BIOCHAR now !!
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Great stuff, so logical, thanks Nicholas, your determination, current
>> > training and consistent sending of updates strengthens my view that you
>> &
>> > your plans
>> >
>> > should be strongly supported (wish I could find some $$$$- Mercy Fndn
>> has
>> > advised their grants are only for local community projects rather than
>> > global/national impact)……and I agree your vision is too much work for
>> one
>> > guy unless spread over more years than the planet can afford to wait
>> >
>> > So…If u like I could prospect for 1/2/3 helper/s for you, e.g. keen,
>> social
>> > justice sensitive, postgrad student/s in community economics/free trade
>> > alternatives,
>> >
>> > in Faculty of Economics here (I did some part time lecturing in their
>> dept
>> > of management, at the Indigenous centre Wollotuka)….at any of several
>> levels
>> > of engagement, from just networking & information building right thru to
>> > admin/clerical/editorial/media assistance.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > I had planned to contact Cheryl Kernot at UNSW to tentatively discuss,
>> &
>> > get advice on possible keynote speakers for the Other Money Show /
>> Community
>> > Finance or Small is Beautiful show, which I'd envisaged before knowing
>> you,
>> > so I'll do that and also tell her of your goals, I'm certain she'll be
>> > interested in coops Aus, and of course she and you could communicate
>> > directly. I may be able to come to Sydney with u to meet her sometime.
>> When
>> > does your course finish, i.e. when are you coming this way again?....we
>> need
>> > to start thinking re broad time frame for the show, from experience is
>> needs
>> > minimum 2 months, better with 3, planning & promotion.
>> >
>> > I'll also inform the aus assn for economic reform & the society for
>> > ecological economics organized by a keen lecturer at Uni New England,
>> about
>> > all the above
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Regards, Tom
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > ________________________________
>> >
>> > From: niccolo.roberts@gmail.com [mailto:niccolo.roberts@gmail.com] On
>> Behalf
>> > Of Nicholas Roberts
>> > Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2009 4:59 PM
>> > To: permaculture; Robyn Francis; Tom Toogood; Jack Heimsoth; Peter Wood
>> > Subject: Biochar - Gaia Permaculture
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126921.500-one-last-chance-to-save-mankind.html?full=true
>> >
>> > One last chance to save mankind
>> >
>> > 23 January 2009 by Gaia Vince
>> > Magazine issue 2692. Subscribe and get 4 free issues.
>> > For similar stories, visit the Interviews and Climate Change Topic
>> Guides
>> >
>> > With his 90th birthday in July, a trip into space scheduled for later in
>> the
>> > year and a new book out next month, 2009 promises to be an exciting time
>> for
>> > James Lovelock. But the originator of the Gaia theory, which describes
>> Earth
>> > as a self-regulating planet, has a stark view of the future of humanity.
>> He
>> > tells Gaia Vince we have one last chance to save ourselves - and it has
>> > nothing to do with nuclear power
>> >
>> > Your work on atmospheric chlorofluorocarbons led eventually to a global
>> CFC
>> > ban that saved us from ozone-layer depletion. Do we have time to do a
>> > similar thing with carbon emissions to save ourselves from climate
>> change?
>> >
>> > Not a hope in hell. Most of the "green" stuff is verging on a gigantic
>> scam.
>> > Carbon trading, with its huge government subsidies, is just what finance
>> and
>> > industry wanted. It's not going to do a damn thing about climate change,
>> but
>> > it'll make a lot of money for a lot of people and postpone the moment of
>> > reckoning. I am not against renewable energy, but to spoil all the
>> decent
>> > countryside in the UK with wind farms is driving me mad. It's absolutely
>> > unnecessary, and it takes 2500 square kilometres to produce a gigawatt -
>> > that's an awful lot of countryside.
>> >
>> > What about work to sequester carbon dioxide?
>> >
>> > That is a waste of time. It's a crazy idea - and dangerous. It would
>> take so
>> > long and use so much energy that it will not be done.
>> >
>> > Do you still advocate nuclear power as a solution to climate change?
>> >
>> > It is a way for the UK to solve its energy problems, but it is not a
>> global
>> > cure for climate change. It is too late for emissions reduction
>> measures.
>> >
>> > So are we doomed?
>> >
>> > There is one way we could save ourselves and that is through the massive
>> > burial of charcoal. It would mean farmers turning all their agricultural
>> > waste - which contains carbon that the plants have spent the summer
>> > sequestering - into non-biodegradable charcoal, and burying it in the
>> soil.
>> > Then you can start shifting really hefty quantities of carbon out of the
>> > system and pull the CO2 down quite fast.
>> >
>> > Would it make enough of a difference?
>> >
>> > Yes. The biosphere pumps out 550 gigatonnes of carbon yearly; we put in
>> only
>> > 30 gigatonnes. Ninety-nine per cent of the carbon that is fixed by
>> plants is
>> > released back into the atmosphere within a year or so by consumers like
>> > bacteria, nematodes and worms. What we can do is cheat those consumers
>> by
>> > getting farmers to burn their crop waste at very low oxygen levels to
>> turn
>> > it into charcoal, which the farmer then ploughs into the field. A little
>> CO2
>> > is released but the bulk of it gets converted to carbon. You get a few
>> per
>> > cent of biofuel as a by-product of the combustion process, which the
>> farmer
>> > can sell. This scheme would need no subsidy: the farmer would make a
>> profit.
>> > This is the one thing we can do that will make a difference, but I bet
>> they
>> > won't do it.
>> >
>> > Do you think we will survive?
>> >
>> > I'm an optimistic pessimist. I think it's wrong to assume we'll survive
>> 2 °C
>> > of warming: there are already too many people on Earth. At 4 °C we could
>> not
>> > survive with even one-tenth of our current population. The reason is we
>> > would not find enough food, unless we synthesised it. Because of this,
>> the
>> > cull during this century is going to be huge, up to 90 per cent. The
>> number
>> > of people remaining at the end of the century will probably be a billion
>> or
>> > less. It has happened before: between the ice ages there were
>> bottlenecks
>> > when there were only 2000 people left. It's happening again.
>> >
>> > I don't think humans react fast enough or are clever enough to handle
>> what's
>> > coming up. Kyoto was 11 years ago. Virtually nothing's been done except
>> > endless talk and meetings.
>> >
>> > I don't think we can react fast enough or are clever enough to handle
>> what's
>> > coming up
>> >
>> > It's a depressing outlook.
>> >
>> > Not necessarily. I don't think 9 billion is better than 1 billion. I see
>> > humans as rather like the first photosynthesisers, which when they first
>> > appeared on the planet caused enormous damage by releasing oxygen - a
>> nasty,
>> > poisonous gas. It took a long time, but it turned out in the end to be
>> of
>> > enormous benefit. I look on humans in much the same light. For the first
>> > time in its 3.5 billion years of existence, the planet has an
>> intelligent,
>> > communicating species that can consider the whole system and even do
>> things
>> > about it. They are not yet bright enough, they have still to evolve
>> quite a
>> > way, but they could become a very positive contributor to planetary
>> welfare.
>> >
>> > How much biodiversity will be left after this climatic apocalypse?
>> >
>> > We have the example of the Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum event 55
>> > million years ago. About the same amount of CO2 was put into the
>> atmosphere
>> > as we are putting in and temperatures rocketed by about 5 °C over about
>> > 20,000 years. The world became largely desert. The polar regions were
>> > tropical and most life on the planet had the time to move north and
>> survive.
>> > When the planet cooled they moved back again. So there doesn't have to
>> be a
>> > massive extinction. It's already moving: if you live in the countryside
>> as I
>> > do you can see the changes, even in the UK.
>> >
>> > If you were younger, would you be fearful?
>> >
>> > No, I have been through this kind of emotional thing before. It reminds
>> me
>> > of when I was 19 and the second world war broke out. We were very
>> frightened
>> > but almost everyone was so much happier. We're much better equipped to
>> deal
>> > with that kind of thing than long periods of peace. It's not all bad
>> when
>> > things get rough. I'll be 90 in July, I'm a lot closer to death than
>> you,
>> > but I'm not worried. I'm looking forward to being 100.
>> >
>> > Are you looking forward to your trip into space this year?
>> >
>> > Very much. I've got my camera ready!
>> >
>> > Do you have to do any special training?
>> >
>> > I have to go in the centrifuge to see if I can stand the g-forces. I
>> don't
>> > anticipate a problem because I spent a lot of my scientific life on
>> ships
>> > out on rough oceans and I have never been even slightly seasick so I
>> don't
>> > think I'm likely to be space sick. They gave me an expensive thorium-201
>> > heart test and then put me on a bicycle. My heart was performing like an
>> > average 20 year old, they said.
>> >
>> > I bet your wife is nervous.
>> >
>> > No, she's cheering me on. And it's not because I'm heavily insured,
>> because
>> > I'm not.
>> >
>> > --
>> > Nicholas Roberts
>> > [im] skype:niccolor
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
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>




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