permaculture

[B Hardy <rhubarbs@hotmail.com>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Buckminster Fuller Challenge <challenge@bfi.org>
Date: Thu, Oct 23, 2014 at 6:19 AM
Subject: ANNOUNCING: THE 2014 BUCKMINSTER FULLER CHALLENGE WINNER
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<https://bfi.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=454&qid=482669>.
 <https://bfi.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=455&qid=482669>
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2014 BUCKMINSTER FULLER CHALLENGE WINNER ANNOUNCED

*October 23, 2014, New York City* - The Buckminster Fuller Institute (BFI)
<https://bfi.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=455&qid=482669>
is pleased to announce that a comprehensive climate change adaptation and
community development project, Living Breakwaters
<https://bfi.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=456&qid=482669>
has been selected as the winner of the 2014 Fuller Challenge, "socially
responsible design’s highest award". The project was submitted by SCAPE /
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PLLC based in New York.

*"Don't fight forces, use them."*    —R. Buckminster Fuller

"Living Breakwaters is about dissipating and working with natural energy
rather than fighting it. It is on the one hand an engineering and
infrastructure-related intervention, but it also has a unique biological
function as well. The project team understand that you cannot keep back
coastal flooding in the context of climate change, but what you can do is
ameliorate the force and impact of 100 and 500 year storm surges to
diminish the damage through ecological interventions, while simultaneously
catalyzing dialog to nurture future stewards of the built environment,"
said Bill Browning of Terrapin Bright Green, a 2014 senior advisor and jury
member
<https://bfi.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=457&qid=482669>.


"This year’s Challenge winners deeply know that doing a physical
intervention off the coastline would not be enough to create systemic
change. Living Breakwaters is a project based in connections—the leadership
team brings their deep expertise in technology and ecological science into
the social dimension onshore in partnership with the community itself,"
added Sarah Skenazy
<https://bfi.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=458&qid=482669>,
Fuller Challenge Program Manager.

The Living Breakwaters project integrates components ranging from
ecologically engineered "Oyster-tecture," to transformational education
around coastal resiliency and the restoration of livelihoods traditional to
the community of Tottenville in Staten Island, while also spurring systemic
change in regulatory pathways at the State level.

Kate Orff of SCAPE said, "We are so honored to be the 2014 Fuller Challenge
recipient - Fuller was optimistic about the future of humanity and deeply
believed in cooperation as the way forward. As climate change impacts
threaten shoreline populations, Living Breakwaters hopefully represents a
paradigm shift in how we collectively address climate risks, by focusing on
regenerating waterfront communities and social systems, and enhancing
threatened ecosystems." SCAPE Associate Gena Wirth added, "The project
embraces people as a critical participant in a healthy urban ecosystem, and
uses the regenerative power of ecology to reduce risk and grow a layered,
resilient shoreline."

Orff will accept the prestigious Fuller Challenge prize and a $100,000 cash
award on behalf of the SCAPE team at a celebration at The Wythe in
Brooklyn, New York on November 20, 2014.

To join The Buckminster Fuller Institute in their celebration of the 2014
Fuller Challenge and the entire field of whole systems design, you can
request to receive an invitation to the November 20th event here
<https://bfi.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=459&qid=482669>.