(→‎2. Describe your solution and your plan to implement it.: added primarily to English (I think we have a few non english pages))
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#Hire two full time individuals (several talented and affordable candidates already identified) to perform these functions more aggressively:
#Hire two full time individuals (several talented and affordable candidates already identified) to perform these functions more aggressively:
##Identify existing content that should be ported to Appropedia or made available via partnering mechanisms
##Identify existing content that should be ported to Appropedia or made available via partnering mechanisms
##Indentify and partner with more organizations that support the sharing of information
##Identify and partner with more organizations that support the sharing of information
##Develop web-based tools that enable Appropedia partnerships
##Continually connect with the consumers of the content to learn what works, and what needs improvement
##Continually connect with the consumers of the content to learn what works, and what needs improvement
##Develop the multi-lingual capability of the site
##Develop the multi-lingual capability of the site

Revision as of 19:09, 27 October 2007

Challenge Response (limit 1500 words).

"The Buckminster Fuller Challenge seeks submissions of design science solutions[1] within a broad range of human endeavor that exemplify the trimtab principle. Trimtabs[2] demonstrate how small amounts of energy and resources precisely applied at the right time and place can produce maximum advantageous change."[1]
"In order to win The Buckminster Fuller Challenge, your entry must clearly convey how your solution exemplifies the trimtab principle and meets the Entry Criteria stated below."[2]

Entry criteria

This section of notes will not necessarily be used sequentially, but might be used as appropriate in the final submission."

Comprehensive — a clear demonstration of holistic systems thinking.

Wiki as basis, open format. Open approach to add-ons including forums.[3].

  • Networking on the site supports info resource (help with info, projects, project writeups), and vice versa (people are most likely to come for the resource, and networking happens incidentally).
  • Forums support the creation of content, thanks to open license and forum policies and focus.

Anticipatory — projectively tracking critical trends and needs; identifying and assessing long term consequences of proposed solutions.

  • Openness allows for all manner of ideas and solutions that meet the basic criteria for scientific rigor.[4] Some of those solutions will be very forward thinking, and we as individuals will not recognize their significance. However, we provide a place for all such projects and designs to grow, until the time is right.


Ecologically responsible — reflective and supportive of nature's underlying processes, patterns and principles.

Emphasis is on empowering and informing, enabling those who use the resource, and those they impact, to be ecologically responsible.

Reflective of natural processes - unstructured, allows for people to create roles and fill niches.

Verifiable — able to withstand rigorous empirical testing.

Our policy on rigor - Appropedia:Rigor.

Usefulness demonstrated by:

  • (growing) popularity (a necessary but not sufficient indicator of effectiveness).
  • Feedback - people applying what they learn.

Replicable — capable of being readily undertaken by others.

  • Replication of ideas documented at the site
    • Successful Projects are meant to be replicable.
    • Projects that are less successful are opportunities to learn
    • "How-to" pages are aimed specifically at replication
  • Extension of ideas
    • Often a project in one region requires modification for replication. Wiki simplifies that extension, aiding replication
  • Replication of article concept
    • It's easy for members of the community to repeat the documentation
    • Partnering approach accelerates replicability of solution collaboration by established groups and experts
    • Indeed, wiki enables and promotes a systemic boost to replication and extension of sustainable ideas

Achievable — likely to be implemented successfully and broadly adopted.

It's happening already.

  • Low barrier to use - shows up on Google searches (increasingly prominent).
  • Low barrier to participation - philosophy of openness (and diligent spam and vandalism prevention and surveillance) allows anonymous contribution.

Outline - what needs to be described

Within the context of these criteria, please address the following: (*)

1. Describe the problem(s) you intend to solve and/or the preferred state you intend to achieve.

  • Eliminate wasted time, energy and resources associated with repeated solving of the same or very similar problems
  • Information on sustainability and development information is scattered. The community needs this information, but must struggle to find and compare / contrast a variety of ideas. New information and experiences are developed all the time, but are not easily found by those who might wish to:
  • apply them directly
  • wish to study them further
  • engage with the people or organizations who had the ideas
  • engage with other people of similar interests, who also have access to the most up-to-date information.
  • In short, Appropedia will provide the infrastructure to enable efficient community learning and problem solving.
  • We envision a world where people work together to solve problems and share solutions, internationally and multilingually. The complexity of sharing has been a barrier; an established infrastructure will enable a cultural shift toward more sharing and collaboration throughout the community of organizations and individuals.

The "trimtab" concept is demonstrated by the leverage that can be achieved by sharing of information at zero cost to the author or reader. Creation of this infrastructure is going to explode the problem solving and establishment and dissemination of best practices that will lead to widespread adoption of sustainable behaviors and lifestyles.

2. Describe your solution and your plan to implement it.

  • Appropedia establishes a single clearinghouse for ideas, projects, questions (all these provided already) and open designs.
  • Provide mechanisms for scoring / ranking of projects and ideas in order to promote the most rigorous solutions
  • Continually enhance the site to encourage engagement of broader community.
  • Work to increase the visibility of this effort so that the community knows where to find the information they need.
  • Our solution is primarily English only as of this writing, but will soon be extended in many languages.
  • Partner with organizations to simplify their ability to share information. We have begun this process with our partner OAN,and are working with other groups
  • A compilation of ideas and topical information.
  • Structured information about existing projects.
    • Offer the ability to protect key shared publications from alteration
    • Encourage open publication using "copyleft" and public domain content

Our plan to implement it is:

  1. Hire two full time individuals (several talented and affordable candidates already identified) to perform these functions more aggressively:
    1. Identify existing content that should be ported to Appropedia or made available via partnering mechanisms
    2. Identify and partner with more organizations that support the sharing of information
    3. Develop web-based tools that enable Appropedia partnerships
    4. Continually connect with the consumers of the content to learn what works, and what needs improvement
    5. Develop the multi-lingual capability of the site
    6. Find tools and individuals that can accelerate the translation of content between the languages on the site
    7. Promote the visibility of the site in order to attract contributors and users of the content
    8. Identify key inspirational individuals at large who can help communicate this vision
  2. Where necessary, identify external providers (web developers) to provide functionality

In many ways, we will be largely accelerating the work that has been done in ad hoc and part-time ways by focusing full-time talent. This focus will establish a critical mass of awareness and support in the community by highlighting the validity and credibility of the effort.

3. Describe how you will finance your solution and make it economically viable.

The Appropedia Foundation is 501(c)(3) (pending).

The work of Appropedia is currently carried out by volunteers, with donations covering costs such as hosting. The ability of the effort to deliver well over 1.5 million pages of content for a net cost of around $3000 is evidence of the tremendous leverage power. Additional funding will enable us to employ staff and expand our work in several important areas. However, sustainable operation requires very little funding. Our preference is to sustain operation through contributions and grants, but some forms of advertising and corporate sponsorships are acceptable alternatives.

4. Describe who will take your solution to the next stage of development (include your qualifications and/or those of your team, and any strategic partners).

  • Lonny Grafman - 4 years instructor in Appropriate Technology & environmental engineering at HSU; Executive Editor of International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering (IJSLE); Initial Founder of Appropedia.org website. Fluent in Spanish. Member, Board of Directors, The Appropedia Foundation
  • Chris Watkins - MS in Sanitation Engineering, Fluent in Indonesian. Member, Board of Directors, The Appropedia Foundation
  • Curt Beckmann - BS Physics, MBA. Filed Articles of Incorporation, Tax exemption for The Appropedia Foundation. Member, Board of Directors, The Appropedia Foundation
  • Ryan Legg - BS in Civil Engineering, Program Manager at the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise
  • Vinay Gupta - Founder of Hexayurt (Vinay can augment this obviously)
  • Steve McCrosky - Family Nurse Practitioner

And yet, in a very real sense, it is the community of Appropedians, both individuals and organizations, who join in and include their projects and share their knowledge, who are fulfilling the vision, taking it to higher stages.

Footnotes and references

  1. In the words of Buckminster Fuller, Design Science is "effective application of the principles of science to the conscious design of our total environment in order to help make the Earth's finite resources meet the needs of all humanity without disrupting the ecological processes of the planet." - http://challenge.bfi.org/inline/glossary_ds.php?height=300&width=400
  2. In design science, the trimtab metaphor is used to describe an artifact, or system, specifically designed and placed in the environment at such a time, in such a place, where its effects would be maximized, thereby effecting the most advantageous change with the least resources, time and energy. Doing more with less. - http://challenge.bfi.org/inline/glossary_trimtab.php?height=300&width=400 ...more
  3. ...and blogs... though we haven't made firm decisions on individuals having blogs yet... pros and cons, needs to be discussed.
  4. (i.e. not perpetual motion machines)

Other sources of inspiration

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