I just finished watching Chris Martenson’s “Crash Course” for the second time. I have known or intuited, most of the facts he presents for some time. Between the video, the news, and the cost estimates I have been working on for the inert fill home, I am hard pressed to see a way I can contribute to the development of community and the well being of my fellow man. On the other hand when I refocus on the tasks at hand, caring for my father, catching up on my own affairs, and working out the details of inert fill construction; I have my work cut out for me for the winter. Revisiting the vision.

Inert FillTM - The Vision
This is a process rather than a product. The resulting home should be able to conform to the local environment. This includes urban multistory situations.
• The shell should use a maximum of local, abundant, surplus or recycled materials.
• The shell should go up in a matter of weeks.
• Without supplemental energy it should neither freeze nor overheat.
• It should be habitable for 500 years.
• It should be fire proof.
• It should only rarely need supplemental energy or water.
• It should include a tempered food storage area and tempered fresh air.
• It should be habitable with minimum amenities.
• It should be easy to add domestic hot water, refrigeration, electricity and other amenities.
• All wiring should be in conduit and plumbing in chases so as to be easily maintained.
• It should be easy to beautify.

5/25/09
Forward from Tom Atlee of the Co-Intelligence Institute:
U.S. President Obama issued a Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government, calling for an unprecedented level of openness in government. In the memorandum, the President outlined three principles for promoting a more open government: transparency, participation, and collaboration. Now, Obama is calling on U.S. citizens to help shape how that commitment is fulfilled.
The Administration has set up a website at http://opengov.ideascale.com to gather ideas from the field, get them commented on and voted up or down, and then to discuss the leading proposals and weave them into a program.
The brainstorming, commenting, and voting stage of this process is open to the public until Thursday, May 28, 2009. So if you want to join this effort, please do so now.

I received the following message today. 1) The original date on it is Feb 7, why so slow to get out? 2) The petition site does not contain this wording. 3) I would like to see a direct reference to our need to care for each other. I signed the petition anyway.

The Evolutionary Leaders Counsel is a group of spiritual and thought
leaders called together by Deepak Chopra. They have been meeting in
person and by phone to address the needs of the planet and how best to
facilitate change of consciousness on the planet. Below is their
response to a request by the Obama administration. Their petition
addresses many of the concerns in the NSP Spiritual Covenant with
America. It is thrilling to see our current administration reaching
out to spiritual leaders and showing an interest in consciousness.

By the Evolutionary Leaders
The human family is in the midst of the most significant
transformation of consciousness since its emergence in Africa over one
hundred thousand years ago. Consciousness has been evolving for
billions of years from the first cell to us. We are becoming aware
that through our own consciousness the universe can know itself. This
awareness reveals incredible new potential for our individual and
collective humanity.
Simultaneously, we are the first species on this Earth aware that we
can destroy ourselves by our own action. This may be the greatest
wake-up call to the evolution of consciousness since the origin of
Homo sapiens.
We now realize that we are affecting our own evolution by everything
we do. This knowledge awakens in us the aspiration to become more
conscious through subjective practices including meditation,
reflection, prayer, intuition, creativity, and conscious choice making
that accelerate our evolution in the direction of unity consciousness
and inspire us to deeply align our collective vision.
THE CHALLENGE
At this juncture in human history, urgent global crises challenge us
to learn to live sustainably, in harmony and gratitude with one
another and with the living universe. The changes required of humanity
are broad, deep, and far reaching. Only by acting swiftly and
creatively can we birth a planetary culture that will bring well-being
to every form of life in the Earth community.
The good news is that a compelling new story of our potential as a
whole human species is emerging-a story of collaboration, citizen
action, dialogue and new understandings propelled by unprecedented
levels of democratic freedom, multicultural exchange, and access to
communication technologies. It is nothing less than the story of our
collective evolution.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION
We recognize that the inner and outer aspects of life evolve together.
A dramatic awakening in consciousness will involve an equally dramatic
shift in outward aspects of our lives. In particular, we see the
following as vital opportunities for our conscious evolution, both
personally and collectively:
Cultivating a Paradigm of Aliveness: We regard the universe as deeply
alive and conscious by nature. In a living universe, our sense of
subtle connection and participation with life around us is the basis
for a compassionate and cooperative approach to living.
Educating for an Evolving Consciousness: Awakening consciousness is
the foundation for all the change we seek to see in the world. We can
work to elevate our capacity for conscious reflection and creative
action in our personal lives as well as our collective lives as
communities. We must support research and educational strategies that
optimize human capacities and explore the nature of consciousness.
Restoring Ecological Balance: The balance of planetary ecosystems is
fundamental to our survival. We must reverse the pollution of our
global commons-the water, air and soil that nourish all life. We must
encourage the proliferation of clean, renewable energy sources and
expend all necessary resources toward mitigating the effects of
climate change.
Encouraging Conscious Media: We must find innovative ways to use the
new electronic media as the mirror of our positive evolutionary story,
investing in their capacity to reach across differences of generation,
culture, religion, wealth, and gender to build a working consensus
about our collective future.
Engaging in Social and Political Transformation: More sustainable ways
of living will require the support of a more conscious democracy and
vibrant civil society from which more enlightened leaders will emerge.
All individuals should be encouraged to use their gifts to create
participatory, responsible and compassionate models of governance.
Working for Integrity in Commerce: Conscious businesses that are aware
of the scope, depth, and long-range impacts of their actions are key
to achieving sustainability. Business must become an ethical steward
of the Earth’s ecology and consciously establish an economic basis for
a future of equitably shared abundance.
Promoting Health and Healing: The science of mind-body-spirit health
has demonstrated the profound connection between the health of a whole
person and the health of the system in which he or she lives. Whole
systems healing, respecting both traditional knowledge and modern
sciences, must be supported in physical, social, and spiritual domains.
Building Global Community: The new story is about all of us who share
this planet. Together, we can create a culture of peace that
eliminates the need for armed conflict, respecting and appreciating
the glorious diversity of our human family.
YOUR PARTICIPATION IS VITAL
Our group has done its best to articulate possibilities for the
evolution of consciousness at this crucial moment in time. Please
reflect on this document, feel what resonates in your being and calls
forth a response on your part. We invite you to discuss it with
others, continuing this global conversation by adding to it the wisdom
that is uniquely your own.
Together, let us co-create a new narrative of conscious evolution that
is a call to individual and collective action, birthing the most
significant transformation of consciousness in history. Join in the
Call to Conscious Evolution by signing the pledge now.
FOUNDING SIGNATORIES
Chopra Center , Carlsbad , California , July 26, 2008
Michael Beckwith, Joan Borysenko, Gregg Braden, Rinaldo Brutoco,
Thomas Callanan, Deepak Chopra, Mallika Chopra, Dale Colton, Gordon
Dveirin, Duane Elgin , Leslie Elkus, Barbara Fields, Debbie Ford, Ashok
Gangadean, Kathleen Gardarian, Tom Gegax, Charles Gibbs, Kathy Hearn,
Jean Houston, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Bruce Lipton, Judy Martin, Rod
McGrew, Steve McIntosh, Lynne McTaggart, Deborah Moldow, James O’Dea,
Carter Phipps, Wendy Craig-Purcell, Carolyn Rangel, Rustum Roy, Peter
Russell, Gerard Senehi, Emily Squires, Brian Swimme, Diane Williams,
Marianne Williamson, Tom Zender.
See what others are saying, sign petition and write your comments:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/248704259

Eat local: I haul, and see trucks hauling a lot of highly processed foods. It looks like most of it is destined for the restaurant and fast food industry. Peak oil will make these more expensive. If we eat local and whole much of the processing that is now done in huge plants would need to be done locally. A green investment that could be profitable would be the manufacture and distribution of machinery designed for the small local processor. Examples: fruit pitters, dryers, canning, freezing, oil expressing/expelling equipment.

Horticulture: We have deforested much of our planet. As I drive I see vast expanses of brushland and suspect it was once a vital forest. Our land grant colleges focused on grain crops in monocultures, livestock in pastures or feedlots. We have neglected the study of forest crops. If we bring a Permaculture mindset to this inquiry we can not only retain topsoil but build it using forest crops.

Expanding the range of crops: With the increase in the cost of shipping it will be increasingly advantageous to grow a greater variety of crops locally. We should begin this research and development now.