Los Visionarios – Articles and Publications

INTRODUCTION

With over 30 bioclimatic regions and 25 of the earth's 30 life zones, Ecuador is a model biosphere of the Earth, and may be utilized as a center stage for demonstrating the techniques and technologies for the regeneration of the earth and the sustainable development of the planet, and for the transfer of those technologies to other regions around the globe.

"We know how to solve every food, clean energy, and sensible shelter problem in every climate. We have already invented and tested every necessary technique and technical device... 46." Bringing together and demonstrating the many creative alternatives available for meeting our basic human needs, and for solving world problems, in one unique location such as Ecuador, could have a profound effect in the world.

In Ecuador, a diversity of sustainable community and rural development projects can be implemented, in "a multitude of natural landscapes and microclimates 1," were one encounters "a diversification of agricultural, sociological, and economic regions, each one distinct from the other 1," each one in close proximity to another.

As the whole world now focuses on how to save ourselves from our own self- destruction, yet provide for all the world's needs, Ecuador, with its remarkable diversity of climate, topography, soils, and ecological regions is unsurpassed for the study of alternatives in agriculture, forestry, housing, industry, energy, and sustainable community and rural development, relevant to the highland and lowland tropics, where this research is greatly needed.

WHY A WORKING MODEL IS NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLANET

The means necessary to implement the sustainable, ecological development of the planet: the political resolve, public appeal, mobilization of knowledge, institutional arrangements, planning policies, training and education, and countless other necessary elements can only be achieved in a practical and timely way by the development of a working model for the planet.

There is no engineering in the classical tradition without some prior specification of a dynamic model 106. "It is often futile to attempt a head-on-attack at solving problems involving complex systems 108." "Modeling is an important transitional step in problem-solving, whether the problem is well defined or nebulous 107." In order to make the world work it is necessary to follow the same modeling process that is used to organize and make any other complex engineering system work. A working model for the planet is the optimum solution to world problems, in the same way that working models have been found to be the optimum solution in engineering, design, marketing, and organization.

When you have a new invention you develop and test it by building a working model; a prototype. Humanity has inherited a full scale working planet, but an "operating manual for Spaceship Earth" didn't come with it. As a result we've made a terrible mess of this planet. This project could have a profound effect in the world. It could be the key to saving our precious earth. By demonstrating the potential that exist in Ecuador we can demonstrate and bring forth the potential that exist on the entire planet.

Although we have not perceived it as such, the biosphere is a mechanical system; one which is designed to regenerate life. Engineering is the application of what we have learned about our environment to derive human benefits from it. The misuse of the environment demonstrates that the biosphere, like any mechanical system will break down if improperly used. The mechanics of the biosphere must therefore be understood and applied properly if we are to be successful in the sustainable utilization of the planet. 109

The most satisfactory form of model is a prototype, or working model which operates as much like the full scale system as possible 110. As a model biosphere of the earth, Ecuador may be utilized as a center stage for demonstrating the techniques and technologies for the regeneration of the earth and the sustainable development of the planet, and for the transfer of those technologies to other regions around the globe. Humanity has reached the critical stage of development where we must mobilize our knowledge to prove our ability to live in harmony with the earth. The greatest technical expertise of many cultures has been the survival technology they have developed to cope with their especially demanding environments 76. The knowledge humanity has gained from adapting to different environments to provide for human needs can be brought together into parallel environments in Ecuador to establish a working model for the sustainable development of the planet, and prove our ability to make the world work.

The prototype stage of development is an important point in the design process of any system. It is the time when knowledge must be brought together to prove capabilities. The prototype stage is also when public acceptance and user satisfaction must be demonstrated, and that the system can be operated successfully and economically. These questions are best answered by prototype models that are operated not by researchers, but by actual users. This has the added benefit of increasing public knowledge of the technology, thereby increasing chances of acceptance. 111

The mind forms a model of everything we think of, and forms judgments and makes decisions on the basis of these models, even when the model is an incomplete one 112. Improper and incomplete models are often presented to gain public support for social and political issues. When models of social, political, economic, and ecological problems are too simple and neglect vitally important ingredients, the remedies proposed to solve these problems are often ineffective or negative in their effect 112. Because models are an important element in gaining recognition and support for social and political issues, we must create a model for the sustainable development of the planet that is proper and complete, easily understood by everyone, and that will influence the decisions being made for the future of our planet.

The World Peace Garden Project is a catalyst for world change. It provides the vision that can seize public appeal and inspire humanity to a common and noble cause. By mobilizing world wide effort and attention to make the model work a concerted effort can thus be catalyzed simultaneously to make the world work. Information, technologies, and technicians will be mobilized from around the world, bringing world wide effort and attention to a cooperative development process, that can fully develop the inherent potential resident in each of the different environmental types found on the planet. It is a whole systems approach to global problem solving, and the mechanism for mobilizing a global effort toward creating sustainability of the planet and eliminating poverty, hunger, illiteracy, war, and conflict.

Models are used to increase understanding. "Often the incomplete (and sometimes distorted) pictures of models that two nations have of one another can lead them to war. Peace, rather than war, is most likely to prevail in an environment where all parties have realistic models of one another 112." Let us build A Working Model for World Peace, that will increase understanding among nations, and foster international cooperation and unity.

FACILITATING THE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY BETWEEN PARALLEL BIOREGIONS

A disparity of basic human needs results when a local population lacks the knowledge of what could be utilized or developed within their own region. This gap between what is presently used, and what could potentially be developed and utilized, is reflected in food, housing, and energy shortages, medicine and health deficiencies, and an economic deficit.

A planning strategy for the cross referencing of information, technology, and crop germplasm is emerging, based on the identification of areas sharing similar environmental features. A global pattern of regionally specific technological applications can be developed, from the consolidation of experiences derived from the global configuration of parallel bioregions, which share many of the same geographic conditions. This system of planning has far-reaching effects for moving improved technologies into new regions, applicable to meeting basic human needs, and implementing local economic development. 43,44,45,62

A bioregional planing methodology has been developed that can be used to discover and understand "the problems and potentials that similar regions throughout the world have experienced under similar physical conditions," "and the broad spectrum of experiences responding to this combination of resource conditions." This system of planing provides the means for obtaining "the most complete historical and up-to-date information available" on agriculture and forestry, renewable energy technologies, industrial development, housing and building materials, and food, medicinal, and industrial crops. 62

This planing method "derives from the simple fact that the world's ecosystems repeat themselves in patterns." A bioregional planing process begins by identifying regions of the world that share similar natural resource attributes, such as soils, climate, hydrology, and flora and fauna. These geographic systems have been "the basis for the development of indigenous technologies throughout the world for centuries," and regions sharing these same environmental features become natural allies for the sharing of experiences in dealing with their environment. By matching basic components of regionally developed technologies we can generate environmentally specific global technology patterns. Food and medicinal plants, craft plants and industrial crops, timber trees, and other plant species used for building materials can also be exchanged between similar bioregions. 43,44,62

The implications for using life forms as the primary basis for organizing sustainable development projects is enormous 44. Resource mapping classification systems, based around plant and animal species, have been developed within the sciences of biogeography and ecology that closely fit our needs for this purpose 43. They "show where similar plant and animal life appear," and "also becomes an indicator of similar patterns of soil, climate, hydrology, etc., subsystems 62." "With this in mind one can easily gain the awareness that your climate and an equivalent plant and animal association, soil and water conditions and other natural resource phenomena also exist in some other place or places in the world." 43

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A WORKING MODEL FOR THE PLANET FROM THE CONSOLIDATION OF INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY DERIVED FROM THE WORLD'S DIVERSE TROPICAL REGIONS

Ecuador, a country of only 106,000 sq. miles (274,540 sq. km.) encompasses 25 of the earth's 30 life zones. A life zone is precisely defined by the ranges of the three major climatic factors: heat, precipitation, and moisture. Each life zone, comprising a definite range of climatic conditions, is found in widely separate regions of the planet. These climatic factors leave a definite mark on the natural vegetation, animal activities, and the cultural activities of man. "A life zone is not only a specific environment but also indicates a definite way of life." It is "correlated with a set of agricultural practices" and with "types of buildings related to the general agricultural land use." The agriculture, natural vegetation, and animal activities "serve clearly to indicate the life zone." 63

Ecuador's unique diversity of environmental regions can serve as a center to facilitate the exchange of information, technology, technicians, and crop germplasm between parallel bioregions in the highland and lowland tropics. Successful experiences from the world's diverse tropical regions can be brought together in Ecuador, into the appropriate ecological zones, for evaluation and demonstration, and to aid the advancement of this developing tropical country. This research can be conducted on existing farms and ranches, in urban and rural communities, at university research facilities, at government, non-government, and commercial research institutions, and within both large and small scale business enterprises.

As an example, research in sustainable arid land agriculture, forestry, housing, and community and rural development can be conducted on tropic, subtropic, and temperate climate arid lands, encompassing numerous arid and simi-arid life zones, from a very dry coastal desert, situated next to an almost infinite supply of water, to barren windswept paramos, and dry forest and grasslands.

Architects, engineers, agronomist, and technicians in many fields, from around the world, can come together in Ecuador, to introduce and demonstrate their appropriate technologies, and to study and acquire information and technologies applicable to their homeland; passing information, technologies, and crop germplasm back and fourth that has relevance for the intended user.

Botanical gardens may also be established in each of Ecuador's climatic zones, modeling the ecologies of each parallel bioregion of the earth, that shares similar climatic features, with education and demonstration centers, exhibiting each bioregion's appropriate indigenous technologies, and useful native craft plants, industrial crops, timber species, food plants, and medicinal crops. Botanical gardens may also be established representing the 12 world centers of diversity for our food and economic crops.

Computer databases and multimedia research facilities can be established, that would allow researchers to compare technologies worldwide, through a set of similar geographic subsystems, such as climate, soils, hydrology, surface geology, or flora and fauna. Computer databases can also incorporate sociological and economic factors, that can effect the applicability of new technology to a region 45.

AN ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN SCIENCE REVOLUTION

A working model for the sustainable development of the planet can demonstrate the potential of humanity to solve world problems through unity and cooperation and the sharing of knowledge, and can spark an environmental design science revolution that will lead us to peace and prosperity for all.

Prototypes are extremely beneficial in identifying improvements to a system that can increase benefits 111. Design knowledge also expands very rapidly by the exchange of information. Even the mere rumor of an unfamiliar technique can spur new innovations 76.

To be successful, models must allow modifications to adapt to different social, cultural, economic, and other conditions. "Recipients of a new body of knowledge or technique interrogate it on the basis of their own experience and knowledge of local conditions. In these instances, the initial transfer of technology itself is only the first stage in a larger process." "The experience, skill and inventive imagination which people contribute from their own cultural background is crucial." "When new technologies are introduced into a country, their success almost always depends on the local innovations which they stimulate. These are usually of an adaptive nature, and help to match the transferred technology to local conditions. Occasionally, however, radically new ideas emerge." 76

"Quite often the most important factor [in the development of technology] was that the achievements of one society stimulated people elsewhere to make different but related inventions." "The history of technology offers many examples of innovation resulting from interaction between different kinds of knowledge and techniques. Often, the transfer of technological knowledge or equipment from one country to another has initiated a process of modification and adaptation from which new and inventive ideas have emerged." "When people are already developing related techniques, their [interaction] with the new technology is likely to be especially creative." 76

ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT

Developing countries stand at a new threshold, and their experiences in meeting the challenges and opportunities of the future must be shared, particularly among countries with similar ecosystems. 113

"Technical cooperation among developing countries is linked with one of the major world environmental concerns, namely, the important interrelationships between environment and development 113." "The environment-development relationship has led to the concept of environmentally sustainable development. Such development can only be achieved through the development of environmentally sound and appropriate technologies 116."

"One of the most fundamental problems confronting mankind at present is how to meet the basic needs and requirements of all people on earth without simultaneously destroying the resource base, that is the environment, from which ultimately these needs have to be met. Hence an understanding of the interrelationship between environment and development is absolutely essential for successful implementation of any strategy for the protection and management of the environment. Similarly, for development strategies to be sustainable over the long term, they must explicitly recognize the opportunities and constraints provided by the environment." 113

"It is through the development process that man acts upon and interacts with the natural environment. Water, air, soil, mineral, plant and animal life constitute the very resources which development itself seeks to exploit 113." Our basic life support categories are food, water, energy, waste disposal, building materials, clothing, and medicine, all of which depend upon our natural resource base. Many of these are based upon vegetable and animal resources: food, clothing, building materials, medicine, and energy. These vegetation and animal resources depend upon soils, surface geology, hydrology, and climate. Our other life support categories also depend upon these same resources: WATER: hydrology and climate; BUILDING MATERIALS: plants, soils, and surface geology (sand and gravel, stone masonry, minerals, clay, rammed earth, silica glass, etc.); and ENERGY: vegetation (fuelwood, fuel alcohol, other energy crops), animal (draft power, biogas, burning animal dung), hydrology (hydroelectric and mechanical water power), climate (solar, wind, and water power), and geology (geothermal and petroleum). Disposal of organic waste is relevant to energy (biogas production), plants (microbial digestion, fertilization), and geology (subsurface waste digestion and discharge). It's readily apparent that many of these resource categories are directly related. For instance water, energy, animals, organic waste, soils, surface geology, hydrology, and climate are all interconnected with food production. 43

"Environment and development problems are of a specific character, in different parts of the world 116." "Technologies reflect, in a sense grow, out of our indigenous resource base." The more that is known about a region and its resources, the more useful the technologies that can be developed. In the same sense these technologies are often not as useful outside of this region 43. "Failures in technology are most often failures in choices of technology 113." The most successful results in technical cooperation will be achieved between regions which share similar renewable resources, and common environmental conditions, such as: tropical climate, high altitude, arid lands, marine conditions, or island ecosystems 77.

TECHNICAL COOPERATION AMONG DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

"Developing countries have much to share with each other in terms of technological information, processes and expertise. What is needed is the stimulus to spur this cooperation and interchange and even bring to the surface this capability 70." Technology transfers include information, technical services, plans, patents, blueprints, operating manuals, engineering data, and training, as well as equipment, hardware, and turn-key plants.

"One of the important factors inhibiting effective transfer of technology among the developing countries is the lack of information on each other's capabilities 114." "Quite often, the technology required to solve the problems of small enterprises are freely available in the world 70." A serious constraint to development is "the information gap about technologies, institutions, equipment, development approaches, [research and educational methods], institutional arrangements, or other relevant infrastructures which some developing countries have tested and firmly established 113."

"There is an urgent need for greater exchange of information among the developing countries in respect to each other's capabilities and requirements." Information on appropriate, intermediate technologies, covering the complete range of existing technical possibilities, needs to be assembled and properly mobilized for use among developing countries, and an indigenous capacity is needed to apply well- known and readily available technology to overcome actual problems. "By effectively deploying a proportion of its own technological manpower for advisory work, a developing country can be technologically much more self-reliant than has hitherto been imagined 114."

"Existing technical and scientific knowledge must be better mobilized and more effectively applied. What is necessary is to provide better services to move available technology to the field level, and to ensure that the steps taken provide sustained rather than short-term benefits 113." This can be achieved through the sharing of consultants between different countries; by sending personnel from one country to another for advanced training and acquisition of additional qualifications; through international seminars and conferences; and through the establishment of working models or pilot projects. 114

Seminars and conferences can ensure the exchange of information useful in promoting local research and development activity, and can help a country keep abreast of the latest technological developments, giving it an opportunity to evaluate them in their own context for making continuous improvements 114.

Working models or pilot projects are a highly effective means of technical cooperation. This system of cooperative research and development would start with a study of the latest scientific and technical information available relevant to the project. Based on these studies a conference may be organized on the topic, open to experts from all parts of the world. Research is then conducted at pilot projects at cooperating organizations from different regions, according to an established, detailed research scheme. Training workshops for potential users of the technology would be organized at the experimental sites. And training in the construction and operation of the system would be given, based on printed reports from the research experiments. 115