2008 BFI Contest Winner Has a Vision for Appalachia

Comprehensive Design for a Carbon Neutral World: The Challenge of Appalachia
submitted by Dr. John Todd

"The Comprehensive Design for a Carbon Neutral World project sets forth a revolutionary concept for the design of an entirely new economic model for a region that has been despoiled by extractive industries. Dr. Todd’s vision is inextricably bound to a set of highly advanced ecological design principles that he developed. Appropriately, they reflect not only deep understanding of biological systems, but also the best creative intelligence and cultural wisdom spanning the centuries. These principles are the fruit of Dr. Todd’s decades-long practice developing technologies around the world that build healthy symbiotic relationships between nature’s living systems and modern human needs."

via challenge.bfi.org

This is the first year the Buckminster Fuller Institute has held this challenge. Being that I have a strong affinity for ol' Bucky-- I was first introduced to him when I was on the Academic Decathlon team in high school and we studied some of his works for our Super Quiz (themed Habitat Earth)-- and that I am living in the heart of Appalachia now, trying to absorb as much as I can about this region and the issues it faces, it's really cool to me that the first winner of the first challenge's concept focuses on Appalachia and the mining industry here. The concept, however, can be scaled to eventually benefit energy production and the environment on a global level.



To visually connect the dots of concepts and actions like the one Dr. John Todd submitted to the BFI challenge, check out this photo gallery I stumbled across while writing this entry. From the photo gallery's introduction page: ...with its images of the destructive power of industry juxtaposed against the quiet lives of the region's residents, is sobering, poignant, and powerful.

On Coal and Appalachia by Daniel Shea