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Written by Kumtux17
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Monday, 05 November 2007 17:00 |
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What is Cascadia Commons? Objective Humanity and all life on Earth are in need of new and innovative approaches to community and interaction. Cascadia Commons seeks to gather the inhabitants of the Cascadian Bioregion into a mutually supportive organization capable of sharing knowledge for engendering the innovation, support and communication necessary to advance localism and bioregional sustainability in Cascadia. Purpose/GoalsDevelop a social networking website that provides a more efficient means for individuals, non-profit organizations (including neighborhoods, aboriginal groups, and environmental advocates), and businesses to share information and innovate 21st century solutions. Allow for the inclusive co-ownership (one person = one share) of the Cascadian Commons social networking website, thus providing members dividends from net earnings.Encourage the development of a "creative commons," i.e. the clustering of centers of creativity, and advance the necessary technological tools and subsequent partnerships that assist the rise of bioregional sustainability. Develop or publicize services and products necessary for local and bioregional sustainability. Develop an ecosystem trust or an alliance of land trusts and community land trusts to enhance air quality, restore watersheds and habitat, and advance techniques and technologies necessary for bioregional sustainability. Establish a friendly-society that will provide a wide range of affordable savings, investments, insurances, pensions and specialist annuities to members. Additionally, support arrangements that allow members to share and distribute costs for education and healthcare.Advance strategies and the means of exchange that value the non-monetary aspects of human life and culture.Promote the "Deep Ecology" principle where the world is defined as a network of phenomena fundamentally interconnected and interdependent, thus recognizing the intrinsic value of all living beings.Advance the ideality that says universal perfection exists at all levels, in infinite variety and form. What is a Trust?A trust is an arrangement whereby property, including real, tangible and intangible is managed by one person(s) or an organization(s) for a common benefit. A trust is created by a settler who entrusts his/her property to a trustee(s) or corporation. What is a Friendly-society?A friendly-society, or a mutual or benevolent society is a mutual association of insurance-like purposes, as well as service for cultural and ceremonial purposes. Members gather for common financial and social purposes. For example, if two members were to be married, their wedding would be paid for and members of the society would attend in ceremonial dress. What is a Trans-organization?A trans-organization is an underorganized, loosely coupled, relational arrangement of autonomous organizations gathered to meet a specific or list of objectives. What is a Chaordic Organization?Chaordic refers to a system that blends characteristics of chaos and order resulting in a harmonious coexistence where neither chaos or order dominates. Chaordic organizations implements six dimensions that include statement of purpose, principles, participants, adoption of chaorganization, constitution, and practice. What is the Society of Organizations? As defined by Peter F. Drucker (1993), the Society of Organizations is an explanation of the pluralistic, interconnected and interdependent units of specialization that define a human population. Society is not composed of individuals, but individuals who are members of organizations (union laborer, military soldier, hospital doctor). Organizations are special-purpose institutions, however if seen as relational, they compose the total society or "knowledge society." Cascadia Commons is an effort towards a network or an alliance of organizations, and each organization performs a necessary task for the purpose of achieving bioregional sustainability. Cascadia Commons will provide a community land trust service, as well as a financial trust for the purposes of sharing costs like education and healthcare; however, Cascadia Commons manages this system according to chaordic organization and open source principles. The result will be a network of loosely coupled groups each dedicated to their interconnected and interdependent, internal and external mutual prosperity. Immediate ActionCascadia Commons has the opportunity to establish an online social networking service that is membership-owned, and that will focus on building communities of people interested in the activities and interactions necessary for the promoting of the general welfare of the Cascadian Bioregion. Users of the Cascadia Commons social networking website will consist of organizations, or businesses, non-profits, and groups (neighborhoods, clans, tribes, friendship groups, spiritual or religious, etc.) whom support Cascadia Commons' purpose and goals. Users of the Cascadia Commons social networking website will be provided free services such as email, instant messaging, blog, bulletin board, and unique branding. Cascadia Commons is currently a State of Oregon non-profit and the social networking service will be free to all users; however, if the user purchases membership, he/she will be afforded the opportunity to participate in the corporation's growth and will potentially earn dividends from its net earnings. Cascadia Commons will derive its income from online advertising, especially from companies offering services or products that could advance bioregional sustainability. Some specialized services may require membership, such as access to The Cascadian news service, podcasting, BaseCamp programing, GIS database, special events, etc. Long Term ActionAs a network or alliance, members of Cascadia Commons will be afforded opportunities to interact beyond traditional social networking services because the "group" or organization is central. The social networking service will de-emphasize individual use and profiles. Additionally, Cascadia Commons will introduce the virtual and three dimensional Cascadian Bioregion allowing users to see physical aspects of the bioregion outside of their localities. Central to Cascadia Commons is to ensure that pervasive computing remains supportive to humanity and life on Earth. Web 3.0 technology is just around the bend, and Cascadia Commons seeks to make those advanced technologies affordable. It is imperative that humanity grow with technology, but that technology fosters the relationships and interactions necessary for sustainability. The membership-owned Cascadia Commons social networking service is the beginning of a chaorganizational trust that will purchase land and resources ensuring their availability for future generations, provide dividends from net earnings, provide affordable living arrangements, and assist member groups to develop a wide range of affordable savings, investments, insurances, pensions and specialist annuities to members. All of this will be provided via Web 3.0 applications that members of Cascadia Commons democratically choose to implement. Preserving the FutureThe Pacific Northwest or Cascadia is home to three of the most sustainable cities in North America; however, much has to be done to ensure that resources are available to future generations. Nineteenth and Twentieth Century immigration and the subsequent development was cataclysmic to the bioregion. Despite the positive technological and economic innovations that developed during that time period, the Cascadian human population must and has the ability to change and encourage social interactions that minimize destructive behavior, thus reconnecting Cascadians to local culture, community, and nature.Cascadia Commons seeks to promote a holistic worldview that adequately explains how our daily activities affects our communities and environment, thus moving us away from the traditional mechanistic and unitized viewpoint that leaves individuals in conflict with their institutions, our political, social and commercial organizations unmanageable, and our society and bioregion in disarray.Cascadia Commons has for its purpose a plan for the mutual assurance of the Cascadian Bioregion and its diverse inhabitants. Our actions may have a myriad of consequences, however if we band together and become informed of ourselves and bioregion, we can collectively lead towards the re-inhabitation and resilience of our communities, neighborhoods, towns, cities, and Cascadia, and be an example for North America and the World. For more information Cascadia Commons is working on proposals for organizations interested in the Cascadia Commons social networking service, public presentations about the social networking site and principles of the Cascadia Commons, articles of incorporation and bylaws, and a business plan. If you would like to learn more about the progress of Cascadia Commons, view a copy of the social networking website proposal and/or other documents describing our development, or would like to become involved, please create a Cascadia Commons account on this website and/or contact us at
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Last Updated on Monday, 29 June 2009 11:16 |
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The Society
