Ocean Arks International, founded in 1981 by visionary Ecological Designer Dr. John Todd, is a global leader in the field of ecological water purification. In response to the alarming rate of natural resource exploitation and depletion, our mission is to disseminate the ideas and practices of ecological sustainability throughout the world.

Our motto is, "To Restore the Lands, Protect the Seas and Inform the Earth's Stewards". Since 1982 our publication Annals of Earth has chronicled the work of OAI and of our colleagues around the world. Over the past decade we have begun to explore linkages between ecology and economics, looking to create new kinds of work and enterprise out of environmental protection and restoration initiatives.

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APPALACHIA

THE FIRST ANNUAL BUCKMINSTER FULLER CHALLENGE WINNER ANNOUNCED

MAY 2nd, 2008 NEW YORK CITY — The Buckminster Fuller Institute is pleased to announce that Comprehensive Design for a Carbon Neutral World: The Challenge of Appalachia submitted by Dr. John Todd has been selected as the winner of the 2008 Buckminster Fuller Challenge.

“Dr. John Todd’s comprehensive design strategy to bring about a carbon neutral world, in the opinion of this jury, best embodies the bold, visionary approach to large scale societal transformation pioneered by Buckminster Fuller. Dr. Todd’s proposal sets forth a profound vision to heal the environmental and economic scars of the Appalachian region and a detailed strategy to build a dynamic sustainable economic basis for lasting renewal,” said the Buckminster Fuller Challenge jurors in a statement about their decision.

“Dr. Todd’s vision sets forth a new theory of ecological design weaving together a set of processes - from restoration of land to geo-sequestration of carbon, to community involvement, to long-term economic vitality - to create a blueprint for a future for Appalachia that envisions a harmonious self-sustaining community. This is one of the only true whole systems projects that is place based but widely applicable.” To read the full statement by the jury, visit:http://challenge.bfi.org

Allegra Fuller Snyder, Fuller’s daughter, remarked, “My father identified himself as a Comprehensive Anticipatory Design Scientist. Each word is essential to understanding in what way he felt an individual must be competent to be effective in fully implementing constructive visions for our collective planetary future. John Todd’s response meets that Challenge, literally and figuratively. My father, who knew, and admired, Dr. Todd’s work in the 1970s, would certainly agree.”

“The selection by the jury of Dr. Todd’s project sets the bar for the Challenge for years to come. We are thrilled the jury selected a courageous and truly integrated vision that sets forth a detailed strategy to bring about a vibrant and life-sustaining future. The depth and breadth of this vision is stunning and I hope it becomes a catalyst for reflection and lively discussion across disciplines about contemporary approaches to solving the major issues facing us today,” said Elizabeth Thompson, Executive Director of the Buckminster Fuller Institute.

In addition to selecting the winner, the jury also identified two runners-up for their innovative work. The Barefoot College submitted by Bunker Roy was selected as the first runner-up and Promoting Biogas and Training Bedouin Women submitted by Kevin Leopold was selected as the second runner-up.

The winner will receive a $100,000 prize at a press conference and conferring ceremony June 23rd, 2008 at 2pm at The Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place in New York City.

For more information, visit http://challenge.bfi.org

Read The Challenge of Appalachia

Statement from the Buckminster Fuller Challenge Jury:

Dr. John Todd’s Comprehensive Design for a Carbon Neutral World, in the opinion of this jury, best embodies the bold, visionary approach to large-scale societal transformation pioneered by Buckminster Fuller. Dr. Todd’s proposal sets forth a profound vision to heal the environmental and economic scars of the Appalachian region and a detailed strategy to build a dynamic sustainable economic basis for lasting renewal. A comprehensive design strategy, the Carbon
Neutral World will use biological processes to restore degraded coal lands in Appalachia, and to use the process to return atmospheric carbon to the soil.

Dr. Todd’s vision sets forth a new theory of ecological design weaving together a set of processes –from restoration of land to geo-sequestration of carbon, to community involvement, to long-term
economic vitality – to create a blueprint for a future in Appalachia that envisions a harmonious self-sustaining community. This is one of the only true whole systems projects that is place-based
but widely applicable.

Todd’s design starts with a carbon-neutral goal – reflecting Fuller’s idea of the preferred state. Although trialed in Appalachia, the program is not just a U.S. solution. There are devastated coal
lands throughout the world and no one has yet determined what to do with them. Todd’s vision could provide some answers and a roadmap to get there. It will have huge uptake globally.

This project is building on Dr. Todd’s extensive biological knowledge to take it to a whole new level. Dr. Todd’s previous work had focused on water. This project takes the successes he’s had in the past and applies them to two problems. The first is what to do with the devastated environment of Appalachia, and the second is how to remove carbon from the air and stick it into the ground. The latter is of extreme global importance, while the former has applications not just in Appalachia, but also in coal-fields from Afghanistan to areas of Poland and Eastern Europe where coal has been extracted in devastating ways.

Todd’s idea focuses on increasing the natural capacity of soils to sequester carbon, and to increase the soils’ own fertility over time.

It puts all that is done on the land in the context of the health
and maintenance of our climate. This healing starts with the soil – building soil, then community. It is a process that, over time, uses ecological succession for landscape healing and community healing.

John Todd’s concept of ecological design finds deep parallels in Fuller’s approach to design as a comprehensive and integrative process. Todd’s project is not a single technology solution, but a
complex process related to the legacy of life on earth. Todd draws from ecology as a conceptual template and uses ecological thought to deliver stable design ideas.

Just as people are beginning to accept that there will be no “silver bullet” solution to our most pressing problems, but a portfolio of solutions – silver “buck shot” – this proposal lays out what
that portfolio can look like and how it can deliver a critical path for implementation.

The Buckminster Fuller Challenge Jury:

Janine Benyus, Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, Hazel Henderson,
W. Daniel Hillis, Hunter Lovins, William McDonough,
Vandana Shiva