Do you know of a project, idea or initiative that could radically change the world for the better? Elements of a Good Anthropocene currently exist on the planet, and in this project we are calling them ‘seeds’. 'Seeds' are initiatives that exist at least in prototype form, but are not currently dominant in our world. They can be social, technological, economic, social-ecological, ways of thinking or doing, case studies, or [...]
Can ancient unique ecosystems be protected in an age of global movement of plants and animals? Predator Free New Zealand 2050 is a plan being implemented by the New Zealand government to eliminate all invasive vertebrate predators, including rats, brushtail possums, and stoats, to protect New Zealand's rare endemic species. The government plan arises from a broader set of social and scientific initiatives. The plan aims to dramatically reduce NZ’s populations [...]
Houston's Bayou Greenways - using swamps for recreation, transportation, social connections, & water regulation
How can infrastructure work with ecological dynamics? The Sand Engine (Zandmotor), is an human-created sand peninsula that is designed to gradually erode in a way that sustains a coastline against coastal erosion. Coastal erosion is increasing world-wide due to climate change driven sea level rise. The Sand Engine represents an example of a new approaches to coastal engineering that work with rather than against nature. Kitesurfer in the lagoon of the Sand [...]
WOHA is Singaporean architectural firm that aims to re-invent skyscrapers for dense urban living. Some of their influential projects are The Met Apartments in Bangkok, and the Singapore School of the Arts, and the Parkroyal on Pickering hotel in Singapore. School of the Arts, Singapore designed by WAHO. Photo by wikipedia user Katmorro. WOHA was founded in 1994 by architects Wong Mun Summ and Richard Hassell. It has designed projects [...]
Big animals regulate many ecological processes and their activities create spaces for others animals to live. Millenia of human action has eliminated most of the these big animals, decreasing their numbers and driving many of them extinct. Can these extinct animals be restored? Revive and Restore is a NGO that aims to promote the use of rapidly advancing genomic technology for biological conservation and rewilding by enhancing the genetic diversity of small [...]
How can communities reclaim control over their shared challenges? In March 2002, Gigha islanders managed, with help from grants and loans from the National Lottery and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, to purchase the island from its absentee landlord for £4 million. The island is now owned through a development trust called the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust. The Trust aims to promote: community regeneration, employment and sustainability. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFiudQ0t2ms?rel=0] Many people in [...]
How can cities grow in ways that promote social inclusion? The city of Medellín, Colombia, built a cable car system to provide a new type of public transport that connected poorer people, living in rugged areas, to Medellin's public transport system. The cable car system, Metrocable, was part of an integrated investment in new public transport and neighbourhood infrastructure. It began operation in 2004, and the success of the first line lead to the construction [...]
How can people organise to gain control of the place in which they live? The Scottish Ilse of Eigg replaced its historic semi-feudal system of land ownership, in which residents were tenants of an absentee laird (a large landowner) with a new model community based ownership. Eigg is one of the Scottish Inner Hebrides. In 1997, the island was bought from its absentee landlord for £1.5m, raised from residents and thousands of non-residents. Many people in Scotland live on land [...]
Cyclovia is an institutionalised event in Bogota where each Sunday and public holiday over 100 km of roadway are closed to car traffic for seven hours to create a ciclovia (“cycling way”) for cyclists, skaters, runners and walkers. On some Sundays, as many as a million and a half people, or about 20% of Bogota, use Ciclovia to relax, excercise, and connect with others. By promoting the use of roads as public [...]