GNU*SEED – Sustainable Economic and Environmental Design (GNU is General Public License)
The OpenSource movement is a push to free information. When it first started as a result of the internet's open information exchange, developers were quick to term it Open Source after the source code that makes up the software they were developing. By opening the source material or information that led to the creation of an end product, other developers could look at and improve the product. This isn't possible with commercial projects where trade secrets or proprietary intellectual property are at stake.
Today, the OpenSource movement is growing rapidly to include hardware and new technology. There are even satellites orbiting the Earth within the public domain that are used for GPS and satellite communications etc. It has some inherent flaws, like a lack of central organization or funding but its strength over commercial alternatives is in its constant updating and development by programmers, engineers, scientists etc. who share their research. This open source technology hasn't stopped commercial interests from benefiting from the transparent work of the movement's contributers. Pravnov Mistry from MIT developed a gestural interface called Sixth Sense he gave to the open source movement and Microsoft used his work in the development of the Kinect. which now sells for nearly as much as the console. For the DIY hobbyist, the gestural interface similar to the computer interfaces in the film Minority Report, can be built for under $300 and the software is free online for download right now.
One group of people outside of Kansas City have created a farm they call Factor E. Factor E is an open source movement to create sustainable communities. They are developing a Global Village Construction Set which includes 50 necessary machines required to build a modern civilization. From housing, farming equipment, industrial manufacturing, energy production, material management and transportation, their open-source machines cost 8x less than commercial/industrial alternatives and are built to be durable and outlive the current industrial model of planned obsolescence.
Using the years of research and development as a platform to launch from, GNU*SEED will create, publish and put into practice open-source knowledge driven by Sustainable Economic and Environmental Design. This will be a valuable resource for entrepreneurs and communities to draw from for local economic development. GNU*SEED will also build new comprehensive systems and hardware to unify and expand on existing knowledge and advancements in technology. The result of each project will be a marketable product or service.
One such product is the Personal Organic Domicile, a customizable carbon negative zero energy smart home which can be built in a day. Other products include; hydrogen fuel cells, automobiles, electric motors and generators, recycled building materials etc. Once the fabrication lab is assembled the only limits to the production capabilities are in material acquisition, open source knowledge and design.
One large project GNU*SEED will undertake is a vertical aquaponic garden CSA. Utilizing public domain information and open source software and hardware, the garden will be able to produce up to 20x more than traditional farming methods in the same acreage. In addition to the typical produce found at CSAs, the garden will also produce fish, compost, biomass for fuel production, biochar (terra-prata), syn gas and soil, all of which are marketable and can be sold or used in the garden. The goal of the project is to provide natural and nutritious food for communities and to demonstrate the sustainable application of knowledge and technology developed through the open source movement.
All of the research and developments of GNU*SEED will be published with a General Public License.
