2010

TheBuckminsterFuller

Challenge

CONFERRING CEREMONY

National Press Club, Washington DC

JUNE 2, 2010

OmniOculi, a limited edition sculpture created by Tom Shannon for the Buckminster Fuller Challenge Winner

R. Buckminster Fuller chal-lenged himself and the world “to make the world work for 100% of humanity, in the shortest pos-sible time, through spontaneous cooperation without ecological of-fence or disadvantage to anyone.”

Fuller coupled this intention with a pioneering approach aimed at solving complex problems. This approach, which he called com-prehensive, anticipatory design science, combines an emphasis on individual initiative and integrity with whole systems thinking, sci-entific rigor and faithful reliance on nature’s underlying principles.Fuller’s challenge inspired BFI to launch The Buckminster Fuller Challenge in 2007 to to support the development and imple-mentation of a solution that has significant potential to solve hu-manity’s most pressing problems.

Entries must present a bold, vision-ary, tangible initiative that is focused on a well-defined need of critical im-portance. They should be regionally specific yet globally applicable, and backed up by a solid plan and the ca-pability to move the solution forward.

About The Buckminster Fuller Challenge

2010 REVIEW TEAM

Each year entries are vetted for compli-ance with the entry criteria and eligi-bility requirements. Several rounds of in-depth dialogue take place amongst the review team over the course of eight weeks to determine which entries will be advanced to the Jury.

The review team was drawn from a group of people with experience in new media and media ecology, geo visualization, education, science, engineering, en-ergy, urban and community planning, design, social investing, sustainability, art, architecture, philanthropy and the life and work of Buckminster Fuller. BFI staff, associated experts, fellows and BFI board members all participated on the Review Team this year.

They include: Geeta Aiyer

Joshua ArnowMark Beam

Kirk BergstromBonnie DeVarco

Will ElkinsSahar GharheriLucilla Marvel

David McConvilleJenJoy Roybal

Elizabeth ThompsonAshley ThorfinnsonJonathan TuckerDavid WalczykGreg WatsonTim White

“If success or failure of the planet and of human beings de-pended on how I am and what I do ... How would I be? What would I do?”

— Buckminster Fuller

CRITERIA

• COMPREHENSIVE - applies a whole systems approach to all facets of the design and development process; aims to simultaneously address multiple goals, requirements, conditions and issues.

• ANTICIPATORY - factoring in critical future trends and needs as well as projected impacts of implementation in the short and long term.

• ECOLOGICALLY RESPONSIBLE - reflecting nature’s underlying principles while enhancing the Earth’s life-support systems.

• FEASIBLE- Relying primarily on current technology and existing resources.

• VERIFIABLE - Able to withstand rigorous empirical testing.

• REPLICABLE- Able to scale and adapt to a broad range of conditions.

We want the winning solution to be what Fuller called a trimtab

Trimtabs are small steering devices used on ships and airplanes which demonstrate how relatively small amounts of leverage, energy, and resources strategically applied at the right time and place can produce maximum advantageous change.

2010 FINALIST

2010 FINALIST

FarmShare reconnects farmers and consumers as co-producers of the foodscape. The

strategy uses social media to pool all the resources of Brooklyn into a crowd-sourced

decentralized farm. Voting for local food with their forks already, Brooklyn food activists

will pool their time and their waste in A Call to Farm.

Call to Farm:FarmShare

The Barefoot approach has reached remote rural inaccessible villages in 15 of the least

developed countries in Africa. Illiterate rural mothers and grandmothers who have never

left their villages in their lives within 6 months of training (without using the written

word) in India have solar electrified their own villages.

Barefoot Women Solar Engineers of Africa, Asia and Latin America

Bunker Roy of The Barefoot College

Stacey Murphy, BK Farmyards

2010 FINALIST

2010 FINALIST

The Living Building Challenge is a visionary strategy for creating a socially just, cultur-ally rich and ecologically benign built environment. Rather than providing points for incremental improvements in building performance, it measures success against the end goal of true sustainability and provides a framework for restoring balance in the human ecosystem.

Living Building Challenge

Chicagoans discard over one billion gallons of Great Lakes water per day. This “waste-water” never replenishes one of the world’s most vital resources. As a remedy, this project re-conceives the Chicago street-grid as a holistic Bio-System that captures, cleans and returns wastewater and storm-water to the Lakes via “Eco-Boulevards.”

Eco-BoulevardsMartin Felsen + Sarah Dunn, UrbanLabs

Jason F. McLennan and Eden Brukman

2010 FINALIST

2010 FINALIST

Watergy is a bionic concept, immitating the biosphere within an enclosure, using wind, rain and related energy dissipation. It allows 85% recycling of irrigation water, while accumulation of CO2 leads to higher rates of photosynthesis. Further applications are plant protection (no pesticides), processing of greywater, desalination and heat supply.

Watergy Greenhouse

This project demonstrates how to reverse desertification of the world’s savannas and grasslands by applying Holistic Management, an approached developed and pioneered by Allan Savory. Large-scale application can contribute enormously to mitigating climate change, biomass burning, drought, flood, drying of rivers and underground waters, disappearing wildlife, massive poverty, social breakdown, violence and genocide.

Operation Hope: Permanent water and food security for Africa’s impoverished millions

Allan Savory and Team

Martin Buchholz and Team

2008 Winning Solution

2009 Winning Solution

Mobility-on-Demand systems utilize fleets of shared-use lightweight electric vehicles placed at automatic charging racks throughout city. The CityCar and RoboScooter, both folding vehicles, minimize parking space and can be picked-up and dropped-off at any rack. Mobility-on-Demand systems maximize mobility and dramatically reduce conges-tion and pollution through energy and land-use efficiency.

Sustainable Personal Mobility/Mobility on Demand

John Todd is a leading pioneer in ecological design. He pulls from his life-long expe-rience to develop a visionary approach to restore and heal the Appalacian region. A four-part strategy incorporates dextoxifying the soils, carbon sequestration, renewable energy, institutional modeling and ecomomic development. The solution operates from a deep understanding of the “preferred state”, a major component of the criteria for the Buckminster Fuller Challenge.

Comprehensive Design for a Carbon Neutral World:The Challenge of Appalachia

John Todd

Smart Cities Group, MIT

Jury Member

HILLARY BROWN

As a former design director and Assistant Commissioner at New York City’s Depart-ment of Design and Construction, Hillary Brown founded its Office of Sustainable Design. She was managing editor of the nationally and internationally recog-nized City of New York High Performance Building Guidelines, co-author of the U.S. Green Building Council’s State and Local Green Building Toolkit, and author of Im-plementing High Performance Buildings. Additionally, she envisioned and has co-authored the just-released High Perfor-mance Infrastructure: Best Practices for the Public Right-Of-Way for New York City and the Design Trust for Public Space

RYAN CHIN

Ryan Chin is the Project Leader for the 2009 winning solution of the Buckmin-ster Fuller Challenge. He is a fourth-year PhD student at the MIT Media laboratory in the Smart Cities research group. He is building the car of the future – a fold-able, stackable, sharable, electric, two-passenger city vehicle that rethinks ur-ban mobility. This work, in collaboration with General Motors, takes into account problems of parking, congestion, energy efficiency, pollution, communication, and considers the best and most efficient uses of available resources in urban en-vironments.

The proposals have undergone a rigorous review for adherence to the entry criteria and interviews with the individual or team behind the strategy. They were ad-vanced from a pool of 215 entries submit-ted that were then narrowed down to 30 semi-finalists. A panel of 11 distinguished jurors – all internationally recognized leaders in design and sustainability, met for an intense and lively deliberation April 20, 2010. The selection of the winner, runner-up and four honorable mentions was unanimous.

Jury Member

THE 2010 JURY

2010 JURY

JENNIFER CORRIERO

Jury Member

Jennifer Corriero is an innovator and leader, bringing tremendous insight into understanding, reaching and motivating youth. Jennifer’s experience includes developing and driving youth programs related to technology, collaboration and entrepreneurship, and has designed and delivered an extensive range of interac-tive learning experiences with the aim of empowering youth as community lead-ers.

SASHA DICHTER

Sasha is the Director of Business Development at Acumen Fund, a global non-profit that invests in enterprises that serve the poor. In this role, he leads up capital raising globally for Acumen Fund and is responsible for creating an en-gaged, vibrant, and connected commu-nity of Acumen Fund Partners, Advisors and supporters around the world. He is a member of Acumen Fund’s leadership team. Sasha is also a successful blogger on storytelling, nonprofits and philan-thropy at http://sashadichter.wordpress.com, where he made a splash with his Manifesto for Nonprofit CEOs.

MITCHELL JOACHIM

Mitchell Joachim earned a Ph.D at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MAUD Harvard University, M.Arch. Columbia University, BPS SUNY at Buffalo with Honors. He is a Co-Founder of Terrefuge & Terreform ONE. Currently he is faculty at Columbia University and Parsons. Formerly an architect at Gehry Partners, and Pei Cobb Freed. He has been awarded the Moshe Safdie Research Fellowship, and the Martin Family Society Fellow for Sustainability. His project, Fab Tree Hab, has been exhibited at MoMA and widely published.

Jury Member

Jury Member

2010 JURY

JONATHAN ROSE

Jury Member + Guest Panelist

Jury Member

Jonathan F.P. Rose’s business, not-for-profit and public policy work all focus on creating a more environmentally, socially and economically responsible world. In 1989, Mr. Rose founded Jonathan Rose Companies LLC, a multi-disciplinary real estate development, planning, con-sulting and investment firm, as a leading green urban solutions provider. The firm currently manages over $1.5 billion of work, much of it in close collaboration with not-for-profits, towns and cities.

SUSAN SZENASY

Susan S. Szenasy is Editor-in-Chief of Metropolis, the award-winning New York City-based magazine of architecture, culture, and design. Since 1986 she has lead the magazine through years of landmark design journalism, achieving domestic and international recognition. She is internationally recognized as an authority on sustainability and design.She has been honored with two IIDA Presidential Commendations, is an hon-orary member of the ASLA, and the 2008 recipient of the ASID Patron’s Prize and Presidential Commendation as well as the SARA/NY medallion of honor.

Jury Member

ALAN KAY

President of Viewpoints Research Institute, Inc., is one of the earliest pio-neers of object-oriented programming, personal computing, and graphical user interfaces. His contributions have been recognized with the Charles Stark Draper Prize of the National Academy of Engineering[1] “for the vision, con-ception, and development of the first practical networked personal comput-ers,” the Alan M. Turing Award from the Association of Computing Machinery “for pioneering many of the ideas at the root of contemporary object-oriented programming languages, leading the team that developed Smalltalk, and for fundamental contributions to personal computing.”

Jury Member

JOHN THACKARA

Jury Member + Guest Panelist

Jury Member

John Thackara is Director of Doors of Perception. Founded as a conference in Amsterdam in 1993, Doors of Perception now organises festivals and projects around the world in which grassroots in-novators work with designers to imagine sustainable futures - and take practical steps to realize them. In addition to event production, John Thackara also helps cities and regions build next-generation institutions. A former London bus driver, and later a book and magazine editor, John was the first Director (1993-1999) of the Netherlands Design Institute. of City Eco Lab at Cite du Design in St Etienne, the main French design biennial.

José A. Zaglul is the President of EARTH University, an international, private, not-for-profit institution in Costa Rica, dedicated to preparing leaders with ethical values to contribute to the sus-tainable development of the tropics and to construct a prosperous and just society. Dr. Zaglul has been President of EARTH University since its inception in 1989 and has provided the vision and leadership for this innovative institution and its unique educational environment that encourages the development of responsible leadership based on values, social commitment, environmental con-sciousness, academic excellence and an entrepreneurial and enterprising spirit.

HARDIN TIBBS

Hardin Tibbs is a UK-based strategy consultant and futures researcher with extensive experience of scenario-based strategic thinking. His work is focused on helping organizations move forward with confidence in an environment marked by accelerating social and technological change, and rising economic and en-vironmental instability. He has worked with major companies, government agencies, and non-profit organizations in the United States, Europe, Australia and Asia. This work has spanned a wide range of industries, government areas and institutions.presentations on future-related topics.

2010 JURY

JOSÉ ZAGLUL

Jury Member

Jury Member

Sahar Ghaheri is a designer and artist who grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She received a BFA in Photography from Washington University in St. Louis and continued her studies at the Design Skolen Kolding in Denmark with a concentration in Industrial Design. She held an internship at Karim Rashid in New York and is presently pursuing a masters degree in Industrial Design at Pratt Institute and part of the Center for Sustainable Design Studies Interns for Change.

Jonathan Tucker is a graduate architecture student at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. He holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He hopes to further engage sustainable design practices throughout his education and career, and expects his involvement with the Challenge to be a great learning experience towards this goal. Tucker is excited to be participating on the the Challenge review panel. He anticipates an amazing variety of inspirational submis-sions, and is honored to contribute to the selection process.

Ashley Thorfinnson is an industrial designer who grew up in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. She is currently a second year graduate student at Pratt Institute in Industrial Design. Approaching design from a background in environ-mental studies and art, she is passionate about the idea of creating products, systems, and solutions that affect change on numerous scales through careful consideration of aesthetics, materiality, context and intent. More about her work can be found at www.coroflot.com/athorfy.

THE BUCKMINSTER FULLER CHALLENGE FELLOWSHIPThe Buckminster Fuller Challenge Fellowship combines engagement in the review process of the Buckminster Fuller Challenge through a seminar component that explores Comprehensive Anticipatory Design Science (CADS), a “whole-systems” approach to solving complex problems, developed by Buckminster Fuller. The fellow-ship is designed to engage outstanding and motivated graduate students in crit-ical thinking and decision-making using the BFI Challenge entries as context to provide practical, ‘hands-on’, pedagogical experience assessing CADS-based design.

THE BUCKMINSTER FULLER CHALLENGEIDEA INDEx

The IDEA INDEx was created as a tool to support our efforts to promote and dissemi-nate comprehensive, integrated design science solutions. A web-based searchable repository for entries to The Buckminster Fuller Challenge, it currently contains over 500 solutions and represents a growing pool of knowledge created to: inspire collab-oration amongst participants; encourage academic research: engage the public.

objectives

Educational: Situate the Index as a "go to" pedagogical resource for educators at all levels.

Informational: Develop, showcase and promote a curated collection of the most comprehensive solutions to the world’s critical needs.

Social: Facilitate synergy between related initiatives

Technological: Create an open source platform for presentation, learning, and dialogue that advances understanding and use of the essential principles, processes, strategies, models, for both conceiving and implementing compre-hensive solutions.

ideaindex.org

“BFI is dedicated to accelerating the development and deployment of solutions which radically advance human well being and ecosystem health.”

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Allegra Fuller Snyder, Emeritus

Neal Katz, President

Kirk Bergstrom, Vice President

David Walczyk, Treasurer

Lucilla Marvel, Secretary

Mark Beam

Joseph Clinton

Rob Kenner

Lynette Kessler

Martin Leaf

Jonathan Marvel

David McConville

Jaime Snyder

Greg Watson

Hans Meyer, 09

BFI STAFF

Griffin Goldsmith, Intern

Will Elkins, Administrative Coordinator

JenJoy Roybal, Program Manager

Jean Tesoriero, Accounting

Jessica Schwartz Hahn, Public Relations

Elizabeth Thompson, Executive Director

The Buckminster Fuller Institute is dedi-cated to accelerating the development and deployment of solutions which radi-cally advance human well being and the health of our planet’s ecosystems. We aim to deeply influence the ascendance of a new generation of design-science pioneers who are leading the creation of an abundant and restorative world economy that benefits all humanity.

Our programs combine unique insight into global trends and local needs with a comprehensive approach to design. We encourage participants to conceive and apply transformative strategies based on a crucial synthesis of whole systems thinking, Nature’s fundamental princi-ples, and an ethically driven worldview.

By facilitating convergence across the disciplines of art, science, design and technology, our work extends the profoundly relevant legacy of R. Buckminster Fuller. In this way, we strive to catalyze the collective intelligence required to fully address the unprec-edented challenges before us.

The Buckminster Fuller Institute is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, founded in 1983.

AnonymousThe Atwater Kent FoundationThe Civil Society InstituteThe James Dyson FoundationThe Highfield FoundationThe Jewish Communal FundCedomir Kovacev and Ann Morris

Joshua ArnowRobert KennerJaime Snyder

Joao AmorimBen ArnowGeeta AyerMichael Ben-EliMark BeamBrooklyn BreweryHilary BrownThe Buckminster Fuller Challenge FellowsThe Buckminster Fuller Challenge JuryRyan ChinRick DennyBonnie DeVarcoGriffin GoldsmithGloria GuerreroMatt HowardDebra Johnson

And through the generous financial support of the following people:

We would also like to extend our thanks to the following people:

This program was made possible by the generous support of the following institutions and foundations:

Materials For The ArtsThe Members of The Buckminster Fuller InstituteRudolf Steiner Social Finance FundPratt Institute Center for Sustainable Design

Ben LoefflerStephen MartinLucilla MarvelAlexandra MayDavid McConvilleThe School of Design Strategies, ParsonsJonathan Rose CompaniesTom ShannonRachel SteinbergSusan SzenasyHardin TibbsVictoria VesnaDavid WalczykGreg WatsonThe White FamilyThe Whitney Museum of American Art

AIA, ChicagoThe Arena Stage, Washington, DCAmerican University School of International ServiceThe Cosmos Club

Allegra Fuller SnyderChristopher & Sharon Saul DavisNancy LaSalleSerge Smirnoff & Nancy MillikenAlexandra and Sam May

The EluminatiHyatt Regency HotelsBill McDonough + PartnersChicagoThe National Press Clubtheuptake.org

Peter MeisenPhilip MooreWillian AckermanCharles BidermanJosh Pang

The 2010 conferring ceremony & related programs in Chicago supported by :

Immediately following the performance registered participants will be invited to attend a special post-show reception with the actor, director, producer and dignitaries from Arena Theatre and other special guests.

Thrusday, June 3, 2010 8 pm

R. Buckminster Fuller: THE HISTORY (and Mystery) OF THE UNIVERSE

At Arena Stage Crystal City, VA

to purchase tickets go to arenastage.org

This critically acclaimed production is the closest thing to spending an evening with the design science visionary, inventor of the geodesic dome, and pioneer of the green movement. The L.A. Times called it “a tour-de-force re-creation of a Fuller talk, one that is—like the man—physical, metaphysical, intellectual, eclectic, challenging and hugely entertaining."

PLEASE JOIN US!THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 2010

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY4400 Massachusetts Ave NW

9am-4pm

ARCHITECTING THE FUTURE:A WORLD DESIGN SCIENCE DECADE 2010-2020

Join Challenge jurors, finalists, review team members and others for a lively, interactive strategy session in which we will explore the best practices, leverage points and synergies needed to extend and accelerate the implementation of whole-systems/design science solutions to solve our urgent interrelated crises. Partici-pants range from thought leaders to breakthrough design pioneers actively applying this approach in their search for what Bucky called trimtab solutions. The urgency of humanity's need to 'turn the ship around' within the next decade sets forth the context for our meeting together. We encourage you to come, ready to participate! Lunch will be served. Program schedule here.

registration is required and can be done at the sign-in table.

For more information call 718.290.9280

FEATURED PLAY ON BUCKY! AFTER PARTY

The Buckminster Fuller Institute | 181 N11th St | Suite 402 | Brooklyn, NY 11211T: 718 290 9283 | F: 718 290 9281 | bfi.org

NOTES

We invite you to become an active participant of the Buckminster Fuller Institute Network by generously supporting our organization’s programs.

PROGRAMS:

+ THE BUCKMINSTER FULLER CHALLENGE

+ IDEA INDEx

+ DESIGN SCIENCE EDUCATION

+ STUDY CENTER

+ BFI.ORG

+ FELLOWSHIP AND INTERN SCHOLARSHIPS

+ SPECIAL PROJECTS AND EVENTS

Contributors at all levels will receive a subscription to BFI’s monthly email newsletter, invitations to special events and discounts to programs. Join at the Associate level, or higher, and receive a complimentary copy of the latest Raleigh Dymaxion Map, the original rendition envisioned by Fuller in 1954.

___________ASSOCIATE 100-249

___________SUPPORTER 250-499

___________PARTRON 500-999

___________BENEFACTOR $1000+

___________BASIC 50-99

The Buckminster Fuller Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit orgnaization. Your contribution is tax-detuctible to the full extent of the law.

SUPPORT OUR WORK82% of all financial contributions go directly toward program implementation.

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Welcome

Buckminster Fuller Allegra Fuller Snyder, Bucky’s Daughter and co-founder of BFI

The Buckminster Fuller ChallengeElizabeth Thompson, Executive Director, BFI

Statement from the JuryJose Zaglul, Founder of EARTH University

Presentation of the FinalistsHillary Brown, Civicactions

Presentation of Honorable MentionsHardin Tibbs

Presentation by the two remaining finalistsTBD

Announcement of Runner-up and Winner

Acceptance SpeechTBD

Q&A with WinnerModerator: Susan Szenasy, Metropolis Editor

Closing Remarks

END

Reception

12:00

12:30

1:00

1:30

2:00

PROGRAM SCHEDULE

The Buckminster Fuller Institute | 181 N11th St | Suite 402 | Brooklyn, NY 11211T: 718 290 9283 | F: 718 290 9281 | bfi.org

The Buckminster Fuller Challenge is a program of the Buckminster Fuller Institute