Co-Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth

Fifty years ago, Fuller wrote a powerful book entitled Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth. Published at the height of the cold war in a world deeply divided, it advanced the compelling perspective that we are all passengers on the same vessel, Spaceship Earth.  More profoundly, we all have a shared mission — like a baby chick must develop for ongoing survival before exhausting the limited resources of the yolk, we must develop as a civilization toward ongoing prosperity before exhausting our limited fossil fuel and elemental resources. This work went on to inspire many at the heart of the environmental and human potential movements, and the essence of its message is more vital today than ever.

So we are pleased to announce that BFI is marking this anniversary by kicking off what we’re calling the Co-Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth.  Our goal is to come together as a community and take that same grounded, visionary, and inclusive perspective toward how we practically realize a civilization that works for 100% of humanity. The work will be divided into chapters – energy, water, materials, cities, ecosystems – each will become a resource for deep sense-making that provides clarity for decision-makers, communities, individuals, and sponsors. To goal is not to publish a book, but to be an active participant in making this new world.

To this end, the institute has been building relationships with sponsors who are looking to make key decisions on how their organizations act on the areas above. Our research efforts help them move forward confidently in taking action and also provide us with starting material for each chapter. As a next step, we look forward to inviting all of you to contribute to the chapters — either directly in the areas where you have working expertise, or via resources and links in areas where you have a passion but less hands-on experience. We will be reaching out in the next TrimTab newsletter with more details on how to engage. Lastly, if you know of any organizations or individuals that would be a good fit to sponsor a chapter, let us know.

Thanks so much, and looking forward to co-operating on our shared future!