THE VENUS PROJECT – A RESOURCE BASED ECONOMY

I learned about The Venus Project when I watched the Zeitgeist movie, which truly gave me food for a serious thought. Therefore, due to this movie I learned for the first time about Jacque Fresco, who dedicated his whole life to finding solutions to the problems we face today, and his unique idea on living life on the Resource Based Economy – healthy and clean environment, education available to all kind of people regardless of their status, race, age, elimination of war and absolute riddance of monetary system where such things as homeless, jobless or hungry do not exist. Apparently, there is a way out of misery.
I resonated with The Venus Project and Jacque Fresco ideas so strongly, that I decided to join their forces in my little-big ways. I greatly believe that Jacque Fresco proposal and practical ideas on resource based economy, where technology is used to help and support people in their day-to-day living, are more than real and far from being utopian. It is possible and can be done.

Soon after I connected with Jacque Fresco’s life-long helper and associate Roxanne Meadows, and with her blessing I used the information found on their website for this article of mine. Let’s together learn about The Venus Project.

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The Venus Project advocates an alternative vision for a sustainable new world civilization unlike any socio-economic system that has gone before. It calls for a straightforward redesign of a culture, in which the age-old inadequacies of war, poverty, hunger, debt, and unnecessary human suffering are viewed not only as avoidable, but totally unacceptable.

The Venus Project is an organization that proposes a feasible plan of action for social change, a holistic global socio-economic system called a Resource Based Economy; that works toward a peaceful and sustainable global civilization. It outlines an alternative to strive toward where human rights are not only paper proclamations but also a way of life.
The Venus Project presents a vision not of what the future will be, but what it can be if we apply what we already know in order to achieve a sustainable new world civilization. It calls for a straightforward redesign of our culture in which the age-old problems of war, poverty, hunger, debt, and unnecessary human suffering are viewed not only as avoidable, but as totally unacceptable. Anything less will result in a continuation of the same catalogue of problems found in today’s world.
The Venus Project presents an alternative vision for a sustainable world civilization unlike any political, economic or social system that has gone before. It envisions a time in the near future when money, politics, self and national-interest have been phased out. Although this vision may seem idealistic, it is based upon years of study and experimental research. It spans the gamut from education, transportation, clean sources of energy to total city systems.
If we really wish to put an end to our ongoing international and social problems, we must declare Earth and all of its resources the common heritage of all of the world’s people.
Earth is abundant and has plentiful resources. Our practice of rationing resources through monetary control is no longer relevant and is counter-productive to our survival. Today we have highly advanced technologies, but our social and economic system has not kept up with our technological capabilities. We could easily create a world of abundance for all, free of servitude and debt based on the carrying capacity of Earth resources. With the intelligent and humane application of science and technology, the people of the earth can guide and shape the future together while protecting the environment.

The Venus Project proposes we work toward a worldwide, resource-based economy, a holistic social and economic system in which the planetary resources are held as the common heritage of all the earth’s inhabitants. The current practice of rationing resources through monetary methods is irrelevant, counter-productive, and falls far short of meeting humanity’s needs.
Simply stated, within a Resource Based Economy we will utilize existing resources – rather than money – to provide an equitable method of distribution in the most humane and efficient manner. It is a system in which all goods and services are available to everyone without the use of money, credits, barter, or any other form of debt or servitude.
To better understand a resource-based economy, consider this. If all the money in the world disappeared overnight, as long as topsoil, factories, personnel and other resources were left intact, we could build anything we needed to fulfil most human needs. It is not money that people require, but rather free access to most of their needs without worrying about financial security or having to appeal to a government bureaucracy. In a resource-based economy of abundance, money will become irrelevant.
The aim of this new social design is to encourage an incentive system no longer directed toward the shallow and self-centered goals of wealth, property, and power. These new incentives would encourage people toward self-fulfilment and creativity, both materially and spiritually.

If all the money in the world were destroyed, as long as we have sufficient arable land, the factories, the necessary resources, and technical personnel, we could build anything and even supply an abundance. During the Depression, there were vacuum cleaners in store windows and automobiles in car lots. The Earth was still the same place. There was just no money in people’s wallets and very little purchasing power. At the beginning of World War II, the U.S. had about 600 first-class fighting aircraft. We rapidly overcame this short-supply by turning out over 90,000 planes per year. The question at the start of World War II was: Do we have enough funds to produce the required implements of war? The answer was No, we did not have enough money or gold, but we did have more than enough resources. It was the available resources and technical personnel that enabled the U.S. to achieve the production and efficiency required to win the war.
It appears that the real wealth of any nation is in its natural resources and its people who are working toward a more humane life-style through the elimination of scarcity. All social systems, regardless of the political philosophy, religious beliefs, or social mores, ultimately depend upon natural resources — i.e. clean air and water and arable land area — and the industrial equipment and technical personnel for a high standard of living. The money- based system was designed hundreds of years ago and was hardly appropriate for that time. We still utilize this same outmoded system, which is probably responsible for most of today’s problems. I have no doubt that even the wealthiest person today would be far better off in the high-energy society that The Venus Project proposes.
In a resource-based economy, the basis for unhealthy human aggression will be outgrown. People will no longer be burdened by the nagging concerns that consume so much of our attention, such as mortgages, health care costs, fire insurance, economic recession, the loss of jobs, depression and taxes. With the elimination of these burdens and the removal of the conditions that create feelings of envy, greed, and competition, our lives would be far more meaningful. For the first time we may begin to know what it means to be human.

One thing that is very rarely considered when dealing with the issue of population is the inefficiencies of our current socio-economic systems ability to cater for the needs of all people. Its far easier for those in power and those conditioned by this system, especially those in established academia to blame the state of the world on a growing population rather than on an archaic socio-economic system and a global value system based on infinite consumption on a planet with finite resources.
We don’t have an over population problem, we have a failure to intelligently distribute our existing resources, and a value system disorder that wastes those resources at unsustainable levels.
In a RBE, we would no longer have this inefficiency, and the values of those who adopt this system would be the complete opposite of consumerism, people would understand, appreciate and consider the available resources of the planet over and above their material desires. We would be utilizing our resources effectively, efficiently and we would be producing goods that last, and would be designed with product cycle in mind, and be made recyclable where possible.
Correctly managed, our current state of resources on this planet would more than cater for the current population, and many times that, and at a much higher standard of living for all the worlds 7 billion people and this ability to cater for a growing population would only increase as our technical ability to create an abundance increases, combined with relevant education as to the impact child birthrates have on the resources available to care for the population, as well as complete freedom to be educated in any field, to travel anywhere in the world, and to take part in any activities that interest us, people will be far less likely to want to stay at home and raise families.
It is no surprise that the highest birthrates are in the countries that have the least education, and the least social and economic opportunities available to the people of that country, combined with high income inequality.

The single most important aspect of the project is the social direction of all nations working together on the restoration of the environment in a resource-based economy. The aim is to establish all of the Earth’s resources as the common heritage of all of the world’s people. This we see as the only process to end the present cycle of events of war, poverty, hunger, political corruption, and environmental degradation. The technology that we present can make it possible for the global population to obtain a very high standard of living that is higher than ever imagined possible.
We could eventually surpass the artificial boundaries that divide people. If you fail to grasp the significance consider this: in the United States when the states joined together the militias disappeared at the borders and Americans were free of territorial disputes. This same process can be applied globally where all science and technology are utilized for the benefit of all of Earth’s inhabitants.
It is far more efficient to build new cities as self-contained systems from the ground up than to restore and retrofit old ones. New cities can take advantage of the latest technologies and be clean, safe, and desirable places to live. In many instances, a circular arrangement will be utilized.
We need a current survey of all available planetary resources. The first experimental city or planning centre will conduct a global survey of arable land, production facilities, transportation, technical personnel, population, and all other necessities required for a sustainable culture. This survey will enable us to determine the parameters for global planning for humanizing social and technological development, based on the carrying capacity of Earth and the needs of its people. This can best be accomplished with a constantly updated, computerized model of our planetary resources.
The function of the first city is to test the validity of design parameters and make necessary changes as needed. It will further this new social direction on many fronts with books, magazines, TV, radio, seminars, theatre, and theme parks , as well as designing and experimenting with automated building processes for the next city. Research will also seek the development of clean alternative energy sources, and to overcome shortages through the development of new materials.
The new system will provide all the necessities required to support people during the transitional period. To sustain civilization, we must coordinate advanced technology and available resources within a humane global systems approach. For instance, the characteristics of the population in a given area will determine how many hospitals and schools are built and the equipment needed. Some medical systems will be mobile and others will be prefabricated on land and sea.

During the transition, scarcity regions will be provided with heat concentrators for cooking and sterilizing water. Food for those areas can be dehydrated and compressed to save shipping space. The packaging will be biodegradable and may double as non-contaminating fertilizers. Regions without arable land will use hydroponic farms, land-based fish farms, and sea farming. Energy will come from wind, solar, heat concentrators, photovoltaic, wave, biomass, geothermal and other sources.
An interdisciplinary team of qualified personnel, in line with the project’s requirements, will work on automated systems to produce and supply goods and services on a massive scale. These can be the armies of the future, a large peaceful mobilization to restore and preserve the earth and its people. This has never been done before and can only be done when money is no obstacle. The question is not do we have the money, but do we have the resources and means to accomplish this new direction.

Phase One

The first phase of The Venus Project’s long-term plans is already underway. Jacque Fresco, futurist, inventor, industrial designer, and founder of The Venus Project, and his associate Roxanne Meadows, have constructed a 22-acre research centre in Venus, Florida to help present the proposals of The Venus Project. Four DVDs, pamphlets, and the book, The Best That Money Can’t Buy: Beyond Politics, Poverty, and War, have been created to help raise awareness about this project and its many proposals. Hundreds of futuristic models, plus many computer animations and renderings, have been completed to help visualize this attainable future.
A major documentary on the life and work of Jacque Fresco is available completed by William Gazecki, an Academy Award nominated and Emmy winning documentary filmmaker.

http:// www.FutureByDesignTheMovie.com

Also our latest documentary “Paradise or Oblivion” about the aims and directions of The Venus project can be viewed at www.paradiseoroblivion.com

Phase Two

Phase Two includes the production of a full-length feature film depicting how a world embracing the proposals advanced by The Venus Project would work. This film would provide a positive vision of a peaceful society in which all human beings form a global family on planet Earth. A civilization where all people engage in the pursuit of a better understanding of the world they share. This film has been designed to be an entertaining and educational experience for both adults and children. It also provides a methodology for bridging differences between nations.

Phase Three

To test its designs and proposals, The Venus Project is working toward putting its ideals into practice with the construction of an experimental research city. Blueprints for most of the initial technologies and buildings have begun. Fund-raising efforts are currently under way to help support the construction of this first experimental city. This new experimental research city would be devoted to working toward the aims and goals of The Venus Project which are:

1. Recognizing the world’s resources as the common heritage of all Earth’s people.
2. Transcending the artificial boundaries that separate people.
3. Evolving from money-based, nationalistic economies to a resource-based world economy.
4. Assisting in stabilizing the world’s population through education and voluntary birth control in order to conform to the carrying capacity of Earth’s resources.
5. Reclaiming and restoring the natural environment to the best of our ability.
6. Redesigning our cities, transportation systems, agricultural industries, and industrial plants so that they are energy efficient, clean, and able to conveniently serve the needs of all people.
7. Sharing and applying new technologies for the benefit of all nations.
8. Developing and using clean and renewable energy sources.
9. Manufacturing the highest quality products for the benefit of the world’s people.
10. Requiring environmental impact studies prior to construction of any mega projects.
11. Encouraging the widest range of creativity and incentive toward constructive endeavour.
12. Outgrowing nationalism, bigotry, and prejudice through education.
13. Outgrowing any type of elitism, technical or otherwise.
14. Arriving at methodologies through careful research, rather than from mere opinions.
15. Enhancing communication in schools so that our language corresponds to the actual physical nature of the world.
16. Providing not only the necessities of life, but also offering challenges that stimulate the mind while emphasizing individuality over uniformity.
17. Finally, preparing people intellectually and emotionally for the changes and challenges that lie ahead.

Phase Four

After the experimental research city is built, a theme park is planned that will entertain and inform visitors about humane and environmentally friendly life-styles. It will feature intelligently designed cities; houses, high-efficiency, non-polluting transportation systems; advanced computer technology; and many other innovations that can add value to the lives of all people – in the shortest possible time.
We are quite aware that no one can actually predict the future. We can only extrapolate from present information and trends. Population growth, technological change, worldwide environmental conditions, and available resources are the primary data required for future projections.
There is no single philosophy or religious, political, scientific, or ideological point of view that someone would not take issue with. We feel certain, however, that the only aspects of The Venus Project that may appear threatening are those that we impose upon ourselves.
The Venus Project is neither Utopian nor Orwellian, nor does it reflect the dreams of impractical idealists. Instead, it presents attainable goals requiring only the intelligent application of what we already know.
If you identify with this direction, we encourage you to join with us and work toward its realization. www.TheVenusProject.com

You are welcome to get involved in as many ways as you could think of.
All the needed information could be found on their website.

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