REBEARTH featured on WorldChanging.com November 22, 2007
Posted by kevinpaulmorris in Rebearth, jon booren, marc stamos, no fear, startups, worldchanging.add a comment
Marc Stamos, who I introduced in a previous entry about Startups and Fear, has been doing great things with his new organization REBEARTH. A series of talks scheduled for Waterloo, Montreal, and Toronto is just about complete. The Toronto event will take place next Tuesday, November 27th at 7pm in the Bahen Centre for Information Technology at the University of Toronto. All are invited - check out the link HERE.
To give you an idea of exactly how compelling Marc’s talks are (not to mention REBEARTH itself), check out this article which was featured on WorldChanging.com today!!
Fund, Design and Build: The project of (y)our dreams?
As Jason Diceman pointed out last month, Worldchanging has covered quite a few social networking sites, all trying to bring people together in slightly different ways. Here is one more project that is worth reading about.
Marc Stamos, an entrepreneur from Montreal, has a vision. He wants to help grow a world that 6.6 billion people would want to live in.
While articling as a law school student, Marc had an opportunity to see David Suzuki speak at the University of Toronto. Coming away from that experience, he felt so inspired to effect change that he decided to finish his position, stop and regroup. He took the next number of years to educate himself, network and find a place where he might be able to help. His conversations, work and effort have all culminated with this: REBEARTH.COM
On Tuesday evening, Marc spoke to an audience at McGill University in Montreal and laid out a world that would contain the following appetizing characteristics:
- Businesses that increase employee morale, regenerate the environment and are profitable.
- Children’s toys that are fun, engaging, profitable and release nutrients when chewed.
- Desirable transportation that is silent, clean and profitable.
- Human impact is a positive, prosperous and regenerative force.
Okay, so that sounds simple enough. Where do we start?
What Marc and his collaborators want to do is create an internet hub that links ideas, with finances and skills; wiki-style networking, with a bank account and muscle power.
REBEARTH’s immediate goal is to begin with one project, a house.
Have you ever thought about what your dream house would look like? What characteristics would it have? Would you be willing to contribute your thoughts to help this house take shape? REBEARTH’s hope is you would.
How about your skills as a project coordinator, designer or architect? No skills, just cash? Fine. They’ll take that too. Getting the prototype off the ground will help work out the system they hope to form. A system that can then be applied to anything we want.
Perhaps you’re not interested in building a new house; you want a new shoe, fabric, community heating plant, or bicycle tire. Suggest it, collaborate, design, fund and build.
REBEARTH wants to take collaboratively formed ideas and make them marketable. Taking any generated innovations and share, systemize, franchise and/or license them out to other companies for use, but there is a catch. There goal is not to just make money from the commons, REBEARTH was started to help grow a world that 6.6 billion people would want to live in. Companies who want to use the innovations in traditional application, without the social or environmental contribution will have a bit of a tougher time.
And the money that comes in, goes around. Not only to those who put up the financial backing, but to all those who have been involved in the project.
Interested in finding out more? Marc will be making presentation #2 in Toronto this coming Tuesday, November 27th, at 7:00 PM in the Bahen Centre for Information Technology at the University of Toronto. For more details you can check out this internet invitation.
Those of you unable to make it to Toronto, please visit their website and email them, they would love to hear from you. Because after all, it’s going to take people just like you to make this thing work.
http://www.worldchanging.com/local/canada/archives/007605.html
Pangea Day September 21, 2007
Posted by kevinpaulmorris in Cambrian House, Pangea Day, Rebearth, mass collaboration.add a comment
Just about everyday I hear of some form of mass collaboration being used to develop a project; whether my new friend Marc Stamos at Rebearth (www.rebearth.com), or the many people working to make others’ projects happen over at Cambrian House (www.cambrianhouse.com). While I happen to see a lot of cool stuff in a day, every once in a while something I see really hits me.
This is one of those things.
I like big ideas. I like mass collaboration. I love the idea of changing the world.
If anyone is reading this, here is what I need you to do:
Read up, watch the vid, and start thinking. If you have any ideas on how we can come up with a film for this project, get in touch!
Here’s a big idea: Pangea Day plans to use the power of film to bring the world a little closer together. We’re divided by borders, race, religion, conflict… but most of all by misunderstanding and mistrust. Pangea Day seeks to overcome that — to help people see themselves in others — through the power of film.
On May 10, 2008 — Pangea Day — sites in Cairo, Dharamsala, Jerusalem, Kigali, London, New York City, Ramallah and Rio de Janeiro will be linked to produce a 4-hour program of powerful films, visionary speakers, and uplifting music. The program will be broadcast live to the world through the Internet, television, digital cinemas, and mobile phones.
Your film could be part of it. The online video revolution has helped spawn a new generation of grass-roots film-makers worldwide. Much of the output, of course, is mediocre. But hidden in there are amazing talents capable of using film to astonishing effect… and capable of telling stories that can create powerful bonds between us.
So ask yourself this. If you had the entire world’s attention for just a few minutes, what story would you tell? Perhaps you think the world looks at you, your country and your culture… and just doesn’t understand. Then do something about it. Make a film and upload it here http://www.youtube.com/group/pangeaday. You never know. It could end up bringing millions of people that bit closer together.
Pangea is the name of the original super-continent which contained all the world’s land mass before the continents started splitting apart 250 million years ago. We’re launching Pangea Day with the vision that the people of the world can begin to overcome their divisions, and that the power of film can help make it possible.
Movies can’t change the world. But the people who watch them can.
To register as a film-maker, to get more ideas about film submissions, or to host a screening or learn how you can get involved, please visit our website at http://www.pangeaday.org.
