Chapters

1. Introduction the current situation
2. Ultimate goal (RBE)
3. Transition Plan Overview
4. RBEF as a transition tool
5. NZP s an example and first project
6. How to get involved
7. Call for Unification

Chapter 1; Introduction with current situation

Life,
Life is what brings us together,
Life is what separates us,
Life is what makes us so special,
And yet life is so common.

We decide what to do with our lives,
it is our choice.

is it?

In 1943, Abraham Maslow, released a paper called "A Theory of Human Motivation"
The paper outlines hierarchy levels for human needs.

According to Maslow's pyramid of needs.

Humanity collectively share these needs – and every single one of them relies on money.

Money that buys our food.
Money that buys our health.
Money that buys our admittance to a group.

Money that represents our achievements, and our goals in life.
Yet this subject is rarely known to us,
Where does money comes from, and why it is so important to act now.

We should act because of poverty, lack of morals and education, trashing our brain with TV, and our body with junk food, exploiting children in the third world and polluting our environment...

But there are 3 major factors that **require** us to act right now.

Its money, energy, and global climate change.

These 3 link together in a chaos of interests, We will review each of these 3 subjects in order to understand what they are:

First, we have money.

What is money?

Money in simple words is a claim of human labor.

How much human labor has been invested in your work?

It can be carpentry, delivery, lawyers, advertising, and so on – it all sums up into one single thing – which is labor.

But money as money is not the only factor in the formula – There are also people who create what we call – "economy".

Money is created out of thin air. Believe or not

Out of nothing. You might ask yourself why should that necessarily a bad thing?

Well, let me tell you a little story:

Let’s say one day you get up in the morning and everything around you is gold.

A golden table, a golden tree, the trash becomes gold – and u can even swim in a golden pool.

Sure, it will be cool at first…. but after a while everyone agrees that the gold is not rare anymore.  With the amount of the gold there is – it actually is worth nothing. You certainly can’t sell it

It is scarcity that gives it value.

Money can be looked at like this as well.

When there is too much money, in circulation – inflation occurs, and YOUR money is worth less.

To further increase inflation, banks issue loans keeping only 10% of the money as a reserve, the then add interest to this further multiplying the money available.

To better understand the mechanics of money, You need to watch the movie Zeitgeist Addendum. At www.zeitgeistmovie.com

There is a lot of material on this subject and we recommend you discover more.

Second, Energy.

Currently, Energy is a necessary tool to run the world…

We consume, transport, and harvest our food with energy.

More than 50% of all our total energy comes from oil.

Oil is a finite resource and works in a certain way.

In the beginning of drilling, oil is very cheap, and after the peak – its completely reversed – very expensive.

We are entering a phase that is beyond easily accessible oil, globally.

For example the last large oil find in the United States occurred in the 30s!

But the really scary thing is – our population growth has rapidly multiplied over recent years; in the upcoming year, 70 Million people are predicted to be born into this world.

That’s almost a 1/4 of the current US population.

This means more food, more steel, more cars, more oil, more energy that needs to be produced to for fill this growing need.

The need for energy is far greater then our current supply of oil.

Soon oil will be so expensive that only the rich will be wealthy enough to use it.

And with that – everything else that oil produces – which includes transportation, plastics and food as well! Where will that leave us then?

Third,  The Environment.

Meanwhile we consume like there is no tomorrow, exploit the land and its limited resources.

We pollute the air we breathe, we pollute the water we drink and create irreversible damage to precious ecosystems, but… on top of that – we are changing our climate.

Experts and scientist say we are rapidly approaching the point of no return.

we need to ask ourselves a few fundamental questions.

This is happening in our lifetime, and we need a solution.

Because we CAN have a sustainable economy, we CAN have clean sustainable energy and we CAN stop the world from evitable destruction.

But we need a vision, and we need a plan...

Chapter 2; Ultimate Goal (RBE)

Our ultimate goal is to complete a transformation of consciousness in humanity from the current worldview that we are all separate entities on this planet competing against each other for resources.  To being fully emerged in a vision that we are in fact all here together in essence one hence we must work together. There is no scarcity if we all work in a symbiosis to preserve and nurture our environment and fellow people.

This can be accomplished when we all unite together under a collective banner to create a Resourced Based Economy instead of a monetary one. Just imagine for a second the best money can’t buy. Unhindered technology is free to access for millions, a society where equality is more important than the bottom-line.

It’s time to put aside an outdated method of division and embrace a moneyless society where mundane labor jobs are a thing of the past. Robots and computers shouldn’t be something we fear; instead we should view them as extensions of human ability. Just think of the things that really have allowed for daily improvement in your life, dishwashers, reading glasses, light bulbs etc.

All these are technically created devices. The idea of allowing technology to flourish will improve all of our lives dramatically.  This will free humans up to spend time on things we really love like our children, creative outlets and fostering community projects.

The RBE is not simple some idealist dream, it represents the life work of a man called Jacque Fresco in the Form of The Venus Project. The Venus Project is a veritable blue-print for the genesis of a new world civilization, one that is based on human concern and environmental reclamation. The plans for The Venus Project offer society a broader spectrum of choices based on the scientific possibilities directed toward a new era of peace and sustainability for all.

Through the implementation of a resource-based economy, and a multitude of innovative and environmentally friendly technologies directly applied to the social system, The Venus Project proposals will dramatically reduce crime, poverty, hunger, homelessness, and many other pressing problems that are common throughout the world today.  This project also introduces a set of workable and practical values. You will now hear from Zach a step by step proposal for how we go about making this paradigm shift a reality in our lifetimes.

Chapter 3; Transition Plan

From the previous short review, The Zeitgeist Movies and many other films and documents, you know the situation, Thanks to Jacque Fresco vision you know the ultimate goal.
Now, how to move there? What is our path? What is our plan?

Please take a look at the following presentation of the Transition Plan.

What we propose is the evolution from a Monetary System to a Resource Based Economy step-by-step. The idea is that this progress will accelerate itself in time. It is transformation from the full (100%) dependency on money to the sustainable, self-sufficient and in terms of resources: profitable communities.

Of course we are all aware of all other necessary steps on the global level, like evaluation of the earth resources and cooperation between governments.
What if we work from the ground up, somehow “outside” the system; Create a peaceful, global, people’s revolution… while influencing the top by systematically removing our contributions to the Monetary System.

We plan to do it piece by piece, step-by-step. You can think about it like taking one puzzle piece from the Monetary System and adding it to our Resource Based Economy. In time all the puzzles pieces will become the part of our picture… How fast it will happen depends entirely on us. Individual action is required as well as unification of different organizations working together toward the common goal.

You are probably wondering what are these elements, which puzzle we should take first, second, third… and how do we make sure that they will fit nicely into the new picture at the same time not destroying the first?
Simply speaking:

how do we make this transformation smooth, what are the steps?

Well, frankly, there is still a lot of work and calculation to do, but here is our idea for such a transformation:

This idea came from the very basic approach to fulfill the human basic needs first, which as defined by the Maslov’s pyramid, is food and shelter. Below is the very short description of each stage. This presentation has only informational purpose, so please excuse the lack of details; hopefully we can work together and work them out!

1. Establishing Self-sufficient Farms
The first step is to establish automated farms / communities in few locations; powered by clean, free energy; Such as solar, geothermal, or wind. This will ensure the basic needs and provide the resources and funds for further development. Another part of this stage is the linking up and unification of the existing communities worldwide. This first step requires significant investment; therefore it should be achieved by using support from available programs; such as EU donations, University research programs, local government subsidies, and other existing foundations.

2. Providing Energy
Next step is establishing / acquiring a clean energy producing company; for example a solar panel manufacturer. It reduces the cost of starting new farms / communities and provides margin free equipment.

3. Construction of the Automated Factory
With basic resources ( food, energy ) secured the next step will be to establish and operate automated factories, where all necessary machines can be designed and manufactured.

 
4. Creating Transport
The automated and globally coordinated connections between these colonies will be established. It will reduce the need for outsourcing the shipping services and allow direct resource exchange between the projects.



5. Secure Raw Materials
Next step is establishing / acquisition of facilities (recycling etc.) to ensure the necessary resources. It is also important to notice that every community shall be established according to the rules of recycling and intelligent waste management.



6. Further Development
With the network of advanced self-sufficient communities, production facilities and global transport we finally will be able to focus on a next fields and final outsourcing of services like:

• Education (Universities)
• Health Care (Hospitals)
• Space Program
• Ocean Cities

Chapter 4; Resource Based Economy Foundation

This chapter is dedicated to a description of the global tool that can be used to achieve the Transition Plan. It is called the Resource Based Economy Foundation, or RBEF.

Content:

1. Introduction
2. How does it work?
3. Specific Examples (tax exceptions and deductions, “decide about your money yourself)

1. INTRODUCTION

Before we proceed further we would like to point out some very important facts and differences making this Foundation unique.

VISION:
The RBE (Resource Based Economy) Foundation is to be created from the ground up within the monetary system, using existing mechanisms. Through the coordination of multiple activities, projects, and enterprises, in a fully transparent way, the RBE Foundation will provide resources (including funds) and a coordination platform for various projects aiming on introduction of a Resource Based Economy.

Mission
RBEF (called later “Foundation”) exists as a tool for the RBE Projects during the transition period and provides the necessary resources and funding. According to the principles all work shall be done on the voluntary basis. All acquired resources (inc. money) shall be redistributed among the RBE projects. Foundation serves as a transition based link between the current Monetary System and the future Resource Based Economy. Foundation is a center for all projects which require and/or generate resources and funds. All decisions concerning the funds and management shall be as automated as possible and made in scientific way in order to achieve 100% transparency about the funds. The foundation shall exist as long as the money is necessary and an irreplaceable resource for the initiation and efficient operation of RBE Projects.

Values

• Resource Based Economy - foundation exists solely because of and for the RBE Projects.
• Volunteer Work - work and time is much better contribution than money; therefore the operation of the RBE Foundation will be primarily based on the work of volunteers. Management of this work shall be done in scientific and organized manner.
• Scientific Management – Much of the fundamental management of the Foundation will be left to the foundations computerized system rather than to human decisions.
• Transparency - All funds are fully transparent and accounted for from the moment they enter the system to the moment that they are spent.
• Automated Funds Distribution - distribution of the funds shall be done in an automated and pre-defined way leaving no space for individual human errors.
• Respect – is a must for everyone, their opinions, abilities and unique approaches to solutions.

2. HOW DOES IT WORK?

Describing the whole mechanism would take much more time than we have here; therefore we would like to present the general idea instead… Nevertheless we hope to work together with you on the RBEF details in the near future or cooperate with your own project :)

Well, frankly speaking the RBEF is a tool to “buy us out” from the Monetary System to the Resource Based Economy. Also a tool to accept and use existing mechanisms and donations (like EU funds, government grants etc.). It of course varies from country to country. Take a look at the very simplified graphs below.

First, development according to the Transition Plan:

And now, a more detailed graph of actual “resource flow”:

• After being accepted the project is included in the RBEF database and the set-up package (minimum resources required to make it operational) is posted.
• There will also be current operational RBE projects which can post their requests and also in turn release profits back to the general fund or for other specific projects.
• The general fund is to be decided by the scientific and democratic vote. The exact mechanism is described on the website.

The idea is that everyone has a full control over the donations and can track each donation all the time, donators can also choose to fund a specific project of the choice directly.

So, if you decide to buy shovel for Project A (which posted it as a request as part of the start up package) you can actually see the scanned receipt, bank transfer and even the very shovel at the project through an onsite real-time webcam, 100% transparency is one of the main values of the foundation.

It is as simple as that – the goal is to build the first cities by the common effort of humanity and therefore “buy us out” from the current, corrupted system.

3. SPECIFIC EXAMPLES (US TAX)

In most countries, when a person or an organization donates money to a NPO, the donating entity doesn't have to pay tax (write off the amount) on a donated sum. What this also means is that entities can donate their taxes directly to the Foundation instead of their host governments.

It is the simplest way to have control over your tax and dedicate it (and have a full control over it!) to something worthy rather than sponsoring corporations. We will have any easy to follow set by step guide for contributors to be able to do this online.

Taxes

A Tax is a financial charge or other levy imposed on an individual or a legal entity by a state or a functional equivalent of a state. The monitory system heavily depends on taxation and cannot exist without it and this is the what The Plan takes advantage of.

US Example

In the United States, any person who possesses any kind of property or earns a wage can  legally write off any donation to a NPO made. It holds true to most countries as well and differs by some local rules and regulations. In any case,  this will legally allow people to donate around 50% of their Tax money and support RBE.

Chapter 5; NZP s an example and first project

The New Z-Land Project is a practical first step toward creating a Resource Based Economy based on the concepts of Jacque Fresco’s “The Venus Project”. During the initial transition period, we aim to build a sustainable community in Northland, New Zealand.  The community will build its way up to having a population of approximately 500 people. This community will not only act as a prototype for future developments, but also a research and development centre for new RBE technologies within itself. The goal is to create a workable model to then create similar developments across the world. Eventually we will create a web of interconnected self sufficient communities, making the transition to a Resource Based Economy.

New Zealand’s geographical location, combined with ideal weather conditions and island isolation with a small population that allows for ease in adaptability has huge potential for transformation.  Through examining the viability and implementing the logistics including resource and energy usage, carrying capacity and economic barriers. The resource based economy will see it first fruition project in the next three years.  See our website for further details.

At The New Z-Land Project, all possibilities to relieve humans of labor, scarcity and control are tried, tested and implemented. The project in itself is a living, evolving experiment. Once researched, these technologies will be shared with the world to improve other like-minded cities. Once completely automated and operational, the project will serve as the first working model of a resource-centric city as depicted by "The Venus Project". The success of this city will serve as a tribute to all Resource Based Economies and with lead to further developments of this nature. The creation of the RBE dream, can unravel into reality.

Chapter 6; How to get involved

United we stand, divided we fall. Basically we need to cooperate together instead of fragmented groups chipping away at the impossibly huge bureaucratic mountain.  The only real way is by dedication numbers. Hopefully we can all band together under a united project that will define us all. Everyone watching this presentation knows things not right about the current system. preventable things. The problem is we often feel powerless as individuals. This plan gives us the tools to take affirmative positive action. All we need is you to help further enhance and develop these ideas.

What you can do?

Step 1: Firstly arm yourself with information watch the following: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3932487043163636261 This is a activist presentation about the zeitgeist movement.

Also http://www.storyofstuff.com/   this is a brilliant summary of the current consumer driven situation by following the history of “stuff” from extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff  and how it affects communities at home and abroad.

Step 2: Register your skills and  resources at ZeitgeistResources.com and list your resume/name/anything you wish would be helpful.

Step 3: Join Transition Plan and Resource Economy Group at thezeitgeistmovement.com to join our team to allow for further action, knowledge exchange and coordination.

Step 4: Spread the word. Tell everyone you know encourage them to participate and so we can gather momentum with other movements and organizations.

Chapter 7; Call for Unification

Don’t ask “how much does it cost”, ask “do we have resources.”

It is time to do the right thing instead of the “profitable” thing.

This is the first time in the human history that we are all connected on this one blue planet.

For the first time our communication knows almost no barriers, multi-cultural exchange of ideas is possible now, more than ever.

In the past we were able to achieve great things, as one race, things which made us proud no matter the nation, religion or the color of the skin…

It is time to unite, time to start using technology to help our lives, time to finally grow up, focus on our main similarities and stop fighting on our small differences.  Times to start helping each other because it is right thing to do, rather than it is profitable…

We call for unification and international cooperation. Not as a nations, not because we can share profits or we are told to do so, but as a human beings, you, me, us over our differences and because it is the right thing to do. For our common future.

Thank you for watching.

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Authors: RBEF, thormayer, Venux, rrowland, Cosar, BexStar, ZachG, Pickachu, Corvinex

Produced on: 2009-03-14