WE ARE THE 100%

Integrity, to Buckminster Fuller, represented the degree to which any design or system

 actively enhances the regenerative processes that support life on Earth. Thirty years ago,

 he wrote the cautionary tale Grunch of Giants to warn of the immediate dangers posed by

 the lack of integrity within the “invisible, abstract, and completely ruthless” empire of

 corporations that control the world’s finances. Dubbing this corrupt system the Gross

 Universal Cash Heist (GRUNCH), he argued that, as a non-living entity, it was incapable of

 recognizing how its legal mandate to maximize monetary gains by socializing risks and

privatizing profits were in direct opposition to the long-term requirements for human

survival.

The expanding occupations and protests around the world directed towards the global

 economic system testify to the prescience of Fuller’s critique concerning the lack of

integrity within manufactured scarcity. The myriad of issues driving unrest reflects a rising

 awareness that the challenges facing humanity cannot be effectively addressed in

 isolation. They are in fact interconnected symptoms of a dominant socio-economic

environment that is not designed to adequately support 100% of humanity.

Fuller argued that we must begin to transform this dysfunctional system by recognizing that

 it confuses money with wealth. He maintained that money is “a medium of exchange and a

 cash accounting system,” while wealth is the “organized technological capability to

 protect, nurture, educate, and accommodate the forward days of humans” that arises from

 supporting the integrity of living systems. Based on his calculations of world resources,

 human trends and needs, he demonstrated that it would be possible to support all of

 humanity at a better standard of living than ever before if the production capacity and

technical know-how of global society were properly applied. Instead of fighting to tear

 down the existing system, he sought to harness its technological and economic forces to

shift “from weaponry to livingry” through the problem-solving approach he called

 comprehensive anticipatory design science.
 

The mission of the Buckminster Fuller Institute is to celebrate Fuller's legacy by cultivating

a new generation of design science pioneers who can create an abundant and restorative

 world economy that benefits all humanity. Today, this organization - like the whole of

 human society - is at a critical evolutionary juncture. The widespread recognition of the

 serious threats the GRUNCH poses to the future of our species is emerging through

 emergency. Now more than ever, we have the opportunity to identify, promote, and

 collaborate with visionary yet pragmatic initiatives that embody design science principles

 and are accelerating the shift to a society that supports the Earth’s interconnected,

 regenerative systems upon which life on our planet depends.

Since inaugurating the Buckminster Fuller Challenge in 2007, we have placed the highest

 priority on developing and implementing a rigorous process for recognizing initiatives that

exemplify the trimtab priciple. Both the Challenge and our Architecting the Future events

 have provided essential catalysts for bringing together a community of practitioners and

 comprehensivists – engineers, artists, architects, designers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and

 polymaths – committed to radically advancing human well-being and the health of our

 planet’s ecosystems. We have been inspired beyond measure, and on behalf of the BFI

 Board of Directors, I want to express our profound gratitude to the participants, jurors,

 volunteers, staff, sponsors, and members for your role in making this nascent program a

success, heralded by Metropolis Magazine as “socially responsible design’s highest award.” .
 

But these experiences have demonstrated even greater needs and opportunities. The

 generous grant that seeded the initial 5-year phase of the Challenge and related

 programming has enabled us to confer $100K each cycle to one selected winner. After

 reviewing hundreds of compelling submissions, it has become glaringly obvious that we

 need to develop additional modes of support for as many of these projects as possible. A

 brief perusal of the Idea Index illuminates numerous commonalties and latent synergies

amongst this growing ecosystem of ideas. There is immense potential to further catalyze

 these projects if participants could more effectively solicit feedback and identify

 collaborators with complementary goals and resources. Since many of the proposed

 projects exist at different phases of maturity – from the theoretical to the fully realized -

 participants have expressed a desire to receive additional forms of assistance, including

 business development, project management, marketing, design, engineering, etc. Perhaps

 most importantly, a new iteration of the Idea Index could be offered as a resource for

 design science education, enabling students, teachers, designers, reporters, and others to

 examine, and even participate in, real-world projects that demonstrate how whole

 systems approaches can radically improve the quality of life on Earth.
 

To realize these ambitious goals, it will be necessary to significantly expand the vision and

 capacity of BFI. Ever mindful of the paradox of operating as a not-for-profit organization

 while attempting to draw attention to more effective economic models, we have been in

 dialogue with members of the growing social capital movement about collaborations that

 will enable us to provide essential funding, guidance, and fiscal sponsorship. Toward this

 goal, we have engaged new staff, interns, and volunteers who bring with them

 considerable experience in business, law, social media, and impact investing. We have

also been actively participating in a number of relevant conferences, such as Social Capital

 Markets, Bioneers, Social Good Summit, UN Habitat, and many others, that can strengthen

 our network and increase the awareness of design science education, the Challenge, and

 other BFI programs.
 

As the recently elected President of the BFI Board, I want to extend a heartfelt and

 omnidirectional invitation to help us evolve Buckminster Fuller’s legacy by enhancing our

ability to support these extraordinary initiatives. The spontaneously cooperative mass

 uprisings currently erupting around the world are profound reminders of our species’

 deeply intuitive sense of interdependence and desire for integrity. We are extremely

fortunate to be part of this moment in history, but we have no time to waste by fighting the

 forces clinging to obsolete models of reality. Now, more than ever, people everywhere are

 seeking practical examples of how to make the world work for 100% of humanity. I’m

 deeply honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with this inspiring community to

amplify and accelerate their critically important work.

 

In precessional partnership,

David McConville

  President, The Buckminster Fuller Institute

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