We are delighted to announce the launch of Center for Planetary Culture, a new not-for-profit think tank, with upcoming events in New York on June 11, and Los Angeles on June 24.
Center for Planetary Culture advances new ideas and solutions to today’s most pressing ecological, social, and political issues. The mission of the Center is to change global beliefs and practices, supporting the transition to a regenerative society. The Center was founded by Executive Director Daniel Pinchbeck, author and thought leader, with his wife, Creative Director Jana Astanov. Supported by Peter and Jennifer Buffett and the Novo Foundation, the Center will produce issue papers, research projects, and educational media.
For its first project, CPC is developing a strategic plan for addressing climate change, by transitioning to a “post carbon civilization” in a short timeframe. The collaborative, interdisciplinary project involves the contributions of experts in many fields and volunteer researchers. The Center will release a paper and a Wiki before the the United Nation’s Climate Summit 2014, to be held in New York this September.
Additionally, CPC is collaborating with Factory Floor, a start-up based on Bleecker Street, incubating a technology platform for the development of co-operative enterprises and activist campaigns. The platform will incorporate a new approach to digital identity that transfers power and accountability from institutions to users, based on the philosophical, legal, and technical protocols developed by the Respect Network.
The Center’s New York launch event features a three-way dialogue between Peter Buffett, Daniel Pinchbeck, and independent diplomat Carne Ross, held at a SoHo loft, hosted by film producer Giancarlo Canavesio (Mangusta Films). The Los Angeles event will be co-hosted by musicians Harper Simon and Ben Lee.
For more information, visit our website or email info@planetaryculture.
Below: a message with links from founder Daniel Pinchbeck
Introducing Center for Planetary Culture
I am delighted to announce that my wife Jana Astanov and I have cofounded a new think tank, Center for Planetary Culture, with a grant from Peter and Jennifer Buffett and the NoVo Foundation. The website for the think tank is www.planetaryculture.com – please check it out. Join our mailing list for updates. The mission of CPC combines public education, research, consultation, and the development of new initiatives.
For our first major project, we are working with scholars, authors, and independent researchers to develop a transition plan to a “post carbon” civilization. We believe that many organizations have pieces of this plan, but nobody has put the whole thing together in a way that is coherent and compelling. We want to explore the technical and social aspects of the transition, and develop a communications strategy to get the mass populace to participate.
When we look at the acceleration of climate change, as well as other aspects of the environmental crisis, it does not seem that our political and economic system can be sufficiently reformed. Revolution, also, seems impossible. Therefore, we must find a way to transform the system from within, through a kind of internal metamorphosis. This needs to happen in the next few years.
I invite all of you to participate and contribute to our ongoing activities. Send us a note if you want to be involved in any way – as a writer or designer, web developer, or as part of our Executive Committee or Board of Advisers. Ashley Taylor, our Director of Communications, can be reached at research@planetaryculture.com .
Over the next year, we would like to see Center for Planetary Culture evolve into a full-fledged magazine covering many areas, from ecology to technology to consciousness studies. We intend to undertake research projects in different areas. We want to study the use of digital technology and video games to deepen awareness. We intend to explore models for alternative communities that could be replicated around the world. We hope to explore the future of religion, which we see, potentially, as a unifying force, as science and mysticism come together.
The Co-Operator
CPC is collaborating with Factory Floor, a startup company, on a technology platform that supports social activism and entrepreneurship. We are working out of the Factory Floor offices in Nolita, under the kind auspices of Mark Mathewson and his team.
The Internet has entered a new stage where corporate control and government surveillance seem overwhelming. Increasingly, people are disenchanted with Facebook, Google, Amazon, and so on. Our platform seeks to integrate a new approach to online identity, using a legal and technical protocol developed by the Respect Network. We are also studying the evolution of Bitcoin technology, which allows for new types of decentralized organizations and cooperatives to form. If you want more information about this platform, please contact me.
Ever Conscious
I discuss the philosophy behind CPC in a new interview with Ever Conscious Manifesto, a magazine distributed internationally in H & M stores. The interview explores “ideas of corporate alchemy and whether the ecological crisis is an initiatory process that will lead to the next stage of human evolution,” according to editor Xerxes Cook. I was really delighted to be included in this project as an “American philosopher.”
Mind Shift
I am also hosting a new season of my talk show, Mind Shift, with GaiamTV. We will be filming out of Deepak Chopra's Homebase in ABC Carpet & Home off Union Square. Our first taping will be July 22nd. If you are in New York City, I hope you will join us for this. We are currently looking for guests for our upcoming episodes. Please let me know if you have any ideas!
I hope you have a beautiful summer! I look forward to being in contact with you again soon.
Much love,
Daniel
