Greetings,

My name is Stefan Pasti. I have a partially finished book manuscript which is very relevant to the work being done at Relocalization Network outposts. I am willing to share the contents of the book, such as it is, with anyone who might be interested in helping the book project along its way to completion.

What I have:

I have a 180 page manuscript titled "Billions of Bridges: An Introduction to The Interfaith Peacebuilding and Community Revitalization (IPCR) Initiative (in light of Ecological Footprint Analysis and the implications of Peak Oil)." Some chapters of the book are nearly complete; others are notes in outline form. The manuscript includes:

A 9 page introduction-- the following is an excerpt: "David Holmgren, who was a co-creator (with Bill Mollison) of the first major publications in the field of permaculture, has said "The transition from an unsustainable fossil fuel based economy back to a solar-based (agriculture and forestry) economy will involve the application of the embodied energy that we inherit from industrial culture. This embodied energy is contained within a vast array of things, infrastructure, cultural process and ideas, mostly inappropriately configured for the "solar" economy. It is the task of our age to take this great wealth, reconfigure it, and apply it to the development of sustainable systems" (from "Energy and Permaculture" by David Holmgren). This book "Billions of Bridges"-- as an introduction to The IPCR Initiative-- is an effort to identify social systems which will aid in both identifying the challenges of our times, and identifying the "embodied energy" we have for meeting and overcoming such challenges."

(Chpt. 2)-- a list of 98 relevent statistics (numbers incomplete since footnotes still needed);

(Chpt. 4)-- examples of time-tested guidelines (including excerpts from the discourses of Sri Sathya Sai Baba; an overview of the spiritual, moral, and cultural history of the "I Ching"; and an overview of the spiritual, moral, and cultural history of yoga); excerpts from writings by or about 75 inspiring role models (section somewhat complete); list of 67 examples of service-oriented initiatives (including Ecovillage Training at Findhorn);

(Chpt. 5)-- detailed discussion of ecological footprint analysis; detailed references to peak oil discussions; descriptions of a number of practical responses to the challenges of sustainability and the implications of peak oil (including ecovillages, permaculture, spiritually responsible investing, relocalizing, and powerdown projects);

(Chpt. 6)-- discussion of the word "interfaith" in light of excerpts from the discourses of Sri Sathya Sai Baba; a wide exploration of basic elements of peacebuilding (from beyondintractability.org); an appreciation of individual spiritual formation as peacebuilding; extensive discussion of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement; some difficulties which might challenge us a) needs for importance, wealth, and power-- and the enticements associated with sensual pleasures b) what is perceived as irreconcilable differences among religious, spiritual, moral, and cultural traditions c) quickly evolving changes which may overwhelm even the most stable economic and social systems d) the reluctance of investors to experiment with ideas involving complex social and experiential transformations which often cannot be evaluated by statistics;

(Chpt. 12)-- includes evaluation standards used by the United States National Preparatory Committee (NPC) for Habitat II in association with the National Excellence Awards for the City Summit (Note: In June 1996, the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements-- Habitat II-- was convened in Istanbul, Turkey.)

and

(Appendix)-- Questionnaires That Help Build Caring Communities (66 sample questions, a starting point for brainstorming efforts to construct consensus building questionnaires) Example: a) Suppose a gentle and understanding, kindhearted and wise person who is a widely recognized and admired saint, sage, or spiritual leader requested to live with you for one month. What "things that you do in the everyday circumstances of your life" would you feel you would have to do differently while such a person was living with you-- and what "things..." would you feel you could continue to do the same as you have been doing? b) What everyday influences of community life and cultural traditions have been most important in creating and reinforcing your definition of "the good life"?

What I am looking for:

I would like to live and work-- and finish this book-- in the midst of the mutually supportive fellowship of a community/ecovillage/relocalization network outpost with similar goals as myself. The manuscript still requires about a year of work (less if I can work on it full time with assistance) involving seeking permissions, seeking contributors for specific sections, expanding outline into text, building in footnotes, creating an index, etc. One possibility: maybe there is a way for this book to become a "outpost" project.... In other words, along with assisting with the development of a finished manuscript, "outpost" members could apply-- and learn from-- ideas in the manuscript that they are not already using (examples: even the notes above would be sufficient as a starting point for a clearinghouse of "'things people can do in the everyday circumstances of their lives' which will contribute to peacebuilding and community revitalization efforts in their own communities and regions-- and in others parts of the world"... and The Eight IPCR Concepts suggest many possible approaches for developing collaboration and cooperation with people who are not associated with a peacebuilding/ecovillage/relocalization project, but might if given enough opportunities....) (There is much that can be done to generate goodwill and promote peace that has not yet been done....)

What I am willing to do:

If you or your relocalization network outpost is interested in further discussion, please send me an e-mail-- and I will send you an e-mail with a file attached containing the 9 page introduction of "Billions of Bridges" (for starters)... or a file attached containing the whole 180 manuscript. If the material provides enough common ground for further discussion, we can take further steps. If not, you gain access to the manuscript, which I believe has some good inspiration to offer, at no cost to you.
[Note: the manuscript is an expansion of material currently available on The IPCR website at www.ipcri.net You may also find short writings of mine, inspired by the manuscript research, at solvingdcproblems.org DC Appleseed has sponsored a contest seeking 250 words or less solutions to Washington DC's problems, and I have made 6 entries (see entries by locale; VA; between 4/10/06 and 4/22/06-- Community Good News Networks; The Interfaith Peacebuilding and Community Revitalization (IPCR) Initiative; Community Visioning Initiatives for Peace; Billions of Bridges; Questionnaires That Build Caring Communities; and Community Good News Networks (version 2)

I hope readers of this proposal will see the opportunities associated with this "Billions of Bridges" project.

Comments, suggestions, and recommendations are most welcome.

With Kind Regards,

Stefan Pasti, Outreach Coordinator
The IPCR Initiative