What makes the mycoPLACES Ecosystem so different
from traditional, top-down approaches?
The mycoPLACES Ecosystem was designed by weaving together the perspectives and insights of scientists/biologists, technologists, those experienced in understanding human behavior and, most importantly, the needs expressed by people who face the barriers we recognize. It respects and builds on the diversity and complexity of human goals, personalities and cultures to help insure that both the mycoPLACES Ecosystem itself and the solutions generated within it are not only sustainable but regenerative.
Bottom-up Human Experience and Bio-inspiration
The mycoPLACES Ecosystem is rooted in a unique combination of human experience and knowledge and deep biological principles borrowed from some of the most successful species on our planet, social insects and plants, especially, that ultimate networked creature, the underground mesh of fuzzy white mushroom ‘roots,’ called mycelia. The mycoPLACES Ecosystem is purposely modeled after the regenerative strategy of this beautifully-evolved planetary asset and seeks to mimic its sophisticated approach in spaces, places and networks for our evolutionary success.
In the world beneath our feet, mycelia form a living superhighway, transporting food, vitamins, water, communication signals and ‘medicine’ among themselves and the plants they collaborate with. When conditions are right, mushrooms pop up, casting their spores to the wind. Most of the time we don’t see this mycelial “internet” at work, but it is super-efficient, exquisitely sensitive to changes in the environment, and grows from soil and sunlight. It’s been around far longer than we have, and it supports more than 70% of Earth's plants, which feed us all. In fact, without the mushroom network, the planet’s bio-system would collapse.
Like mycelial networks that inspire it, the mycoPLACES Ecosystem provides a platform and an infrastructure to regenerate communities, organizations, human systems, and habitats virtually anywhere on the planet.
Focuses on Enabling Infrastructure
MycoMesh's focus is on creating the means by which every person is empowered to thrive. We do not focus on the myriad of social and political issues. We do not focus on creating or labeling "leaders" and "experts." Rather we focus solely on creating an infrastructure by which individuals are empowered to tackle any issue or concern that they face---or any opportunity that they envision.
Leaders will rise, businesses will be formed and expanded, social enterprises will grow, people will work together---all with the support of the MycoPLACES Ecosystem infrastructure. But, because it is a flexible, "bottom-up," enabling approach, none of these will be supported by the infrastructure to the detriment of the first imperative of the mycoPLACES Ecosystem---every person empowered to thrive.
Enhances existing spaces and places
Also in contrast with virtually all other collaborative infrastructures, mycoPLACES Ecosystem overlays onto, and integrates with, existing places and spaces. Like mycelia in its own domain, this human ecosystem respects, builds on, and enhances and magnifies the unique vision, mission and purpose of existing places and spaces---both commercial and non-commercial.
It gives new purpose and life to endangered brick-and-mortar places and to traditional public and private spaces for the benefit of all stakeholders.
Is naturally sustainable and regenerative
The mycoPLACES Ecosystem framework also respects, builds on, and enhances the diversity and complexity of human goals, personalities and cultures of the individuals who choose to become members of the mycoPLACES Ecosystem.
The result is a r)evolutionary new platform and infrastructure where both the ecosystem and the solutions generated within it are sustainable and regenerative. The mycoPLACES Ecosystem infrastructure is the centerpiece---the soul---of MycoMesh's strategy for achieving its Vision of "every person empowered to thrive."
To Return to the mycoPLACE Ecosystem Ingredients and Features section, use this link.
To go to the About section, use this link.
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The genesis of the mycoPLACES Ecosystem
After examining, and dealing with, the array of Barriers to sustainable prosperity and well-being and how we humans have attempted to deal with them, we come away with three overriding lessons-learned.
We humans:
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almost always turn to traditional, top-down approaches to solving problems---often to our detriment
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frequently depend upon on a tiny percentage of the population acting as “experts” or "leaders" for the rest of us; and,
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look at virtually every symptom as an "issue" that must be addressed and "solved," debate which issue is more important, and divert attention and resources to our preferred issue.
We decided to step back and ask two questions: Is there a better way to approach the challenge of achieving sustainable prosperity and well-being for every person while living in harmony with the rest of earth’s living beings? Is there a bio-inspired way to enhance, and draw upon, the talents of the billions of us who live on this planet; one that is built from the individual up?
Our conclusion: We need to get back to basics and focus on the two ingredients that can empower each and every person and enable them to survive and thrive in the 21st century:
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every person having ready access to critical tools, knowledge, and connections; and,
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every person being able to meaningfully participate in, contribute to, and benefit from basic social and economic processes.
Welcome to the mycoPLACES EcosystemTM, a r)evolutionary, sustainable infrastructure for empowering humans. It's bio-inspired design enables people to thrive by individually and collaboratively generating and implementing solutions for themselves and others.
The mycoPLACES Ecosystem builds from the ground up and turns the "wisdom of the crowd" into a powerful, intelligent action network on the ground, in the cloud, and in the mind and spirit of its members.
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First, the mycoPLACES Ecosystem combines the physical and virtual worlds to create a network of sense and respond nodes (mycoPLACEsTM). The mycoPLACE Ecosystem is layered on, and integrated into, existing human places and spaces to serve the localized needs of individuals and their surrounding community. They promote and trigger individual growth and empowerment, interaction, sharing, collaboration, and intelligent action by anyone who participates.
Second, the mycoPLACES Ecosystem is designed to enhance traditional, purely place-based, strategies by organically integrating mycoPLACEs into a larger, intelligent, virtual, regional-global network so that people can share lessons-learned and support and benefit from collaborative action. Globally, at any scale, in any place and space, for anyone and everyone.
We at MycoMesh help individuals, businesses, non-profits and community groups "roll up their sleeves" to create these innovative, sustainable, bio-inspired MycoPLACEs. We will work collaboratively with you to help design, promote and provide this platform for ready access and meaningful participation, and then license and support the resulting mycoPLACES Ecosystem.
To Return to the Ingredients and Features section >>
To go to the About MycoMesh section >>
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What's Next for MycoMesh and the mycoPLACES Ecosystem?
As we refine the mycoPLACES Ecosystem design based on further community input and test real-world implementations over the coming weeks and months, we are looking for collaborators for a wide variety of roles, including:
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authors for major articles and posts
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mycoPLACE prototype host locations
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specialized service and knowledge providers who want to be part of the MycoPLACES Ecosystem
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major sponsors and partners to launch projects, provide specialized equipment, specialized apps, programming resources, exchange of endorsements and website links, etc.
To Return to the mycoPLACE Ecosystem Ingredients and Features section, use this link.
To go to the About section, use this link.