Dream a Sound Future Competition

Dream a Sound Future is a design competition that focuses on a holistic approach to improving sustainability in the Central Puget Sound and Seattle City region. The need to find collaborative, holistic and innovative solutions to protect and restore our natural, built, social and personal environments is ever increasing. This competition is an invitation for you, your organization or community to create and share your vision and the action plan for getting there.

The Dream a Sound Future contestants will choose a goal or goals within the B-Sustainable.org framework for their visions (please log on to http://www.b-sustainable.org and join to get full access to the goals). Contestants will design a sustainable future for the year 2100, as well as the action steps that are necessary by 2020, 2050, and 2070 to reach that vision.

Contestants will display their entry at a place of their choosing during the week of October 2-10th, 2010. We will provide the public with a passport of the time and place for each entry so that Seattle residents and fellow contestants can view and learn from each other’s visions. A final event announcing the winners will occur on October 10th, 2010.

We encourage participants to think “outside the box” in presenting their design. We are reaching for an inclusive array of contestants—Food activists, Renewable Energy experts, Neighborhood groups, Educators, Dancers, Theater troops, Artists, Engineers, Scientists, Students, Lawyers, Policy Makers, Architects, IT professionals, Planners and Parents are just a few of those we encourage to join the competition. There are no limits to who can submit a competition entry although we do ask that all submissions adhere to the competition guidelines.

A panel of experts on the natural, built, social and personal environments will judge all entries, with public voting included in the process. The final prizes are yet to be announced.

This is a collaborative effort by Sustainable Seattle, Sustainable Cascadia, EcoPraxis, SCALLOPS, Seattle Climate Partnership and other organizations working to create a sustainable future.

Dream a Sound Future Vision

Here are a few ideas of what we would like to see more of to improve our region:

Socio-Economic Systems:

· A restructuring of the economy based on cultural resources and following the precepts of Hazel Henderson’s “Love Economy,” Redefining Progresses’ “Genuine Progress Indicator,” and social justice on issues including water.
· Personal sustainability, where individuals are whole and healthy so that there is no longer mistreatment/abuse of others or the environment.
· Model of a Person as the Neighbor for a behavior change that builds capacity within individuals and groups
· Local self-define groups and organizations that share best practices, innovations, means to increase engagement and active participation, less reliance on technology particularly for interpersonal communications and relationships through (1) working closer to home, (2) purchasing products and produce made locally, (3) community based interactions, (4) shorter range of travel, (5) thinking bio-regionally (creating abundance, health and regional self-sufficiency through cooperation with nature), (6) permaculture (designing human settlements and perennial agricultural systems that mimic the relationships found in nature), (7) reduced or no use of technology such as cell phones for certain purposes, (8) greater innovation and democratic decisions, (9) Collaborative leadership, (10) Cultural and natural resource based economy and (11) behavior change.
· Wealth equity worldwide

Built Environment Systems:
· Transportation systems which encompass the public right of way and green space (ie. more parks from roads rather than roads into parks).
· Infrastructure that support bicyclists, walking and low impact vehicles, such as (1) an ordinance that keeps speed limits to walking speed (5 mph) in residential areas, (2) expanses of the residential areas in the city where cars are not allowed, with established transportation corridors and (3) a city free of cars.
· Green roof and green ways throughout the urban areas
· Algae or other eco-friendly fuel for long distance travel (air, train, etc).
· A city where all buildings are energy independent as well as generators rather than consumers of energy through (1) promulgation of bill, passing of ordinances and incentives to business.
· Building and infrastructure with open space beneath it (e.g. elevated highways) that allows for revitalization of animal, plant, water and other (physical biological, and chemical) aspects of the natural system, with a build environment that is self sufficient for energy, water and refuse and filters sunlight for photosynthesis and other functions to the ground.

Natural Environment System:
· Education in all schools that teaches children where their food comes from and gives them knowledge and access to wilderness
· Joint spaces for sharing throughout the city, such as Pea-patch program Preservation of large blocks of land for species recovery and biodiversity (defined as the richness of species) through (1) bringing together of agencies, NGOs and private entities
· Ending of use of pesticides, fungicides and herbicides.
· Urban and Individual farming such as food bearing gardens within natural and build (hydroponics) environment throughout the city.

Knowledge Systems:
· Access to information about (1) local ecosystems prior to European settlement of North American, such as the Manhattan Project and (2) impact of prior decisions that led to long term damage of the environment (e.g. Brownfield clean-ups, stormwater systems, waste steams) so that wiser decisions can be made in the future.
· Interactive media, including books, that allows for expansion of peoples understanding, knowledge, and understanding of each other so we can all use the past to guide us in our future
· Ecological tickers used with the same frequency and by the same entities as those that use economic (unemployment levels. GDP etc)

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