The people of Earth have been building and creating things since the dawn of time.  Modern humans are amazed by ancient constructions like the Pyramids or the Statues of Easter Island.  The wonder of so many working together to make something that lasts through the ages is quite stunning.  So I think about why we can’t create Erie Canals anymore in America?  The canal was hand dug in many parts, in areas of swamps and incredibly difficult terrain - those poor men with shovels created something of massive value to society and commerce.  Is money the great obstacle or is there something else standing in our way?

I’m not an engineer or an individual with much experience with construction or first hand knowledge of infrastructure projects like the Interstate Highway System.  I have been on the Nation’s Highways and I have worked on construction sites, but to plan a large undertaking is another thing.  Civil Engineers, Architects, and skilled professionals are needed to understand, fund, organize, and then construct most any project.  Unfortunately, to create something new or to plan something that has never been done before, takes both courage and cash. 

In a world full of automobiles, did cars need to be invented all at once or did they evolve over time?  In a world of cars, you need roads, infrastructure to maintain those vehicles, and a variety of other things to allow those cars to function on a day to day basis.  The relationship between the innovation and support structure is absolutely necessary for any type of progress to succeed.  A sustainable balance must be reached for any level of success or there wouldn’t be things like trains, planes, and other transportation marvels. 

I believe progress is waiting for us, and most of the technology is already available.  What we lack is the vision and the desire to make it happen.  If I could martial the resources and win the public mind, I would attempt these great things before I die for my children and their children’s children.  I dream of leaving the world a better place for all humanity as a thank you to my ancestors that struggle to keep my genetic line alive.  My ideas are big and bold, but have the unique quality to be doable today without new technology or innovation.

Resettle Earth.  Humans from the time of hunter/gatherer to today, humans have been trying to tame the Earth to feel secure.  Cities popped up as a means of creating a massive workforce to work on an unparalleled scale never seen before.  The human dwelling, for thousands of years, has basically been the same, a way to be protected form the outside.  Michael Reynolds has envisioned human habitation.  The father of Earth Biotecture believes that humans must live with the environment and not in opposition to it.  Your dwelling can grow food, process waste, produce electricity and other power, and use materials considered waste and garbage.  Using this mindset we would stop needing landfills and we would reuse everything possible, reduce waste significantly, and then recycle what is left.  If we imagine that we are part of the health of the Earth’s sensitive ecosystem, then maybe we will act with more respect towards all living things and ourselves.

Micro-Manufacturing. The day I read about 3D printing, I believed it was the end of China’s manufacturing monopoly.  Shipping being so expensive, the idea of using local materials to manufacture anything anyone needs, seems like a game changer.  I read about the Army using the technology in unique and effective ways like medical science and printing something that was expensive to manufacture before.  It allows repairs to be controlled locally and gives engineers a tool that is a powerful and flexible.   Houses are now being constructed using 3-D printers using fast-drying cement.  These homes are completed in hours and at a fraction of traditional construction.  The Netherlands boast of printing their roadways using recycled waste - they’re both energy efficient and extremely durable.  Nothing is holding this technology back and it’s posed to break through in many fields of manufacturing.  The idea is to connect recycling to the manufacture of new materials is not futuristic or far away - it’s close, and transportation costs are increasing every day.  Micro-manufacturing is a simple solution to an overly complicated problem.

The Cohabitation Act.  The time has come.  The human population has covered the planet and is pushing out the indigenous life that once occupied that space.  We do this at our own risk; if the frail food web of Earth is disrupted, humans will face an extinction event.  The solution is the 25% Act.  This worldwide law declares that humans are not entitled to 100%, that humans must yield one quarter of all human settlements back to the natural environment and allow nature to be nature.  In this moment of climate change crisis, the most effective way to combat it is to allow the Earth to do what it does.  Let trees, plants and wildlife restore balance to a troubled planet, and allow the evolution, not pollution shape our world.