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About Whole Systems

Who Are We?

Whole Systems foundation was founded in 1973 by Neill Smith as the educational arm of Whole Systems Recycling, originator of the first curbside recycling pick up service in the U.S. The Foundation sponsored classes on recycling, and resource conservation at local elementary schools. Later it funded research in biological methods of breaking down cellulose in waste paper and agricultural waste as a preliminary step to producing alcohol for fuel. Between 1987 and 1998 the Foundation assets were employed in preserving land for open space in Tiburon, California.

In its present function, the Foundation carries on the eclectic tradition by funding a variety of educational and research projects related to energy and resource conservation. We believe that to maintain a reasonable quality of life into the future, requires an integration of new "green" technologies with a global change in human values away from the present consumption oriented society.

 

Board of Directors

Melanie Smith
Norton Smith
Zachary Smith
Adam Smith

Annual Report

Notes from the Treasurer
 
Although Whole Systems made significant grants in 1998, this year is the first year we have made full use of our funds, and the results have been rewarding. The projects we have chosen are diverse, representing the particular interests of each of us on the board, yet there is a coherence to the theme, and a sense that each project stands on its own as an effective use of the funds available. Perhaps equally important, the decision making process among the four of us has led to a revitalization, I would even say a re-invention of the family as a non hierarchical form of cooperation that respects the individual, but still maintains the group integrity and purpose.

It serves as a reminder that what is required at this time is nothing less than a re-invention of the human family if we are to avoid the destruction of the ecosystem on which our lives depend. The condition of the biosphere is severely stressed in many areas, a few such as the build up of CO2 have received some attention, but the actions taken have been minimal. The Kyoto protocols, for instance call for a 5% reduction of CO2 but the IPCC report indicates that even allowing for CO2 to stabilize at double the current levels requires a 70% reduction of CO2 output. So what I mean by reinventing the human family is developing a cooperative world in which both population growth and consumption are voluntarily controlled and reduced to a sustainable level. Can it happen? There is little evidence of previous civilizations from Sumer to Teotihuacan to Rome to Easter Island having the foresight or the will to limit growth in time to forestall their ultimate ruin. In many cases the critical factor was the decline in crop yields due to loss of soil productivity or irrigation water which is one of the major yet little publicized problems we face in this century.

What role is Whole Systems playing in this drama? This year most of our funding went to treating symptoms. That is not to say that treating symptoms is less important, for it is essential to keep the patient alive until long term forces can be brought into balance. We helped preserve wilderness and salmon runs in the Northwest, helped ban POPS and supported international environmental groups through Global Greengrants. We helped make more information available on the World Trade Organization. We supported research in Cold Fusion which, if it is fruitful, may be a big step toward weaning the world from fossil fuels, but in a larger sense it too is treating symptoms. As long as the world population and the per-capita consumption keeps increasing, there will be a series of environmental crises because we are dependent on energy and raw materials extracted from the earth and we continue to add pollutants to the biosphere. With each new technology, we buy a little more time, but in the process we accelerate the rate of depletion of other resources. It is a ponzi scheme on a global level that has no safe conclusion.

Is there something to do that addresses the root cause? Perhaps our first and largest grants speak more directly to root causes. Slide Ranch aims to educate the next generation to the possibility of living in a more connected way, cooperating with the earth, not trying to dominate it. It is not enough, but it is a beginning. Another approach is to address the root cause of over consumption directly. Zen Center offers adults the opportunity to experience a lifestyle dedicated to freedom from the attachments and aversions that fuel the suffering of the world.
 

Grants made in 1999

Alternative Energy Research

George Miley -Cold Fusion- $8,500

Professor Miley is a well-respected nuclear scientist who has been pursuing a low-key program of research into the basic science surrounding "cold fusion". He is currently researching a process using light water and extremely thin films of Palladium. He has two goals, to measure the various energies given off by the reaction and to produce a simple kit that would allow his experiment to be replicated and widely studied.
Contact:

Professor George Miley
Department of Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
214 Nuclear Engineering Laboratory
103 S. Goodwin Ave.
Urbana, IL 61801-2984
email: g-miley@staff.uiuc.edu

Russ George -Cold Fusion- $5,500

Mr. George is essentially and environmentalist with an engineering background who has been doing some impressive work in cold fusion. In particular he has been able to precisely and reliably measure excess heat and Helium production in a reactor he constructed using the lab facilities at SRI. His current goal is to produce a prototype for a commercially sized device producing between 100 and 200 watts.
Contact:

Russ George
3309 Alma Street
Palo Alto, CA 94306

Grass Root Activism

Oregon Natural Resources Council (ONRC) -Wilderness- $4,000

ONRC is working in Oregon to protect wild areas threatened by logging and mining and development. Using trained volunteers to map and monitor roadless areas it is able to make well documented presentations to legislators and the public to encourage permanent protection for pristine environments contiguous with existing wilderness areas. The funds will be split between riparian habitats and endangered fish populations.
Contact:
ONRC
5825 N. Greeley
Portland, OR 97217
web: http://www.onrc.org/

Public Awareness of Environmental Issues

Headwaters /Alliance For Democracy -W.T.O. Meeting- $500

Alliance For Democracy is engaged in increasing public awareness of the potential infringement on local and national governments' capacity for self determination as a result of World Trade Agreements. The grant was to support this work in Southern Oregon in advance of the World Trade Organization meeting.
Contact:
Alliance for Democracy
Rogue Valley Chapter
P.O. Box 645
Ashland, OR 97520
 

Jefferson Public Radio -W.T.O. Meeting- $1,023

Jefferson Public Radio (JPR) is a public radio station in Ashland OR. This grant went to cover the cost of sending Jeff Golden, a JPR commentator, to Seattle to cover the World Trade Organization
meeting. It is worth noting here in retrospect that this particular conference was a watershed event in the history of the organization as it was the focus of mass protests that are being hailed in some quarters as a rebirth of American political activism. Environmental concerns were foremost among those expressed by the protest organizers.
Contact:

Jefferson Public Radio
1250 Siskiyou Blvd.
Ashland, OR 97530

Commonweal Biotech Initiative $5,000

Commonweal is involved in a wide variety of activities many of which are related to public health. This grant supports the development and implementation of standards regarding safety and public disclosure of genetically modified foods and medicines.
Contact:

Commonweal
P.O. Box 316
Bolinas, CA 94924

The Developing World

Global Greengrants Global Environment $10,000

The Global Greengrants Fund is a working group within the Tides Foundation that concentrates their efforts in the developing world. They support education, activism and specific projects at the grass-roots level. This grant was earmarked specifically for projects in China and South-East Asia.
Contact:
Chet Tchozewski
Executive Director
Global Greengrants Fund
3546 Pearl Street
Boulder, CO 80301
email: info@greengrants.org
web: http://www.greengrants.org/
 

Physicians for Social Responsibility $10,000

Physicians for Social Responsibility is working with the United Nations Environmental Programme to push for the adoption of an international treaty regulating and restricting persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Of this grant, one half goes to their general fund in support of upcoming conferences and one half goes to their mini-grants fund which makes small grants to grass roots organizations in developing countries.
Contact:
Karen Perry
Associate Director, Environment & Health Program
Physicians for Social Responsibility
1101 14th Street, NW Suite 700
Washington, DC 20005
web: http://www.psr.org/
 

Environmental Education

Slide Ranch -Program Development- $15,000

Slide Ranch is engaged in environmental education for children, families and special populations. Whole Systems agreed in 1998 to grant them $45,000 over the course of three years to support long term construction projects. This payment is the second installment.
Contact:
Slide Ranch
2025 Shoreline Highway
Muir Beach, CA 94965
 

San Francisco Zen Center -Sustainable Energy- $5,000

San Francisco Zen Center promotes mindful living and Buddhist values through a wide variety of activities including prison outreach, hospice work and traditional monastic practice. Their monastery, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, is located in the Ventana Wilderness of Monterey County and doubles as a retreat center during the summer months. This grant, which is the second of five installments, supports ongoing work that is intended to reduce the impact of these activities on the pristine wilderness environment through the use of solar and small scale hydro power.
Contact:
San Francisco Zen Center
300 Page St.
San Francisco, CA 94102
 
Total Grants for 1999 $64,523
 
Grant Requests
 
Whole Systems Foundation does not actively solicit grant proposals since most of the funding strategies are internally generated, however, we are open to new suggestions. The Foundation has no set criteria, but seeks out projects that provide an opportunity to leverage a relatively small grant into a significant change in technology, policy, or attitudes. Generally this has led the Foundation to fund cutting edge science, and grass roots level of environmental activism. If you feel your organization has a project the Foundation would be interested in, send a one page summary preferably by e-mail. After an initial review the board will contact you to request a full proposal.
 
Application Deadlines
 
Initial summary - September 1
Full proposal - October 1
Final Decision by November 30
 
Contact
 
Whole Systems Foundation
P.O. Box 1927
Jacksonville, OR 97530
 
e-mail nsmith@jeffnet.org