All posts by Robert Shields

Economic Development

What’s next? Alaska’s regenerative economy.

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 When carbon as fuel is a commodity valued at only ~$90 a ton but carbon as a fiber for building is worth over ~$220,000 a ton you know the industrial landscape is shifting.  When gas and oil companies begin investing in algae, solar, and hydrogen you know the market is changing. When an entire generation calls out to politicians to rise to the challenge, does anyone believe we are talking to “leadership” anymore? A fancy title or degree has never been the true measure of worth and many of the most influential people have never held office or position of affluence. Like Serena Williams, often grit, determination, and a clear vision of purpose can elevate a person from the lowest to the highest of the social ladder because purpose is what gives them the strength to do the work, day in and day out. In the last few years, we have seen more leadership from a 16-year-old girl than we have from elected officials in the highest offices. The generational message,

“Don’t wait for the government to act! Be the ‘leader’ you want to see in the world.”

Over 20 years ago, as a student at Lathrop High School in Fairbanks, Alaska, I had the opportunity through “club earth” to engage and it has become a life-long passion and focus of my professional career. Today, I serve the planet and her people as an Ecodistrict accredited professional, workforce development specialist, and with a great group of people, operate a 501c3 whose focus is mainstreaming the regenerative economy. Ecodistricts is a proven method of developing models and plans for neighborhoods, villages, and cities that work with nature to create generational prosperity which is a departure from the extraction and exploitation markets that destroy it, and everything else.

In a recent article to the Anchorage Daily News, Margi Dashevsky, the Regenerative Economies Director for the Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition, made the case of the growing divide between the people, the planet, and the politicians. The projects being pushed in the state, and Fairbanks plans are rehashed efforts from as far back as the 1950’s and completely fail to address the economic opportunities to be a climate champion. There are Billions of dollars from the government and private equity investments being directed into upgrading our homes, communities, and state infrastructure. Now is the time to recognize change is inevitable and growth is optional. Exercising our civic muscles by directly engaging in or creating community development initiatives is the path of least resistance to building local resilience

For the last decade the Alliance for Reason and Knowledge has served the state as advocates, hosting annual regenerative economies summits, organizing the annual solar tours, and advocating for the responsible deconstruction and innovative use of the site where the Polaris hotel now stands, in the center of the Golden Heart city. Projects like the Fairbanks Agricultural Resiliency Market have long been viable solutions to many issues like food, housing, job training, and energy but the lack of leadership isn’t confined to the state and national levels.  It is here, however, that we can make the most impact. Not voting for the next best thing but developing our own solutions, being our own change.

We have always believed innovation and a pioneering spirit that led to the development of the nations’ mineral wealth, is the true “resource” the state should be cultivating. That prosperity comes from inspiring the education of critical thinkers that provide reliable innovation as the peaceful engine of an exploration economy. That geotourism (celebrating the land and culture), aerospace research (into habitation, populations in isolation, and developing low impact locally focused tech), and development of advanced ecologically beneficial industries could and will prepare us to thrive and make the best of what comes next.

As the states first “just transition practitioner” working for an educational organization we have an obligation to share this knowledge. To deploy these resources so other people, business leaders, and interested parties can learn how to bridge these divides and plan together to lower the cost of living and increase the quality of life for all.  Tuesday Sept 13, 2022, at 6pm via Zoom is the next meeting and you can register here or at www.a-r-k.us for free.

People make action plans. Organizations write business plans. Municipalities use the comprehensive economic development strategy (CEDS) to guide actions and investment in a future we can all enjoy in perpetuity.

Community

You have a friend in Eric

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Yep, Eric Friend, that’s his name, and for the last decade this love child of Mr. Rogers and Willy Neilson has served on the ARK board of directors as the resident ‘Hempster’- advocating for a plant as industrious as he is. He may look like a hippie (he proudly is) but despite two brain tumors, Eric has served his planet with distinction as an entrepreneur, community organizer, animal advocate, and political leader.

While I am sure he would prefer we talk about the new Greenerside hemp museum that is now open inside Tip Tops cannabis retail in downtown Anchorage Alaska, first of its kind in the world, that is not the story of triumph of the human spirit we want to share here today. Eric is an inspiration to many and everyone who meets him because of his sheer tenaciousness. Mental health is something we all deal with and far too often those with challenges will sink into depression and let the system run them through the mill until like caged lions they are better off left plugged in. Not our boy Eric. He is on a mission and from the time he wakes until he shuts his eyes, the dominate thought is “how can we mainstream hemp in Alaska?”.

So, to tell Eric’s story, we must tell a hemp story. Many know cannabis by its street name, marijuana, but few know that the most sacred documents in our Nation, like the Declaration of Independence are written on hemp; that the Revolutionary War was won largely because of hemp rope, that its 16 times more effective at capturing carbon than trees; or that it produces an oil you can run your car on and top your salad with. Like Eric, hemp has a variety of good qualities but sadly, gets often mislabeled by a conditioned populace still fighting Regan’s “War on Drugs”.

Hemp is an economic tool that can help the climate, commerce, and culture. Hemp is one form of cannabis, but it has no intoxicating effects. However, it can be locally grown in Alaska, milled into fiber, food, and fuel, in Alaska, used to build houses, replace plastics, and build cars and airplanes from the refined natural material, in Alaska. For the last 20-years Eric has been a friend to the planet and her people, serving diligently in the search for justice for this misunderstood victim of greedy industries and a controlling system. He has paid the price, or as he would see it made the investment in a world worth living in.

At the moment, Eric isn’t at the top of his game but that doesn’t stop him. And with a little help from his friends, he will get back in, ready to take hemp to the endzone in providing a generation win for the planet and her people. He will be the first to admit he is not perfect and that on any given day his usual rays of sunlight are covered by the grey clouds of doubt and uncertainty but that’s the point. Being a superhero is not a full-time job though it is on call. Eric’s lesson is our imperfections are what make us perfect when we act with love and compassion to a purpose that lifts us all up together and moves us collectively forward.

If hemp was seen for more than just a way to escape the drudgery of the world, and if the many beautiful people like Eric in the world found themselves amongst a tribe of healers and lightworkers, we could all raise our individual vibration and live a higher quality life, that doesn’t need to be dulled or escaped from. With a vibrant hemp industry, and good friends, our problems won’t vanish into smoke, but we will have the tools and the team to ease suffering and brighten the world for many.

Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, said once “In a very real sense, we are all aliens on a strange planet. We spend most of our lives reaching out and trying to communicate. If during our lifetime, we can reach out and really communicate with just two people, we are indeed very fortunate.” Like many, I consider myself very fortunate to communicate and connect with Eric and other special people like him. Hemp is a plant and cannot speak for itself but with Eric Friend leading the charge, the future of what only fools would call a weed, is lit.

Economic Development, Uncategorized

Tour of Future Cities

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When does the “future” arrive?

For the last decade, ARK has hosted a solar tour in Fairbanks, Alaska in collaboration with the American Solar Energy Society and their national event, which kicks-off ‘energy awareness month” occurring usually during the first weekend in October. In the last couple of years, we have stepped forward again in attempt to coordinate the tours on a state level. In addition to the basic tours, we’ve added kick off events, guides, alternative viewing options, art exhibits, and even a calendar. All to raise awareness that clean energy in Alaska is a solution for pioneers and if we can do it here, we can do it anywhere.

Solar isn’t the endgame for addressing our energy challenges, but it is low-hanging fruit and with current funding can be virtually free. especially if you’re in a rural or economically distressed community. Traditionally insulating and air sealing have been the best bank for your buck, and in many cases still are- except in education. To mainstream efficiencies, we go up stream from the owner to the builder. Across the nation, these largely self-guided experiences have show cased homes and businesses that have invested in not only solar but where available, wind, geothermal, hydro, and biomass. Last years tour featured a solar home in Anchorage, that charged their electric vehicles, thanks to Colleen Fisk an education coordinator at the Renewable Energy Alaska Project.

So, what’s the point? Where is all this headed? What does it mean for the reader? And of course, What’s the plan going forward? The comprehensive economic development strategy that we are advocating for is the ‘Good Jobs for a Green World’ plan. Its an investment strategy that moves beyond ‘workforce development” and invest in at risk citizens to avoid or recover from incarceration, domestic transience, or escaping a violent situation (system). In a regenerative economy all jobs are “green” jobs because they focus just as much on individual quality of life as the revenue from keeping production and profit quotas. Good jobs help us explore ourselves and our capacities until we settle into a career path where building a life from our dreams is how we all make a living.

ARK is a workforce development organization and in 2022 we have embarked on an expansion plan to plant roots in communities all over the planet. To feed the mycelium network of sharing and caring where capacity building around the elements of energy, food, and waste put in perspective, housing, transportation, and education. These investment priorities impact security, public health, and in turn the health of the natural world with which we coexist in a symbiotic relationship. When we care for the planet and her people, we can experience generational wealth in a system based on abundance and the peace/resource based/ regenerative economy. The solar tours have been an anchor of that plan and even they too are evolving.

The point of all this is just like four wheels don’t constitute a car, the electrical grid (even if you include transportation and heating) is only one element of the “collective home” commonly referred to as community, neighborhood, town, or city. Helping people reduce their energy bills and go solar is great, for them, but in a situation like we have with our Co-op, the costs of maintaining the grid to keep the lights on 24/7/365 becomes a heavier burden on those sharing the load. To address this the solar tours offer us the opportunity to come together and learn how things function so we can all work on a solution to move forward.

Even if we had all the money, the full support of government, and industry there are simply not enough people trained to design, finance, and build solar electric systems, green homes, or ecologically sustainable cities to respond to the demand from climate refugees for safe housing. Heatspring, is one partner that provides online educational material on these subjects, and they make it simple enough for a 5th grader, many at no cost.

For this year’s event the steering committee is exploring the theme of “tour of future cities” and stimulating all ages to imagine where we can be in 100 years if we start today. In addition to the Global Ecovillage Network, the Resource-Based Economy, and the Moneyless Society we have found Future City. An annual science technology engineering and math competition focused on middle school students and engaging them in the work of “Imagineering” the world of tomorrow.

Register here for the Tour of Future Cities meeting on Sept. 13, 6pm (AKST)