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Open Source Ecology (OSE) Maysville, MO

This is an invitation to adventurous people to join our creative community of two. OSE is in the humble beginnings of our experiments, so be ready with initiative and an open mind. We are located in Maysville MO. Our greater mission is right livelihood and economic transformation via open source economic development.

Food:
 * Fruit tree nursery
 * Year-round hydroponic greenhouse
 * Market garden
 * Collaboration with an organic bakery
 * Animal husbandry
 * Forestry

Energy:
 * Vegetable oil-powered electricity generation
 * Combined heat and electrical power with wood and oil heat
 * Solar concentrator heat Transportation:
 * Biodiesel production
 * Fuel alcohol production from onsite crops
 * OSCar collaboration (theoscarproject.org)

Housing:
 * Compressed Earth Block Press (3-5 bricks/minute)
 * Portable sawmill
 * Yurt and earthbag construction Tools/Technology:
 * Appropriate farm equipment
 * Open source product development

Open source computing Living conditions are almost impossible to describe as they are always improving from the bare-bone basics of the beginning to the more convenient and comfortable accommodations. Although still considered a rustic lifestyle by modern standards, we do have high-speed wireless internet and off-grid electricity. We are located one hour north of Kansas City, and we are one mile from a town of 1000. We have a vegetable-oil powered Suburban. We are currently developing products and connections with area markets and we invite participants to help. You may earn what you produce from your initiative. Accomadations and home grown food will be supplied as part of a working exchange. We want participants to spend most of their time in experimenting with what really works, economically speaking, to create a new society based on land stewardship and open source economic development.

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(this text was submitted in a word.doc to WWOOF in late February 2009. The document has accomanying hyperlinks - these did not show up in the copy and paste. If one desires the word.doc, ask Marcin, Jeremy, or Joseph - all possess copies. WWOOF has yet to enact the changes.

Open Source Ecology’s ‘mothership’, if you will, is the Factor E Farm site situated approximately one hour north of Kansas City, Missouri. Our 30-acre farm is situated on a former monocropped soybean field – the soil is compacted, clay-sandy, and erosion problems still exist. However, many solutions are ‘waiting in the wings’ as we revitalize and remedy previous destructive farming practices. At the same time, these current limiting conditions are mere temporary obstacles as well as metaphorical reminders: we aim to create regenerative pathways deviating from current human-made large-scale destructive practices - akin to the destructive monocropping that has destroyed our farm’s one-time self-contained and symbiotic synergies. We aim to restore a semblance of previous dynamic equilibriums, while improving our individual and collective capacities. This is our pursuit of a human-centric post-industrial, permaculture, open source eco-village.

We are much more than an organic agriculture program - though our Open Source Agroecology program (OSA) is definitely an integral part of our farm. Open Source Agroecology (OSA) is integrated permaculture and the technology needed to make it realistically efficient, integrated, manageable, and replicable. We are looking for persons who can contribute to this greater vision, at least through OSA program participation – either as volunteers or long-term resident co-developers of the world’s first, replicable, open source Global Village. We are a post-industrial eco-village in the making. We seek to change the world. Currently, we are in full development of our “Global Village Construction Set” (GVCS). In 2008, we completed the first prototype of our multi-purpose, open source, hybrid tractor device (LifeTrac), We aim to modify this lovely machine of ours in the coming year - though it currently remains in complete operational condition. We have also completed the first prototype of our CEB Press (Compressed Earth Brick Press), aptly named “The Liberator”, and we remain in the late developmental stages of our open source sawmill design. These projects, among others (see above GVCS set), are ongoing.

The 2009 season, specifically, offers the following agricultural opportunities:


 * Design of hybrid/permacultural food-production systems to optimize our village layout. These designs should focus on the following: building of organic matter; keyline water, swale, and pond systems; and improvement of soil fertility (previous permaculture design experience beneficial, but not necessary)
 * Design and install site-specific ‘Chinampas’ bed with accompanying chicken and fish communities. This will be situated atop the rich soil at the base of our property.
 * Perform on-site analysis, documentation, improvements etc. of pre-existing nursery stock and orchard.
 * Develop beginnings of our regionally specific heirloom/open-pollinated seed saving program
 * Whatever your initiative and ingenuity develops, designs, and puts into action…

For more in-depth, site-specific, ‘living conditions’ and work expectations visit our volunteer page. Like all components of our village design, the OSA program is open source. WWOOF individuals will be asked to maintain detailed and publicly-accessible log notes for personal, professional, and community growth and development.

Please: only motivated, disciplined, hard-working, open-minded, spiritually-evolved persons apply.

Phone Number: 206.202.3387

Skype: marcin_ose

Email: opensourceecology@gmail.com

Address: SW Willow & SW Lakesite Maysville Missouri 64469