Jacques Fresco

[Michael Grove]

Photograph taken in 2006 when Jacques Fresco was 90 years old

To celebrate Earth Day 2013 - I would re-post the following 10 hyperlinks

contained in this original zBlog - as ideas to ponder in the context of the 

establishment of a truly sustainable long term solution for ALL life on earth.

Jacque Fresco, Industrial Designer, Social Engineer, Futurist, Inventor, and commonly referred to as a modern day Leonardo DaVinci, envisions a world where science & technology are utilized to their full potential, free of the restraints by the monetary system, which underpins all the current failing socio-economic systems around the world, to arrive at a new global society for humanity, based on human and environmental concern. It is an awe inspiring vision of a truly sustainable future for humankind in our technological age.

The Venus Project is an organization that proposes a feasible plan of action for social change, one that works towards a peaceful and sustainable global civilization. It outlines an alternative to strive towards where human rights are no longer paper proclamations, but a way of life. The Venus Project advocates an alternative vision for a sustainable new world civilization unlike any socio-economic system that has gone before known as a Resource-Based Economy. Founded by Jacque Fresco – Fresco demonstrates what the future can be if we apply our science and technology to the benefit of humankind and the planet and not the profits of individuals, corporations or even nations.

A Resource-Based Economy

All socio-economic systems, regardless of political philosophy, religious beliefs, or social customs, ultimately depend upon natural resources, i.e. clean air and water, arable land and the necessary technology and personnel to maintain a high standard of living. Simply stated, a Resource-Based Economy utilizes existing resources rather than money and provides an equitable method of distributing these resources in the most efficient manner for the entire population. It is a system in which all goods and services are available without the use of money, credits, barter, or any other form of debt or servitude.

Earth is abundant with plentiful resources; today our practice of  rationing resources through monetary methods is irrelevant and counter-productive to our survival. Modern society has access to highly advanced technologies and can make available food, clothing, housing, medical care, a relevant educational system, and develop a limitless supply of renewable, non-contaminating energy such as geothermal, solar, wind, tidal, etc. It is now possible to have everyone enjoy a very high standard of living with all of the amenities that a prosperous  civilization can provide. This can be accomplished through the intelligent and humane application of science and technology.

To better understand the meaning of a Resource-Based Economy consider this: if all the money in the world were destroyed, as long as topsoil, factories, and other resources were left intact, we could build anything we choose to build and fulfill any human need. It is not money that people need; rather, it is free access to the necessities of life.  In a Resource-Based Economy, money would be irrelevant. All that would be required are the resources and the manufacturing and distribution of the products.

When education and resources are made available to all people without a price tag, there would be no limit to the human potential. Although this is difficult to imagine, even the wealthiest person today would be far better off in a Resource-Based Society as proposed by The Venus Project. Today the middle classes live better than kings of times past. 

In a Resource-Based Economy everyone would live better than the wealthiest of today.

In a Resource-Based Society, the measure of success would be based on the fulfillment of one’s individual pursuits rather than the acquisition of wealth, property and power.

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