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Collective Solutions was founded in 2009 to address two
pressing issues facing the global community: poverty
and climate change. Our philosophy draws from the ethics
of permaculture and the simple belief that by working
together we can effect positive change.
Today there are 3 billion people living in poverty, many
having no access to electricity, clean water, or toilets.
In the absence of these basic living standards, many
communities are wholly consumed with the effort it takes
to survive. Through a variety of educational programs
Collective Solutions aims to aid such communities in
improving daily living conditions while providing valuable
vocational training.
Large-scale consumption of non-renewable resources has
led us to a point where we must reconsider our choices
for the future. Collective Solutions addresses both social
and environmental components of global climate change
by promoting the environmental and economic benefits
of renewable energy and sustainable living systems.
Our values are strongly influenced by the principles
of “permaculture,” a design system for creating
sustainable human environments. As a philosophy, it encourages
the use of ecology as the basis for designing integrated
systems of food production, housing, appropriate technology,
and community development. The ethical basis of permaculture
rests upon care of the earth—maintaining a system
in which all life can thrive. This includes human access
to resources and provisions, but not the accumulation
of wealth, power, or land beyond what is needed.
Permaculture principles focus on thoughtful designs for
small-scale intensive systems, which are labor efficient
and which use biological resources instead of non-renewable
reserves. Designs emphasize ecological connections and
closed energy and material loops. The core of permaculture
is design and the working relationships and connections
between all things. Each component in a system performs
multiple functions, and each function is supported by
many elements.
In the broadest sense, permaculture refers to land use
systems which promote stability in society, utilize resources
in a sustainable way and preserve wildlife habitat and
the genetic diversity of wild and domestic plants and
animals. It is a synthesis of ecology and geography,
of observation and design. Permaculture involves ethics
of earth care because the sustainable use of land cannot
be separated from human life-styles and philosophical
issues.
The Gingko tree is one of the oldest living plant species
on the planet, having flourished both before and after
the Ice Age. As a result of their fire-retardant
sap, they were the first plants to re-sprout after the
WWII bombings in Japan. Today, it is scarcely found
in the wild outside of a small, rural area in central
China. Considered to be a “living fossil,” Gingkos
have come to represent longevity, peace and hope and
are known to grow in even the poorest environmental conditions. We
have chosen the Gingko leaves to represent Collective
Solutions because we believe in the strength and resilience
of human culture. Our inherent philosophy is to
design sustainable systems for the long term benefit
of both people and the planet. What better model
of endurance can be found than a tree that has survived
for nearly 300 million years?
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