Dear Y2K friends,
Below you'll find people who are doing some interesting things with the head of steam they picked up during Y2K. Most of them are looking for others to join them in their creative endeavors. They cover sustainability, community, business, and learning lessons from Y2K. See if you find anything that captures your interest...
Coheartedly,
Tom
_ _ _ _ _ _
***COMMUNITY-BUILDING NETWORK***
WELCOME TO COMMUNITY FIRST/COMMUNITY PEOPLE!
We are a loose network of community activists many of whom
cut our
organizing teeth on Y2K. Since then, some of us have felt the
desire to stay
in touch, and to focus our energies elsewhere. Thus COMMUNITY
FIRST was born
out of the conviction that the vital level of activity in the
future will be
local. The range of activities and interests is enormous; we have
tried to
categorize some of it, as you will see below.
We now have our website up and humming, and a LUSENET exchange
of thoughts facility, which will probably be adjusted as we go
along.
Our webpage is: http://www.communitypeople.org
We have put up a list of possible topics for discussion at:
http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a.tcl?topic=COMMUNITY%20FIRST
The idea is that, as time passes, people will become accustomed
to checking
into this site to add their own experiences dealing with the problems
they
have faced...and that others will come, seeking advice on handling
their
local problems. As you will see, the list is pretty extensive.
Any initial postings to get the ball rolling would be most welcome.
Those of us who have spent some time getting this concept to
fruition sincerely hope it will serve a purpose, and that, with
time, it
will expand to grow useful, if not indispensable, for many who
are engaged
in community work.
Bayard Stockton <drayab@silcom.com>
_ _ _ _ _ _
***SUSTAINABILE COMMUNITY INFORMATION***
For those interested in building more resilient and just
communities, I have just published a new edition of my Better
Times webzine on sustainable, simple, frugal, and prudent living.
http://www.justpeace.org/bettertimes.htm
I'm rewriting a lot of my Y2k material in the direction of
helping people create more sustainable and resilient communities
by providing lots of practical them-that's-doin' information.
So
look for a new set of "printable flyers for distribution
encouraging sustainable communities" sometime in the next
month
or so.
Robert Waldrop <rmwj@soonernet.com>
Oscar Romero Catholic Worker House, Oklahoma City
_ _ _ _ _ _
***SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS & LIVING FORUM ***
Diane Squire writes:
Just a note to let you know I've finally starting up my "Beyond
Y2K"
activities in the sustainable business and living arena. Thought
you might be interested.
We've made the early decision to password protect the iForum
for the next
couple months until the Y2K roving disruptors calm down.
If you are interested in participating, send me an e-mail and
I'll share the
current password. You are welcome to in turn share the URL and
current
password with your friends and associates. I would ask that they
also just
send me a 'real' e-mail address in case I need to notify people
of a change in
passwords. (Looking to create an easy Alert notification system
with Onelist).
The actual URL for the 'Sustainable Business & Living iForum'
is...
http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-challenge.tcl?topic=Sustainable%20Business%20%26%20Living%20iForum
Additional information (still under construction) can be found
in my Earthlink
iBrochure at...
http://home.earthlink.net/~sacredspacesfs/
Thanks for your interest... and hope to see you there as this slowly grows,
Diane J. Squire, M.B.A.
sacredspacesfs@earthlink.net or sacredspaces@yahoo.com
_ _ _ _ _ _
***LESSONS LEARNED FROM Y2K ***
Leon Kappelman <Kapp@unt.edu> notes:
"The US government's General Services Administration's
Office of Intergovernmental Solutions published a little
booklet of case stories ("The Many Silver Linings of the
Y2K
Challenges" -- http://policyworks.gov/intergov); and, in
conjunction with the National Academy of Public
Administration and the Federation of Government Information
Processing Councils is holding a "forum" called "Building
on
Y2K Momentum to Transform Government" in March."
And Jan Nickerson writes:
Dear Colleagues in Global Learning,
The IYCC has issued a report summing up key questions about
and learnings
from Y2K. While I haven't read the entire report (available at
http://www.iy2kcc.org/February2000Report.htm), I have read and
highly
recommend the executive summary at
http://www.iy2kcc.org/ExecutiveSummary.htm , which I've extracted
below.
My worst-case scenario had been that we don't learn. This
report provides me
great reassurance that Y2K was indeed a catalyst for global learning,
locally, everywhere. And I'd enjoy hearing your thoughts on
these, as well.
Collaboratively,
Jan Nickerson JaNickrson@aol.com
http://www.Y2KConnections.com
p.s. the GICC (Grassroots information communication center)
has hundreds of
postings about infrastructure disruptions, many of which are attributable
to
Y2K incidents. Check it out, and contribute your own observations,
at
http://my.cybersoup.com/y2kgicc/
* * * *
Y2K: Starting the Century Right!
Report of the International Y2K Cooperation Center
February 2000
http://www.iy2kcc.org/ExecutiveSummary.htm
This report tells the story of the global public-private effort
to attack the
Y2K problem, as seen through the eyes of the International Y2K
Cooperation
Center and those of the government officials and their private
sector
partners in over 170 countries. It is the story of the network
that led the
transition into the twenty-first century. The report,Äôs
purpose is to document
a uniquely successful experience in international cooperation,
and to provide
an analytical framework for future research.
Source: www.iy2kcc.org
Y2K: Starting the Century Right!
Report of the International Y2K Cooperation Center
February 2000
What were the global risks from Y2K?
Y2K failures could cause serious economic and social harm.
Public overreaction to Y2K fears could have caused serious hardships.
Widespread Y2K failures or panic could have caused political instability.
Reduced confidence in technology could slow industry growth derailing
technology-led economic growth worldwide.
Electrical power generation and distribution failure, creating
humanitarian
emergencies
What opportunities did Y2K present?
Bring organizational information technology systems and software
under
control.
Understand organizational dependencies on others.
Create the first "virtual" international governmental
organization to address
a global problem.
What assets were available to tackle the Y2K problem?
A global Y2K team - People from public and private international
organizations with dedication, experience, and a problem-solving
attitude
A growing pool of quality information and sharing of best practices
Electronic networks made rapid consultation and information sharing
practical
and economical.
Money from both government and industry.
United Nations and the World Bank leadership.
What did the world do?
What were the results of the global effort?
No serious disruptions of critical services on a national,
regional, or
global level.
No significant panic or overreaction caused by Y2K fears.
Over time Y2K tools and know-how became much faster and cheaper,
permitting
those who started later to accomplish the same amount of work
at a lower cost.
What lessons can be learned?
Strategic Lessons
A common menace and cross-border interdependencies were keys to
success.
Networking and information cooperation work.
Leapfrogging is good!
Infrastructures are both connected and resilient.
Leadership is vital, but institutional agility varies.
Public-private partnerships can work.
Technology can be managed.
Information Lessons
Facts build confidence.
Value self-reporting.
Close is better.
Details count.
Beware information lag.
Information cartels have marginal value.
Management Lessons
Explain the program in "plain English."
Information and communication technology is mission critical.
Know your systems, suppliers, and business processes.
Manage risks proactively.
Prioritize requirements for results.
Ultimately, the global Y2K experience brings hope that other
tough global
problems can be solved.
forwarded by Jan Nickerson
Y2K Connections ~ building community not crises ~ the ONLY Y2K
game in town
www.Y2KConnections.com