To start us off, let’s create a list of beneficial digital tech & tools that support the 3 main permaculture ethics. For each of these, list 3 examples, with a few sentences about why these are beneficial. I will include an example with each.
- Earth Care (helps the earth and its beings to thrive)
eg: Nature’s Notebook, allows citizen scientists to track seasonal events for plants and animals where you live; aggregate data can then be visualized to show patterns of evolution, climate change, and trends.
- Tesla
- Tesla is just one of the many electric vehicle companies that have been putting out electric vehicles for several years now. Through their reimagined concept of what a vehicle can be, more people are reducing carbon emissions by driving them.
- AI
- AI doesn’t seem like it would help, but it is one of the most important things on this list when it comes to helping the Earth. Amongst its many uses as a source of intelligence, it can predict natural disasters using algorithms. Which is pretty remarkable if you ask me.
- Satellites
- Similarly to AI’s usage as a weather prediction source, technology like satellites provide us with the ability to comprehensively monitor Earth’s climate conditions from above. This allows us to see what is going on in terms of weather in real time.
- People Care (helps people and communities to thrive without harming others)
eg: hOurworld timebanking, with a branch in Portland, Maine. Allows people to offer and receive services without the use of money, and so supports local economies rather than enriching the wealthy. “We are Social Architects who believe that people are the true wealth of the world as their talents gracefully flow out to the benefit of all. We are grounded in the principles of simplicity and abundance and in the the joy of giving and receiving. It is our desire to help in the reclamation of local community prosperity by providing our gifts of time, training and tools in a pay it forward model within the Hour Exchange networks of hOurworld®“
- Khan Academy
- Khan Academy provides education to the world at large and specializes in spreading information and knowledge across the globe. They don’t charge much, if anything, for their services, and give underprivileged communities the ability to still have a solid education basis to work from.
- Facebook Groups
- I would not say social media is necessarily a positive thing, given the many negative effects it has, but no one can make the argument that it has no benefits, either. In my mind, Facebook groups is one example of this. Facebook can have the ability to connect communities that were not as connected before, whether people may be trying to sell something or just inform the general public about something, Facebook Groups gives people the ability to do that.
- Calm
- Calm is an app even I use from time to time. Despite being subscription-based, it truly helps with sleep and overall calmness when you are feeling stressed out. They also have some big-name celebrities doing their voiceover work, which adds to the appeal in my mind.
- Fair Share (distributes any surplus to anyone in need, and to support the first two ethics)
eg: Wikipedia is an open source encyclopedia created and edited by its users and run via donations of its members/users. The more data is added, the more it distributes this to its users. It collects human knowledge and shares it freely with others to expand benefits to all. It is an example of a “common good” vs ” private property”. See Shareable for more examples.
- Airbnb
- Airbnb connects people in a different way than Facebook groups. Through an app like Airbnb, you can literally share your house with other people and even rent it out if you so choose. Although it is not the same as it once was, I think the intention is still there, which makes it worth mentioning.
- GoFundMe
- GoFundMe is just fantastic all around. For underprivileged people who don’t have the financial resources to get a major surgery done or some other life-altering decision, GoFundMe gives the privileged the ability to provide for the underprivileged. Which is very special thing if you ask me.
- Amwell
- Amwell is not something I had heard of before this assignment, but upon researching it I would say it is a perfect example of something that is fair share. Amwell is a telehealth company, which connects people to doctors and nurses across the globe. Anyone can get the medical help they need and deserve.
