Overview

            The Coordination component of the proposed framework is a global system for compiling and sharing information for local projects, coordinating and networking these, securing funding, monitoring their performance and success.  An important part of this -- that will be shared with the following Discourse component -- will be a service for the translation of information between ethnic languages as well as between different conceptual / philosophical, religious frames or reference and ideologies.

Rationale and Function

            The Functions of the Coordination and Support Component will be:

-     To encourage and support as well as deriving the full benefit of the various action projects, a global coordination service or network should be developed. Its functions will include:

-   Developing and disseminating information that invites and encourages initiatives of conceiving, exploring, and implementing 'alternative' ideas, projects, activities aiming at improving sustainability, by individuals, groups, institutions, businesses and governmental agencies.

-   Compiling information of such projects and activities; the resulting Inventory of action initiatives and experiments may become a vital source of helpful information for the design of new projects. 

-   Planning and preparation for emergency response to disasters according to sustainability principles;  

-     Provision of funding of local action projects aiming at sustainability-enhancement;

-   Supporting the startup of such activities by removing obstacles in the form, for example, of bureaucratic regulations (designed for older and current practices but inhibition innovation);

-   Networking and coordinating the provision and sharing of information (as one of the key resources of implementation projects);

-   Monitoring the development and performance of implementation projects; the record of performance monitoring will become the basis for the discussion and evaluation of project features (for suitability in general application elsewhere) in the following discourse component;

-   Translation services, not only in terms of translation between different languages, but also between the different conceptual frames of reference, value systems, philosophies that guide those initiatives.

-   Identification of problems or potential conflicts that should be brought to the attention of the global discourse (for discussion and needed decisions) or research component, for investigation of causes, systemic implications, and development of remedies.

-   Support in resolving conflicts between innovative, non-traditional initiatives and existing infrastructure, governance, social and cultural conditions.

            Many aspects of this component can be built upon existing global networks and institutions, with increased focus on information-sharing and overall coordination.

Recommendations and priority tasks for the coordination component

            Examples of tasks requiring urgent priority attention in this component are:

-   Development of a coordinated disaster planning and response strategy. This should include coordinated preparation for emergencies in areas know to be susceptible to natural disasters -- earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes  -- as well as coordinated preparation for establishing innovation zones in stricken areas, and actual construction of disaster / emergency planning and preparation centers.

-   Development of the translation service (which will also be needed for the discourse, research, and education/information components);

-   Development of an inventory of technologies and procedures being applied and tested in action projects,  as a basis for evaluation of their effectiveness and performance and sharing of this information.

-   Development of legal procedures for establishing (perhaps temporary) exemption provisions for innovative projects that would be prohibited by regulations governing older technologies and practices, conflict resolution and issues arising from application of technologies, processes, social and economic innovation that are not or insufficiently well covered by existing regulation, standards, quality control, insurance provisions etc.

Measures of performance ?

Diagram:  COORDINATION