1 00:00:00,533 --> 00:00:04,406 The Venus Project presents 2 00:00:05,085 --> 00:00:08,309 A Roxanne Meadows Production 3 00:00:09,066 --> 00:00:12,377 Written by Jacque Fresco 4 00:00:13,326 --> 00:00:17,345 The entire money-structured and materialistic-oriented society 5 00:00:17,485 --> 00:00:19,181 is a false society. 6 00:00:19,321 --> 00:00:23,403 Our society will go down in history as the lowest development in man. 7 00:00:23,543 --> 00:00:26,817 We have the brains, the know-how, the technology 8 00:00:26,957 --> 00:00:30,914 and the feasibility to build an entirely new civilization. 9 00:00:39,576 --> 00:00:43,588 Paradise or Oblivion 10 00:00:46,597 --> 00:00:51,917 (Jacque Fresco) It was living through the 1929 Great Depression 11 00:00:52,057 --> 00:00:55,557 that helped shape my social conscience. 12 00:00:56,503 --> 00:01:00,873 During this time, I realized the Earth was still the same place: 13 00:01:01,013 --> 00:01:06,284 manufacturing plants were still intact and resources were still there 14 00:01:06,424 --> 00:01:11,093 but people didn't have the money to buy the products. 15 00:01:11,737 --> 00:01:15,060 I felt that the rules of the game we play by 16 00:01:15,315 --> 00:01:18,276 were obsolete and insufficient. 17 00:01:19,821 --> 00:01:25,423 Misery, suffering and war provided the incentive for my life's work. 18 00:01:25,684 --> 00:01:30,772 I was also motivated by the seeming incompetence of governments 19 00:01:31,021 --> 00:01:36,210 the academic world, and the lack of solutions offered by scientists. 20 00:01:37,113 --> 00:01:40,738 I realized that instead of working with individuals 21 00:01:40,878 --> 00:01:45,813 a more effective method would be to redesign the culture. 22 00:01:47,158 --> 00:01:51,524 This began a lifelong quest to finding solutions 23 00:01:51,664 --> 00:01:55,141 to the many problems that we have today. 24 00:02:01,985 --> 00:02:06,020 (Narrator) This presentation is a feasible plan for social change 25 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:10,671 that works toward a peaceful and sustainable global civilization 26 00:02:10,811 --> 00:02:15,586 where human beings, technology and nature coexist. 27 00:02:17,769 --> 00:02:21,020 It outlines an alternative to strive for 28 00:02:21,319 --> 00:02:25,016 where human rights are not only paper proclamations 29 00:02:25,156 --> 00:02:27,223 but a way of life. 30 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:35,378 It is called The Venus Project. 31 00:02:39,804 --> 00:02:42,246 Its founder, Jacque Fresco 32 00:02:42,563 --> 00:02:46,684 calls for a straightforward redesign of the culture in which war 33 00:02:46,939 --> 00:02:51,700 poverty, hunger, debt and unnecessary human suffering 34 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:56,565 are viewed not only as avoidable but totally unacceptable. 35 00:02:58,203 --> 00:03:01,807 It is becoming increasingly obvious that anything less 36 00:03:01,947 --> 00:03:07,650 will simply result in a continuation of the same problems we face today. 37 00:03:12,472 --> 00:03:17,474 Merely complaining without proposing an alternative offers nothing. 38 00:03:21,972 --> 00:03:25,060 The Venus Project's research center 39 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:28,507 constructed by Fresco and Roxanne Meadows 40 00:03:28,825 --> 00:03:31,294 is located in Venus, Florida. 41 00:03:32,265 --> 00:03:35,806 It addresses many of the root causes of our difficulties. 42 00:03:36,073 --> 00:03:39,791 But what are the real origins of our problems? 43 00:03:42,518 --> 00:03:46,856 Failed Systems 44 00:03:51,271 --> 00:03:55,038 At present, we are left with very few alternatives 45 00:03:55,178 --> 00:03:59,123 since we are on a collision course of our own making. 46 00:04:01,153 --> 00:04:04,408 Answers from yesterday are no longer relevant. 47 00:04:07,238 --> 00:04:10,367 Considering the damage already done to the environment 48 00:04:10,507 --> 00:04:13,961 we are rapidly approaching a point of no return 49 00:04:14,359 --> 00:04:17,579 where nature will dictate the course. 50 00:04:18,620 --> 00:04:20,753 Either we continue as we have 51 00:04:20,893 --> 00:04:24,494 with outmoded social customs and habits of thought 52 00:04:24,634 --> 00:04:27,361 thereby threatening our future 53 00:04:27,660 --> 00:04:31,509 or we apply a more appropriate set of values 54 00:04:31,649 --> 00:04:34,304 relevant to a sustainable society 55 00:04:34,444 --> 00:04:37,302 with more opportunity and freedoms. 56 00:04:40,339 --> 00:04:43,779 Americans have been conditioned in their kind of society 57 00:04:43,919 --> 00:04:45,935 to get a different kind of car next year 58 00:04:46,075 --> 00:04:48,441 to buy a new television set, or a tape recorder. 59 00:04:48,581 --> 00:04:52,982 We are radical as hell but our political and social institutions 60 00:04:53,122 --> 00:04:56,110 have not changed and this is where we are stagnating: 61 00:04:56,250 --> 00:05:01,651 because we always equate any new idea with communism or regimentation 62 00:05:01,791 --> 00:05:04,934 because we have been brought up to fear that which is new. 63 00:05:05,306 --> 00:05:07,631 (Narrator) None of the world's economic systems: 64 00:05:08,099 --> 00:05:13,698 socialism, communism, fascism or the free enterprise system 65 00:05:13,985 --> 00:05:19,328 have eliminated the problems of elitism, nationalism, racism 66 00:05:19,468 --> 00:05:23,024 and most of all, scarcity. 67 00:05:24,828 --> 00:05:28,976 These are all based primarily on economic disparity. 68 00:05:29,611 --> 00:05:33,501 When money is used to regulate and distribute resources for profit 69 00:05:33,641 --> 00:05:36,416 and people and nations are out for themselves 70 00:05:36,556 --> 00:05:39,058 they will seek advantage at any cost. 71 00:05:39,198 --> 00:05:42,598 They do this by maintaining a competitive edge 72 00:05:42,738 --> 00:05:46,177 or through military intervention. 73 00:05:46,812 --> 00:05:52,135 War represents the supreme failure of nations to resolve their differences. 74 00:05:52,929 --> 00:05:55,233 From a strictly pragmatic standpoint 75 00:05:55,373 --> 00:06:00,533 it is the most inefficient waste of lives and resources ever conceived. 76 00:06:01,392 --> 00:06:05,072 Most wars are for the control of resources 77 00:06:05,212 --> 00:06:08,586 and maintaining your position of differential advantage. 78 00:06:08,916 --> 00:06:11,590 They're not based on the 'dignity of man'; 79 00:06:11,730 --> 00:06:14,552 they're not based on elevating human beings. 80 00:06:14,692 --> 00:06:18,342 It might elevate the human beings in the country that's the victor. 81 00:06:18,654 --> 00:06:22,101 It might do that. But as far as the rest of the world goes 82 00:06:22,241 --> 00:06:23,826 the price is enormous. 83 00:06:25,574 --> 00:06:29,426 (Narrator) This crude and violent attempt to resolve international differences 84 00:06:29,566 --> 00:06:32,457 takes on even more ominous overtones 85 00:06:32,597 --> 00:06:36,287 with the advent of computerized nuclear delivery systems 86 00:06:36,427 --> 00:06:39,307 and deadly biological and chemical weapons. 87 00:06:39,719 --> 00:06:42,068 Over 100,000 companies feed at the Pentagon trough. 88 00:06:42,208 --> 00:06:44,885 But the big money goes to a handful of huge corporations. 89 00:06:45,025 --> 00:06:47,931 Yet it is a windfall, money-making opportunity 90 00:06:48,071 --> 00:06:52,176 for those who profit by the military-industrial complex. 91 00:06:54,123 --> 00:06:56,498 If the profit were taken out of wars 92 00:06:56,638 --> 00:06:59,854 do you really believe we would have them? 93 00:07:00,217 --> 00:07:03,634 (Jacque Fresco) If they draft you into the army to serve this country 94 00:07:03,774 --> 00:07:06,102 (you put up your life for this country) 95 00:07:06,344 --> 00:07:08,991 they should draft all the war industries: 96 00:07:09,131 --> 00:07:12,095 every cannon maker, machine gun maker 97 00:07:12,235 --> 00:07:15,125 automobiles, jeeps, warships 98 00:07:15,265 --> 00:07:20,125 all drafted, so they're on the same basis of pay as the army. 99 00:07:21,156 --> 00:07:24,408 Then it's real. But if you make millions selling warships 100 00:07:24,548 --> 00:07:27,658 and machine guns to the army, then it's corrupt. 101 00:07:28,100 --> 00:07:33,038 I would (if I had my way), if we had millions of men in the army 102 00:07:33,178 --> 00:07:36,618 I'd send them to school to become problem solvers 103 00:07:36,758 --> 00:07:41,397 how to get along with other nations. That's what we have to do, not kill. 104 00:07:41,645 --> 00:07:45,871 Soldiers are just killing machines; they're trained to kill. 105 00:07:49,081 --> 00:07:53,695 I would train them to be able to go to Mexico and bridge the difference 106 00:07:53,835 --> 00:07:57,372 and go to the Arab world and see if they can bridge the difference. 107 00:07:57,512 --> 00:08:00,285 So bring them all together, all the nations. 108 00:08:02,748 --> 00:08:07,331 (Narrator) War is not the only form of violence imposed upon people; 109 00:08:07,573 --> 00:08:10,794 there is also hunger, poverty 110 00:08:11,067 --> 00:08:14,136 homelessness and unemployment. 111 00:08:15,436 --> 00:08:20,726 The acceptance of these conditions as expressive of 'human nature' is a myth 112 00:08:20,866 --> 00:08:23,269 used to keep things as they are. 113 00:08:24,214 --> 00:08:27,642 The Influence of Environment 114 00:08:29,604 --> 00:08:34,682 Genetics has nothing to do with greed, business, race prejudice. 115 00:08:35,058 --> 00:08:40,251 All of the operant systems in any society are part of your education 116 00:08:40,391 --> 00:08:44,813 the books you read, the role models you follow and the people you admire. 117 00:08:44,953 --> 00:08:48,013 The genes have nothing to do... 118 00:08:48,153 --> 00:08:51,820 except with the color of your eyes, the shape of your nose 119 00:08:51,960 --> 00:08:54,977 perhaps inherited features. 120 00:08:56,734 --> 00:09:00,505 The genes do not control values. 121 00:09:04,005 --> 00:09:08,265 Even if you're born with a much better brain than another person 122 00:09:08,405 --> 00:09:12,455 meaning better receptors, the quality of the tissue is better 123 00:09:12,704 --> 00:09:15,668 I would say that if you have a better brain 124 00:09:15,808 --> 00:09:20,739 and you live in a fascist country you become a fascist faster. 125 00:09:20,879 --> 00:09:24,576 The brain has no mechanism of discrimination. 126 00:09:24,716 --> 00:09:29,075 The brain can't tell you what is relevant or less relevant 127 00:09:29,215 --> 00:09:31,453 except experience. 128 00:09:34,655 --> 00:09:39,258 (Narrator) We are not born with greed, envy, hatred, or bigotry. 129 00:09:41,521 --> 00:09:46,168 Our behavior and values are reflective of the culture we are exposed to. 130 00:09:48,670 --> 00:09:52,221 If you were raised by the headhunters of the Amazon 131 00:09:52,361 --> 00:09:54,221 you'd be a headhunter. 132 00:09:54,361 --> 00:09:58,529 If I said to you "Doesn't it bother you to have 5 shrunken heads?" 133 00:09:58,808 --> 00:10:01,786 you'd say "Yes, my brother has 20." 134 00:10:02,889 --> 00:10:07,182 Is he nuts? No, that's normal to his culture. 135 00:10:10,098 --> 00:10:14,622 Social and environmental problems will remain insurmountable 136 00:10:14,762 --> 00:10:18,514 as long as few nations control most of the Earth's resources 137 00:10:18,654 --> 00:10:22,953 and the bottom line is profit over the well-being of people. 138 00:10:23,347 --> 00:10:26,825 Putting profit first results in unnecessary suffering 139 00:10:26,965 --> 00:10:29,745 and aberrant behavior prevalent today. 140 00:10:33,894 --> 00:10:38,475 Many people feel that we need the rule of law to eliminate our problems. 141 00:10:38,615 --> 00:10:42,008 We have many laws, thousands upon thousands of them 142 00:10:42,148 --> 00:10:45,200 but they are constantly being broken. 143 00:10:45,794 --> 00:10:51,035 Paper proclamations and treaties do not alter the facts of scarcity 144 00:10:51,175 --> 00:10:53,365 deprivation, and insecurity. 145 00:10:56,664 --> 00:11:01,794 You can predict the shape of the future and the values if you know 146 00:11:02,061 --> 00:11:07,476 the trends of events in the ocean pollution, the scarcity of arable land... 147 00:11:07,616 --> 00:11:11,071 If you watch that degrading system grow 148 00:11:11,211 --> 00:11:15,841 I can predict the riots and killing and assassination. 149 00:11:15,981 --> 00:11:20,317 Human behavior is really generated by the surrounding environment. 150 00:11:20,457 --> 00:11:26,315 If there's a scarcity, say of water, it is prized and its price is high. 151 00:11:26,970 --> 00:11:29,443 Let's discuss scarcity as a system. 152 00:11:29,583 --> 00:11:34,264 Suppose it rained gold for about 3 days, gold dust. 153 00:11:34,404 --> 00:11:36,829 People would go out and shovel it in, fill their cellars 154 00:11:36,969 --> 00:11:39,972 the attic, every drawer in the house. They'd throw out their clothing. 155 00:11:40,215 --> 00:11:44,721 If the rain kept up for a year so that gold was all over the place 156 00:11:44,861 --> 00:11:48,729 people would sweep it out of the house, take their rings off, throw them away 157 00:11:48,869 --> 00:11:52,640 and so human behavior undergoes change to that condition. 158 00:11:52,780 --> 00:11:58,395 There's only a policeman in front of something that people have need for 159 00:11:58,535 --> 00:12:02,096 and don't have access to, so you put a guard there. 160 00:12:02,236 --> 00:12:05,271 But if lemon trees, orange trees and apple trees 161 00:12:05,411 --> 00:12:08,267 grew all over the place, you couldn't sell it. 162 00:12:08,618 --> 00:12:12,277 If you landed on an island that was so abundant with resources 163 00:12:12,417 --> 00:12:15,620 you had 10 people, there were a thousand fish for every person 164 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:19,617 if you wanted it, there were 10 times the amount of breadfruit and bananas 165 00:12:19,757 --> 00:12:21,833 money would not come into existence. 166 00:12:21,973 --> 00:12:24,760 Private property would not come into existence. 167 00:12:24,900 --> 00:12:29,228 If the island was big enough: there were 10 people, there were 8000 acres 168 00:12:29,546 --> 00:12:33,729 no one would give a damn about staking out this particular area. 169 00:12:35,087 --> 00:12:38,294 There are patterns of behavior that promote survival. 170 00:12:38,434 --> 00:12:42,415 There are social conditions that change our values and outlook. 171 00:12:42,555 --> 00:12:47,800 No one can write a constitution of required behavior 172 00:12:47,940 --> 00:12:51,088 without consulting the environment. 173 00:12:51,588 --> 00:12:54,018 So, we'd better take care of the environment 174 00:12:54,158 --> 00:12:55,987 we'd better take care of one another 175 00:12:56,127 --> 00:12:58,234 and we'd better educate people 176 00:12:58,374 --> 00:13:01,764 to the highest possible levels of our ability 177 00:13:01,904 --> 00:13:03,791 in order to have a society. 178 00:13:06,218 --> 00:13:08,990 Even a peace treaty cannot prevent another war 179 00:13:09,130 --> 00:13:12,385 if the underlying causes are not dealt with. 180 00:13:13,376 --> 00:13:16,645 Maybe what are needed are ethical people in government 181 00:13:16,785 --> 00:13:19,696 who will work toward everyone's well-being. 182 00:13:21,247 --> 00:13:24,707 But even if the most ethical people were elected to high positions 183 00:13:24,847 --> 00:13:28,630 and we ran out of resources, there would still be lying 184 00:13:28,770 --> 00:13:31,829 cheating, stealing and corruption. 185 00:13:32,354 --> 00:13:35,468 It's not ethical people that are needed but rather 186 00:13:35,608 --> 00:13:38,354 a way of intelligently managing the Earth's resources 187 00:13:38,494 --> 00:13:41,070 for everyone's well-being. 188 00:13:43,276 --> 00:13:46,521 Social Inadequacies 189 00:13:51,686 --> 00:13:54,542 Let's examine our social arrangements further. 190 00:13:56,602 --> 00:14:01,462 To maintain our economy, products must continuously be sold. 191 00:14:03,475 --> 00:14:08,051 To assure this, they are deliberately designed to wear out and break down. 192 00:14:09,649 --> 00:14:12,166 Maybe you've noticed this usually happens 193 00:14:12,306 --> 00:14:14,712 right after the warranty expires. 194 00:14:17,588 --> 00:14:22,123 This corrupt practice is referred to as 'planned obsolescence' 195 00:14:22,645 --> 00:14:25,821 which is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency. 196 00:14:28,590 --> 00:14:31,216 Innovators go through the finest schools 197 00:14:31,356 --> 00:14:34,191 and then are required to design things that wear out 198 00:14:34,331 --> 00:14:37,119 and break down right on schedule. 199 00:14:38,787 --> 00:14:42,982 This results in a tremendous waste of resources and energy. 200 00:14:45,462 --> 00:14:48,987 We are plundering the planet for profits. 201 00:14:52,203 --> 00:14:55,672 If you think about it, it isn't a job people want 202 00:14:55,812 --> 00:14:58,787 but access to what their paycheck will bring. 203 00:14:59,646 --> 00:15:02,276 Money does not represent anything real 204 00:15:02,416 --> 00:15:06,179 and there's no gold, silver or resource to back it up. 205 00:15:09,753 --> 00:15:12,528 You can't eat money or build a house of it. 206 00:15:12,794 --> 00:15:14,904 It is not even related to our real capacity 207 00:15:15,044 --> 00:15:18,244 to produce goods and services on this planet. 208 00:15:18,816 --> 00:15:22,629 The monetary system has been handed down from centuries ago 209 00:15:22,769 --> 00:15:26,016 and we continue to use it without questions. 210 00:15:26,900 --> 00:15:29,278 "Give me control of a nation's money 211 00:15:29,633 --> 00:15:33,750 and I care not who makes its laws." Mayer Rothschild 212 00:15:34,312 --> 00:15:37,354 This system will keep on installing more and more automation 213 00:15:37,494 --> 00:15:40,816 cutting down on the purchasing power of the majority of people. 214 00:15:40,956 --> 00:15:44,191 There will come a time (it's called the Gaussian curve) 215 00:15:44,331 --> 00:15:47,485 where employment is that, production is this 216 00:15:47,625 --> 00:15:50,999 and purchasing power is that. The system stops. 217 00:15:51,525 --> 00:15:53,610 Banks fail and nothing works anymore. 218 00:15:53,750 --> 00:15:56,522 We're moving in that direction very rapidly. 219 00:15:56,977 --> 00:16:01,887 - We have finally gotten to a place in 2011 220 00:16:02,027 --> 00:16:05,394 where it's becoming obvious that the machine has beaten the man. 221 00:16:05,534 --> 00:16:09,897 - We are incredibly productive with far fewer people. 222 00:16:10,037 --> 00:16:12,792 - We are more productive as an economy than ever before. 223 00:16:12,932 --> 00:16:16,079 - An iPad app can do more than four people. 224 00:16:16,219 --> 00:16:18,941 - It's just that there are fewer jobs. The jobs that do exist now 225 00:16:19,081 --> 00:16:21,403 can have lower wages because of obvious reasons: 226 00:16:21,543 --> 00:16:24,132 a lot of people are looking for a small number of jobs. 227 00:16:24,272 --> 00:16:26,941 The wages go down, that has huge impacts on the middle class 228 00:16:27,081 --> 00:16:28,754 and ripples out from there. 229 00:16:29,266 --> 00:16:31,432 We're moving towards social collapse. 230 00:16:31,572 --> 00:16:34,859 I think this is going to happen all over the world, not just here. 231 00:16:35,163 --> 00:16:37,681 It doesn't require the overthrow of the government. 232 00:16:37,821 --> 00:16:42,149 It just requires that you let it alone; it will overthrow itself. 233 00:16:42,289 --> 00:16:45,736 If you control the media, you can calm people down. 234 00:16:45,876 --> 00:16:50,134 But if the majority keeps getting laid off, they don't have purchasing power 235 00:16:50,274 --> 00:16:53,823 the system collapses. It doesn't work anymore; they invade. 236 00:16:53,963 --> 00:16:58,491 It's already happening, this country is already insoluble. 237 00:16:58,631 --> 00:17:01,324 They're going to have difficulty with national security 238 00:17:01,464 --> 00:17:03,579 paying pension people. 239 00:17:03,719 --> 00:17:07,116 They've spent far beyond what they already have. 240 00:17:07,256 --> 00:17:11,788 All they can do now is create debt, borrow more and more money from banks. 241 00:17:12,099 --> 00:17:14,981 We also want to show you a rather grim sign of our times 242 00:17:15,121 --> 00:17:17,389 it's not far from here in Midtown Manhattan. 243 00:17:17,529 --> 00:17:22,581 The national debt has grown too large for the National Debt Clock. 244 00:17:22,721 --> 00:17:24,514 It went up back in 1989 245 00:17:24,654 --> 00:17:27,934 when the nation's debt was less than 3 trillion dollars. 246 00:17:28,194 --> 00:17:33,149 The debt has been piling up so fast lately they had to drop the dollar sign 247 00:17:33,289 --> 00:17:36,729 to make room for an extra digit as the number turned over 248 00:17:36,869 --> 00:17:41,970 to more than ten trillion dollars now and counting every second. 249 00:17:42,164 --> 00:17:46,979 A whole new clock with two extra spaces will go up next year. 250 00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:50,838 The federal government is not allowed to print money. 251 00:17:50,978 --> 00:17:54,265 It's not allowed to lend money or get in the banking business. 252 00:17:54,405 --> 00:17:57,023 That is a privilege for bankers only. 253 00:17:57,163 --> 00:18:00,477 So what the government has to do if they want to build an air force 254 00:18:00,617 --> 00:18:02,298 say of 2000 planes a month 255 00:18:02,438 --> 00:18:06,163 they have to borrow money from a private lending institution 256 00:18:06,514 --> 00:18:09,987 sign the dotted line, and if the war is lost or failed 257 00:18:10,127 --> 00:18:13,796 the burden falls on the public to pay off that debt. 258 00:18:14,536 --> 00:18:19,025 "History records that the money changers have used every form of abuse 259 00:18:19,165 --> 00:18:22,415 intrigue, deceit, and violent means possible 260 00:18:22,555 --> 00:18:25,651 to maintain their control over government 261 00:18:25,791 --> 00:18:29,659 by controlling money and its issuance." James Madison 262 00:18:37,859 --> 00:18:40,642 (Narrator) We find ourselves and our social constructs 263 00:18:40,782 --> 00:18:44,958 in a transitional state, a matter of social evolution. 264 00:18:45,098 --> 00:18:47,776 If we want to make it through these turbulent times 265 00:18:47,916 --> 00:18:50,646 we must be able to adapt to change. 266 00:18:51,542 --> 00:18:55,855 All things change, including our social systems. 267 00:18:57,790 --> 00:18:59,615 Albert Einstein stated 268 00:19:00,136 --> 00:19:03,173 "We cannot solve problems by using the same kind of thinking 269 00:19:03,313 --> 00:19:06,015 we used when we created them." 270 00:19:09,679 --> 00:19:12,298 Earth is still abundant with resources. 271 00:19:12,438 --> 00:19:15,890 Our practice of rationing resources through monetary control 272 00:19:16,030 --> 00:19:21,568 is no longer relevant and is actually counterproductive to our very survival. 273 00:19:23,427 --> 00:19:26,887 Today we have highly advanced technologies 274 00:19:27,027 --> 00:19:29,039 but our social and economic system 275 00:19:29,179 --> 00:19:32,248 has not kept up with our technological capabilities 276 00:19:32,388 --> 00:19:36,192 which could otherwise easily create a world of abundance for all 277 00:19:36,332 --> 00:19:38,506 free of servitude and debt. 278 00:19:39,457 --> 00:19:41,362 How can this be possible? 279 00:19:42,881 --> 00:19:46,810 There is not enough money to feed or house all people on this planet 280 00:19:46,950 --> 00:19:50,018 let alone accomplish these more ambitious ends. 281 00:19:50,841 --> 00:19:55,375 But Earth has more than enough resources to meet the needs of all people 282 00:19:56,123 --> 00:19:59,051 but only if managed intelligently. 283 00:20:01,300 --> 00:20:04,775 A Social Alternative 284 00:20:09,004 --> 00:20:12,034 (Narrator) Jacque Fresco envisions a solution that he calls 285 00:20:12,174 --> 00:20:14,196 a Resource-Based Economy. 286 00:20:14,336 --> 00:20:17,792 It is a socio-economic system in which all goods and services 287 00:20:17,932 --> 00:20:21,759 are available to everyone without the use of money 288 00:20:21,899 --> 00:20:26,551 barter, credit, debt or servitude of any kind. 289 00:20:27,007 --> 00:20:30,828 It is unlike any social system that has gone before. 290 00:20:31,715 --> 00:20:34,712 Fresco arrived at this direction through 75 years of study 291 00:20:34,852 --> 00:20:37,664 and experimental research. 292 00:20:42,677 --> 00:20:48,029 A Resource-Based Economy operates on the basis of available resources 293 00:20:48,300 --> 00:20:52,367 and makes those resources available to every human being on earth 294 00:20:52,507 --> 00:20:55,318 free of charge, without a price tag. 295 00:20:55,458 --> 00:20:59,123 We have today more than enough resources 296 00:20:59,383 --> 00:21:02,291 to build a far more advanced society. 297 00:21:02,431 --> 00:21:06,803 I'm not talking about limited handouts so that people just get by. 298 00:21:06,943 --> 00:21:09,534 I'm talking about a very advanced civilization. 299 00:21:09,674 --> 00:21:14,339 We have the resources, we have the technology, all we have to do is apply it. 300 00:21:14,479 --> 00:21:17,351 (Roxanne Meadows) One of the main aspects of The Venus Project 301 00:21:17,491 --> 00:21:22,817 is to eliminate scarcity; this is where the technology comes into play. 302 00:21:22,957 --> 00:21:25,251 Because if we set up a Resource-Based Economy 303 00:21:25,391 --> 00:21:28,093 and some things are scarce, it won't work. 304 00:21:28,233 --> 00:21:30,466 If you set up a Resource-Based Economy 305 00:21:30,606 --> 00:21:34,183 in a society that has no resources, it won't work. 306 00:21:34,323 --> 00:21:38,009 Today with our technology we can make things available 307 00:21:38,149 --> 00:21:42,005 we can eliminate scarcity, we can create an abundance. 308 00:21:42,145 --> 00:21:46,669 As long as we can create that abundance, that will eliminate greed 309 00:21:46,809 --> 00:21:51,409 selfishness and a lot of crime and a lot of aberrant behavior. 310 00:21:53,353 --> 00:21:55,612 (Narrator) A social system can be designed 311 00:21:55,752 --> 00:21:58,401 so that all can live fully and constructively 312 00:21:58,541 --> 00:22:01,126 if the powers of science and technology are directed 313 00:22:01,266 --> 00:22:03,694 toward human and environmental concern 314 00:22:03,834 --> 00:22:09,145 and overcoming the artificial scarcities of our debt-based monetary systems. 315 00:22:10,900 --> 00:22:15,176 All people, regardless of political philosophy, social customs 316 00:22:15,316 --> 00:22:19,637 or religious differences ultimately depend upon the same resources: 317 00:22:20,139 --> 00:22:22,173 clean air and water 318 00:22:22,624 --> 00:22:24,289 arable land 319 00:22:24,828 --> 00:22:28,667 medical care and a relevant education. 320 00:22:30,430 --> 00:22:35,894 I think if you pledge allegiance to the Earth and everyone on it 321 00:22:36,034 --> 00:22:38,910 that'd be the way to go for the future. 322 00:22:39,050 --> 00:22:44,052 The human species is a single family and the world is home to everyone. 323 00:22:44,192 --> 00:22:48,733 Neither nations nor people can co-exist separately any longer. 324 00:22:49,305 --> 00:22:53,112 No more separate nations, so that anyone can go anywhere. 325 00:22:53,252 --> 00:22:57,969 Before the states joined together, they used to stake out their territory. 326 00:22:58,109 --> 00:23:01,039 They used to fight, they had militias. They would fight: 327 00:23:01,179 --> 00:23:04,169 "This is our territory!" "Oh no you're intruding!" 328 00:23:04,309 --> 00:23:06,832 When all the states joined together, the government 329 00:23:06,972 --> 00:23:10,139 worked out the lines of the states and they agreed. 330 00:23:10,279 --> 00:23:13,368 That was the end of territorial disputes. 331 00:23:13,508 --> 00:23:18,846 If you want the end of war, you must declare the Earth common heritage. 332 00:23:19,287 --> 00:23:26,932 We must declare Earth's resources common heritage for all the world's people. 333 00:23:28,301 --> 00:23:33,617 This has nothing to do with those who want to form an elite world order 334 00:23:33,757 --> 00:23:37,524 with themselves and large corporations in control 335 00:23:37,664 --> 00:23:40,994 and the rest of the world subservient to them. 336 00:23:41,134 --> 00:23:44,859 On the contrary, a global Resource-Based Economy 337 00:23:44,999 --> 00:23:48,523 enables all people to reach their highest potential 338 00:23:48,663 --> 00:23:53,296 where they can thrive and grow in a society that works in their behalf 339 00:23:53,878 --> 00:23:58,132 a society that protects and preserves the environment as well. 340 00:23:58,438 --> 00:24:03,613 One that understands that we are part of nature, not separate from it. 341 00:24:05,595 --> 00:24:09,128 Incentive 342 00:24:13,125 --> 00:24:16,342 (Narrator) Some question what would happen to incentive if needs were met 343 00:24:16,482 --> 00:24:19,157 without our having to work to attain them. 344 00:24:19,297 --> 00:24:23,399 The question assumes humans have no desires beyond basic needs. 345 00:24:23,539 --> 00:24:27,124 If that were true, there would be no inventors 346 00:24:27,945 --> 00:24:30,227 writers or teachers. 347 00:24:30,517 --> 00:24:34,463 People work with passion on the things that interest and challenge them. 348 00:24:34,603 --> 00:24:37,046 Let's enable all people to have the opportunity 349 00:24:37,186 --> 00:24:40,059 to partake in the greatest challenge one can have: 350 00:24:40,199 --> 00:24:43,012 improving our world for everyone. 351 00:24:44,912 --> 00:24:48,993 Individuality will be emphasized rather than uniformity. 352 00:24:49,502 --> 00:24:52,829 This social arrangement will generate a new incentive system 353 00:24:52,969 --> 00:24:56,576 that values the protection of the environment and social concern 354 00:24:56,716 --> 00:24:59,097 rather than the shallow self-centered goals 355 00:24:59,237 --> 00:25:02,019 of wealth, property and power. 356 00:25:03,085 --> 00:25:08,554 It does not call for uniformity. It absolutely calls for diversity: 357 00:25:08,694 --> 00:25:12,324 the more diverse people are, the more individuality. 358 00:25:12,464 --> 00:25:17,689 So we emphasize individuality, creativity and innovativeness. 359 00:25:17,829 --> 00:25:20,469 This is the essence of the design. 360 00:25:20,609 --> 00:25:23,940 It is not a group of scientists telling people what to do 361 00:25:24,080 --> 00:25:26,712 how to live, where to go, what to follow. 362 00:25:27,864 --> 00:25:32,265 Motivation and incentive exist when people have meaningful tasks. 363 00:25:32,405 --> 00:25:36,095 True growth and development occur when people are involved in creative 364 00:25:36,235 --> 00:25:38,667 challenging and constructive endeavors. 365 00:25:39,278 --> 00:25:42,865 However, motivation and incentive die in the daily grind 366 00:25:43,005 --> 00:25:46,710 of boring and repetitive jobs required to earn a paycheck. 367 00:25:48,363 --> 00:25:50,593 If you hand out things to people 368 00:25:50,733 --> 00:25:53,241 if you fed them, clothed them and housed them for free 369 00:25:53,381 --> 00:25:56,180 they're not going to work in the morning because they don't need it. 370 00:25:56,320 --> 00:25:59,605 They've got their housing, clothing, motion pictures and entertainment. 371 00:25:59,745 --> 00:26:04,556 Why go to work? Work is painful, it's monotonous, it's boring. 372 00:26:05,065 --> 00:26:09,527 In the future, if people have access to all their needs 373 00:26:10,234 --> 00:26:13,855 but they don't have any challenges, this is where it goes to pot. 374 00:26:14,165 --> 00:26:17,946 So people constantly [will be] challenged by new things. 375 00:26:18,086 --> 00:26:22,762 In our schools we challenge them with many things that are not solved 376 00:26:22,902 --> 00:26:25,016 and there are many unresolved problems. 377 00:26:25,156 --> 00:26:29,221 If you are well fed and well clothed, that doesn't stop your brain from working. 378 00:26:29,361 --> 00:26:32,577 That would mean that every millionaire does nothing, it's turned off 379 00:26:32,717 --> 00:26:35,073 because you've got all the means. That's not true. 380 00:26:35,213 --> 00:26:37,917 There are many millionaires that work 18 hours a day 381 00:26:38,057 --> 00:26:41,424 and don't have enough time. It has to do with your background 382 00:26:41,564 --> 00:26:45,826 and your education. The more you know about oceanography, astronomy, etc. 383 00:26:45,966 --> 00:26:48,193 the more interested, the more alive you are. 384 00:26:48,333 --> 00:26:51,601 If you're just given food, clothing and shelter, now you can go to work. 385 00:26:51,741 --> 00:26:53,744 You don't have to worry about making a living 386 00:26:53,884 --> 00:26:56,776 and your incentive would be boosted considerably. 387 00:26:56,916 --> 00:27:00,793 I call that a new and innovative incentive system. 388 00:27:00,933 --> 00:27:05,159 Not monetary oriented, it's problem-solving oriented. 389 00:27:05,299 --> 00:27:09,533 You get your kicks out of seeing the world become a better place. 390 00:27:11,002 --> 00:27:14,785 The Intelligent Management of the Earth's Resources 391 00:27:18,316 --> 00:27:21,318 How can we use our technology wisely 392 00:27:21,706 --> 00:27:25,219 so that there is more than enough for everyone? 393 00:27:25,950 --> 00:27:28,892 To achieve this, it's mandatory that the planning for it 394 00:27:29,032 --> 00:27:33,895 be based on the carrying capacity of the planet's resources. 395 00:27:35,692 --> 00:27:38,313 Our entire infrastructure must be redesigned 396 00:27:38,453 --> 00:27:42,075 and operated as coherent, integrated, total systems. 397 00:27:42,448 --> 00:27:46,371 This means we must consider our entire global community as one unit 398 00:27:46,511 --> 00:27:49,746 that includes everyone and plan accordingly. 399 00:27:49,886 --> 00:27:54,475 Only in this way can we use our technology to overcome resource shortages 400 00:27:54,615 --> 00:27:58,678 provide universal abundance and protect the environment. 401 00:28:01,307 --> 00:28:06,081 Therefore, a global survey is first needed to assess exactly what we have. 402 00:28:06,221 --> 00:28:10,017 This would inventory our physical resources, personnel 403 00:28:10,157 --> 00:28:13,932 production centers and the needs of people. 404 00:28:14,368 --> 00:28:18,477 This enables us to determine the amount of goods and services needed. 405 00:28:18,781 --> 00:28:22,285 For instance, where is the arable land to grow crops? 406 00:28:22,425 --> 00:28:24,874 How many people are in various locations 407 00:28:25,014 --> 00:28:27,376 and what is the state of their health? 408 00:28:27,516 --> 00:28:31,389 This would determine where hospitals are built and how many. 409 00:28:33,529 --> 00:28:35,876 If you try to do that today 410 00:28:36,016 --> 00:28:40,399 (ask for a global resource survey of all nations), they'd wonder 411 00:28:40,539 --> 00:28:43,524 "What are you trying to do that for? To find if we've got enough resources 412 00:28:43,664 --> 00:28:45,944 to fight you in armaments and other things?" 413 00:28:46,084 --> 00:28:49,964 They would be skeptical, hesitant to give that information 414 00:28:50,104 --> 00:28:53,638 so I would say it wouldn't work in today's culture. 415 00:28:53,778 --> 00:28:57,704 But after the ideas are put forth and the reason for it 416 00:28:57,844 --> 00:29:00,380 and the advantages gained by all the nations... 417 00:29:00,520 --> 00:29:02,757 It would have to be specific advantages 418 00:29:02,897 --> 00:29:06,151 that they can understand in their terms. 419 00:29:06,291 --> 00:29:10,420 If they agree, then the survey would be conducted. 420 00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:14,596 It's not my opinion or the opinion of anyone else that would be used. 421 00:29:14,736 --> 00:29:18,755 It's the size of the population, the availability of resources 422 00:29:18,895 --> 00:29:21,760 the carrying capacity of the Earth, that determines 423 00:29:21,900 --> 00:29:24,858 what is done and how fast things move. 424 00:29:24,998 --> 00:29:28,005 Today it's done on a totally different basis 425 00:29:28,145 --> 00:29:31,215 but in the future it will all be based on 426 00:29:31,355 --> 00:29:33,795 a form of dynamic equilibrium. 427 00:29:33,935 --> 00:29:38,241 That means operating everything at the highest potential 428 00:29:38,381 --> 00:29:41,095 without environmental neglect. 429 00:29:43,117 --> 00:29:46,914 (Narrator) The key to achieving abundance and a high standard of living for all 430 00:29:47,210 --> 00:29:51,225 is to automate as much as possible in the shortest period of time. 431 00:29:52,747 --> 00:29:57,030 But during the transition, we have to bring together 432 00:29:57,170 --> 00:30:02,317 the technological capabilities of people working with computers 433 00:30:02,457 --> 00:30:04,482 working with technology 434 00:30:05,601 --> 00:30:10,437 building and designing methods of delivering these resources 435 00:30:10,577 --> 00:30:15,294 and the necessary industrial plants to process the resources. 436 00:30:16,686 --> 00:30:21,048 (Narrator) Our problems and their solutions are technical, not political. 437 00:30:21,188 --> 00:30:24,779 Most problems can be solved when technology and the methods of science 438 00:30:24,919 --> 00:30:29,486 are used to serve all people, not just a select few. 439 00:30:29,955 --> 00:30:32,026 What is it that you want? You have to ask yourself. 440 00:30:32,166 --> 00:30:34,652 I want to live in a world where I don't have to fear 441 00:30:34,792 --> 00:30:37,879 that my children will go into another war 442 00:30:38,019 --> 00:30:41,781 where there will be deprivation, problems or disease. 443 00:30:41,921 --> 00:30:44,379 "Do you know how to build that kind of world?" "No I don't." 444 00:30:44,519 --> 00:30:48,814 How do you go about building? You call upon the various divisions of science 445 00:30:48,954 --> 00:30:52,484 bring them together and say "These are the problems we'd like to solve." 446 00:30:52,935 --> 00:30:57,537 A scientific government doesn't mean that scientists rule or control people. 447 00:30:57,677 --> 00:31:01,911 It means they have better means for building transportation systems 448 00:31:02,051 --> 00:31:05,041 better means for cleaning the air, they have the best means 449 00:31:05,181 --> 00:31:08,649 for restoring the oceans that we know of to this day. 450 00:31:12,535 --> 00:31:14,842 (Narrator) Computers can serve the needs of everyone 451 00:31:14,982 --> 00:31:18,020 when cybernation is ultimately integrated into all aspects 452 00:31:18,160 --> 00:31:20,868 of this new and dynamic culture. 453 00:31:22,220 --> 00:31:25,102 One can think of this as an electronic nervous system 454 00:31:25,242 --> 00:31:28,544 extending into all areas of the social complex. 455 00:31:30,050 --> 00:31:32,315 Their function would be to coordinate a balance 456 00:31:32,455 --> 00:31:34,598 between production and distribution 457 00:31:34,738 --> 00:31:38,052 assuring there are no shortages or overruns. 458 00:31:39,163 --> 00:31:41,174 (Roxanne Meadows) In this highly technical society 459 00:31:41,314 --> 00:31:44,268 decisions are based on direct environmental 460 00:31:44,408 --> 00:31:46,974 human and industrial feedback. 461 00:31:47,114 --> 00:31:49,684 You can think of this as electrical sensors 462 00:31:49,824 --> 00:31:51,936 throughout the entire environment 463 00:31:52,076 --> 00:31:54,669 from cities, factories, warehouses 464 00:31:54,809 --> 00:31:58,189 distribution centers, transportation networks 465 00:31:58,329 --> 00:32:02,865 all over the globe gathering data for more appropriate decisions. 466 00:32:03,005 --> 00:32:06,329 The decisions are based on the needs of society 467 00:32:06,469 --> 00:32:10,121 rather than corporate or private interests. 468 00:32:11,101 --> 00:32:15,117 (Narrator) It is not automated technology or machines we should be wary of 469 00:32:15,257 --> 00:32:19,761 but the abuse and misuse of technology by selfish interests. 470 00:32:19,901 --> 00:32:24,383 Remember, it is people who decide what ends the machines will serve. 471 00:32:25,096 --> 00:32:27,437 If technology does not liberate all people 472 00:32:27,577 --> 00:32:30,645 for the pursuit of higher aspirations in human achievement 473 00:32:30,785 --> 00:32:34,927 then all its technological potential will be meaningless. 474 00:32:35,067 --> 00:32:38,340 You always do a positive and negative study 475 00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:43,139 before you engage in the actual reconstruction of an environment. 476 00:32:45,214 --> 00:32:48,475 Designing the Future 477 00:32:51,356 --> 00:32:54,501 (Narrator) It's all just talk unless there is a technical plan 478 00:32:54,641 --> 00:32:58,520 to organize and use resources to accomplish abundance. 479 00:33:00,928 --> 00:33:04,341 What follows are some of the many approaches The Venus Project provides 480 00:33:04,481 --> 00:33:07,111 for the entire social spectrum. 481 00:33:13,507 --> 00:33:17,741 Today, more than half our population lives in cities that are polluted 482 00:33:17,881 --> 00:33:20,868 dangerous and waste energy. 483 00:33:21,768 --> 00:33:24,737 What we have to do is design a city as a living system 484 00:33:24,877 --> 00:33:26,981 as an organism, as a university 485 00:33:27,121 --> 00:33:30,656 that all the cities of the future will be university cities 486 00:33:30,796 --> 00:33:33,514 that grow, that continue to exchange ideas. 487 00:33:33,654 --> 00:33:36,054 The city will have a built-in transportation system 488 00:33:36,194 --> 00:33:37,934 so there are no accidents 489 00:33:38,074 --> 00:33:41,082 and no unthought out areas of technology. 490 00:33:41,222 --> 00:33:45,978 Medicine, botany, agriculture, the total system: one planning system. 491 00:33:48,353 --> 00:33:51,690 (Narrator) It is actually better to build newer cities from the ground up 492 00:33:51,830 --> 00:33:54,690 than to restore and maintain old ones. 493 00:33:57,055 --> 00:34:00,672 Fresco uses a systems approach to designing new cities. 494 00:34:00,943 --> 00:34:04,538 They're desirable and pleasant places to live. 495 00:34:06,526 --> 00:34:08,913 The notion that intelligent overall planning 496 00:34:09,053 --> 00:34:11,989 implies mass uniformity is absurd. 497 00:34:12,129 --> 00:34:14,349 Cities would be uniform only to the degree 498 00:34:14,489 --> 00:34:18,712 that they would require far less materials, save time and energy 499 00:34:19,176 --> 00:34:22,303 and be flexible enough to allow for innovative changes 500 00:34:22,443 --> 00:34:25,226 while preserving the local ecology. 501 00:34:27,558 --> 00:34:31,745 If we design our cities to meet human needs 502 00:34:31,885 --> 00:34:35,827 you don't have most of the problems that are prevalent today. 503 00:34:36,991 --> 00:34:40,025 In the central dome you have childcare 504 00:34:40,165 --> 00:34:43,740 schools, dental care, medical care. 505 00:34:44,259 --> 00:34:47,177 In the production and design of the cities 506 00:34:47,317 --> 00:34:52,579 we work out 1/8th of the city system and then we reproduce it 507 00:34:52,719 --> 00:34:57,890 instead of having architects design each building and each structure 508 00:34:58,030 --> 00:35:01,621 which is a tremendous waste of energy and talent. 509 00:35:05,493 --> 00:35:09,047 (Narrator) When working on solving the housing problem for all the world's people 510 00:35:09,187 --> 00:35:13,659 construction techniques would be vastly different from those employed today. 511 00:35:14,634 --> 00:35:17,803 Extruded and self-erecting structures could revolutionize 512 00:35:17,943 --> 00:35:20,882 and speed up construction processes. 513 00:35:21,532 --> 00:35:25,851 These lightweight, durable apartments could be produced as continuous extrusions 514 00:35:26,219 --> 00:35:30,719 and then separated and positioned in place by the mega machines. 515 00:35:31,276 --> 00:35:35,294 The outer shells of these efficient structures serve as photovoltaic generators 516 00:35:35,434 --> 00:35:38,181 and heat concentrators. 517 00:35:39,535 --> 00:35:42,080 You don't own anything in this society. 518 00:35:42,220 --> 00:35:44,895 Really people don't want money; 519 00:35:45,035 --> 00:35:48,337 they want access to things when they want it. 520 00:35:48,477 --> 00:35:53,391 People in a society of abundance, having access to things 521 00:35:53,531 --> 00:35:58,034 will really no longer begin to store and accumulate things. 522 00:35:58,174 --> 00:36:01,361 We recycle it, update it and make it better. 523 00:36:01,501 --> 00:36:04,154 Take the same materials of an old car; 524 00:36:04,294 --> 00:36:08,178 [they] weigh just as much as a new car, so there are no old cars. 525 00:36:08,488 --> 00:36:10,543 Old cars mean danger. 526 00:36:10,683 --> 00:36:15,502 If you drive a very expensive car and somebody else drives a beat-up old car 527 00:36:15,642 --> 00:36:18,464 if their brakes fail, you may die. 528 00:36:18,604 --> 00:36:20,942 We don't want any old cars on the highway; 529 00:36:21,082 --> 00:36:23,266 we don't want anything that breaks down. 530 00:36:23,406 --> 00:36:26,410 We don't want anything that takes looking after. 531 00:36:27,492 --> 00:36:29,566 (Narrator) In a Resource-Based Economy 532 00:36:29,706 --> 00:36:32,764 people may access whatever products they need without the burden 533 00:36:32,904 --> 00:36:36,905 of having to purchase, maintain or insure their possessions. 534 00:36:37,681 --> 00:36:40,789 In this way, there is much more to go around for everyone 535 00:36:40,929 --> 00:36:44,101 and products are always available when needed. 536 00:36:44,353 --> 00:36:49,988 Anything people may need is available in these outside access domes: 537 00:36:51,248 --> 00:36:54,718 sculpturing materials, musical instruments, 538 00:36:55,434 --> 00:36:57,541 somewhat like the public library. 539 00:36:57,681 --> 00:37:02,200 They can go down and access a camera, a bicycle or a wristwatch. 540 00:37:02,340 --> 00:37:07,289 Anything they need is available without a price tag. 541 00:37:07,429 --> 00:37:13,112 That would mean we must achieve a level of production that's so high 542 00:37:13,252 --> 00:37:15,719 that scarcity no longer exists. 543 00:37:16,273 --> 00:37:19,612 That will prevent almost all crime. 544 00:37:20,567 --> 00:37:24,744 There is no way of segmenting or making this system just or equitable. 545 00:37:24,884 --> 00:37:28,569 We have to make a system that assures human rights. 546 00:37:28,709 --> 00:37:31,439 When everybody has free access to goods and services 547 00:37:31,579 --> 00:37:34,617 you don't have to fight for women's rights, or black rights. 548 00:37:34,757 --> 00:37:37,495 It's an automatic in a society that is set up that way. 549 00:37:37,635 --> 00:37:39,859 You don't have to make laws [like] 'Don't steal'; 550 00:37:39,999 --> 00:37:42,166 it would bypass that behavior. 551 00:37:44,271 --> 00:37:48,480 Surrounding the central dome, you have the research centers 552 00:37:48,620 --> 00:37:51,772 centers that do work that's relevant 553 00:37:51,912 --> 00:37:55,361 to the sustainability of the entire community. 554 00:37:55,662 --> 00:37:58,188 As we move away from the research centers 555 00:37:58,618 --> 00:38:01,451 we come to the recreational area 556 00:38:01,591 --> 00:38:06,165 which has tennis courts and all of the games that people require. 557 00:38:11,571 --> 00:38:15,289 As we move away from that we come to the residential district; 558 00:38:15,429 --> 00:38:20,239 there are streams, waterfalls, lakes throughout the area. 559 00:38:27,138 --> 00:38:30,323 (Narrator) We could provide a wide range of unique homes and apartments 560 00:38:30,463 --> 00:38:34,211 that can be relatively maintenance free, fireproof 561 00:38:34,351 --> 00:38:37,711 and virtually impervious to adverse weather conditions. 562 00:38:43,412 --> 00:38:47,070 As we move to the next sector, we come to apartments. 563 00:38:47,423 --> 00:38:50,298 The reason some people want to live in apartments 564 00:38:50,438 --> 00:38:54,309 is because you have drama groups, you have gymnasiums 565 00:38:54,449 --> 00:38:59,244 medical care, dental care; everything is built-in to the central towers. 566 00:38:59,564 --> 00:39:04,235 I feel that in the future, people will move away from individual houses 567 00:39:04,375 --> 00:39:06,684 and live in larger complexes. 568 00:39:08,478 --> 00:39:13,152 As we move outward we come to the indoor agriculture 569 00:39:13,292 --> 00:39:15,264 or hydroponic farms. 570 00:39:15,404 --> 00:39:18,702 Then there is also outdoor agriculture. 571 00:39:21,995 --> 00:39:24,622 (Narrator) The city would use the best of clean technology 572 00:39:24,762 --> 00:39:29,828 in harmony with nature, such as wind, solar, geothermal 573 00:39:29,968 --> 00:39:35,369 heat concentrators, piezoelectric, wave, temperature differentials 574 00:39:35,509 --> 00:39:37,932 ocean thermal vents and much more. 575 00:39:39,600 --> 00:39:42,448 A major development for generating energy in the future 576 00:39:42,588 --> 00:39:46,876 could be the construction of a land bridge or tunnel across the Bering Strait. 577 00:39:50,703 --> 00:39:53,888 These underwater structures convert a portion of the ocean currents 578 00:39:54,028 --> 00:39:57,641 through turbines to generate clean sources of power. 579 00:39:58,357 --> 00:40:02,034 By using these sources of energy we could power the earth on clean energy 580 00:40:02,174 --> 00:40:05,554 and enable all people to enjoy a very high standard of living 581 00:40:05,694 --> 00:40:07,780 for thousands of years to come. 582 00:40:08,363 --> 00:40:12,838 There is no need for the use of polluting hydrocarbons any longer. 583 00:40:12,978 --> 00:40:16,068 Pollution will be a thing of the past. 584 00:40:17,874 --> 00:40:20,160 All transportation will be integrated 585 00:40:20,300 --> 00:40:22,844 into a worldwide transportation system. 586 00:40:23,964 --> 00:40:27,425 Transportation within cities will be by transveyors. 587 00:40:31,417 --> 00:40:34,570 City-to-city travel will be by monorail. 588 00:40:40,301 --> 00:40:43,813 Maglev trains are utilized for long distance travel. 589 00:40:44,929 --> 00:40:47,806 To enhance efficiency, this high-speed maglev train 590 00:40:47,946 --> 00:40:50,065 is equipped with removable sections 591 00:40:50,205 --> 00:40:53,052 which can be disengaged while the train is in motion. 592 00:40:54,869 --> 00:40:58,861 Aircraft will display a wide range of configurations. 593 00:41:00,160 --> 00:41:03,647 These VTOL aircraft (or Vertical Takeoff and Landing) 594 00:41:03,787 --> 00:41:06,717 are used to transport passengers and freight. 595 00:41:07,003 --> 00:41:10,113 The priority is safety rather than saving money 596 00:41:10,253 --> 00:41:12,394 or dealing with the lowest bidder. 597 00:41:14,217 --> 00:41:17,161 This modular freighter consists of detachable sections 598 00:41:17,301 --> 00:41:20,170 that can be rapidly loaded or unloaded. 599 00:41:20,795 --> 00:41:22,901 The number of sections varies depending 600 00:41:23,041 --> 00:41:25,532 on the amount of freight to be delivered. 601 00:41:25,672 --> 00:41:30,121 When all the sections are connected they can be propelled as a single unit. 602 00:41:31,269 --> 00:41:33,550 Ships can be floating manufacturing plants 603 00:41:33,690 --> 00:41:37,285 that produce products while en route to their destinations. 604 00:41:37,780 --> 00:41:40,457 They can also serve as education centers 605 00:41:40,597 --> 00:41:45,291 where children and adults travel worldwide obtaining innovative education 606 00:41:45,431 --> 00:41:48,585 not through vicarious study, but through experiencing 607 00:41:48,725 --> 00:41:52,286 and interacting with the 'real-world' environment. 608 00:41:54,547 --> 00:41:57,588 A national transportation system would include a network 609 00:41:57,728 --> 00:42:01,180 of waterways, canals and irrigation systems. 610 00:42:03,017 --> 00:42:05,863 They could serve to minimize the threat of floods and droughts 611 00:42:06,003 --> 00:42:10,129 while allowing for the migration of fish, provide natural firebreaks 612 00:42:10,269 --> 00:42:14,706 emergency water sources, fish farms and recreation areas. 613 00:42:16,337 --> 00:42:19,314 (Roxanne Meadows) When we unleash science and technology 614 00:42:19,454 --> 00:42:21,712 directly into the social system 615 00:42:21,852 --> 00:42:26,616 without the restrictions of the market place, finances or patents 616 00:42:26,756 --> 00:42:29,402 we could achieve a very high standard of living 617 00:42:29,542 --> 00:42:32,281 within a very short period of time. 618 00:42:32,596 --> 00:42:35,438 This society would continuously improve 619 00:42:35,578 --> 00:42:40,488 changing rapidly through new technologies, inventions and ideas. 620 00:42:40,920 --> 00:42:43,084 It would be an emergent society 621 00:42:43,224 --> 00:42:46,462 rather than an established one like we have today. 622 00:42:50,099 --> 00:42:53,769 (Narrator) Imagine living in an extraordinary oceanic city 623 00:42:53,909 --> 00:42:56,054 helping to restore the ocean environment 624 00:42:56,194 --> 00:42:59,264 while eliminating land-based population pressures. 625 00:43:04,653 --> 00:43:08,866 These cities in the sea may serve as universities and research centers 626 00:43:09,006 --> 00:43:11,684 where students study marine sciences. 627 00:43:14,417 --> 00:43:18,689 They could be used for ocean farming, mariculture and mining 628 00:43:18,829 --> 00:43:22,997 while maintaining a dynamic balance in the oceanographic environment. 629 00:43:24,892 --> 00:43:27,935 Self-sufficient cities in the sea vary in design 630 00:43:28,075 --> 00:43:31,455 depending on their location and function. 631 00:43:33,067 --> 00:43:35,983 This undersea observation station permits people 632 00:43:36,123 --> 00:43:38,940 to view marine life in its natural habitat. 633 00:43:41,122 --> 00:43:43,701 These mariculture and sea-farming systems 634 00:43:43,841 --> 00:43:47,461 cultivate and raise fish along with other forms of marine life 635 00:43:47,601 --> 00:43:50,978 to help meet the nutritional needs of the world's people. 636 00:43:52,065 --> 00:43:56,222 These structures would permit the free flow of water throughout. 637 00:43:59,208 --> 00:44:03,252 Using technology in this way would make it possible for a global society 638 00:44:03,392 --> 00:44:07,730 to achieve social advancement and worldwide reconstruction 639 00:44:07,870 --> 00:44:10,471 in the shortest time possible. 640 00:44:10,995 --> 00:44:16,149 Utopia, if it's ever established, will die, will stagnate 641 00:44:16,573 --> 00:44:20,337 whereas what I'm talking about is an evolving culture 642 00:44:20,642 --> 00:44:22,551 or an emergent culture. 643 00:44:22,691 --> 00:44:26,517 I have no notions of a perfect society. I don't know what that means. 644 00:44:26,657 --> 00:44:29,548 I know we can do much better than what we've got. 645 00:44:29,688 --> 00:44:32,690 I'm no Utopian. I'm not a... a humanist 646 00:44:32,830 --> 00:44:35,881 that would like to see everybody living in warmth and harmony. 647 00:44:36,021 --> 00:44:38,803 [But] I know that if we don't live that way we'll kill each other 648 00:44:38,943 --> 00:44:40,794 and destroy the Earth. 649 00:44:41,650 --> 00:44:44,908 (Narrator) This new lifestyle, while providing leisure and recreation 650 00:44:45,048 --> 00:44:48,543 would also enhance knowledge and creativity for everyone. 651 00:44:49,233 --> 00:44:53,265 The measure of success would be the fulfillment of one's personal interests 652 00:44:53,405 --> 00:44:57,859 rather than the acquisition of wealth and self-centered goals. 653 00:44:59,827 --> 00:45:03,027 A Resource-Based Economy would not only change our environment 654 00:45:03,167 --> 00:45:06,058 to make it clean, efficient and enjoyable 655 00:45:06,565 --> 00:45:08,749 but it would introduce a new value system 656 00:45:08,889 --> 00:45:13,008 appropriate to the direction and aims of the new innovative approach. 657 00:45:13,955 --> 00:45:16,300 With education and resources made available 658 00:45:16,440 --> 00:45:19,544 there would be no limit to the human potential. 659 00:45:19,684 --> 00:45:21,790 Everyone will have the freedom to pursue 660 00:45:21,930 --> 00:45:25,340 whatever constructive field of endeavor he or she chooses 661 00:45:25,480 --> 00:45:28,907 without the economic limitations that we face today. 662 00:45:32,849 --> 00:45:36,789 We are now at a time when decisions must be made 663 00:45:36,929 --> 00:45:40,843 if we wish to evolve from our present culture of scarcity 664 00:45:41,206 --> 00:45:44,719 waste and environmental destruction 665 00:45:45,947 --> 00:45:51,111 to a sustainable society of ecological concern and abundance. 666 00:45:51,926 --> 00:45:55,251 A nation without a vision of what the future can be 667 00:45:55,505 --> 00:45:57,487 is bound to repeat past errors 668 00:45:57,906 --> 00:46:01,851 over and over again. 669 00:46:04,811 --> 00:46:07,066 We say dishonestly 670 00:46:07,206 --> 00:46:11,047 that man is the highest form of evolution which [is what] you get in schools. 671 00:46:11,187 --> 00:46:16,586 Man destroys the oceans, the fish, the atmosphere and one another. 672 00:46:16,881 --> 00:46:20,011 Man flies over a city, presses a button 673 00:46:20,151 --> 00:46:23,009 and burns everybody in the city with nuclear weapons. 674 00:46:23,149 --> 00:46:26,253 Is he the highest creation of nature? Not yet! 675 00:46:26,718 --> 00:46:29,843 in my opinion. We've got a long way to go. 676 00:46:29,983 --> 00:46:33,693 We could either develop paradise on Earth or oblivion; 677 00:46:33,833 --> 00:46:37,465 wipe ourselves out, only the future will tell. 678 00:46:37,605 --> 00:46:39,671 It's what you do to make the future. 679 00:46:43,242 --> 00:46:48,375 (Narrator) We can create a world where war and want are distant memories. 680 00:46:49,131 --> 00:46:52,458 When all of science and technology are used 681 00:46:52,598 --> 00:46:55,566 within a global resource-based economy 682 00:46:55,706 --> 00:46:59,536 for the protection of the environment and the well-being of all 683 00:47:00,443 --> 00:47:03,273 only then will we understand 684 00:47:03,413 --> 00:47:07,669 what it means to be truly civilized. 685 00:47:16,444 --> 00:47:18,570 Be a part of the growing community of people 686 00:47:18,710 --> 00:47:22,826 working toward making the aims of The Venus Project a reality. 687 00:47:22,966 --> 00:47:26,306 Join us in our efforts to bring this vision of a positive future 688 00:47:26,446 --> 00:47:30,757 to a wider audience through the goal of a major motion picture. 689 00:47:31,903 --> 00:47:35,052 All of these things can be built with what we know today. 690 00:47:35,192 --> 00:47:38,111 It would take 10 years to change the surface of the Earth 691 00:47:38,251 --> 00:47:40,906 to rebuild the world into a second Garden of Eden. 692 00:47:41,046 --> 00:47:44,872 The choice lies with you. The stupidity of a nuclear arms race 693 00:47:45,012 --> 00:47:48,685 the development of weapons, trying to solve your problems politically 694 00:47:48,825 --> 00:47:51,811 by electing this political party or that political party 695 00:47:51,951 --> 00:47:54,504 all politics are immersed in corruption. 696 00:47:54,644 --> 00:47:57,476 Let me say it again: Communism, Socialism 697 00:47:57,616 --> 00:47:59,980 Fascism, the Democrats, the Liberals. 698 00:48:00,120 --> 00:48:04,529 There are no Negro problems, Polish problems or Jewish problems 699 00:48:04,669 --> 00:48:08,059 or Greek problems or women's problems. They're human problems!