Synopsis
Our mission at OPENSOURCELIVING FOUNDATION is to serve the general public by improving the quality of the basic human needs related to a healthy and happy life through sustainable and
autonomous methods. These basic human rights are defined by the International Covenant on
Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights ( ICESCR )
Mission Statement
It is the mission, duty and purpose of the FOUNDATION to address, educate, coordinate, and
provide assistance and support to individuals and organizations seeking to live sustainably and
autonomously regardless of geographical position. It is our duty to be available when we are
capable to provide resources to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the
world and we intend to accomplish this by helping facilitate the development of self-sustainable
communities. The foundation supports all autonomous living initiatives around the world.
The exempt purpose of the FOUNDATION is to serve the general public by improving the
quality of the basic human needs related to a healthy and happy life through sustainable and
autonomous methods. These basic human rights are defined by the International Covenant on
Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights ( ICESCR ) Our work is critical to reversing the
resource-depleting imbalance caused by an ever-rising global population. As inequality gaps
increase, so does dependency upon third parties for life-sustaining goods and services.
Numerous studies have shown that the most basic of human rights, access to adequate food,
remains a major problem to this day, and even in the United States. People do not have regular,
permanent and unrestricted access, either directly or by means of financial purchases, to
quantitatively and qualitatively adequate and sufficient food. Low-income neighborhoods
frequently lack full-service grocery stores and farmers’ markets where residents can buy a
variety of high-quality fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products (Beaulac et
al., 2009; Larson et al., 2009; Bell et al., 2013). The USDA reported that, “vehicle access is
perhaps the most important determinant of whether or not a family can access affordable and
nutritious food” (Ver Ploeg et al., 2009). Households with fewer resources (e.g., SNAP
households, WIC households, food insecure households) are considerably less likely to have and
use their own vehicle for their regular food shopping than those households with more resources
(Ver Ploeg et al., 2015). The third parties in place that they rely on are not showing great results.
When available, healthy food may be more expensive in terms of the monetary cost as well as
(for perishable items) the potential for waste. The FOUNDATION seeks to educate and assist on
food growing and access to growers.
The importance of addressing the food issue starts with how food is grown, and according to a
multitude of studies the current methods are not only failing dismally, but are dangerously
unsustainable. According to Global Change Research Program, climate disruptions to
agricultural production have increased in the past 40 years and are projected to increase over the
next 25 years. By mid-century and beyond, these impacts will be increasingly negative on most
crops and livestock. (2014 National Climate Assessment). It is the FOUNDATION’s belief that
this global problem can start to be solved by bringing sustainable growing programs into our
local communities.
Utilizing current eco-friendly energy technologies and growing methods available is also an
important part of our practices. Citi GPS: Global Perspectives & Solutions August 2015 Report
Global states that based on Warming Potential Global Warming Potential (GWP) calculations, 1
tonne of methane is approximately 28-34 times more effective at warming the atmosphere than
carbon dioxide, whilst one tonne of nitrous oxide is 265-298 times more effective at warming the
atmosphere than carbon dioxide. However carbon dioxide is the largest anthropogenic
greenhouse gas (~76% in 2010) and remains in the atmosphere for a very long time, whilst
methane (~16% in 2010) and nitrous oxide (~6% in 2010) emitted today will remain in the
atmosphere for a decade and 100 years respectively.We seek to improve these numbers and any
growing we do at the FOUNDATION’s sites and through affiliated growers will be using the
most effective methods that minimize greenhouse gas emissions.
