Slavonice, Czech Republic, our European base

Telluride, Colorado, USA, our North American base

The Center for the Future's mission is to improve both the human condition and the health of the planet by bringing together the multidisciplinary skills of artists, scientists, business people, scholars, educators, entrepreneurs, educators, activists, organizers, politicians and community leaders to bridge the gap between ideas and action, and speed the transition to a sustainable future.

our goals
1 Closing the "Sustainability Application Gap"
The modern idea of sustainability is only just over 20 years old, but in that time it has spread all around our planet and been adopted by all types of societies, from the aboriginal corners of the third world to the cutting edge laboratories of the information age. Unfortunately the advanced thinking and technologies of sustainability are not in general reaching the many decision makers in business and government who could be applying sustainability thinking today, and who are philosophically inclined to do so. We call this the Sustainability Application Gap. Closing this gap is the most direct action that can be taken right now to speed the transition to a sustainable future. This educational task is where our main effort is focused. Our European base, in Slavonice, in the Czech Republic, is right at the center of the new Europe. Decision makers in business and government, university students, and educators from all across Europe will come here for short, hands-on, immersion courses on how to apply sustainability thinking. After they leave, our researchers and librarians will remain available to support their efforts.

2  Environmental Stewardship Education
For the first time in history the majority of humans live in cities. People are becoming detached from contact with nature just as stresses on the environment are increasing exponentially around the world. It is essential for the future health of the planet that all children be raised to experience the vitality of the natural world and to learn the essential impulse of stewardship. Over the last 20 years at the Telluride Institute in Colorado USA we have developed a pedagogy for environmental stewardship that today is taught at all the schools of the San Miguel River Watershed. The Center for the Future will promote the broader application of these curricula, adapting them as necessary to other environments.

3  The Future of Money
There are simple but effective actions that governments can carry out now to move sustainability forward? Small but critical adjustments in a nation's tax code can reward sustainable behavior and penalize non-sustainable. Business behavior will change overnight as a result. The Center for the Future will research and promote progressive, sustainable tax policy. Many countries have barter or "gray market" economies - supporting what today we call complementary currencies - that are more efficient and cost-effective than their primary economies, and have historically been a major component of sustainable economy in less developed areas. The Center for the Future will promote the maintenance and reintroduction of complementary currencies.

How are we different?
Many organizations promote sustainability that is only about environmental preservation. The Center for the Future believes that sustainability represents a major cultural revolution involving the arts, science and technology, economics, business practices, politics and education. We also have a strong sense of urgency. The world's dwindling, and therefore increasingly precious, resources are being wasted every day. The goals we have described are aimed at helping to change this, rapidly.

Where are we based?
We are Americans and Europeans. Our American base is in Telluride, Colorado; our European base is in Slavonice, Czech Republic. What is The Bureau of New Mistakes? We invented The Bureau of New Mistakes some twenty years ago as a way of dramatizing innovation. If one avoids the mistakes of the past, one will inevitably make new mistakes. This is how one learns and makes a path to the future.