GAIA Unlimited, Inc. Home Page

Dr. Vlasta Molak, President, AGENDA 21 PROGRAM, Croatia-USA- Israel, and Dr. Stasa Puskaric, Director, Biosystems Research Center and Vice President for Applied Research, AGENDA 21 PROGRAM, Mljet, Croatia; E-mail: E-mail: DrMolak@email.com or stasa.puskaric@du.tel.hr

BACKGROUND

The humanity stands at a defining moment in history, because the current course of the modern societal development is not sustainable. It is based on rapid consumption and exhaustion of fossils fuels and non-renewable other resources, while creating pollution and destruction of natural habitats of other species. The ways we treat each other and the environment has to change; otherwise we will jeopardize our own survival on Earth. Numerous possibilities exist, new technologies have been developed, and the only thing we need is the will to implement this knowledge into everyday life. That is exactly the primary purpose of our AGENDA 21 PROGRAM: The implementation of the principles and the ideas for sustainable development as defined at the Earth Summit into the everyday life.

After the 1992 Earth Summit, when the Agenda 21 document was signed by most countries in the World, a lot has been said about sustainable development but very little was actually implemented in everyday life. On the contrary, a dramatic rise in consumption and waste of non-renewable resources and population increase has created more environmental degradation and further increased the pressures on ecological systems. Our current patterns of material production and consumption will continue to degrade the environment, deplete non-renewable resources and fossil fuel, cause massive extinction of species, and appear to result in dangerous climate changes. However, there is an alternative in which humankind can learn to live in harmony with the environment and yet use the most modern advances of science to improve the quality of life, without destroying the natural world around us. Some of the ideas that can provide solutions for sustainable living were offered in the Agenda 21 document. We can translate those fine and noble ideas into everyday life of ordinary people, and the Island of Mljet could be the beginning of their implementation and growth.

LOCATION OF THE AGENDA 21 PROGRAM and BIOSYSTEMS RESEARCH CENTER

We are placing a part of our AGENDA 21 PROGRAM (the other parts are in the USA, Israel, and cities in Eastern Europe), which includes the Biosytems Research Center, in the deserted Benedictine Monastery on the Isle St. Mary in the Great Lake on the Mljet Island in the Adriatic Sea, Croatia. We are aware of the Monastery's cultural, historical and spiritual significance, and therefore we will renovate it for the spiritual, cultural and scientific projects, in order to create a model for modern spiritual, cultural and scientific sustainable development of the World. To achieve this goal, we are collaborating with the Croatian Institute of Art History and with the Conservation office in Dubrovnik These institutions will supervise the complete reconstruction of the monastery, to achieve the most beautiful appearance in its history. At the same time we will make the monastery buildings functional and adaptable both for the activities of our AGENDA 21 PROGRAM and the Biosystems Research Center, and for the work of the Benedictine order.

The reason for placing the core of our program on the Island of Mljet and on the little isle St. Mary on the Great Lake, which is located in the National Park of Mljet, is primarily because these are small and relatively simple ecological systems in which people live, and most importantly because the Island of Mljet is one of the rare places (perhaps the only one) which was not degraded by harmful human activities (industry, big hotels, overpopulation, etc.) and it is sufficiently removed from such activities. Therefore, Mljet, a beautiful island in Southern Adriatic Sea ( near Dubrovnik) with ~1200 people living in several villages, is an ideal place for implementation of the model for the modern sustainable society in 21 st century. By applying the principles of sustainable development and novel technologies on Mljet, we want to build a model sustainable system, which will serve as an example for the application of sustainable development principles into everyday life in other parts of the world.

As a first step we have started our activities on the little Ilse of St. Mary and its 12 th century Benedictine monastery which will become a nucleus of the program, gradually spreading the activities to the entire Island of Mljet, and then to other populated Adriatic islands and entire Croatia. The people on the island will greatly benefit from this program - since it will bring an opportunity for a new direction in development, i.e. sustainable development, which will preserve positive aspects of their lifestyles, while improving the overall quality of life, without endangering the future generations and the natural beauty of the island. Furthermore, there are many deserted ecclesiastic objects in Croatia and around the Globe, which could be utilized as centers for promotion of new knowledge and spirituality for sustainable development. The renovation of Benedictine monastery on the St. Mary Isle can show how to use such places for educational, and research purposes and implementing of new ways of living. The religious institutions around the world may thus play an important new role in establishing a spiritually enlightened and sustainable relationship with each other and the environment.

MULTIPLE USES OF BENEDICTINE MONASTERY

We have extensively researched the available documentation and the monastery, and believe that it is large enough to serve multiple purposes and accommodate the needs of AGENDA 21 PROGRAM and Biosystems Research Center, as well as the needs of Benedictine and our guests. We will most likely place the laboratories of the BiosystemsResearch Center on ground floor because of the closeness to the sea and isolation from the rest of the monastery. The offices and classrooms can be on other floors. However, we will make the most suitable arrangement of spaces and functions, in consultation with the Conservation office in Dubrovnik and the Institute of Art History, in order to preserve the original beauty and the integrity of the monastery.

The significance of the monastery as the monument of history, culture and art of the highest level will be explained to the guests in the National Park Mljet in a museum and an information and exhibition center. The museum will describe the history of the monastery (including preserved artifacts), and an aquarium and terrestrial flora and fauna exhibition which will present all biological communities of the Island (terrestrial, two lakes and surrounding Adriatic sea). In addition, we will have an exhibition to educate the public about the major tenets of Agenda 21 and sustainable development. During our renovation process we will install the most energy saving devices and materials (most of which were invented and produced in Croatia), and introduce total recycling of waste. At each step of the monastery renovation and the development of our programs, we will strive to practice the principles of sustainable development stated in the Agenda 21 and most appropriate technology for this particular location.

The return of the Benedictines, who were expelled from the island by Napoleon in 18??, will give our work on the island another, spiritual dimension. As the original inhabitants, Benedictines will be ideal hosts and caretakers of this extraordinary place. A separate compartment of the monastery will be renovated for their return, together with the guest rooms on the third floor through which they can have undisturbed communication with the church. The Museum and the Information Center will be open for the public according to the time schedule that does not disturb the activities of Benedictines or our scholars doing research and teaching in the AGENDA 21 PROGRAM. Since our program does not produce noise and disorder, it will not disturb the places for contemplation and spiritual life on the Isle.

We will also set up a small healthy food and beverage space for the visitors of the Museum and exhibitions, and for the visiting scholars, at the site of the present restaurant. In order to provide the local people with a business opportunity, such space will be managed by the inhabitants of the Mljet Island, strictly following the principles of sustainable development: total recycling, use of organic (with no artificial pesticides or fertilizers), locally produced foods with the smallest "ecological footprint" (mostly non-animal based food with some locally produced goat and sheep cheese, and fish caught and grown around Mljet). We will rely on local resources to the utmost extent and if necessary develop those resources and lead the way for sustainable development of Mljet.

Renovation of the monastery will be performed in phases: we will first solve statical problems of the building in order to build new roofs. Then we will set up the laboratories and the museum and exhibition areas, followed by the renovation of space for the return of the Benedictine order. the renovation will last until the complete restoration of the monastery, according the principles of sustainable development at each phase.

Our Center will be organized under the strict criteria for environmental protection, that will exceed those applied in the surrounding National Park.. We will implement the technology for complete recycling of wastes and use of ecologically acceptable renewable energy sources - wind, tide and solar power for production of electric energy and heating and cooling. Thus, as soon as feasible, the Isle of St. Mary will have its own independent energy sources, and drinking water will be collected from precipitation and desalinization of the sea water. The problem of sewage, which led to the closure of the hotel which was located in the monastery until 1990, will be solved by the application of the well tested and simple technology for transforming human feces into fertilizing compost in "waterless toilets" (technology from Sweden and Australia). This technology will also greatly reduce our water consumption. In addition, we will gradually restore the terraced gardens on the isle, which will then be used for growing vegetables, other plants and olive trees, as in times when the Benedictines lived there, before their expulsion from the monastery by Napoleon. In those gardens, we can use the compost derived from above mentioned toilets to complete the circle of recycling of wastes. Thus, the isle will approach a closed loop of materials as much as possible (sort of an open Biosphere III, but following different principles and goals). Our goal is not to separate ourselves from the rest of the world but to live in harmony with the surroundings, minimizing the “ecological footprint”.

TIME TABLE and FUNDING

We plan to open the first stage of our Center, including the museum, exhibitions and laboratory and food and beverage space in June 2000, to coincide with an important molecular biology conference in Dubrovnik area, which will be attended by a world class scientists. We are working with the organizers of that conference on bringing the scientists to Mljet for the opening of the Biosystems research Center and AGENDA 21 PROGRAM. We furthermore plan to start teaching our courses shortly after. We believe that our Center will increase the tourism on the island, both from scientists who will be coming to work with us for different time duration and from eco-tourists whom we will attract to come to see our Center and the unspoiled beauty of the island. Thus, we will extend the tourist season, which is now limited to summer months, to the entire year, and provide additional employment and activities and income for the local population.

We already have several recognized scientists who are eager to join our work, both in the Biosystems Research Center (BRC) and teaching the AGENDA 21 PROGRAM (A21P) courses. In addition, we also have several graduate students and technicians, eagerly awaiting the opening of our Center. We also expect to start teaching A21P courses in Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Washington, DC and Cincinnati in June 2000, which we believe will bring more scholars to Mljet.

We already have a large faculty around the world who are developing syllabi for various courses and who will come on as needed basis to various places where we teach. We have been offered the use of the new Internet classroom, which will open at the energy Institute, Hrvoje Pozar, in Zagreb, Croatia and this will enable us to connect our students in Zagreb with the professors at other parts of the globe, since the teachers can be anywhere. Also, our other students around the world will be able to join to those classes if they are hooked to Internet. Therefore, our classrooms will be truly global and not limited in time or space.

We expect that the AGENDA 21 PROGRAM and the Biosystems Research Center will become self-sufficient within 3 years, while in the meantime we are seeking seed money from various private and public funding institutions. The activities of our Center will attract the world class scientists and scholars interested in sustainable development, which will further increase the work opportunities for the local population. Also, tremendous contributions have already been made on a voluntary basis by individuals in Croatia, USA, Israel and Russia, who are presently committed to the ideals of sustainable development and believe in the course we have taken on Mljet.

Any further contribution, either monetary or in ideas or work, is very welcome. We can be reached via E-mail, snail-mail or telephone and fax.

Dr. Vlasta Molak, President, AGENDA 21 PROGRAM
Tel.: 513/591-2581
E-mail: DrMolak@email.com
Fax: 513/521-0506

Dr. Stasa Puskaric, Director, Biosystems Research Center
and Vice President for Applied Research, AGENDA 21 PROGRAM, Mljet, Croatia
E-mail: stasa.puskaric@du.tel.hr