Looking back February 2009 - Getting the Sphere ready to launch & Re-Branding

Happy Imbolc - February 2nd!

When the Interdependent Project was first created the first intent was to create a functional, dynamic, and private social network that would serve existing/developing EcoVillages and sustainable communities at no cost to the communities.

All of us at the Interdependent Project have worked, lived, and traveled to various sustainable communities and EcoVillages throughout our lives and the one common need that we have seen among these communities was a solid online networking hub that would allow connections to happen between communities.

In February 2009 we began building this hub and making contact with the first 4 communities that would populate what we called the "Interdependent EcoVillage & Community Sphere".  Susan Frank joined the core team to serve as the Executive Administrator and provide guidance and support to the Sphere community.  

The Sphere is by invitation only and provides a safe sanctuary for members to share information, resources, trade between communities, and connect with each other.  The Sphere was officially launched on the Spring Equinox 09 and has been steadily growing as we make contact with specific communities that our team feels would benefit from the Sphere.  One of ours goals is to be able to publish resources and information that member communities would like to share publicly on the main website and through various publications as it evolves through SeThInk Media, the Interdependent Project parent company, digital publishing services. 

Branding
Independent/Interdependent Conference 09

On our last blog post we promised we would share the story of the re-branding of the Interdependent Project shortly after the launch.  Some of you who have been with the Interdependent Project since the launch remember the original logo and red/black theme of the website.  And some of you might also remember a 5 day period in February 09 when the main website had a message saying, "Site temporarily down for Independent/Interdependent Conference" on the index page.  

The brand consisted of interlocking Canterbury Cross's (in the spirit of the Flower of Life) and we developed it as a 'transformative derivative work' from the Independent Truck NHS logo (skateboard trucks).

The cross itself, being an ancient symbol, cannot be copyrighted and the way in which we developed it was protected under 'fair use' copyright laws.

Before we launched the project we envisioned how skaters could be harbingers of the evolved paradigm of interdependence and sustainability.

Also our deceased and beloved team member Beau Shaver was a skater and the design was also in tribute to him.

We attempted to contact the NHS corporate heads to invite them to jump on board with a win/win strategy but contacting them was harder than chasing someone on a skateboard - their website does not give email addresses for board members and there appeared to be a certain anarchy in their structure.  We finally found one of their directors of marketing, Keith Wilson, on facebook and tried to contact him but never got a response.  

Well months later at the end of February 09 we were contacted by the president and CEO Bob Denike.  At first we were excited to have made contact finally and were hopeful that our 'youthful idealism' would inspire Bob to see what we felt was an obvious alliance full of great potentials and possibilities...uh hmm...well the learning spiral never ends right.  We had a conference via emails and Bob and NHS has absolutely zero interest in an alliance and basically told us that they believed we were infringing upon their copyrighted logo.  We consulted with our attorney and decided that although we were protected under the 'fair use' copyright laws we had zero interest in the win/lose paradigm of court battles.  

 

So full of mirth and zest we re-launched and re-branded with what we feel is a much better logo and a clear understanding of why Beau always said, "Embrace skating, condemn skateboarding..." 

We are grateful to have been given the opportunity to experience the Win/Win of Interdependent thinking!

In Sustainable Solidarity

Darlene Green