Change SF

Mission

To enable groups working on sustainability by diffusing holistic Internet technologies and systems thinking.


Planetwork explores how the creative application of digital tools – visualization technologies, software, and the Internet, among others – can open new possibilities for positive global change.

Planetwork operates as a convening organization, gathering people from a wide variety of disciplines and vocations – science, technology, activism, business, the arts. We create international forums where people from distinctly different backgrounds can meet, find common ground, inspire each other, wrestle with and envision answers to solving some of our most pressing global issues.

Planetwork is a California 501(c)(3) with activities in 4 main domains:

1. Infrastructure & Community Development: this includes basic operations, and web presence in which we provide opportunities for our community to connect via an on-line peer-to-peer directory; communicate via discussion boards; and build consensus via an innovative on-line polling technology.

2. Face-to-face Events: Planetwork produces an annual international conference; monthly networking soirees in San Francisco and other cities; and invitational ‘think tank’ symposia.

3. Publishing & Distribution: Planetwork publishes, distributes and archives highlights of all of our conference and event material in three formats: text; mp3 and Quicktime. These materials will also be available for purchase in DVD video format from our website. PlaNetwork plans to launch a peer review journal in2004, published initially on the web with the goal of producing a quarterly print version. PlaNetwork commissions white papers when an in-depth, scholarly contribution to a specific ‘field’ evolves out of our activity. The first PlaNetwork white paper is "The Augmented Social Network: Building Identity and Trust on the next-generation Internet."

4. Incubation: Planetwork serves as a catalyst and fiscal infrastructure for in depth research and design. Depending on the needs of the project, we provide services which include: in depth research& design; facilitation; advisory support; fiscal sponsorship; fundraising & logistical support. LinkTank is our first Incubator project.