A Letter from the Board President

Aloha kākou,

I am honored to introduce you to our newly formed 501 (c)3, Center for Getting Things Started. Over the last year and a half our core group of four have been hard at work creating the organizational framework and programming to carry out our mission: to initiate regenerative economy through fostering climate cooling culture. We are most grateful for our ever growing network of community volunteers, sponsors, and partners, with whose help we have produced a series of successful programs and refined our approach. I am humbly excited to share with you our collective’s efforts and accomplishments.

The current overarching economic paradigm that supports our daily life is based on infinite withdrawals from nature’s bank account, even though the account has a finite balance. This has led us headlong into climate and ecological crisis.

At Center for Getting Things Started, we are actively engaged in creating a new economy based in regenerative principles. Our vision is the creation and continuity of a regenerative culture that supports human activities in harmonious relation with the living earth. We are founded in the belief that in order to confront the modern climate crisis, we must reformulate our economy to align with the laws of the natural systems that provide all beings life, and with the laws of nature’s economy. 

While founding the organization, we shared many deep visioning conversations and explored emergent intellectual territory to learn about the challenges and solutions we face. We found that we needed to create a solid organizational footing from which to do our work. We built relationships, filed paperwork, learned a new style of organizational governance, and began to create programming to fulfill our mission. We focused our early efforts on creating a sound organizational foundation from which we have done amazing work with the help of our community and volunteers. We have accomplished so much in the last year and seek to expand from this foundational work. 

Though the challenge of mitigating and adapting our economy to confront climate change is daunting, we love to enjoy life and celebrate. In an ode to the old ways of coming together in service and celebration we have chosen to focus our initial efforts on creating regenerative economy within the festival culture. We believe that festivals provide opportunities for cultural shift and are an effective leverage point for social change. Festival attendees are invited out of their ordinary lives, and are able to imagine and co- create alternative realities. The excitement of these events creates space for change within individuals that radiates into the greater culture.

We are poised to magnify our impact on climate change mitigation and adaptation, having built a sound ship to carry us forward. We have visioned the way forward and found our focus in the Ground Zero Initiative which we see as a nursery for an emergent regenerative cultural ecosystem. We see Zero Degree Festivals powered and transported by fossil free energy; festival goers enriching the local ecology, food systems and soil health through their participation; festivals broadly valuing and engaging carbon offset purchases; and festivals as a means of restoring ecological and human health.

In order to do our work, we need your support. Every little bit of support means an immense difference in our ability to mitigate and adapt to climate change. There are a number of ways that you can join us. 

1. Donate: As we look to change the systems of capital to cool the climate, our work necessitates financial input. Please consider donating to our Ground Zero Initiative GoFundMe campaign, through our website, or if you would like to donate in order to see a specific project happen please contact me at scott@c4gts.org.
2. Volunteer: Our volunteers are on the front lines making change happen and they have fun doing it! Volunteer opportunities include supporting zero waste efforts, planting and caring for trees, and helping organize and facilitate events. If you would like to volunteer other services or if you have more questions please email tc4gts@gmail.com 
3. Sponsor: Our sponsors are businesses that align with our mission and strategy. If you own or know of a business that would like to see more of our work in the world, we invite you to contact us at tc4gts.org@gmail.com. There are a number of ways to be a sponsor of our work and the specifics can be designed to suit the needs and means of a specific business.

We promise to lead and give our every effort to mitigate the impacts of climate change. We stand in the face of the greatest challenge ever faced by humanity, and with your support we can and will make a difference.

Ua mau ke ea o ka ‘āina i ka pono

The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness

Mahalo, 

Scott G. Laaback

President, Center for Getting Things Started