About this project
This is not just a story about mountain bike trekking.
This is a story about survival.
This is a story about living happily.
This is a story about finding our way.
Our world has changed. We changed it. Now we have to adapt – or else...
Our economic, political, and social systems are dysfunctional. We need to fix them. But how? We need ideas. We need your ideas. And we will put your ideas in our video. We are calling for video clip inputs that we can assemble to create something that (hopefully) will be far more than the sum of our inputs. Ultimately, we want to put together a plan.
Or haven't you noticed; our society hasn't adopted a long-term plan.
This Winter has been a shocking wake-up call for the people of the Western United States. Here in Nevada, we've had hardly any snowpack. No one alive here remembers it being this dry or this warm. This is exactly what the climate scientists predicted for the West – short Winters and dry Summers. I fear that there could be huge wildfires here soon. In fact, this may be our last chance to film some of the beautiful remote natural areas in the Great Basin before they burn.
Humanity has upset the balance. We've gone too far. We have altered our climate. We may not have many options left. In fact, in many ways, we'll just have to tough it out. That's why I chose mountain bike trekking as my analogy for life in this story. For the road ahead my be rocky, but if you pick your own path, it could still be fun.
My vision is to see that my Native homeland is a great place to live for another 10,000 years.
My mission is to get people really thinking about what needs to be done to create the future we dream of.
And yes, I do have a basic plan. I believe there are three concepts we need to prioritize to make the transition to a survivable future. These three are Sustainability, Thoughtfulness, and Attitude. These concepts are the acronym in the movie title; S-T-A Trekkers.
Sustainability: We need to start taking clues from nature. Natural systems can go on forever. All waste is something else's food. This concept can even be carried over to our industrial processes. Sustainability is about long-term survivability. Sustainability is not about sustaining unsustainable profits.
Thoughtfulness: As a society, we need to think before we act. What do we really want? What are the consequences of millions of people doing certain things? And how do we reward people for doing the right things?
Attitude: Do the right thing. Overriding greed, hubris, and insensitivity – besides being inherently evil – lead to extreme deficiencies for everyone in the long run. Instead, we need to develop a mission of creating abundance (over our present mission of taking advantage of shortages to maximize profits).
There may be other concepts. I am open to suggestions.
If you wish to see some of my previous video efforts, check out:
Also, many of my ideas for fixing society have been addressed in the blog:
…but this video isn't about me. We need ideas. If you can make a few relevant sound bite comments, please upload them, in less than 30 second clips (no music please) to Vimeo.com STA Trekkers (Group). Please don't put anything in your clip that might raise copyright issues. Please permit anyone to use these clips any way they see fit. And we're not really all that concerned about who's ideas these are. But if you do know who came up with the idea, please quote them. One more thing; and I don't want to sound disrespectful, but prayer is not an idea. Sadly, at times, prayer has been used as an excuse not to change by placing expectations on an external savior to fix our problems for us. We got ourselves into this mess. It's our responsibility to get ourselves out. I've been told that God helps those who help themselves. We need ideas.
And the best of our ideas will be honored. There will be an election on Movie Premier night to award the best video clip entry. Categories will be:
Best Phrase
Best Idea
Most Positive Thought
Funniest
Most Important Warning
If your video clip wins this contest; someday, amongst a small hard-core subgroup of people, that might make you famous...
If you win, if you wish; your name and photo will be listed on the credits of all published DVDs and Blue Ray Disks as the winner of your category. But much more importantly; if enough of the right people see this video, you just may be able to change the world with a thought.
Your ideas are necessary to complete this project. However, we cannot guarantee any clip will make the finished video. (If we receive enough clips though, we just might make a sequel.)
The money donated through Kickstarter will go towards professional video services, video equipment, promotion expenses, and travel support costs. The more money we get, the better the movie will be – and the more publicity it will get.
Be sure to check the incentives.
To the right person, they will be irresistible.
The Trek will occur in May/June of 2012.
The full-length feature should be finished by the end of 2012.
Team:
Rick Spilsbury
Francis Vincent
Stephen Kepschull
Video Music, Electricity, by Pictures
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
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Our sincerest Thank You. You have helped us create a collaborative effort at designing our future culture. ...And Remember: You don't have to send us money to send us a video clip. Send us your idea, and maybe it will end up in the movie.
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Our sincerest Thank You You have helped us five times as much to create a collaborative effort at designing our future culture.
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We will list you as a contributor on the S-T-A Trekkers website.
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Receive a S-T-A Trekkers preordered DVD And we will list you as a contributor on the S-T-A Trekkers website.
Pledge $50 or more Pledge $50 or more
Be listed as a contributor in the video credits. Receive a S-T-A Trekkers poster Receive a S-T-A Trekkers preordered DVD And we will list you as a contributor on the S-T-A Trekkers website.
Pledge $100 or more Pledge $100 or more
A ticket for the Premier in Las Vegas A vote for best video clip entry (at the Premier) Be listed as a contributor in the video credits. Receive a S-T-A Trekkers poster Receive a S-T-A Trekkers preordered DVD And we will list you as a contributor on the S.T.A. Trekkers website.
Pledge $250 or more Pledge $250 or more
Receive a S-T-A Trekkers T-shirt Two tickets for the Premier in Las Vegas Two votes for best video clip entry (at the Premier) Be listed as a contributor in the video credits. Receive a S-T-A Trekkers poster Receive a S-T-A Trekkers preordered Blue Ray video. And we will list you as a contributor on the S-T-A Trekkers website.
Pledge $500 or more Pledge $500 or more
Receive a sterling silver Trekker pin Receive a S-T-A Trekkers T-shirt Two tickets for the Premier in Las Vegas Two votes for best video clip entry (at the Premier) Be listed as a contributor in the video credits. Receive a S-T-A Trekkers poster Receive two S-T-A Trekkers preordered Blue Ray videos And we will list you as a major contributor on the S-T-A Trekkers website.
Pledge $1,000 or more Pledge $1,000 or more
Be in the movie with us. Ride with us for a day – or join us at a stop along the way. Two tickets for the pre-ride party Receive a personalized S-T-A Trekkers / Earth - too big to fail jersey Receive a sterling silver Trekker pin Receive a S-T-A Trekkers T-shirt Four tickets for the Premier in Las Vegas Four votes for best video clip entry (at the Premier) Be listed as a participant in the video credits. Receive a S-T-A Trekkers poster Receive four S-T-A Trekkers preordered Blue Ray videos And we will list you as a major contributor on the S-T-A Trekkers website.
Pledge $2,500 or more Pledge $2,500 or more
Be in the movie with us and join us for an evening video take. Ride a couple of days with us – and give your input on camera. Two tickets for the pre-ride party Receive a personalized S-T-A Trekkers / Earth - too big to fail jersey Receive a sterling silver Trekker pin Be listed as a participant in the video credits. Receive a S-T-A Trekkers T-shirt Four tickets for the Premier in Las Vegas Four votes for best video clip entry (at the Premier) Receive a S-T-A Trekkers poster Receive four S-T-A Trekkers preordered Blue Ray videos And we will list you as a major contributor on the S-T-A Trekkers website.
Pledge $5,000 or more Pledge $5,000 or more
Be a main character in the movie. Ride the S-T-A Trekkers path with us. Be listed as a main character in the video credits. Two tickets for the pre-ride party Receive a personalized S-T-A Trekkers / Earth - too big to fail jersey Receive a sterling silver Trekker pin Receive a S-T-A Trekkers T-shirt Six tickets for the Premier in Las Vegas Six votes for best video clip entry (at the Premier) Receive a S-T-A Trekkers poster Receive six S-T-A Trekkers preordered Blue Ray videos And we will list you as a major contributor on the S-T-A Trekkers website. (PLEASE NOTE: As far as I know, this route has never been completed on a mountain bike. This is not a race. This is not a social event. This is not a paid tour. But most important, this is not just an adventure. This is a chance to share the beauty of the world with the world. We don't expect many riders. In fact, too many people would spoil the experience with nature. This is a self-supported tour that will likely take two weeks. My recommendations on gear; if you can't imagine NEEDING it, you don't need it. You'll NEED water. I recommend three gallons - but no less that two. Before the ride, I will stash provisions along the route. But (depending upon weather conditions) I won't be able to make a last minute assessment of the whole route. Very likely, no one will be coming out to check on us. We can only call for help via satellite. And help could be a day or two away. The vast majority of riding will be on dirt roads. And road conditions are likely to give us real challenges this time of the year. Further south, it could be hot. Further north, there could be snow. If you are determined to complete the trek, it is highly recommended that you have a spare bike for the pick-up vehicle to hold for you. And though it would be great to have a guest opinion on our video, if you don't look up to the trek; we reserve the right to tell you so. Oh, and one more thing; don't underestimate the risk. Much of this ride is in the desert. Which means that if you break down, and we're running low on water, we have to leave you behind. The pick-up vehicle should pick you up within a day – if we let them know it's a priority.)
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Be listed as a co-Producer in the credits. Help us pick video clips from the submitted ideas (you know, actual co-Producer tasks.) (This task is fundamental to the direction the story line will progress. This is essentially helping us develop a coherent overall message – and maybe even a plan for the future. Then again, maybe all these ideas you'll be sifting through will help you formulate your own plan.) ...Plus all the other incentives listed.
Project By
Connected as Rick Spilsbury (32 friends)
Life rarely takes you where you expect to go. I trained to be an electrical engineer back in college. I then spent a decade as a systems engineer. But I never really worked on systems - at least not on functional systems meant to last. Nature gives us plenty of examples of functional systems. They're cyclical, and can thus cycle indefinitely. I was only taught about linear systems. Linear systems are not sustainable. And neither was my career in the corporate world. I wanted out! Since then, I have worked with my mom in her business. This has given me more time to train, explore, learn, write a book, write a blog for years, and film several videos. Most recently I have been working on a "hi tech" adobe building design which I hope to start on the prototype this Summer.
