If success or failure of this planet and of human beings depended on how I am and what I do, how would I be? What would I do?
—R. Buckminster Fuller
OUR SPACESHIP EARTH™ SATELLITE MAP is my favorite map of the world. Designed by Buckminster Fuller—best known as the inventor of the geodesic dome—it's the most accurate flat map of the Earth ever created. It shows "our planet as it really is, a one-world island in a one-world ocean, without any visible distortion of the relative shape and sizes of the land and sea areas." What I most like about this map is how it helps me see the world whole with fresh eyes.
You can order this map—and find out more about how & why it was designed—at the Buckminster Fuller Institute. This organization carries on Fuller's work through a variety of programs, publications & services showing how people can create—and are already creating—a "successful and sustainable future for 100% of humanity."
Other Information
- o.s. EARTH asks the question "How would you run the world?" in their hands-on, highly interactive Global Simulation Workshop, based on Fuller's original World Game activities.
- Who was Buckminster Fuller? This US Postal Service press release about the postage stamp honoring his life and work provides an excellent summary of his vision and accomplishments.
- Upside Down Map Page takes a look at other maps designed to alter perception of what most people think is "normal."
