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SolSeed Spring 2013 Newsletter

This spring was devoted mainly to planning: organizing our list of ideas for SolSeed projects, adding some new ones, and figuring out which ones we want to tackle next. But it wasn't all boring talk, luckily for me as a newsletter writer; two really exciting things happened as well.

First, after months of anticipation, John and Will from Terra Lumina completed the SolSeed song! They sent us a full-quality draft version in April, with a nicely condensed version of my overly verbose lyrics. After taking our feedback into account, they sent us the final version in May. It's beautiful and amazing and we couldn't wait any longer to share it with you, so please give it a listen here! (I'm planning to make other music videos with animated visuals later this year.)

Then in June, the Sanders and I took an international trip to visit Eric in his hometown of Ottawa! Even better, we got the use of his family's lakeside cottage for a couple of days to hold the Sol 2013 retreat and the second annual SolSeed YayLifeTri mini-triathlon. Boating on the lake, ice cream cones, board games, and a trip to Ottawa's awesome Museum of Nature rounded out the fun, and Eric gave us each a lovely ceramic cup he had painted himself with the SolSeed Emblem.

So what's come out of all the planning we did on the work bee calls and at the retreat? Well, we're embracing science in a brand new way with a series of experiments to see what kind of language and visuals will do best at drawing in kindred spirits. We've also started on a long-term initiative to build automated greenhouses, both as a solution to hunger on Earth and a first step toward life sustaining itself in space. Where will these experiments have taken us by the end of summer? Stay tuned to find out â€“ after all, one of the greatest rewards of science is the joy of discovery!

Thanks for reading!
Ben Sibelman