Hello Michael. I would like to see your plan. I'm interested in participating in such a plan. Please provide me with further details. Regarding the comments posted by Bill Hooper in response to your plan, I suggest that you consider promoting your plan in coordination with USMA or perhaps even urge the USMA management to adopt it.
I think that businesses can go a long way towards promoting metric, especially if those employeed by the business speak out in favor of metric. A grass roots approach should work well. The USMA and its listserver is part of the grass roots approach, but its efforts can be expaned further. For example, consider the following ideas: 1) The USMA can expand it program with the schools by actively encouraging metric loving students to visit the USMA website and join the listserver, so that their love for metric can be nourished. For example, schools can be urged to provide the USMA web address to students while the students are being taught metric - if the USMA is not already doing this. 2)UMSA can provide materials that inform metric lovers of a step by step process they use to influence their employer, school, city, county, state, federal government, and organizations they make purchases from, to increase their metric usage. 3)USMA can set dates for coordinated grass roots campaign of promoting metric. For example the USMA can set a date for metric lovers to write to their congresspersons, "have meetups" where metric lovers can meet together locally and perhaps form subchapters of the USMA and thus focus on how to best promote metric in their communities as well as to socialize, local groups could produce flyers and distribute them in their communities as a means of inviting others to local meeting about metric. 4)The USMA website can include a database or download section of effective promotional flyers, form letters tailored to various organizations, and promotional strategies for all visitors of the website to use in promoting metric. 5)During this April's Earth Day events, I will be promoting metric via flyers and the USMA bumper stickers along with my promotion of decimal time, 13 month calendar of 28 days per month, biodiesel, plug-in hybrid electric-biodiesel automobiles and other electric vehicles, and renewable energy. I urge other fans of metric to likewise promote metric at their local Earth Day events. 6)The USMA should consider using its member database and listserver user database to identify areas of the USA where most metric fans live. They should then consider using that information to facilitate the forming of metric clubs in those areas. I desire to create such a club in my locality. Just as there are electric automobile and biodiesel clubs accross the nation, there can be metric clubs accross the nation. The clubs can be affiliated with the USMA even if they are not an official charter member. I live in the Portland, Oregon, USA metropolitan area and I invite anyone in my area to contact me about starting a local metric group which coordinates with the USMA. Gavin Young http://www.xprt.net/~hightech , http://www.renewableelectricity.com , http://www.electric-automobile.com E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] and [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone: 503-641-3732 I have decided to become a dues-paying member of the USMA and I will thus soon apply for membership. ----------------------- Quoting "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > USMA Digest 1558 Hello All, Late last year I may have contacted several of you personally as I spent significant time researching the opportunity for an initiative toward metrication that would have specific, measurable and achievable results. Briefly, I concluded that what may be a necessary commitment would be to select a target date for metrication in the US and direct ALL activities related to that......2020. While passionately committed to metrication ( I grew up in Colonial Central Africa, experienced a change from 'feet 'n inches' through a national metrication period, experienced the decimalization of UK currency...then see the mixed messages in our schools, business and social lives in the US) I know this is a monumental task and has to be treated and run as a business - certainly not voluntary......and I already have a broad business plan. This would be my working life time commitment....and I constantly being nudged to proceed. If you are seriously interested, please let me know and I can spend the next quarter (to June 30, 2004) listening, connecting and formulating with all who can significantly and seriously contribute as influencers, movers and shakers. Until recently, I led the worldwide online community initiative for IBM's Billion dollar WebSphere brand - I know the power of communication and conversation as I started this project from scratch! One particular huge challenge is exposed in a great ref. book - "Measuring America: How the United States Was Shaped by the Greatest Land Sale in History by Andro Linklater Sincere regards, Michael Mande [EMAIL PROTECTED] New York, USA (1) 914 478-8328 ------------------------------------------------- Michael Mande wrote: > Late last year I may have contacted several of you personally as I > spent > significant time researching the opportunity for an initiative toward > metrication that would have specific, measurable and achievable > results. > Briefly, I concluded that what may be a necessary commitment would be > to > select a target date for metrication in the US and direct ALL > activities > related to that......2020. Michael is to be commended for any initiative he takes to promote metrication in the US. I would like to take this opportunity to remind Michael and perhaps others on this list that the US Metric Association is an effective organization for promoting metrication. I would hope that he (and others on this list) are already members, but if not, please give that thoughtful consideration. The officers of USMA are recognized at high levels in the legislative and executive branches of government. They are frequently helpful to those in power who have the ability to foster changes that are positive regarding metrication. In small part, the USMA members dues supports the officers' activities in this activity. That alone makes USMA worthy of our support through our dues as members. But other activities of USMA are also of value. The newsletter, Metric Today, is alone worth the cost of membership, in my opinion. This very email list on which we are sharing ideas is another effort of USMA. The extensive metric files of USMA are frequently used to assist businesses, teachers, and others who need information about what is happening and how to move forward with metrication. And individual members do countless things that spread the word and encourage metric use. All of us would hope to see more rapid metrication but much of the progress that has been made can be attributed to the efforts of USMA and its members. So, Michael (and others), I urge you to consider joining the USMA as one of the important and effective ways of promoting metrication. Regards, Bill Hooper Fernandina Beach, Florida, USA
