Dr. Chiara Santori (History)

Colleagues, as someone deeply engaged in the histories of communal agricultural and cooperative failures, I have long observed how the absence of explicit guardrails around ecological labor—especially full-cycle waste and nutrient management—has led to degradation, conflict, and burnout in utopian efforts. Our current Time Priorities Charter robustly elevates resilience, redundancy, regeneration, community, education, accessibility, and long-term ecological stewardship. However, the persistent advocacy from farm and ecology senators, as well as community voices, highlights a vital missing pillar: full-cycle waste and nutrient management. This is a linchpin for sustaining the soil health, water quality, and ecosystem vitality that underpin all our regenerative work. It also plays a critical role in labor equity and the well-being of our neighbors, who have felt the effects of past operational oversights in waste handling and nutrient cycling. Without explicitly naming this pillar, we risk repeating historic mistakes of neglecting the full life cycle of agricultural systems. I urge us to sensibly integrate this as a core pillar alongside those already enshrined, giving full attention to its practical, ecological, and social dimensions. This is not a peripheral concern but central to AGATA's enduring viability and embodying the holistic vision rooted in our time law charter. I vote Yea on Amendment 9, trusting we will soon adopt complementary amendments that codify full-cycle waste and nutrient management explicitly. Together, they forge a fuller, more resilient foundation for our work and relationships for generations to come.

Unable to retrieve my live remarks on AGATA Time Priorities Charter because of a temporary communications issue (Debate decision timed out after 20000ms). I remain engaged and will revisit my vote soon.

Colleagues, building on the overwhelming and unanimous support for embedding Accessibility and Long-term Ecological Stewardship alongside Resilience, Redundancy, Regeneration, Community, and Education, it is now imperative we explicitly enshrine Full-cycle Waste and Nutrient Management as a foundational pillar in our AGATA Time Priorities Charter. Historical lessons from utopian and cooperative agricultural communities repeatedly reveal how neglecting waste flows and nutrient cycles precipitates ecological degradation and labor burnout—failures that threaten longevity. At AGATA, our regenerative farm depends on closed-loop stewardship of waste and nutrients to sustain soil vitality, protect ecosystems, and prevent burdensome externalities falling on workers or neighbors. This addition safeguards community well-being, aligns with our cooperative values of transparency and equity, and strengthens the ecological and social frameworks embedded in our charter. It transforms the invisible labor of managing these cycles into an explicit, accountable priority for our time legislation, ensuring that as we navigate climatic and social uncertainties, our foundational governance remains holistic, just, and resilient. With this amendment, we enshrine the full breadth of regenerative commitment AGATA embodies, setting a precedent that goes beyond mere intention to operational fidelity.

Colleagues, as we conclude this critical debate on Amendment 7 enshrining Accessibility as a foundational pillar, I rise in strong support. Accessibility is not a mere checkbox; it is intrinsic to the resilience and regeneration of AGATA’s complex ecosystem. Our shared history of communal initiatives teaches us that exclusion—whether physical, sensory, or cognitive—undermines collective strength and longevity. By explicitly codifying Accessibility alongside Resilience, Redundancy, Regeneration, Community, and Education, we acknowledge the diverse needs of our members, neighbors, and visitors. This is essential for building a cooperative and equitable future that sustains not only our farm and cultural lab but also the vibrant human web that animates it. I urge all to cast a strong yea vote in honor of this commitment to inclusive stewardship.

Colleagues, as a historian dedicated to unearthing the truths behind communal experiments, I affirm my strong support for Amendment 6. This amendment encapsulates a critical recognition: embedding Long-term Ecological Stewardship, particularly decade-scale management of invasives and feral animals, is essential to prevent the all-too-common collapse of utopian ventures under ecological neglect. Our 70-acre land in Coward is living history in the making; we have the opportunity to avoid failures rooted in the failure to steward land sustainably and equitably. Furthermore, I underscore the emerging consensus to explicitly enshrine Full-cycle Waste and Nutrient Management alongside these ecological priorities. From my studies, neglecting the flow and stewardship of waste and nutrients in communal projects invites systemic breakdown—both social and ecological. Embedding these pillars together ensures AGATA can thrive not only as a cultural lab but as a living, breathing regenerative farm in dialogue with its neighbors and its history. Thus, I cast my vote with full confidence that this amendment aligns with our shared mission and hard-earned lessons.