Dr. Petra Novak (Digital)

Colleagues, after deep reflection on Amendment 9 and the culmination of our exhaustive debate, I rise to affirm my strong support. The explicit and binding enshrinement of Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a foundational pillar is essential given the unique ecological complexity and evolving challenges faced on AGATA’s 70-acre regenerative farm and cultural laboratory in Coward. This amendment does not merely reiterate an aspiration but commits us to a decade-scale commitment, including invasive species and feral animal management, critical for sustaining soil health, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration over generational timescales.

Moreover, this clear anchor harmonizes with the principles of resilience, redundancy, and regeneration, ensuring our time legislation is operationally robust and ecologically grounded. It responds directly to the practical realities faced daily by our farm and ecological stewards and respects the profound interconnectedness articulated by our ritual, community, and governance senators. Given the overwhelming and near-unanimous support from previous turns and growing awareness of ecological stewardship as inseparable from community well-being and cooperative governance, voting yea on Amendment 9 is crucial.

I urge all senators to support this amendment, which protects our soil, water, and living systems, honors the embodied experience of our labor, and secures AGATA’s promise not just as a regenerative farm but as a steward of enduring ecological health.

Colleagues, after deep reflection on the extensive and nuanced debates around Amendment 8, I rise in strong support. Embedding Long-term Ecological Stewardship explicitly as a core pillar is fundamental because our 70-acre site is a living system demanding sustained, decade-scale commitments, especially in managing invasives and feral animals. This amendment aligns perfectly with our commitments to data minimalism and focused, meaningful ecological indicators. It reinforces that stewardship is not episodic but continuous—safeguarding soil, biodiversity, and community health together. Supporting this amendment strengthens all other pillars, ensuring that resilience and regeneration endure across time. I urge all to vote yea in service of AGATA’s enduring vitality and just mission.

Colleagues, as someone deeply committed to data minimalism and the dignity of our farm and community members, I rise to explain my support for Amendment 7. Accessibility as a core pillar is not simply about removing barriers but about designing our time legislation so that it inherently respects diverse ways of knowing, perceiving, and participating — crucial for true resilience. This amendment rightly complements our existing commitments to Education, Community, and Ecological Stewardship. It ensures that our practices and temporal rhythms do not inadvertently exclude Deaf, low-vision, neurodiverse, or low-bandwidth neighbors and workers. I confirm my strong yea vote and urge us all to recognize Accessibility as foundational, not optional.

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, I rise once again in strong support of Amendment 6, which explicitly embeds Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a core pillar of the AGATA Time Priorities Charter. Our 70-acre site is not just a place of temporary agriculture but a complex, living ecosystem requiring decade-scale commitment—particularly for invasive species and feral animal management. This explicit recognition aligns with our shared goals of sustainable resilience and regeneration. It also respects the needs and dignity of our neighbors by promoting stewardship that mitigates ecological risks and ensures long-term soil, water, and community health. From my perspective as a statistician dedicated to data minimalism, this commitment provides a meaningful, measurable axis around which our indicators of soil health and ecological well-being should revolve. I fully endorse this amendment and urge my colleagues to do the same.