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DispatchMetaGameplay

by The Federated Bailiwicks of Verdant Haven. . 121 reads.

Government Transparency Report #5 - March 2020

March, 2020

Greetings, fellow Forest citizens!

My present term in office is drawing to a close, with the electoral period slated to start at midnight GMT on March 16. It has been an honor to serve as your Forest Keeper, and regardless of whether the next election returns me to office or elects another fully capable citizen to help guide us, please know that I could not be more proud of Forest and its inhabitants, nor more humbled by the trust you placed in me.

As this is the last Transparency Report for this term, I'd like to frame it not just to look at the last month, but rather to take a broad look at the many things your government and our region have participated in, accomplished, and experienced in the past six months. Jumping right in:

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Forest participated in numerous game events

Z-Day was a massive success for us. Our region managed to have the 4th most survivors in the world, and critically, the 2nd most survivors in the world with no zombies. On top of it all, we had no dead. We cured every last citizen in Forest - a great triumph. Big thanks to our Z-Day leadership, this was a heck of a way to start the term.

The Annual Photography Contest saw impressive contributions in the categories of Trees, Animals, Cultivation, and Reflections. Those four categories saw two home-grown winners and two winners from our embassy regions. This is an excellent annual event that brings together Foresters and friends to display some beautiful elements of nature from our real lives beyond the game.

The Oatland Winter Olympics extended an invitation to us, and Forest was extremely well represented. Out of the 27 medals available, a whopping 17 were brought home to Forest by our competitors. Great showing, all!

Ongoing events with our allies to which we were invited include The Bar On the Corner of Every Region's weekly poetry contest, and the Roleplay of the Conch Kingdom. Remember to keep checking these out and jumping in, if you are interested!

The 2nd User Created Region Convention occurred, and Forest was invited to participate. Our representative shared information about our region and our way of life with interested parties from the interregional community.

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Forest continued to update and improve its own resources

Our List of Exceptionally Green Nations and the Greenness Index were both updated with the latest information! Keep an eye out for hopefully more of these updates in the future! With Spring approaching, the next seasonal update is likely to be in the works.

The Forest Map was updated and upgraded, with additional climatological information made available, and an entirely new map area added! Be sure to check out the map links in our WFE and get yourself on the map!

Our offsite Forum was given updates to allow easier interaction, and allow cross-compatibility with some Discord features for those prefer to use that method of interaction. Keep checking the forum!

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Forest emphasized its environmental focus

The Monthly Environmental Action Items spurred lots of thought and conversation

October was Meat-Consciousness Month – think about the footprint of your meals!

November was Plastic Awareness Month – be aware of the full impact of your products.

Decemeber saw discussion on the holiday season, and how we can reduce our impact through reducing, reusing, and recycling whenever possible!

January led to a resolution to reduce our environmental footprint in the coming year.

February was an animated look at Dairy and Plant "Milk" awareness and alternatives.

March is Urban Forests Month! March 21st is the International Day of Forests, and while it will be occurring during our electoral period, please remember to keep it in mind and think about what you can do to help Forests around the world, and in your own back yard.

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Forest looked at its own laws and procedures

We passed a much-needed amendment to Article 6 of our Constitution, overhauling our embassy processes nearly from top to bottom, and greatly improving the usability and simplicity of our embassy process. In the time since that passage, we have put the new amendment in to significant use, with five embassy polls, including two continuations with re-founded allies that we previously would not have been able to readily manage! We are always looking for ambassadors – please consider inquiring about such a position if you think you've got what it takes! See the job description on the WFE.

We drafted and submitted an amendment to Article 4 as well, with the intention of permitting our founder to appoint temporary regional officers to handle RMB moderation during our electoral period. Sadly, I have not yet heard back with founder approval as yet, so a vote will not be possible before the upcoming electoral period, but hopefully we will see this come up for vote in the new term. In the meanwhile, should there be any trouble on the RMB during this electoral period, please have patience and know that efforts are being made to address the problem!

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A final note

As we approach the end of the term, and the upcoming Forest Keeper vote, the world around us is experiencing something most of us have probably not dealt with before at this scale. People around the world are nervous, some are outright scared, and there is a great deal of uncertainty.

Here in Forest, we know that we are just playing a game – a virtual distraction from the troubles of the world. What is also plain to see though, is just how widespread our citizens are, and how shared those world troubles are amongst us all. We have citizens who have checked in from every inhabited continent, and have shared insight in to both their own thoughts and feelings, and the zeitgeist of their respective home cities, countries, and regions.

We are all in this together, not just the present concern over COVID-19, but the world as a whole. We are all sharing in the experience of being humans on Earth, dealing with the crises of the day as best we can, and speaking in to the void of the internet to find others like us. There may be over 7 billion of us scattered around the planet, but it is truly amazing and inspiring to see how similar we are. Separated by distances our ancestors couldn't imagine, cultures we might not understand, politics, religion, and dozens of other factors, we are sharing a human experience live and in real time with strangers who don't seem quite so strange as before.

We might not recognize each other if we met face to face, but I think we all recognize the feelings and emotions people are experiencing. Please continue to share, to speak, to comfort, and to inquire. Don't forget to love each other, for together, we are Forest.

Humbly and forever yours,
Verdant Haven
Forest Keeper

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