Agenda Work Space
Access Privileges
Hello, all,
Janelle, Doug et al.
Jill and I just met to discuss the draft agenda and here is what we came up with. Please take a look at this and let us know what changes you'd like to see, questions you have and next steps from your perspective. We can keep this dialogue going in wiser earth and have a conference call at some point before the 24th to further discuss the program if you'd like. Just let us know!
Dune and Jill
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This looks great at first glance -- I will spend more time tomorrow and collect my thoughts
Good work ;-D
Hello - great start and it really helps to have something to respond to. I am adding some comments, marked HS and italicized, to the agenda itself to see how that works (rather than post a comment at the bottom of the page). Helen
Helen - I will add to yours -- in general, I agree with your comments and have embellished a bit. Doug------------
Reunion Objectives
- to re-energize the TCP presenters - give them something inspirational, ask them to recommit
- continue to build a sense of community among the presenters - re-connect, get to know each other
- learn something new and have fun doing it!
DG: the "draw" for me is all that is going on in the PNW -- the center of the universe for local green action. I want to use the reunion as a means to collaborate and develop means to empower my audiences and to sustain their enthusiasm with continued engagement. And to encourage every preenter to think beyond individuals -- to enlist our audiences to join us in meeting with our mayors, city councils and sustainability committees. My energy, commitment and community are at an all time hight and is derived from the positive response I am getting. My purpose is to collaborate with others in setting a new course for local activism. PNW is the role model.
Key Agenda topics
- Learning about TCP future plans and directions and understanding the relationship between TCP and the Alliance for Climate Protection
- Discussing with climate experts recent climate change data, with a focus on NW issues (RKA)
- Learning about strategies, solutions and frameworks for reducing our footprints and thwarting future climate change (with focus on NW issues) RKA
DG: I would like to have the theme of each agenda item center on practicing world cafe and NWEI discussion process -- rather than sit and listen to a speaker, let's involve everybody. We are our own best teachers. Large group and small group discussions engage everybody.
Day 1
Saturday 9:00 - noon Registration and gathering
Saturday 12:00 - 1:00 - reunion opening, welcome and icebreaker (fun to get know you activity)
Saturday 1:00 - 2:30 - TCP rah rah time -where we've been, what Gore has been up to, what changes have they seen around the world (legislation, social change plus some of the not so good things), what the goals and objectives are of TCP for us, their trainees, and what the relationship is between TCP and Alliance for Climate Protection...we hope to patch Gore into this time slot
Saturday 2:30 - 2:45 - Break
Saturday 2:45 - 3:30 - unassigned
HS: How about some small group activity based on happenings at the state level? We could get some of the meeting attendees involved in delivering some of the content here (with advanced notification). And/or - how about a discussion about what would help TCP presenters be more effective in what we are doing?
DG: I recommend we give this time slot to Jill and Janelle ... and Martin! To explore how to bring our audiences back to NWIE discussions. To sustain the enthusiasm of those who attend our presentations long afterward. And to use these people as a core for an expanding local network of activists. Martin and I have made a proposal that Sabrina has presented at Nashville and got some feedback. Hopefully, she is doing the same in Boulder this weekend. PNW should be the leader in advocating the partnership between NWEI and TCP. Visit the wiki at Northwest Earth institute so the just say "Raise your hand" concept becomes part of our presentations and TCP supports us with books and procedures (which we will undoubtedly develop here at the PNW reunion) .... BTW, I gave this site the name Western Nexus Reunion because I see it as more than Pacific North West ... it is a nexus of activism in the entire west ... we just happen to be meeting in the cente of the green universe aka Portland -- you are free to rename it ...
RKA: I agree with above comments - let's have this slot particularly focused on NW issues, in whatever form that takes. I also really like the notion of a 'swap presentation & materials' session - I agree that it could be over dinner, a/o during registration time.
Saturday 3:30 - 5:00 - IPCC scientist/ other scientist who can speak to the ever changing data on climate change - more of an update and a discussion of the interconnection between solutions and climate change (e.g., biofuels)
DG: How on earth are we going to reduce emissions 80%-90% (now they say 95%) below 1990 levels and bring CO2 concentration back to 350 ppm mid-next century as Jim Hansen how explains is necessary? It is going to take more than making presentations. It requires accelerating action at the local level, getting off fosil fuels for heat and power. Let's work on concrete measures we can facilitate.
RKA - yes. I agree.
DG: New as of Saturday (3/15/08) UN: World's Glaciers Melting Faster
Saturday 5:00 - 6:00 Chat-n-chew
HS: I read this as we start talking and eating informally at 5:00pm and it goes for two hours until 7:00pm. when we have dinner. This seems like a long time to be eating and talking. How about organizing a "resource fair" where people could set-up their laptops and put out their favorite posters or publications or whatever and everyone could circulate seeing what is out there. You could set it up so half of the people show their stuff for half the time and then the other half shows up for the rest of the time. That way everyone could share their resources and have the opportunity to see what at least what the other half of the group has to offer. I could even imagine people teaming up to do this so that each team could get access to everyone.
DG: Yes! I have not seen any other presentations, and I am sure others would like to see an overview of mine. If we could somehow organize a way for everbody to get a quick overview of others' presentations ... mine only remotely resembles the orginal ;-D
RKA - total agreement here - I like the swap notion a lot
Saturday 6:00 - 7:00 Cocktail hour / no host bar
Saturday 7:00 - 8:00 Dinner - maybe have Hot Lips pizza founder deliver pizzas and talk with the group about how he has utilized The Natural Step to reorient himself and his business to consider sustainability first
HS: Neat idea!
DG: ... and how about SCRAP and the Worm Guy and ...
Saturday 8:00 - on Entertainment
Day 2
Sunday 8:30 - 9:00 - inspirational speaker come and make our skin tingle with a powerful, positive and inspiring message...maybe a faith-based trainee (Gore is planning on doing one more training with faith-based leaders)
HS: I would be very cautious about bringing in someone to talk from a faith-based perspective here. The faith orientation is not what is bringing people to this meeting and it could seem forced, especially scheduling it for a Sunday morning.
DG: ... unless it were Joanna Macy or Bill McKibben
RKA - well, we asked Bill B to get us one, and he did. I think we need to have that fellow speak, but perhaps limit it to that, unless there's a chance of getting a Native American to perhaps talk about use of storytelling in promoting ideas and action.
Sunday 9:00 - 11:00 - hear from organizations focused on solutions (NWEI, TNS, Earth Charter, Architecture 2030) about the frameworks they use and the specific strategies that they encourage individuals, communities and businesses to engage with to reduce their footprint
HS: Would we need some time for people to discuss how to integrate some of this material into their presentations?
DG: Absolutely ... let's not just listen ... let's collaborate and build on our common and disparate experiences. Need a facilitator or two.
RKA - agreement - there are a number of us who are professional facilitators - perhaps we could have enough?
Sunday 11:00 - 12:00 - recommit exercise...what as a PNW group are we going to commit to - to each other and to TCP? what message do we want to send back to TCP and take with us to our communities?
HS: I guess I am a little perplexed by the "recommitment" theme. Is the assumption that people have drifted away and are no longer committed? And if so, would they be attending this gathering? I don't think I would be drawn to an effort that is trying to "recommit" me, even though that may be the ultimate effect of a really terrific experience. It's a marketing thing....Are we really preparing the PNW group to commit to something as a group? What are the implications of a group commitment? I see this last hour as a time to synthesize all that has transpired in the meeting, to determine whether there are new activities-directions-content to incorporate, and to evaluate the meeting as a whole.
DG: Ditto. We are part of a growing movement that is huge ... Natural Capital institute is forming a place for us and others to collaborate and commit to a large endeavor. Let's explore how we can align with other endeavors here on WISEREARTH and other national campaigns like 1Sky's current Spring into Action, Step It Up, Focus the Nation, Power Shift, and Bill McKibben's brand new 350.
RKA - agreed. I'm not sure about recommit either. That said, there's a benefit in articulating aloud to each other what our own next steps will be coming out of the learning of the previous 2 days.
Then from 1:30-2:30 wiki training? I think we talked aboaut having this at the end so that folks not interested could leave. We also need Sabrina's feedback slot that she generally puts at the end.
Other items:
We'd like to have a resource table
Sharing of slides will happen during or after the event...maybe we could have a few computers set up on which folks could load their slide shows and then we can download those shows onto thumb drives??
DG: I would like this organized in the morning Saturday for those who arrive early, and again in the evening for everybody ... as much opportunity to interact and see other's approaches is valuable .. beyond simply sharing slides ... concept, overview, strategy, close ...
Comments (1 - 5 of 5)
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Joylette posted agendas from previous reunions on the wiki ...
Jan. 12 - Agenda/Minutes/Notes from Jan 2008 MD reunion Feb. 9 - Agenda/Minutes/Notes from Feb 2008 Austin reunion Feb 16 - Agenda/Minutes/Notes from Jan 2008 Nashville reunion http://www.socialtext.net/tcp/index.cgi?agenda_minutes_notes_from_jan_2008_nashville_reunion Martin Tull said NWEI trained Jim Deming presented Nashville late on Saturday to a fatigued audience ... |
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Dune, are you able to access and edit the information above ... you have Administrator status so I would presume you have the same access as I have ... do you see "Edit this page" on the left just above the agenda ... just above the first line:
Helen, Dune, Ramona -- let me know if you can access this wiki, add to it and modify it ;-D BTW, I think I voted for the agenda items you listed below ... How much time should be dedicated to each? Where would the NWEI discussion go? Sabrina gave Jim Deming 45 minutes at the end of Saturday ... people were fatigues by then. I think it could include some world cafe time/practice to discuss how to bridge from "this presentation" to an NWEI "discussion group" ... I would emphasize this over sharing slides (31) ... that could take hours each person had time to explain their slides. (30) is probably relatively quick -- 30 minutes? (29) networking can be done during meals and breaks. (29) recent science could take a while .... needs structure. (22) could also be a quick one or tied in with (30) in 30 minutes. Am I being too stingy or unrealistic with the time? Any item could include some world cafe practice (Can you tell I want world cafe practice? Ties in with NWEI I think). Would like Jill and Janelle's input on how best to make a workshop on NWEI. I have the presentation down, but need to build confidence in the NWEI / world cafe arena ... I see these as the follow on to the presentation -- to bring people back and back and back -- to create activists. |
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I just uploaded all of the documents that summaries the survey and provide the open ended results. Here are the priority agenda items as noted by the survey respondents:
Discussing with climate experts recent climate change data (n=36) Sharing slides (n=31) Learning about TCP future plans and directions (n=30) Networking with people from your geographic area (n=29) Discussing recent scientific reports concerning climate change (n=29) Understanding the relationship between TCP and the Alliance for Climate Protection (n=22) |
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This is great! Thanks, Doug. I'm having an initial talk with Jill tomorrow night and will upload the ideas for everyone's thoughts/feedback using this wiki.
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More thoughts about Sat. afternoon/early evening:
I agree that we don't need a "chat & chew" AND a cocktail hour AND dinner, and that perhaps there is a way to use that time more efficiently. I would also like to see Martin have a chance to talk about NWEI at some point. I have participated in a few of the discussion courses and they are really terrific. I also like the idea of forming some kind of informal collaborations with other pro-environmental entities. We are sometimes such lone rangers as TCP presenters, and I am realizing more and more that we have to all help each other. This was something I took away powerfully from attending a recent "Awakening the Dreamer/Changing the Dream" symposium, which is another program I would like to recommend to everyone and maybe see if there is a way to join forces. It combines environmental sustainability, spiritual fulfillment, and social justice as guiding principles. Not coincidentally, Martin is the point person for this, as well. So maybe he could say a bit about that also.
On another note entirely; I am glad that others are wanting to focus on PNW-specific issues. Portland is such a special place with respect to how sustainability is a normal part of life, and I think everyone might enjoy a chance to see this for themselves. Portland Walking Tours (see www.portlandwalkingtours.com) is acclaimed as an exceptional tour outfit. The founder is an historian. I have been on one of their tours and can vouch for them giving excellent, informative, entertaining, customized tours. So, for example, they could provide a tour of interesting sustainable features in downtown buildings, and work within our allotted timeframe. Don't know yet what the cost might be for something like that, but am looking into it.
What I am thinking is that maybe we could fold a walking tour into ending up at Hot Lips/the Ecotrust Building (www.ecotrust.org) in the late afternoon/early evening. (They would be sure to take us there anyway as one of the stops, so maybe we could just end up there.)
And/or; I actually did a dry run the other day from the Hilton to the Ecotrust Building to see how doable it was. Turns out you can catch a (FREE!) streetcar a couple blocks from the hotel, and it takes you right to the Ecotrust Building. I talked to the folks at Hot Lips, and while they aren't willing to close to the public to accommodate a private party, I think there is plenty of room there for all of us. Especially if the weather is nice, there is outdoor as well as indoor seating, and plenty of space in the adjoining atrium area. If we took the streetcar, chances are we would be somewhat staggered in our arrival, so we wouldn't all be showing up in one big clump anyway. (The pizzas are already made; you just pick what kind you want and they heat it up.) Another advantage of taking the streetcar is that people can also get off anywhere along the line that appeals to them, such as at Powell's City of Books (an absolute MUST for any visitor to Portland!). Of course, walking is also an option. From the hotel to the Ecotrust bldg is less than a mile!