Salt LakeSustainabilitySummit

Planning Meeting Harvest

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Welcome – Ben Mates

Presencing – Jane Holt – Cranes are ssymbols of peace and prosperity

Check-in: What curiosity brings you here?

Pat Sanders – Transitions: sustainability or better; community at the local level

Philippe Wyffels – process needs to be taken care of

Ed Firmage – “The Power of Community” The inspiration of Cuba’s transformation following its oil shortage when Soviet imports stopped.

Carrol Firmage – Environmental humanities; Utah pioneers as a model of self-sustaining community

Ben Mates – Curious what is in the hearts of those present, what passions; commitment to health: healthy people, healthy communities, healthy environment

Jen Colby – Can’t have healthy people on a dying planet; big quick sustainability networks; the strength of weak ties; a lot of debt currently being thrown around, let’s make sure sustainability is in the mix; connect social movements and politics

Stephanie Rosenfeld – Food Policy Council; Crossroads Food Co-op; Who is going to create sustainability? How? What does sustainability mean?

Deborah McCoy – We made it up (economy, credit score); competition (not enough) – cooperation; come from spirit; opportunity to come together

Andrea Ashbridge – too much stuff; we’ve forgotten how to depend on each other; re-connect w/ our community; we’re just one of many groups; getting the message out in the media

Jane Holt – what can we create together, especially at the neighborhood level

Kathy Wilson – what’s emerging form our consciousness?; intent à connection with other groups; trans-humanists, singularity

Tom Tilton – make up for the harm I’ve already caused; create a better world

Misc. comments: organic processes that lead to emergence; tipping points; trim tabs (small tweaks that lead to big shifts)

Vision/framing: Ben Mates

Crazy idea: Sustainability in SaltLake is possible

Network à Community of Practice à System of Influence

Core group à Stewardship group à Summit à Sustainability in SLC

What is the scope?: Philippe Wyffels

What does sustainability in this valley look like?

- Local economy – subsistence

- energy (pre-industrial examples)

- local food production

- how to apply technology

- life-cycle cost of materials (costs currently externalized?)

- balance of social, economic, ecological

- local can’t be disconnected from global

- deep democracy, equity; what would a people’s budget look like?

- human-to-human connection

- living systems (water, animals)

- zero waste (cycles, not linear)

- biomimicry (how would nature do it?)

- small-scale, decentralized, local

- distributed [power generation, food production, leadership]

- what do we want to sustain? …invent?

- feed ourselves, basic human needs, healthy relationship with nature

- restoration (heal abuse)

- long-term survival

- Natural step: harmful substances do not travel from the Earth’s crust to the biosphere, nor are such substances manufactured

- nature’s diversity not compromised

- resources used fairly and efficiently to meet human needs

- learn form the past, move forward to create the best possible future

- greatly reduced carbon

- how to meet people where they’re at; include the whole community

- quality of life (true wealth)

- cultural diversity

- values aligned with sustainability

- taking care of the whole group

- connect (with land, people, plants, animals)

- arts, creativity

- translocal connection

- economy, trade

- shelter, workplaces, good work

Stewardship of the scope: Ed Firmage

How do we create sustainability … locally?

What do we want to do as a group?

Continue the Summit? If so, how?

-         many local groups

-         include indigenous people/ways

-         synergize each one’s unique skill

-         identify what’s missing for sustainability to be present

-         comprehensive vision

-         groups work in synergy around specific issues

-         systems analysis, work strategically

-         community-based social marketing (www.empowermentinstitute.org)

o       eco-teams, block by block

-         meta-organization

-         connect w/ new top-down efforts (Obama administration)

-         build on what’s already been created

-         focus on building community

-         what’s the call/invitation?

-         What’s the goal of community building?

-         Take these questions into a summit

-         Are we just spinning our wheels?

o       Not if we involve others not previously involved

-         Our neighbors, the banks, businesses, schools, churches, other leaders, institutions

-         Both/and, not either/or

-         Involve the media

-         People connect through what we consume

-         Connect through existing natural communities

-         Craft the message and the vision

-         Diversity can flourish

Salt LakeSustainabilitySummit

Planning Meeting Harvest

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Welcome – Ben Mates

Presencing – Jane Holt – Cranes are ssymbols of peace and prosperity

Check-in: What curiosity brings you here?

Pat Sanders – Transitions: sustainability or better; community at the local level

Philippe Wyffels – process needs to be taken care of

Ed Firmage – “The Power of Community” The inspiration of Cuba’s transformation following its oil shortage when Soviet imports stopped.

Carrol Firmage – Environmental humanities; Utah pioneers as a model of self-sustaining community

Ben Mates – Curious what is in the hearts of those present, what passions; commitment to health: healthy people, healthy communities, healthy environment

Jen Colby – Can’t have healthy people on a dying planet; big quick sustainability networks; the strength of weak ties; a lot of debt currently being thrown around, let’s make sure sustainability is in the mix; connect social movements and politics

Stephanie Rosenfeld – Food Policy Council; Crossroads Food Co-op; Who is going to create sustainability? How? What does sustainability mean?

Deborah McCoy – We made it up (economy, credit score); competition (not enough) – cooperation; come from spirit; opportunity to come together

Andrea Ashbridge – too much stuff; we’ve forgotten how to depend on each other; re-connect w/ our community; we’re just one of many groups; getting the message out in the media

Jane Holt – what can we create together, especially at the neighborhood level

Kathy Wilson – what’s emerging form our consciousness?; intent à connection with other groups; trans-humanists, singularity

Tom Tilton – make up for the harm I’ve already caused; create a better world

Misc. comments: organic processes that lead to emergence; tipping points; trim tabs (small tweaks that lead to big shifts)

Vision/framing: Ben Mates

Crazy idea: Sustainability in SaltLake is possible

Network à Community of Practice à System of Influence

Core group à Stewardship group à Summit à Sustainability in SLC

What is the scope?: Philippe Wyffels

What does sustainability in this valley look like?

- Local economy – subsistence

- energy (pre-industrial examples)

- local food production

- how to apply technology

- life-cycle cost of materials (costs currently externalized?)

- balance of social, economic, ecological

- local can’t be disconnected from global

- deep democracy, equity; what would a people’s budget look like?

- human-to-human connection

- living systems (water, animals)

- zero waste (cycles, not linear)

- biomimicry (how would nature do it?)

- small-scale, decentralized, local

- distributed [power generation, food production, leadership]

- what do we want to sustain? …invent?

- feed ourselves, basic human needs, healthy relationship with nature

- restoration (heal abuse)

- long-term survival

- Natural step: harmful substances do not travel from the Earth’s crust to the biosphere, nor are such substances manufactured

- nature’s diversity not compromised

- resources used fairly and efficiently to meet human needs

- learn form the past, move forward to create the best possible future

- greatly reduced carbon

- how to meet people where they’re at; include the whole community

- quality of life (true wealth)

- cultural diversity

- values aligned with sustainability

- taking care of the whole group

- connect (with land, people, plants, animals)

- arts, creativity

- translocal connection

- economy, trade

- shelter, workplaces, good work

Stewardship of the scope: Ed Firmage

How do we create sustainability … locally?

What do we want to do as a group?

Continue the Summit? If so, how?

-         many local groups

-         include indigenous people/ways

-         synergize each one’s unique skill

-         identify what’s missing for sustainability to be present

-         comprehensive vision

-         groups work in synergy around specific issues

-         systems analysis, work strategically

-         community-based social marketing (www.empowermentinstitute.org)

o       eco-teams, block by block

-         meta-organization

-         connect w/ new top-down efforts (Obama administration)

-         build on what’s already been created

-         focus on building community

-         what’s the call/invitation?

-         What’s the goal of community building?

-         Take these questions into a summit

-         Are we just spinning our wheels?

o       Not if we involve others not previously involved

-         Our neighbors, the banks, businesses, schools, churches, other leaders, institutions

-         Both/and, not either/or

-         Involve the media

-         People connect through what we consume

-         Connect through existing natural communities

-         Craft the message and the vision

-         Diversity can flourish