Here's a quick list of some fabulous resources to inspire new thinking and actions for the new year:
1. Co-Intelligence Institute Toolbox
Describes all kinds of change processes, methods, and techniques -- and even provides the backstory, theory and additional resources if you want to go deeper.
http://www.co-intelligence.org/CIPol_ComunityProcesses.html
2. Human System Dynamics Institute
Chaos theory and complexity as applied to working with groups and organizations in meaningful and practical ways.
http://www.hsdinstitute.org/
3. Fostering Sustainable Behavior: Community Based Social Marketing
Contains articles, case studies, and strategies from social change practitioners (with an environmental lens); tools include: attitudes, branding, commitment, communication, convenience, education, feedback, framing, goal setting, incentives, norms, prompts, social diffusion.
http://www.cbsm.com/public/world.lasso
4. NuPolis: Scalable Innovations for Communities
Includes stories about what's working (and what isn't) to ramp up social innovation in the US; also has chapters of an online book called How Social Innovators are Transforming America's Communities.
http://www.cbsm.com/public/world.lasso
5. Social Innovation Exchange
More international in scope, lists case studies and articles in a variety of social change fields.
http://www.socialinnovationexchange.org/
6. UW School of Business: Business, Environment, and Social Responsibility program
This resource page contains all kinds of goodies -- "Books That Changed My Life", "UW Classes Not to be Missed," "Videos" which include lots of TED talk links, and "Things You Can Do To Live More Sustainably."
http://www.bus.wisc.edu/sustainability/resources/
May you be inspired!
Marian Farrior
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
12 Innovations of the '00s
As we turn the page on our recent decade, an article by Sarah Van Gelder of YES! Magazine has gotten me thinking... What were some of the most important innovations of the '00s? Let's start with Van Gelder's candidates, as she identified a dozen important innovations of the last decade:
1. People fell in love with local foods. There are now more than 5,000 farmers' markets in the U.S., up 13 percent in just one year, many new school vegetable gardens, and CSA. People turned their lawns into gardens, and asked grocery stores and restaurants to offer local foods.
2. A home-grown U.S. pro-democracy movement brought greater integrity to the elections process. This movement, built on the voting rights movement, began after the questionable election of 2000. Through public scrutiny, legal challenges, and mobilization of poll watchers, it was able to counter election manipulation, voter suppression, black box voting irregularities, and to begin restoring voting rights to felons who had served their terms.
3. Happiness got redefined. As people discovered that debt and overconsumption cause stress to families, the planet, and each of us, many turned instead to friends, family, good works, spirituality, and personal growth as the keys to a good life.
4. Media became radically decentralized and inclusive, with anyone able to report on events and to post video, tweets, photos, and commentary. Governments found secrecy much harder to come by. Fact checking became a participatory activity.
5. Prison overcrowding, budget shortfalls, and powerful advocacy turned the public against draconian prison terms and the drug war in favor of limited prison time for nonviolent offenses and alternatives like treatment and community service.
6. People went local to rebuild the economy. Instead of competing to get corporations to locate in their communities, they began building economies based on local strengths and local needs, striving to be green and to offer living wages and dignity to employees. Worker-owned cooperatives are at the leading edge of this movement, especially in abandoned rust-belt cities. The new focus is on sustainably meeting the needs of ordinary people, not the greed of Wall Street.
7. Populist resistance grew to corporate power and big government. This movement pushed back against bailed-out Wall Street banks, the domination of health insurance and Pharma in the health care debate, and the power of big coal and big oil. Right-wing think tanks and media tried to morph this populism into an anti-Obama movement, so far with limited success. (But if Obama continues to capitulate to a corporate agenda, he could be in trouble with populists across the political spectrum.)
8. The stage was set for nuclear abolition: A global consensus grew around the need to abolish nuclear weapons. In the United States, conservatives like George Shultz are advocates along with progressive leaders.
9. Indigenous people’s rights were recognized in an official United Nations declaration. Indigenous peoples began using their new-found clout to protect their ways of life and the biosphere, stewarding sources of invaluable cultural and biological diversity.
10. The United States elected an African-American president. While this didn't usher in a utopian post-racial society, it did show the power of multi-racial organizing. And it set the stage for long over-due remedies to racial disparities and segregation. But, as has been painfully clear, it does not guarantee progressive policies will come out of the White House.
11. A new guiding philosophy emerged based on respect for all people and all life. This approach is gaining power after both neoliberalism and neoconservatism proved themselves out of touch with the challenges faced by humanity – and out of ideas. The Earth Charter, formally launched in 2000, received endorsements of thousands of organizations representing millions of people during the ‘00s, revealing the potential for a new worldview to take hold based in environmental sustainability and social justice.
12. A “Survival” Movement swept the world; millions took action to confront the climate crisis, making changes at home and at work, greening cities, resisting coal and deforestation. Look to this movement to grow rapidly, post-Copenhagen.
While I think several of those identified in her article are important, and have potential to make significant innovations in the economic and political landscape, I think there are some other innovations that have vast potential worth noting. These include:
* Access to purified water through low tech solutions. These include the Kissi water filter, potter Tracy Hawkins Filter Pure system, and PlayPump International's great merry go 'round systems. The ramifications of these inventions and the not-for-profit movement supporting them can result in over 1 billion people having necessary access to clean water.
* Computer access through self-meshing systems: Mesh networks have the potential to link remote areas throughout the world and to decentralize internet service provision to hundreds of millions of people. When combined with educational programs and aid, such as through One Laptop Per Child, the impact can be leveraged in some amazing ways.
* The explosion of micro-lending programs: Starting with the work of organizations like Grameen Bank, for which Mohammed Yunus won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, a wide array of organizations has emerged over the past decade. These organizations tend to focus their efforts on small groups, especially women, in the most impoverished regions of the world, with the goal of breaking the cycle of poverty. These efforts result in extraordinary success stories and freedom from social and economic oppression. The multiplier effects of micro-credit are just beginning to be realized.
What innovations would you rate as most important this past decade? What do you think of the ideas offered by Sarah Van Gelder, or by me? Continue the conversation!
-Harry
1. People fell in love with local foods. There are now more than 5,000 farmers' markets in the U.S., up 13 percent in just one year, many new school vegetable gardens, and CSA. People turned their lawns into gardens, and asked grocery stores and restaurants to offer local foods.
2. A home-grown U.S. pro-democracy movement brought greater integrity to the elections process. This movement, built on the voting rights movement, began after the questionable election of 2000. Through public scrutiny, legal challenges, and mobilization of poll watchers, it was able to counter election manipulation, voter suppression, black box voting irregularities, and to begin restoring voting rights to felons who had served their terms.
3. Happiness got redefined. As people discovered that debt and overconsumption cause stress to families, the planet, and each of us, many turned instead to friends, family, good works, spirituality, and personal growth as the keys to a good life.
4. Media became radically decentralized and inclusive, with anyone able to report on events and to post video, tweets, photos, and commentary. Governments found secrecy much harder to come by. Fact checking became a participatory activity.
5. Prison overcrowding, budget shortfalls, and powerful advocacy turned the public against draconian prison terms and the drug war in favor of limited prison time for nonviolent offenses and alternatives like treatment and community service.
6. People went local to rebuild the economy. Instead of competing to get corporations to locate in their communities, they began building economies based on local strengths and local needs, striving to be green and to offer living wages and dignity to employees. Worker-owned cooperatives are at the leading edge of this movement, especially in abandoned rust-belt cities. The new focus is on sustainably meeting the needs of ordinary people, not the greed of Wall Street.
7. Populist resistance grew to corporate power and big government. This movement pushed back against bailed-out Wall Street banks, the domination of health insurance and Pharma in the health care debate, and the power of big coal and big oil. Right-wing think tanks and media tried to morph this populism into an anti-Obama movement, so far with limited success. (But if Obama continues to capitulate to a corporate agenda, he could be in trouble with populists across the political spectrum.)
8. The stage was set for nuclear abolition: A global consensus grew around the need to abolish nuclear weapons. In the United States, conservatives like George Shultz are advocates along with progressive leaders.
9. Indigenous people’s rights were recognized in an official United Nations declaration. Indigenous peoples began using their new-found clout to protect their ways of life and the biosphere, stewarding sources of invaluable cultural and biological diversity.
10. The United States elected an African-American president. While this didn't usher in a utopian post-racial society, it did show the power of multi-racial organizing. And it set the stage for long over-due remedies to racial disparities and segregation. But, as has been painfully clear, it does not guarantee progressive policies will come out of the White House.
11. A new guiding philosophy emerged based on respect for all people and all life. This approach is gaining power after both neoliberalism and neoconservatism proved themselves out of touch with the challenges faced by humanity – and out of ideas. The Earth Charter, formally launched in 2000, received endorsements of thousands of organizations representing millions of people during the ‘00s, revealing the potential for a new worldview to take hold based in environmental sustainability and social justice.
12. A “Survival” Movement swept the world; millions took action to confront the climate crisis, making changes at home and at work, greening cities, resisting coal and deforestation. Look to this movement to grow rapidly, post-Copenhagen.
While I think several of those identified in her article are important, and have potential to make significant innovations in the economic and political landscape, I think there are some other innovations that have vast potential worth noting. These include:
* Access to purified water through low tech solutions. These include the Kissi water filter, potter Tracy Hawkins Filter Pure system, and PlayPump International's great merry go 'round systems. The ramifications of these inventions and the not-for-profit movement supporting them can result in over 1 billion people having necessary access to clean water.
* Computer access through self-meshing systems: Mesh networks have the potential to link remote areas throughout the world and to decentralize internet service provision to hundreds of millions of people. When combined with educational programs and aid, such as through One Laptop Per Child, the impact can be leveraged in some amazing ways.
* The explosion of micro-lending programs: Starting with the work of organizations like Grameen Bank, for which Mohammed Yunus won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, a wide array of organizations has emerged over the past decade. These organizations tend to focus their efforts on small groups, especially women, in the most impoverished regions of the world, with the goal of breaking the cycle of poverty. These efforts result in extraordinary success stories and freedom from social and economic oppression. The multiplier effects of micro-credit are just beginning to be realized.
What innovations would you rate as most important this past decade? What do you think of the ideas offered by Sarah Van Gelder, or by me? Continue the conversation!
-Harry
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Hula Hooping and Change -- Exercising Our Minds and Our Brains
This morning's UW-MANIAC learning event was a real treat, as we first focused our energies on applying the Seven Levels of Change model to a real issue at the university, then totally shifted our gears (and bodies) to enter the world of hula hooping with Adam Grieve.
Last month, we learned Rolf Smith's "Seven Levels of Change" model and played with a few of its tools. The group was then challenged to step up and identify a real UW issue and see if we could apply Smith's approach to it. SOAR offered to engage us in this process, so that today we generated ideas related to how SOAR could engage its student employees in the process of improving its program. Using Smith's brainwriting tool, we generated dozens of ideas in 15 minutes! Hopefully, there will be some valuable 'nuggets' contained within, so the consulting team can pursue them with the SOAR staff. Stay tuned for updates as this process unfolds...
We then introduced "The Hoop Man," Adam Grieve, a PhD student in Ed Psych with a passion for hula hoops. Adam makes them, demonstrates them, shares his passion and gets others excited about trying them out -- which we did with gusto! Here is an example of one of Adam's hooping good times:
Watch this blog for additional video from the MANIAC experience!
Overall, not a bad way to start a snowy day...
Harry
Last month, we learned Rolf Smith's "Seven Levels of Change" model and played with a few of its tools. The group was then challenged to step up and identify a real UW issue and see if we could apply Smith's approach to it. SOAR offered to engage us in this process, so that today we generated ideas related to how SOAR could engage its student employees in the process of improving its program. Using Smith's brainwriting tool, we generated dozens of ideas in 15 minutes! Hopefully, there will be some valuable 'nuggets' contained within, so the consulting team can pursue them with the SOAR staff. Stay tuned for updates as this process unfolds...
We then introduced "The Hoop Man," Adam Grieve, a PhD student in Ed Psych with a passion for hula hoops. Adam makes them, demonstrates them, shares his passion and gets others excited about trying them out -- which we did with gusto! Here is an example of one of Adam's hooping good times:
Watch this blog for additional video from the MANIAC experience!
Overall, not a bad way to start a snowy day...
Harry
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
"Seven Levels of Change" Focus of Next UW-MANIAC Breakfast
The process of innovation is often viewed either as reserved for 'creative minds' or is something of mystery. Rolf Smith, in his excellent book, The Seven Levels of Change, invites us to consider the possibilities of significant 'mind shifts' that begin with changing some of our basic approaches to dilemmas and projects. At the next UW-MANIAC Breakfast on October 15th, we will explore some of Smith's ideas and use a few of the simple tools he offers us. This discussion will be facilitated by Dennis Rozell and Harry Webne-Behrman.
***Bonus learning opportunity! Dennis and Harry will invite us to specifically consider how to take Smith's model and adapt it to utilize in our projects, forming an ad hoc innovation team. The results of this effort will be shared at another UW-MANIAC event later this year!
Get involved! Become a MANIAC. Innovate. Collaborate. Inspire meaningful change.
***Bonus learning opportunity! Dennis and Harry will invite us to specifically consider how to take Smith's model and adapt it to utilize in our projects, forming an ad hoc innovation team. The results of this effort will be shared at another UW-MANIAC event later this year!
Get involved! Become a MANIAC. Innovate. Collaborate. Inspire meaningful change.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Will Allen Inspires Us with Urban Agriculture
The NY Times Magazine this past Sunday ran an article called, "Street Farmer" about Will Allen of Milwaukee. For those of you unfamiliar with Allen and his Growing Power Farm initiative, he has managed to take a small chunk of urban space and convert it into some of the most sustainable topsoil in the state. He has also found ways to engage and employ many of Milwaukee's youth in his project, both as employees and through his work with schools (which is how I became aware of him several years ago, as he spoke at my kids' school), succeeding with organic, urban farming that supplies food pantries, farmer's markets, and over more traditional food venues.
What do you think? Can you see other applications of Allen's philosophy and approach to the type of work you do?
What do you think? Can you see other applications of Allen's philosophy and approach to the type of work you do?
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Bill Gates Funds Unorthodox Health Research in Britain
Thanks to Nancy Schultz-Darken for this contribution...
In a story yesterday from The Times of London (Online), we learn about how the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is supporting some critical, innovative research in health care.
Through more than 80 projects at the far edge of innovation in global health research, the Grand Challenges Initiative will share millions of pounds of grants to support unorthodox thinking — and the outside chance of a world-changing discovery. In a radical departure from conventional funding systems, the foundation asked only for a two-page application and no preliminary data for the first stage award. It is hoped that this approach will encourage and accelerate bold and largely unproven research.
What do you think of this Initiative? What implications does this approach have for funding other innovative projects?
In a story yesterday from The Times of London (Online), we learn about how the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is supporting some critical, innovative research in health care.
Through more than 80 projects at the far edge of innovation in global health research, the Grand Challenges Initiative will share millions of pounds of grants to support unorthodox thinking — and the outside chance of a world-changing discovery. In a radical departure from conventional funding systems, the foundation asked only for a two-page application and no preliminary data for the first stage award. It is hoped that this approach will encourage and accelerate bold and largely unproven research.
What do you think of this Initiative? What implications does this approach have for funding other innovative projects?
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Pieces of String Tie Loose Ends Creatively
I'm grateful for this morning's UW-MANIAC breakfast, "Pieces of String Too Small To Save," as Kent Lesandrini sparked some creative stories that had lain dormant within us. Much was inspired in the conversation, and I hope we can continue to share some of these ideas on this blog. A few inspirations:
* What are our intentions? If we focus on the things we care about in our lives (and our work), we might actually be able to approach tasks with greater pleasure, yield fuller enjoyment from the experience, and identify some new ways of being and Knowing that can inform our future Self.
* 'Pieces of string' allow us to explore Values in a new, less threatening way, one that exposes narratives that help reveal deeper meaning for our relationships. This can be a great way to access cultural experiences that otherwise lie beneath the surface of our work lives, thus helping us work more effectively (and efficiently?) together.
* "What else might work?" That's a great question! We can benefit so much from S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G ourselves with this question. It allows to examine unstated expectations that, while reflecting our personal 'comfort zones,' may also inhibit our creative responses to new challenges and opportunities.
* Time is experienced in vastly different ways. One discovery was the experience of Time over the years, in the 'elevator stories' people shared this morning (e.g., kids pushing all the buttons and riding the elevator for hours, adults pushing the single button repeatedly in a hurry, seniors not pushing the button and being pleased to be together on an elevator that might not be going anywhere in particular.) Time is also experienced very differently across cultures.
Our understandings of 'pieces of string' opens our capacity to understand one another (it was referred to as a Portal at one point) and make connections that are otherwise elusive. After many had gone, a few members of the group lingered and kept revealing new 'pieces' in our conversation, as well as rituals that might be helpful to incorporate into our lives and work that flow from these insights.
What 'pieces of string' do you have to offer? What are a few catalysts that you might add to those that were generated thus far? Please make a contribution! If you add a Comment, that's easy enough, but if you'd like to offer a new 'thread' for this blog, let me know and I'll give you authorship rights to move ahead!
-Harry
* What are our intentions? If we focus on the things we care about in our lives (and our work), we might actually be able to approach tasks with greater pleasure, yield fuller enjoyment from the experience, and identify some new ways of being and Knowing that can inform our future Self.
* 'Pieces of string' allow us to explore Values in a new, less threatening way, one that exposes narratives that help reveal deeper meaning for our relationships. This can be a great way to access cultural experiences that otherwise lie beneath the surface of our work lives, thus helping us work more effectively (and efficiently?) together.
* "What else might work?" That's a great question! We can benefit so much from S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G ourselves with this question. It allows to examine unstated expectations that, while reflecting our personal 'comfort zones,' may also inhibit our creative responses to new challenges and opportunities.
* Time is experienced in vastly different ways. One discovery was the experience of Time over the years, in the 'elevator stories' people shared this morning (e.g., kids pushing all the buttons and riding the elevator for hours, adults pushing the single button repeatedly in a hurry, seniors not pushing the button and being pleased to be together on an elevator that might not be going anywhere in particular.) Time is also experienced very differently across cultures.
Our understandings of 'pieces of string' opens our capacity to understand one another (it was referred to as a Portal at one point) and make connections that are otherwise elusive. After many had gone, a few members of the group lingered and kept revealing new 'pieces' in our conversation, as well as rituals that might be helpful to incorporate into our lives and work that flow from these insights.
What 'pieces of string' do you have to offer? What are a few catalysts that you might add to those that were generated thus far? Please make a contribution! If you add a Comment, that's easy enough, but if you'd like to offer a new 'thread' for this blog, let me know and I'll give you authorship rights to move ahead!
-Harry
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