Sustainable Path

Idea Club Series: Imagining Our Future

Richard — Wed, 09 May 2012 18:51:42 +0000

Summer 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the Seattle World’s Fair. In recognition, Sustainable Path Foundation has worked with The Next Fifty to host three very special Idea Clubs in May, June, and July. Instead of Sustainable Path, we’re holding them at the Digital Global Classroom located in the Intiman Playhouse.

This summer’s series, entitled Imagining the Future, will include discussions about what the next fifty years will mean to Our Food (May), Our Resources (June), and Our Health (July). We’ll continue to have our usual discussion format as well as invite special guests to help inform the conversation.

Imagining the Future: Our Food on Tuesday, May 29, from 5 to 7 pm will revolve around how we will produce, transport, and consume food over the next fifty years. RSVP here.

May 29 Idea Club - Imagining the Future: Our Food

Richard — Mon, 07 May 2012 08:00:41 +0000

Imagining the Future: Our Food on Tuesday, May 29, from 5 to 7 pm will revolve around how we will produce, transport, and consume food over the next fifty years.

In 1960, there were close to four million farms in the US, which were responsible for 6% of the US economy. Farmers made up 9% of the population. Fifty years later, the number of farms is below 2 million, they’re responsible for only .7% of the economy, and farmers are 2% of the population. What will this look like in 2062? Will it be a Soylent Green world? Or will we create more sustainable systems? What will that really look like and how do we get there?

We’ll have more information about invited guests shortly. The event is free but please RSVP soon as space is limited to 20 people.

Check out our blog for current information.

The Idea Club is an informal discussion group on science and sustainability issues that are relevant today and related to the activities of Sustainable Path Foundation. Participation is open to all members of the community.

Each meeting has a pre-determined topic for discussion. Previous meetings have dealt with green microfinance, fresh water, disappearing Arctic Ice, and creation of cultures of innovation.

We welcome participants to attend whether or not they have any prior knowledge on the subject.

An Idea Club Discussion

Richard — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:57:02 +0000

We will be having a discussion on May 8 regarding the topics for next few months of Idea Club. Join us at our offices at 2:30 to help.

The Coal Hard Truth

Richard — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:32:10 +0000

For those who would like to get some more information about coal and the impact on our region, you can attend a forum hosted by EarthMinistry on Wed. April 18 at Trinity United Methodist Church.

It starts at 7 PM and looks to be a great examination of the ongoing projects.

And see you all next Tuesday for Idea Club.

Next Idea Club – April 24

Richard — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:30:09 +0000

Our next Idea Club is Tuesday, April 24. We’ll continue our previous conversation on the impact of the coal on our region and beyond. Our invited guest is Steve Sundquist, a Board member of Climate Solutions, one of the lead organizations behind the Power Past Coal campaign.

Mark your calendars. Space is limited, so please RSVP soon.

April Idea Club
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Sustainable Path Foundation
2101 4th Avenue, Ste. 650
Seattle, WA 98121

No Idea Club in March - Join us in April for a Systems Look at the Coal Issue

Erika — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 23:15:59 +0000

We had a terrific Idea Club gathering on February 27. Matt Krogh, North Sound Baykeeper at RE Sources, provided an update on happenings around the proposed coal terminal in Bellingham. RE Sources and a number of other current and former Sustainable Path Foundation grantees are involved in the Power Past Coal campaign, working together to educate the Puget Sound region on ways to transition to a more sustainable energy economy.

February’s Idea Club generated so many good topics for further exploration that we’re devoting our April 24 Idea Club to a whole-systems look at the coal issue. Please join us! More details to come soon. In the meantime, mark your calendars:

April Idea Club
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
5 to 7 pm
Sustainable Path Foundation Office
2101 4th Ave., Ste. 650, Seattle, WA 98121

Exciting Idea Club in February

Richard — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 03:32:16 +0000

Our guest on Monday, February 27, will be Matt Krogh from one of our grantees – ReSources. He will help inform our discussion of effecting actual change in a community – what works and what does not work.

Social change is not just a matter of following a simple process. There are a multitude of approaches. Perhaps we will discuss a few.

Idea Club canceled

Richard — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:54:06 +0000

The January Idea Club has been canceled. But February may be very intriguing. Stay tunes.

Interesting paper to discuss

Richard — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 07:25:38 +0000

A paper in Thursday’s Science discusses the importance of ignorant or opinionless people in a democratic process.

It would appear that there is a very strong reason for having people in a group who really don’t care one way or the other.

The Synthetic Organization

Richard — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 23:12:37 +0000

I wrote a three part essay a few years ago which looks at some real world examples of emergent organizations (1, 2, 3). There are some interesting things – some quite disruptive ones – that can be seen in many communities.

They have some interesting attributes:

Organizations are made up of intelligent beings who can be mobilized for change.
Experimentation is necessary.
Messes are used to produce well-ordered solutions.
The best solution is the one that works, not the most elegant.
There are many paths that can be taken, so understanding when to change paths is important.
There are more opportunities as the community progresses along its path.