Spring of Sustainability Teleseminar Series

One of the greatest areas of interest in the sustainability movement (and many other areas) has been how to scale and spread the word about innovative ideas. The Spring of Sustainability series, a free event developed by the Shift Network and the Sustainable World Coalition, has done a great job in exploring how to best deliver interesting interviews and teleseminars on sustainability topics. Starting on March 26th and running through June 22nd, the Spring of Sustainability team has attracted a wide range of leaders and visionaries in business, education, activism, government and related sectors. The daily half-hour interviews and daylong teleseminars provide a consistency and depth that is magnificent.

I had an opportunity to be part of the daylong Spring of Sustainability's "Thriving Communities" teleseminar--- As a panelist on one 2 hr. session: "Big Picture Context: Global Aspects of Thriving Communities" hosted by Thom Hartmann, with fellow panelists including: Jeff Vander Clute, Claude Lowenz, Michael Lewis and Vandana Shiva; and to co-host with Larry Tackett another 2 hr. session: "Tools for Action: What Can You Do?"in which we invited panelists including: Tina Clarke, J. Manuel Herrera, Charles Eisenstein, Michelle Long and Sobonfu Some and to share their experiences and insights into how we can take action to create more livable communities.

The technology allowed for a lively interactive discussion with participants from the US and overseas calling in and asking questions. The pace of our panel also allowed for reflection and insights that were welcomed by panelists and participants. All sessions were recorded for downloading and listening. An additional panel discussion: "What Works" was hosted by Kevin Danaher.

It's great to see the internet/phone technology accommodate a lively routable discussion and Q/A session for so many people from around the globe. I look forward to seeing more of these types of educational programs with access to a large number of leaders in the sustainability movement for people living in all parts of the globe.

Spring of Sustainability

I've been enjoying listening/participating in the Spring of Sustainability program. Organized by The Shift Network and Sustainable World Coalition, this program started on March 26th and goes until June 22nd. This venture includes a season filled with speakers, presenters, panelists and interviews with the leaders in the sustainability movement. It's an opportunity to get a perspective of current and forthcoming trends and innovations related to education, energy, green building, social media and much more. The flexibility of being able to call in or listen and view powerpoints/images online and then have small group break-out sessions is fabulous. This gives participants an opportunity to discuss the points made in the interviews/panels with others from around the world.

These types of programs show the power of leveraging communications technologies and the blend of the traditional phone with the internet to bring people together and share ideas. It's also been interesting to hear about how topics such a climate change are being presented and received by the general public in different parts of the US and abroad.

Having this program extend over three months gives everyone a way of integrating the material and listening to recordings if unable to join in during the live shows. The next step would be to extend this virtual community by having local gatherings and events in the locations where participants are calling from so everyone meets in person.