MoS represented last year at Eco Cities 2011, in Montreal.
MoS represented at the Montreal EcoCity World Summit. We went to the conference – viewed panels, shared time and poignant conversation with the founder Richard Register. Previously we had met him for an interview and tour of the East Village Gardens with Wendy Brawer of Green Map. (clip on MoS youtube) We now have a beer on occasion. (Read his Ecocities book.) MoS also sat with the conference hosts of next years EcoCiy Summit in Nantes discussing if Americans would travel to Nantes for the event.
2011, on the last day, MoS had a table presentation and so did 2 Montreal artists a few tables over who left a lasting impression. They were using plain cotton string to make these long necklaces out of tree “propeller” seeds that were outside under trees. In contrast to this conference center with huge skylights, escalators, carpet and sterile atmosphere these 2 elegant artists were stringing precious necklaces out of propellers then adorning passing participants in a ritual-like welcoming. Apparently a participant saw them out side and invited them in –a highlight for sure. The food garden on the roof of the convention center was impressive and to see the chef actually picking from it.
MoS has video documentation to share of several of the the break out sessions.
The energy investing panel was disappointing. I have some video of that. The community gardens are really well organized there. A talk on Favellas was interesting, and the talk on Paolo Soleri, to whom Mr. Register gives a lot of his inspiration credit. In another panel of artists an angel investor stood up to praise the student who built the musical bikes. her bikes play sounds of different instruments as one rides them. Ride many together and you have an orchestra. He praised her creativity and thought that was the resource of the future.
Artists are highly involved in the new economy solutions.
[GO artists– I went to art school and thank-you, it wasn’t frivolous. I worked harder and more passionately than many non art students. I believe artists (architects media, fashion, sculpture etc.) work super hard in college and have the least amount of money for food because supplies eat their food budget. Invest in artists.. not in their art — but in the artist themselves so they can buy supplies and also eat. However now I think ppl are becoming more resourceful and finding waste as a resource — which is good bc the rich may feel secure until they have no money. The real test is how resourceful one is. The resourceful ones are the most secure.]
Back to Eco-2011 in Montreal: MoS contingency rode bikes to create battery power with TD bank and somehow I helped plant trees somewhere. We met a really interesting young man who travelled all the way from Seattle on a shoestring. He had a presentation on display. In conversation his shtick was rebuilding old towns and redesigning slowing shopping malls into sustainable community villages. Go future.
MoS “planted seeds” by showing off it’s permaculture designs for Lake Anne Village, bokashi method for city apartments, it’s mud balls for polluted city waterways, natural home cleaning to prevent pollution, natural personal care products for personal health and to prevent pollution. We had participants fill out the Abundance Cards to help city people share resources. They signed the mud ball list and chose their preferred waterway to clean.
The type of participants we met can introduce these practices on a larger scale. They will take our functioning, easy tools –with no barriers to implementing them. and immediately put them to work to start swells of positive transition.
ECO-Cities-2013 in Nantes France
September 25 26 and 27, 2013
Finally some more news!!
A Call for Contributions!
Download the Cal for Contributions PDF: EOCITY2013
Some excerpts from the PDF:
We encourage participants to rally many diverse competences and goodwill around their proposals and projects in order to co-construct various responses to the challenges. This preparatory time is a time of activity, emergence and mobilization.
EcoCities: A Global Issue:
– more than 50% of the worlds population lives in cities.
– Cities crystallize the challenges of sustainable development in the context of an ecological, financial and societal crisis: water, food, energy, greenhouse gas emissions, waste, social relationships, jobs, land, biodiversity and ecological footprint. Only the sum of local solutions will produce global effects.
– How can cities initiate and accelerate their ecological transition in the difficult current context? Where can they find the means?
- Your action in the city is decisive. Whether you are an elected official/city administrative officer or a researcher/thinker, an entrepreneur/operator, a financier/ funder, you are a key player in the transition towards truly sustainable cities.
- Changing the rules governing the city. We hope that the ECOCITY conference will be an opportunity to evaluate new and up-and-coming regulations, take into account the state of international regulations and make new proposals in terms of laws, regulations and financial mechanisms.
CHALLENGES:
Financial
Financial challenges related to the transition toward a sustainable city with zero environmental impact, a cohesive and socially inclusive city, in times of crisis.
Governing
Legal, legislative and regulatory challenges of governance, participation and civic membership. How to articulate a general framework incorporating local characteristics? What strengthened governance framework can be given to local officials in view of the systemic issues? How to generate and support citizen participation? How to better articulate public, private and citizens’ contributions? How to arbitrate between public and private management of cities?
Shaping
Operational challenges for solution providers (cities, players in the public, private or voluntary sectors). What are the most promising implementation strategies for the future? How to develop a transition business model incorporating a strong requirement for social cohesion? How can the fight against urban environmental pollution engineer economic growth and job creation? What are the functional, societal and technological innovations to be deployed as a priority in cities? How to move from pilot projects and testing to action programmes deployed across entire cities?
Thinking
Scientific challenges and questions that must be addressed constructively by researchers. How to open up research and develop cross-disciplinary work for a systemic approach of the city? How to develop action-driven research? How to better understand and more effectively disseminate the researchers’ progress and findings? How to better understand and integrate the social demand? How to better track all the efforts put in by the cities and their inhabitants in improving the environmental impact?
Ecocities Newsletter: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=hdosiabab&v=001X6jYJeFlGfKc82g7lQ-CfsdvfvSbqSdh4jWd2ISPrWLWOXAwaUN_GgR5uqERh90udNhw1TcVPh5mTJ_YY62wgbHEw2N3ymHnlHFBguTmff8%3D
September 25-27, 2013
- Nantes is European Green Capital 2012
- EcoCity brings together the driving forces working toward sustainable cities: elected officials, businesses, researchers, funders, NGO’s, civic actions.
- EcoCites 10th addition: by Ecocity Builders Foundation following on from Montrreal, Istambul, Shanghai, San Fancisco, bangalore, Shenzhen, Curitiba, Yoff, Adalaide abd Berkeley, and is the first within the European Union.
- EcoCity 2013 is happening at a crucial political moment worldwide. The mobilizing forces have to bring forward solutions to be disseminated on a large scale and to change the rules governing the city.
