Thursday, November 18, 2010

A 'Home Next Door to Home'

In response to last block party's survey, where over 80% of neighbors surveyed checked the box for a 'gathering place' INSIDE our little SoZoo area, we've made room for a 'clubhouse' of sorts, that is not anyone's living room, nor a religious or otherwise alrady dedicated space. So you can host a get-together with neighbors without cramping your style at home. We've got a large garage that we've committed to the neighborhood as a potential gathering space, art studio, party space, and 'un'school. We're putting a nice floor in it and finishing the walls as soon as we (financially) can.

Interest inventory: One (still unfinished) wall has 3 giant bulletin boards now. By pinning up notes on the bulletin boards, we can share our responses to the 3 purpose-sharing and local-living-economy-priming questions (see column on right: "good questions elicit good news") and see what thoughts and needs are alive in our neighbors right around us... and how the needs and assets overlap! Your privacy is protected, as you much be from SoZoo to see the names on the backs of the cards and get help getting in touch. If there's many names on a particular topic/card, we can host a little get-together.

Asset mapping: Also, there will be a map on the large (still blank) white curtain where everyone can stitch on a picture of their house and pin up what basic skills are housed in our 'hood (first aid, carpenter, babysitter, CPR, baker...) A fun and quite litteral way to do "asset mapping"! 'Un'School I'll tell you about the Montessori-inspired-Reskilling-preschool-for-all-ages part of the space another time, and post pictures.

Note: The space is as of yet furnished with a game table and benches, a library shelf, and first aid stuff. We might need your help to convince the property management company that a different (temporary) door-opening (temporary wall, door, and windows so you can see inside and join in the fun) (which we are able to make and remove) should be aesthetically pleasing to the property owner.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

The newsletter is out

There has been lots of progress on visions and dreams of a neighborhood-centric life-long-learning center... it's coming into being:

  • our space is transformed into a neighborhood gathering center,
  • neighbors are inviting neighbors to gatherings in each other's living rooms,
  • the first micro-local neighborhood newsletter is circluating.
Newsletter content heralds news of goings-on on within 2 blocks from our homes. Newsletter content corresponds to postings on our 3 special lamp posts, the SoZoo neighbohood's private social networking site (sozoo.org) and a calendar of events in the new "un-school" and theater space in our dedicated residence (see previous post for pictures).

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Facebook

We now have a Facebook page with a photo album!
"Friends of Neighbors On Purpose"

Today is 10/10/10 - a great day to go 'live' at SoZoo.org and deliver the first Neighbors On Purpose newsletter to 300 residences of unsuspecting SoZoo neighbors (all within a 2 block radius!)

Friday, September 17, 2010

Carbon Neutral Neighborhoods: Getting Clear On Purpose

Seattle City Council asked some point people who were known to be thinking constructively about carbon and carbon neutrality, to reach out to their communities and garner citizen input on the following question:
"Given our commitment to be a carbon neutral city by 2030 (the first in the nation), which goals would be wise to set for within the next 1-3 years?"
On September 14th, 2010, citizens presented recommendations Seattle City Council, garnered from input and processing from over 400 citizens - a good beginning to ongoing collaborations.

http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=2331058

At 37 minutes, the first citizens' group presents: Land Use advisory group
At 48 minutes, the second group (including me): Neighborhoods
At 59 minutes, the third group: Energy
At 72 minutes, the fourth group: Green Careers
At 83 minutes, the fifth group: Transportation
(explaining Peak Oil and pointing out that funding mega-projects for cars is taking money from where we need it to go, see minute 139 for THE controversial question regarding transportation, and the council's politically intelligent response.)
At 93 minutes, the sixth group: Food Systems
At 105 minutes, the seventh group: Zero Waste
At 114 minutes, the eighth group: Young People

Start listening at 142 minutes, for (IMHO) the most important response of the evening: how we move forward:
Mike O'Brien said
"There were a lot of ideas that were presented today. There are a lot more ideas which are in the whitepapers, which (...) are on the city council website right now (...) One of the next steps that I think needs to happen is: we need to have council members identify projects they want to take ownership of, and we need to have community members identify council members that they want to work with on this and bring those folks together. I know that some folks have already had conversations, and some of these are projects that people - council members - have been working on for a number of years, and it's just a continuation of that. (...) I encourage everyone who worked on it , and everyone in the audience, and everyone watching it on tv, to take part in that effort, to engage council members, leaders across the city, your neighbors and co-workers, and start to create public demand and start to collaborate so that we can really create the space so we can move quickly on a lot of these (ideas/projects) because we don't have a lot of time."

At 146 minutes, a request to keep in mind that there are professionals and organizations who can help integrate the stakeholders into the process in a meaningful way.

At 148 minutes, a great wrap-up by a council member, confirming that we're all on the same page, and there's collaboration ahead of us.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

A Carbon Neutral Seattle is a Neighborly Seattle

The event we've been working toward is here!

Hear short presentations by each of the sectors -- Energy, Transportation, Waste, Youth, Food Systems, Green Jobs, Land Use, and Neighborhoods -- to the full Council, with our respective recommendations for steps that can be taken in the next three years to move Seattle toward a carbon neutral future. This is the culmination of all of our recent contributions and efforts thus far, and the beginning of what we hope will be an exciting collaborative journey toward a carbon-neutral Seattle.

September 14, 6 - 8:30 p.m.

Seattle City Hall, 600 Fourth Ave.

Bertha Knight Landes Room (on the main floor)


Our Neighborhood recommendations hinge on 3 core themes: Livability & Resiliency in Neighborhoods; Building Community though Improved Communication and Collaboration; and Better Mobility Within and Between Neighborhoods.

We do hope you all can join us at City Hall at 6:00 pm on Sept 14th (see calendar below for details), when we present our recommendations. Or you can watch live on the Seattle Channel!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Skill Building

I just found out about Thriftcamp, September 19th 2010.

"ThriftCamp is a one-day unconference discussing how to live well while living cheap. Discussions may include how to repair your clothes, how to budget your money, how to make your own soap, how to cook great meals on a thin budget, how to fix your electronics, or how to brew your own beer. Because ThriftCamp is an unconference, its content will be determined by its participants."

Seems like a more social way to learn great skills than from internet or books alone, if your own neighbors seem to be too busy to teach you/do thrifty things with you. I lucked out and learned many of these skills from a thrifty neighbor, so I might attend with her (going as Neighbors, on purpose,) and share what we know! Her super-power is recognizing when do-it-yourself is NOT cheaper. A very important skill ...it can save more than just money!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Government As Conscience

A government is like the organ that reflects what the body (of citizens) is doing. A good government, one that keeps us happy and successful, is like an organ made to hold whatever creative tension lies between what is actually happening on the ground, and what is alive in the spirit of the people. A good government organ is able to align (not consolidate, hide, or justify, but align) where we currently ARE, with our goals, priorities, and visions. A healthy government affirms what seems to be working, reminds us of our goals of holistic functioning, and asks us, like a brain or a battery: what is the happiest way to wield the power of today's momentum, plus the potential energy generated by the tension between that, and what we know we desire?

I'm happy to say we have such a government in Seattle. At least, I reflect on the City of Seattle as having momentum in the direction of being an 'organ' in the Seattle 'body' aiming itself to be/become good, healthy, and able to hold a lot of healthy, creative tension... How do I help us see ourselves this way?

Keep on doing what I'm doing in my neighborhood...
and collaborate in this group seattleneighbors.org making a white paper and presenting it before City Council on tv Septemeber 14th. My 3 minutes of fame?

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Living by Example


I'm excited to share a description and photo of my friend Carlo Violi's home and neighborhood ethic. He works miles from home everyday, faithfully biking there on his bike with electric assist fueled by the windmill... this is just what he does in his spare time!

Find the article about him in The Enterprise Newspaper, here.

Friday, August 27, 2010

PARK(ing) DAY 2010!

You can do this fun activity with a group of friends yourself, or invite teachers!

Participate in PARK(ing) DAY !!!

I made this YouTube video special for today, so you can reserve your spot in time for PARK(ing) DAY next month
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COe3Y56FHns

I love to hear feedback!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Engage Seattle On Purpose

Recently, the office of the Mayor of Seattle launched 'Engage Seattle', an initiative aiming to make Seattle an even better place to live by engaging us citizens in ways we find meaningful (reminds me of 'Making Common Sense' - see my earlier post)

We're invited to make common sense out of the three-fold goal to cultivate communication between citizens and officials, to encourage volunteerism, and support leaders-in-the-bud.

I notice that the goals are spelled out nicely. They make sense and communicate to my mind what the heart of the creator of the grants wanted... The goals are by necessity broken down and fractured pieces of a beautiful dream... the realization of which will inevitably encompass and bring about many more victories, since everything is connected.

I am excited to engage with this project, both for me, my city, and all of the people on a similar page/mission as Neighbors On Purpose. I have ideas on how accomplishing multiple victories can more efficiently and effectively accomplish the three described in this grant... with the same budget! I see how being Neighbors On Purpose and being Neighbors communicating On Purpose is pivotal to the realization of the goals in the grant.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Seattle Night Out

I loved our SoZoo block party!!

The musicians really had it together, basically 3 local bands, followed by a midnight acoustic jam...
the other activities were fun and well-intuited,
there was plenty of everything,
cool lighting...

Thanks to MarkeTime, our local mini grocer, we had over-abundant BBQ goodies and buns, (and free photocopies for the paper-airplane-survey explained below!)

Thanks to other local businesses, we have over $200 of incentives. I gathered these with the promise to give them to neighbors who jump in and cultivate a small monthly gathering.

Thanks to: Hunger tapas café,
Swingside Little Italian café,
Fremont Abbey Arts Center,
Richard's Salon, Hansen's Florist,

Rialto pasta bar & grill,
Video Isle,
American Music,
Lighthouse coffee,
Caffé Vita,
our local Dry Cleaner,
and an Extra Special BIG thanks to the Zoo!!!!!!!!

...As a direct result of these enticing gifts, 3 new groups got started who will meet monthly! One will be crafting, one will be a book group, and one will organize more neighborhood parties... plus our holiday caroling group just
doubled in size and quintoupled in frequency, and might ACtually practice in advance this time (haha)! I wish much joy to the neighbors who are spearheading these efforts, and to those who responded on the sign-up sheets! I'm supporting them in getting up and going within 2 months.

I feel hugely supported as a community organizer/spearheader-support-person now. In the picture you can see some bright green surveys I handed out regarding 'How I would like neighbors to invite me to come together' ... they were filled out, folded into paper airplanes, and flown in!! We now have a poll of how a sample of our neighbors indicated they'd prefer to be kept abreast of neighbors' invitations. Half of the surveyed neighbors signed up for a conversation to help make at least one of these 'media' a reality!

Perhaps our private online social network will become much more active, or something else, the jury is still out on which mode of communication wins our attention first...

Oh, and in the middle of it all, the mayor McGinn popped by and asked me for my business card and some of my time to help his office - I'm in heaven. Sol Villirreal in his office is engaging Seattle's Neighbors, On Purpose!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Making Common Sense

The full title of this essay published in a small book format by the Center for Creative Leadership and written by Wilfred H. Drath and Charles J. Palus is:

MAKING COMMON SENSE
Leadership as Meaning-Making
in a Community of Practice


The essay essentially explains the title. The whole essay rings very true for me.
  • Leadership is the practice of making meaning, making common sense (making basic, unbiased observations) in the context of a group of people seeking meaning in their togetherness, all practicing making meaning (feeling useful and On Purpose) together.
  • Making meaning together is all of our jobs, to be practiced perpetually.
What this means to me is: we are all here to observe through a specific lens (the lens of our talents, attention, and personal, current vision, mission, and purpose) and feed into the common sense of what is going on. As frustrating (and detrimental) as it can be to have convincing evidence of something and nowhere responsible/responsive to put our wisdom, it is our responsibility as leaders to find out where the information we naturally gather, goes, so that all can benefit.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Exercise Generates Local Energy

I struck up a conversation with a neighbor today who runs a local triathlon training center. Knowing beforehand that I was going to suggest that he generate power with his training machines would have made the conversation awkward, had I not remembered to just connect heart to heart in the moment, and trust whatever will happen to happen at the rate it wants to.

Well, this man and I connected on many, Many more levels than I'd have dared dream possible!! And, long story short: he actually worked at the place that makes the machines he trains people on and was influential enough to ENSURE that they would easily convert to energy-generators... And my enthusiasm prompted action: He's going to convert all of his training gear into grid-feeding machines! When I bump into a neighbor who wants to store/use the energy, I'll hook 'em up... on purpose.

Monday, May 31, 2010

Excuses to Bump Into Neighbors I: Solar Cooking

If you have any love for the following, you'll have a blast experimenting with solar cooking: meeting neighbors, science, interesting conversation, living lightly on the planet, arts and crafts, engineering, thermodynamics, cooking and baking, cutting edge technology, common sense, saving energy, survival skills... the list goes on.

I love putting something out to cook in my solar oven and doing other things within earshot or with it in view. I notice people noticing, or I notice neighbors not noticing, and I have an innocent excuse to strike up conversation: check on my food that's cooking thanks to the sunshine!

"Would you like to see my dinner in progress?"
"Woah, check out this thermometer!"
"Your dog is curious about my ______ dish. Come look!"

Next thing you know, we're talking about alternative energy efforts they're making or considering, or about little changes they've made to live lightly, sometimes diet is the topic, other times its engineering and science. No matter what, it's much more fun and engaging to share an experience than to talk about ourselves, in my experience. I love solar cooking! ...and it's yummy too.

It's one way to meet neighbors on purpose.

Longing and BElonging

I asked myself the following question one day, and I have felt like I belong ever since: "In a perfect world, in which everyone's needs are met, and we all know how to stay that way, where do I live?"

...I imagined myself stirring, waking from sleep in a new place. I asked myself: what does it smell like here? how does the light on my eyelids feel? what's the temperature like? how do the sheets feel on my skin? as I get out of bed, what does the floor feel like beneath my feet? what size and shape is the room? what other activities take place in this room? where is my desk/creation station? what communication tools are present? ...and I just noticed the wordless answers - the sense of the space...

Next, I asked myself: when I open my bedroom door, how does the doorknob feel in my hand? what does my door communicate to the outside? what is just outside my door? who is there? how does our connection feel? what is just down the path? what do I do there?

...I simply soaked in the sensations that came to mind. For me, this involved coaching myself "just go with the image, it's just a dream, no need to stop, just finish the exercise" ...and I am soh. glad. I. did!

I knew from then on what kind of neighbor I longed-to-be, and being-the-longing, I found myself becoming... a neighbor on purpose!

turning to one another

Margaret Wheatley wrote a wonderful book that liberated me from some important cart-before-the-horse thinking. When I started reading 'turning to one another', I immediately felt a deep sense of trust in this author.

I soon found myself scanning the appendices for what schools of thought and conversation formats she appreciated enough to mention there. I feasted on the list: some were familiar, some new. I felt my energy go 'high' out of my desired range and the accompanying thoughts were:
"I must study all of these! I love this! A comprehensive list of the Great Conversation Formats! Yay! ...and... oh no... that would take years... I feel so ignorant... Well, I will always be a beginner, and having a 'beginner's mind' is good..."

I read on and discovered that this wise woman recommends that we Just Do It: Just turn to one another! The title of the book is even devoid of capitalization, as if to say: "this is not a Method, separate from you. this is what humans DO." I feel relieved of some kind of tension I never knew I held. I promptly started sharing my Neighbors On Purpose project with neighbors, and haven't looked back. I have access to more intuition, and feel more rapport with others thanks to this book. I feel I gave myself permission to move forward, to be a neighbor now, freestyle, feeling on purpose.