Sustainable Neighborhoods Organizing Workshop Sunday, November 16, 2008

The November Sustainable Neighborhoods Organizing Workshop was a great success, despite the cold, and future events are now being planned (see the description below).

Thanks to the Brickhouse for hosting and organizing the event, and to the 40 plus people from all over Louisville who braved the cold to come together to learn from each other how we can organize sustainable neighborhood networks that work for our community and the planet.

The raw footage from the event has been posted at the Brickhouse site, and we look forward to making more of the event proceedings and outcomes available in time through the Adena Center.


_______________________________________________________

Here's the original announcement for the workshop:


WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY AND HOW DO WE GET THERE?

NEIGHBORHOOD SUSTAINABILITY WITH PROCESS IN MIND.
The Brick House community center, in conjunction with the Adena Institute and other community partners and organizations, is hosting a workshop on neighborhood sustainability and urban ecovillage organizing

Sunday, November 16th

2 - 5 pm
@ The Brick House
1101 S. 2nd Street
Louisville, Ky
40208

John Baker, Clifton Community Council
Mark Isaacs, AIA, Legacy Homes (invited)
John Gilderbloom, Ph.D., Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods, University of Louisville
Doug Lowery, Beechmont Neighborood
Shameka Parrish-Wright, Community Activist, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth
David W. Silverman, Executive Director, Adena Institute
Jack Trawick, APA, Executive Director, Center for Neighborhoods
Kelly Thompson, Metro United Way (invited)

(Organizational Info for Identification)


About the workshop:

We are moving towards ecological societies, with great opportunities to build a positive future:

Neighborhood democracy, renewable energy, real economic development, sustainable businesses, healthy local food, stronger families and social connections, and ways to act locally and globally everyday for a world that works for everyone.

  • What are your challenges in greening your neighborhood?
  • How are you and your neighbors crafting neighborhood sustainability?
  • How do we create urban ecovillages now?
    This is an action-learning workshop, so we will have an opportunity to collaborate on real issues in Louisville neighborhoods. Participants will have the opportunity to work in groups on sustainability organizing and urban ecovillage planning for your block or neighborhood.

The workshop will highlight sustainability theory and organizing strategies, with brief case studies from Louisville and around the world, exploring the following questions and opportunities for action:

  • How have successful sustainable community organizers changed their neighborhoods for the better?
  • What are the challenges raised by the transition to sustainable societies?
  • How does sustainability organizing differ from and connect with traditional neighborhood organizing?
  • How do neighborhood ecovillages grow?
  • How do we measure our sustainability successes and failures?
  • How do we collaborate effectively and keep learning and action moving forward?
  • What resources are available to support neighborhoods moving towards sustainability?

Not only is this a discussion, it is a forum for all those who are interested, as well as a springboard for project-oriented groups to come together and actually achieve realistic goals.


Please attend, bring a friend or colleague, forward this announcement, and join us in exploring how to support community efforts to green our neighborhoods.

Free and open to the public.

Donations Welcome! Donations to the Sustainable Neighborhoods Workshop will go to support the sustainability efforts of Brickhouse and the Adena Institute.

Correction: Please note that the Center for Neighborhoods is not a formal sponsor of the event, as early fliers indicated.