the right way to do things:

What an inspiring report! Thank you for sharing it on the list.

 Larsen <diana@futureworksconsulting.com>

http://futureworksconsulting.com

On Jul 31, 2014, at 4:37, Gail West <icataiw@gmail.com> wrote:

The time was right for a 3-day open space learning workshop in Shanghai with diverse group of corporate, community, NGO, education folks.  This included a full day of open space with overnight time.  Implementation began on Day 2 including an NGO CEO calling her husband and a staff to come to check out the OS room setup so they're ready to do one in-house!

Surprises (especially for participants) included: Competitors in work and professional lives fully engaged in deep dialogue together rather than holding back and observing; Providing positive feedback to fellow participants in the pre-work and practice; Open Space Technology was perceived as yet another tool, yet through this OSLW, several of them commented this is related to how to live their lives.  What really moved people is authentic participation not the facilitation technology.

 

Several participants went out and did Open Space within the first week after the program

*  Corporate CEO led an OS after a Zen trip with 20+ executives on Life and Wisdom.  Now looking to do other work for her companies.

*  Open Space with a client in a tiny room. The OSLW members were consulted (on line) as to how to make the room open spacy for the event. 

*  Open Space with school children in their summer camp.

 

Self-organized communities of practice started and continued after the OSLW:  Action learning; facilitator's club; volunteering for NGO education; Learning/Practice partnership for OST formed; discussions on WeChat (like Facebook) were continued and co-facilitation opportunities offered; 

And 7 volunteered to translate Chris Corrigan's book "The Tao of Holding Space" into simplified Chinese!

 

Partcipant's comments:

-  Open Space is a meeting facilitation tool that evoke passion and responsibility - the art of facilitation where you need to be fully present and totally invisible  

-  Be aware of what is opening up and what is closing down in the process

- A meeting that breathes is a group with vitality

- Trust the inner wisdom of the group and shine because it is open

- The real space to open up may not be physical space but inner space. Physical space is limited after all. Inner space is not bounded by time or space. We own the freedom to open up in this respect.

-  A good facilitator for Open Space should be able to do three things:

1. Brain losing a sense of judgement of what is good and what is bad

2. Minimum talking time

3. No intervention out of worry or control

-  I experienced "Less is More". The facilitator can achieve with minimum intervention. 

--
Gail West, ICA
3F, No. 12, Lane 5, Tien Mou W Rd
Taipei, Taiwan 111
Ph) 8862) 2871-3150
email) icataiw@gmail.com
Skype) gwestica
www.icatw.com

Scientists Reviewed 343 Studies to see if Organic Food is Better for you

Scientists Reviewed 343 Studies:

The most important difference that researchers found was that organic foods contain a much higher amount of antioxidants than conventional crops. Antioxidants prevent oxidation in the body which combats certain diseases and cancers. An Environmental Working Group press release noted that:

“consumers who switch to organic fruits, vegetables, and cereals would get 20 to 40 percent more antioxidants. That’s the equivalent of about two extra portions of fruit and vegetables a day, with no increase in caloric intake.” 

Shoppers often argue that organic foods are too pricey to purchase for an everyday diet. Well, if they contain more nutrition per serving, then the body would require less servings per meal. Logic indicates that by comparing price based on nutritional value rather than amount, shoppers can spend about the same if not less with organics.



Now the downside of eating organic foods is they contain less pesticides. Oh wait…thats right, pesticides are extremely harmful to the body! Researchers found that conventionally grown foods are three to four times more likely to contain pesticide residues. The study indicated that:

“While crops harvested from organically managed fields sometimes contain pesticide residues, the levels are usually 10-fold to 100-fold lower in organic food”

References:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24968103;
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15878796;
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3945589/;
news.wsu.edu;
sciencedirect.com;
ewg.org

The Edible Education Project, Inc.

The Edible Education Project, Inc.: Explore
The Edible Education Project, Inc. is a local food system consulting firm dedicated to helping individuals, institutions, and public agencies plan, develop, and operate farm to school and farm to plate food systems based on sound ecological practices and community well-being.

Crediting Residential BMPs | Chesapeake Stormwater Network

Crediting Residential BMPs | Chesapeake Stormwater Network

In the Chesapeake Bay watershed, one of the greatest threats to the health of the Bay comes from increased development of the land. 

Fostering Sustainable Behavior

Stormwater/Green Infrastructure Incentive Programs July, 07 2014 at 10:48 AM



I'm doing research cataloging case studies of major private property stormwater/green infrastructure incentive programs in the US (read more here: http://www.metroplanning.org/news/article/6903) and using those case studies to assess the factors that make these programs successful or not as an effort to develop guidelines for other municipalities/utilities who are creating similar programs. I have a long list of case study programs already (to be put into a blog series shortly and ultimately a report), but I'm wondering if anyone knows of either similar research or exemplary case studies.

Thanks!



Abby Crisostomo

Project Manager

Metropolitan Planning Council

United States