Workshop series (June – January 2021)
The only times global greenhouse gas emissions have fallen in the past 200 years were during times of crisis: war, depression, or pandemic. This constant growth means we now have only 10 years to permanently reverse the rise of climate emissions and at most until mid-century to become carbon neutral if we are to avoid the most devastating effects of runaway climate change. How can—and must—we work together to create a world where our grandchildren can thrive?
This workshop series will run throughout COLLECTIVE PRACTICES, picking up the thread in each of its four explorations (#NARRATIVES, #KNOWLEDGES, #CARE, and #RESISTANCE) to imagine—and begin to build—the future we want:
Participants will collaborate in several events that bring together scientific knowledge, creative energy, personal connections, and the will to act to envision the better way we want to be—10 years from now. What does it mean to “degrow,” and remove fossil fuels from the economy in a way that improves our lives?
As we discuss, we will create artifacts from our vision of the future. These artifacts could be short stories or poems, sculpture, technological prototypes, or scientific articles written in 2030. In creating these artifacts, we will share what we have learned through our collective investigation.
Together, we will present at a final event in December: a piece developed collaboratively that uses degrowth ideas to present bold ideas for a sustainable future. And with luck, we will discover how to learn from each other to create something none of us could alone.
The series includes 4 public workshop sessions, conceived and led by Lisa Pettibone and Dylan Harris, with additional speakers invited to give impulse presentations. The active participation in the workshop series includes regular closed working sessions (about once per month) with Lisa.
Registration includes and requires the participation in the public as well as in the closed working sessions throughout the series.
The registration is closed now, but the public events can be watched through a live stream on our website.
Workshop program:
First wave:
Narratives, 07.06.2020, 4-5pm (on ZOOM)
We have ten years to solve the climate crisis, and the even more acute crises of sustainability, from economic inequality to biodiversity loss to nitrogen imbalances. So let’s imagine—together—how our world will look 10 years from now. How have we addressed these problems? Have we used the current public health crisis to force dramatic change? In this first workshop, we will look at the role of narratives and visions in starting change. How do narratives create our reality, and how can shifting the narrative suddenly create new possibilities? We’ll look at the case of degrowth as a narrative that sees capitalism and economic growth as the cause of climate change, inequality, and other problems. Then we will begin to envision new narratives that break free of a growth mindset. We will ask ourselves, how could this new world look in 10 years?
Second wave:
Knowledges (06.09.2020 4pm, live stream)
We have ten years to solve the climate crisis, and the even more acute crises of sustainability, from economic inequality to biodiversity loss to nitrogen imbalances. So let’s imagine—together—how our world will look 10 years from now. How have we addressed these problems? Have we used the current public health crisis and global calls for racial justice to force dramatic change?
In our second public workshop, we bring in different forms of knowledge to help us envision a more inclusive carbon-neutral future with two guest speakers. Lyn Ford will draw on her experience as an Afrilachian (African American + Appalachian) storyteller to help us understand how to tell stories that challenge and provoke change. Then, Zimbabwean journalist and scholar Mako Muzenda will share African visions of the future, such as Afropolitanism.
Third wave:
In our third public workshop, we will put on a variety show: Halloween in 2030! Join us as we debut our artifacts-in-progress, still in development in our fabulous climate-neutral, racially just, and simply FUN future. We’ll have stories, live quilting, museum artifacts, and low-carbon advertisements, plus the debut of Teddy Ruxpin Roosevelt!
Fourth wave:
Resistances (Sunday 17th January 2021, 4pm)
At the end of our time together, we present what we have created in the form of a live presentation or book/pamphlet reading. The format will be determined collaboratively by Lisa and the core group, and may take the form of a speculative conference with presentations about how we changed the world, a performance piece, or readings from speculative pieces.
