economic sustainability

 

AFTERNOON SESSION

ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY

 

 

People in the group include Landholders, local government, aged care, university students, teachers

 

 

·       The questionnaire discussed

·       Region strengths / weaknesses

•  Ag resource sector very strong – but group adds that there is a lack of effective use of resources. Water supply less than optimal – opportunity to improve the water system – poor health of the land. Landscape is operating below its potential . Education in resource management is 1950s thinking needs to be changed into sustainability based education.
  
• We are different to Tamworth. Must not chase the successes of Tamworth for example. High transport costs here.
  
•  Chiswick is at risk/winding down. Opportunity to do (agricultural) sustainability research.
  
•  The potential in sustainability education is also a strength of the region? On the negative side over-reliance on education is a weakness. Distance education is huge and growing. Too much resting on laurels of UNE. Lack of alternative enterprise.
  
•  Reliable and plentiful water supply – attract businesses in the future
  
• Carbon trading. Farmers are being portrayed as rapists and pillagers of the atmosphere but many are long-term tree-planters/responsible stewards that are not being recognised in the proposed carbon marker systems
  
•  Short-term economic gains (‘selling’ water, coal mining) can be uneconomic in the longer term. Resisting and choosing futures carefully is not anti-development.
  
•  Government support, such as CSIRO and public education is no longer reliable. Need other initiatives/regional partnerships/RCS etc
  
•  Research is prohibitively expensive and risky
  
• Costs are rising generally
  
• Farmers are improving the sharing of IP. Landcare has helped
  
• Import replacement opportunities need to be examined systematically
  
•  Vegetables and wine are taking off in this region. Wine-growing in Inverell for over 150 years (pioneer industry)
  
•  Processing is all done overseas and then its imported back
  
•  Local wool has always been processed overseas: England, Italy, China ...
  
• Research ends up on a dusty shelf. Sustainability innovators should be resourced e.g. Chiswick
  
•  Need scientifically based policy
  
• Profitability drivers now is providing the wrong signal to sustainable development
  
•  Eco-tourism opportunities are a strength of the region. Difficult to deal with National Parks. also difficult for private landholders to host visitors - risks, inappropriate visitor behaviour
  
• 
  
• strong community is the envy of all capital cities
  
• Transport is a big weakness
  
• small acreages  
  

KEY ECONOMIC STRENGTH

kids leave but they return for the lifestyle

KEY ECONOMIC WEAKNESS

transport

government policy

35-40 year olds are leaving with their children

not enough range of education/employment opportunities

WHAT WILL A SUSTAINABLE NEW ENGLAND LOOK LIKE?

diversification of industry based on value-adding

long-term policy on knowledge based industry - research informed

Culture

Strength

depth of creative

Creative minds, talents and expression

Cultural diversity

Cultural diversification

Recognised learning centre

Creative Industry

Lifestyle 

Weakness

Lack of inclusiveness

Seasonal changes

Creative industry examples

Old mole

Iron man welders

Eco burials

Actions

Re-educate community members to reduce consumerism

Cropping to climate

Passing on the knowledge of doing

Preserving for future consumption

That culture is considered in all our actions

How do we make sustainability a social conscious issue

Priorites

1. Map what we have and identify where we want to be Identify what is being used successfully and what hasn't

2. Identify creative initiatives

3. Develop social consciousness

Top Initiative

1. Link to an existing event of facility (e.g. Autum Festival, SLEX) to ensure culture is integrated into all our actions for sustainability

Maski Dusting, Kim hastings, Nickie murcsell, Celia Sexton, Noretta Terry, Lisa Harrison, Mick

global group musing

Ideas from the Global Group.

Sister city arrangement with a sustainable community - Woking - has developed its own power generation system.

Davis in California was suggested as a possibility - similar environmental interest groups in both.

Model Armidale as a city seeking to become sustainable and export the learning as we go through the process. Take this opportunity now.

Rebirth of coalition of environmental groups in Armidale.

Ageing of the population in Armidale is potentially both a strength and an opportunity - provide support and services/growth industry/facilitate ageing in place.

Cost of fuel - diesel as a product is artificially inflated.

Biodiesal was discussed, but there are issues associated with the conversion of food production to bio fuels - globally this is unsustainable and causes food shortages in other parts of the world.

Capacity to network with the CRCs for sustainability and relevant environmental CRCs.

Lack of investment in rail seen as being due to a strong transport lobby. Need greater investment in rail - better very fast train service - needs track upgrading. All the way to Brisbane? Overnight service to Sydney suits working people better.

Bus company - needs to provide better service which enables people to get to work efficiently. Mary Devine is working on these regions ... Regional transport coordinator.

Create global networks for sustainable living ... sister city idea is a good one.
Look overseas for good practice in energy descent planning - the Transition Town network provides some good examples.
Learn from other communities.

Global work communities ... e.g. women in a village in northern Ireland deal with all the medical records for Boston Hospital.

Shortage of low cost housing in Armidale. Population hasn't increased in number of houses, but occupany of households has gone form 4.6 to 2.3 - houses getting larger.

We are likely to have climate change refugees coming here - some local organisations place people here. Need to be able to provide for these people.  History has shown that services follow if the capital investment is made in bringing people here.

Idea of fostering global industry - encouraging the set up of supply industries overseas e.g.e for wind turbines or solar power. We could do the research and development here (link with UNE) and production abroad.

Promote Armidale on trade delegations as a sustainable place. Develop trade links with countries which produce what we need and swop with what we can supply.

Revitalise local food industries to reduce dependence on global imports.

Three Action Priorities

1.  Support existing initiatives which are learning from other international communities e.g. Sustainable Living Armidale/Transiition Towns/a sustainable sister city (e.g. Woking)

2.  Consolidate, grow and export our increasing knowledge about sustainability.

3.  Promote Armidale as striving to be a sustainable community - our brand should be as a thriving, sustainable community.

Process Page

I have added a page to the wiki which is essentially the document Ken talked to at Sunday's executive briefing. I have added links to internal pages as a way of categorising and presenting data on each part of the process. Many of the pages are not yet created and of course will be as the day progresses. The  idea is that this will focus the journalists on what to collect and be able to put any multimedia content into a process context.

There will be other pages created to group data in different ways as the need arises.

I suggest that Laszlo or Adam - if you want to see other pages created just go in and put in the links to pages as you wish and that will form a group. There is nothing to stop one piece of data from being referenced from a number of different pages - that will be part of my job to create a 'web' of information that will conform to various people's ways of thinking - well - its a nice rhetorical thought in any case.

Lindsay

testing the emailing to the groups

This is another test post to be removed

Drop down menus

Quick question. How can I modify these? I've added some new weblinks to the page (by copying and changing your code) however I can't find how to add them to the drop down menu.

adam

PS I have made note of Lindsay's updated structure for the Forum Emails. I want to get this right for the media release which I'll draft tomorrow.

adam

Forum Emails

Laszlo,

I just went to your page: http://ness.wikidot.com/join-the-forum-online and I don't think it will work the way you describe. You have been able to do it because you are (your email address is) an 'author' at the site already. To enable it the way you have described we would have to make every individual's email address an author - it is too big a task and administrative nightmare. The Forum emails were set up so that people could email each/any of the forums (which all come to the ness.executive email address as well). A live person who is an 'author' would then have to read the email and decide to put it up on the blog.

There is a maximum of 100 authors allowed on the blog

So the only way people can interact really is by sending emails to any of the forum addresses. i.e. ness.youth@gmail.com I have changed the details and the wording of the page to reflect that

However, I have also now setup the wiki so that people can join of their own accord. Certain pages can be "blocked" so that only administrators and moderators can change them.

This is a two part process that needs the administrator to approve an application. First a user must sign-up to wikidot and THEN apply to become a member of ness.wikidot.com.

Because there is no theoretical limit to the number of members allowed on the site and that Adam would prefer the wiki to be the point of contact, I think this is the preferrable way to go. The wiki then becomes the community.

and may need to be emphasised.

ON THE DAY, however, sending an email to the forums is the best way to ensure you get heard as there is no 'easy' way for the forums to be notified when a new posting has gone up. As an old boss of mine used to say - horses for courses!

Postings to the blog can be displayed in the wiki site via this page http://ness.wikidot.com/blog-update which can be reached from under the 'media' link.

Let me know what your thoughts are.

Lindsay

"All I ask of you is to remember me as loving you" (sufi saying)

test

New England Sustainability Strategy: New England Sustainability Strategy : NESSiE Welcomes you to this forum

New England Sustainability Strategy: New England Sustainability Strategy : NESSiE Welcomes you to this forum: "http://nessexecutive.blogspot.com/2008/09/nessie-welcomes-you-to-this-forum.html"

New England Sustainability Strategy : NESSiE Welcomes you to this forum

Laszlo Szabo has sent you a link to a blog:



Blog: New England Sustainability Strategy
Post: NESSiE Welcomes you to this forum
Link: http://nessexecutive.blogspot.com/2008/09/nessie-welcomes-you-to-this-forum.html

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New England Sustainability Strategy : NESSiE Welcomes you to this forum

Laszlo Szabo has sent you a link to a blog:



Blog: New England Sustainability Strategy
Post: NESSiE Welcomes you to this forum
Link: http://nessexecutive.blogspot.com/2008/09/nessie-welcomes-you-to-this-forum.html

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NESSiE Welcomes you to this forum

Dear Friends,

NESSiE welcomes your input to the sustainability strategy public forum being held at NERAM in Armidale NSW and to the Wiki-community set up at ness.wikidot.com.

Why not double the fun an load the web forum into a second tab in your browser & keep track of how the online forum grows as we work. 

Use the NESS Wiki link on this page

On Monday 22 September this blog & the wikidot site will be loaded with the progress of the day - wiki pages; video snippets on YouTube, Photos at picasa; written content on the Blogs and audio snippets at podbean -  

Evolveris, with its digital storytelling skills, will build a web scrapbook of the day for you to add to and encourage you to continue the work of the forum into the future - in a multi dimensional way.

Welcome to the NESS Wiki Community! 

Building community through our stories

Laszlo Testing direct blogging to social

Direct email from my own account to blog

Laszlo testing system

Followed this with edit post from within blog

Fwd: Laszlo Testing own email

Testing from gmail for social

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Laszlo Szabo <babajan@aapt.net.au>
Date: 2008/9/11
Subject: Laszlo Testing own email
To: ness.social@gmail.com


Testing post via email from my own account to the ness social gmail account

Internet access at NERAM a goer

Hi Lindsay & Adam,

Wireless setup at NERAM works well. Unsecured network, so you simply accept the default and we're online.

Will work best with working groups scattered about upstairs. There is a signal in the room downstairs also - but maybe Tex's group needs the space unencumbered for most of the day.

We've been given the conference room as the media centre - that's where the router is. 

A laptop per group with wireless link would be unreal - the scribe in each group can either log straight to their page on the site, if they're savvy or use email and go via blog.

Suggest the details are up on the wiki - and from there people who are off site & want to contribute go to the gMail from there.

That way we only have to promote ness.wikidot.com in the press - KISS principle?

Going great - cheers lads

Laszlo

Blog Email Addresses

Laszlo,

Just letting you know that each of the new email addresses has its own 'posting' address. The reason for that is that, even though it is possible to send to the original one (ness.executive.nessie@blogger.com) the blog post shows up as if it has been submitted from the executive account regardless of who actually sent it. This could be quite confusing for the Media team and the general public.

So each of the 7 forums has it own and it follows a pattern - they all have the word 'nessie' after the second dot - ness.youth.nessie@blogger.com I have sent an email from each of them so that, in gmail, typing in the first few letters will show the correct email address.

I am letting you know now as you may want to make up a sheet for each of the "super scribes". Also, all this is critically tied up in the fact that internet access is available from each of the sites where the forums will be held. Otherwise we may have to receive the emails on behalf of the forums and have a runner to update the groups. Once you can establish that internet works at all, you may need to check the places in the building where the forums are being held.

Thanks
Lindsay

Mapping usage of service

Hi Adam & Lindsay,

Planning to distribute a small flyer on the day mapping the structure of this service - wiki, youTube, Blog etc so that people know how it's plugged together - a sort of How To - Mud Map- Users Guide from Evolveris. Suggestions on key pointers? A DL (1/3 A4) double sided Welcome to the NESSiE Wiki Community.

A flow diagram for starters I think. We make it as simple as we can.

have followed up on your test emails Lindsay, will test further over the next day or so.

Cheers lads

PS changed time settings to Eastern Daylight

Switched on Scribes

Adam,

Given Laszlo's vision of all this, I think we are looking at a new way to run a meeting of this type which calls for a new way of operating. In my minds eye I am seeing a laptop and "switched on" scribe being up near the action of each forum, confident enough to be able to announce to the relevant group that "we have just had a comment from.... etc".

This person will need to have a keen eye, be reasonably good at summarising discussions with the view to posting "blow by blow" proceedings. i.e short bursts of information to the Blog rather than documenting the whole thing at the end. i.e. brave enough to be wrong.

It also allows for some interactivity between groups on the day through chat and continually monitoring the Blog which I see will be the immediate repository of proceedings. Edited, journalist type information will go to the wiki for permanent record.

I think between us with can come up with sufficient laptops - one for each of the forums. I have two I can provide. One is a little one that, while small, is a perfect emailing device) Rebecca has one of these as well.

The runner will still be essential but, if we use this system they may be relieved of a lot of the frantic tedium which is taken up by other means namely emails to the scribes. Instead of someone run-off their feet passing messages back and forth, they can be analysing and reporting more the "mood" and be more relaxed in their interactions with people (its a nice thought anyway).

Obviously though, this is all untried so it will be a learning curve all around. With the energy you have been able to generate in the past few weeks I think people will be ready to try new things. I really think it is worth planning on a laptop per forum and see if we can make it happen. In any case, all emails will still come to a central point as a function of how I have set it up so nothing will be missed if there is not a full compliment of laptops/(suitable)scribes.

Lindsay

Scribes?

Lindsay I think this is brilliant. It is exactly what I had hoped we could do - enabling the wider community not at the Forum to still input. We will have all the Sustainability Scorecards up on the wiki too so the public can review them and answer the very same focus questions we are working through in the Forum.

What are your thoughts on laptops/scribes? Mick and I started to discuss this a few weeks ago however haven't gotten to a conclusion yet.

I guess the fall back strategy could be one laptop online with message runners to each of the groups.

adam

Forum communications guide

As part of the multimedia documentation process initiated by Laszlo, I have established seven new email addresses to provide the possibility for the forums held on the day to include ideas and discussions with people who can't attend on the day.

The email addresses are as follows:

ness.youth@gmail.com
ness.social@gmail.com
ness.government@gmail.com
ness.global1@gmail.com
ness.environment@gmail.com
ness.economic@gmail.com
ness.indigenous@gmail.com

There is one additional email address which handles all the administration tasks:

ness.executive@gmail.com

All these email addresses are authors of the Blog http://nessexecutive.blogspot.com and all are members of the group nessforums@googlegroups.com .

The idea is that during the forums a person (the scribe) will have a laptop monitoring emails coming in and adding these ideas and observations into the general discussions. The Scribe can also be posting items to the blog every few minutes or so to keep people outside (and other people at the venue) updated with the goings-on and to invite further discussions.

The reason for pre-setting up these email addresses instead of using existing ones of people on the day is that the group/blog subscription structure is already established and tested beforehand. Experience would have it that, unless this is done, nothing will run smoothly as you are always in catch-up mode on the day.

Also any emails that come to the seven forum addresses will be automatically copied to the executive email address. So now it will be possible for people to be involved from the start by emailing the forums prior to the day.

Emails can also be used to help notify and manage the various forums on the day. There is no need to structure the day around these email addresses but if it is agreed they may be a useful tool then careful selection of the scribe is necessary and some brief training may be required. After the event these email adresses can be re-directed to/taken over by a nominated person depending on the future strategy which I assume will be one of the outcomes of the day.

I would appreciate your feedback on this startegy as, if it meets with approval, can be announced in a press release prior to the event.

Lindsay

The NESS Network

As at this moment we have a register of nearly 100 people interested in the New England Sustainability Strategy.

Later today formal invitations to the Public Forum will be sent to the above register plus a further 250 people identified as having an interest/role connected with sustainability.

I mention these as potential audiences for engagement with the wiki, the blog, etc.

adam

Adam - video

Hi Lindsay,
We might arrange with Adam late next week to test out the cameras?
I've let Adam know about the site - he's had a look. We're on the
right track.
Thanks for the work to date

We'll have a production meet either later this week or end of next
week. I'll be out of town and off-line from Sept 14th - 17th.

Have lined up web cam person - Adam Cafarella
Crew is coming together

Cheers,
laszlo

Collaboration to build base site

Hi Adam & Lindsay

Thinking we should use this blog to build the foundation of site - easier perhaps than email for communications as we to and fro

Wiki Site Media Release

This email is from Adam following the setup of the new New England Sustainability Strategy wiki http://ness.wikidot.com

Hi Laszlo

This is brilliant and this is the perfect focus for our media release/messages next week, being the final week before the Forum.

A couple of things:

* Can one of you be media spokesperson for the wiki/new media side of things? I would be on the media release as spokesperson for NESSiE. I am confident we will get media interest in this too as ABC Radio have already flagged they would like to do follow up interviews before the Forum, and took a particular interest in our online/new media strategy
* I'd like to tighten up the vision for the wiki a bit to engage the Region in populating it. Mick had described a vision of the wiki being the portal or one-stop-shop for everything sustainable in/about the New England. It would be great to get this message clear from the beginning, even though we will do the initial populating we obviously want to catalyse a wider engagement, with the wiki becoming a social marketing and engagement mechanism
* Will it be possible to have the url in the media release? And is there a way we can use a url that fits the current naming?
* Is there an image or photo we can use with this story? The Evolveris Team? Some funky wiki graphic?

Once I hear back from you I'll refine the media release, though it is looking really good. Our deadline for issuing the media release is Monday, so your feedback by Friday would be ideal.

adam