Group brainstorm on meeting themes
From EcoReality
Themes--'Advisory Council Group Brainstorm' 20070303
Present: Jan Steinman, Carol Wagner, Shannon Cowan, James Cowan, Candace Cowan, Candice and Galaad Perrier, Dave Atkins
Facilitator: Shannon Cowan
Action: Jan proposed at the Members meeting today, which you can read in the minutes, that EcoReality could have a monthly 'theme' around which to base its newsletter, activities, programming, workparties, education, communal meals, etc.
All the members agreed and we chose to involve the WWOOFers and visitors to EcoReality today in a brainstorm session to create a list of themes. Shannon Cowan facilitated the session, and she split the group into two, gave each person a pack of sticky notes and a pen, and invited folks to write down their ideas one at a time on the notes. They discussed ideas with their group members, and some sought clarification and advice for wording, etc. Shannon mounted all the notes on the whiteboard and began to cluster them into categories as she did so. After 20 minutes of brainstorming, the entire group de-briefed on the results. Shannon removed doubles (ie. where more than one sticky note suggested nearly the same theme idea) and proceeded to describe the clusters and get whole group feedback. Each person then came to the whiteboard and ranked their top choices for themes by writing a number (anonymously) on the sticky notes (#1 being most important, up to #20 as least important).
Here are the results of the 'theme brainstorm' held 20070303:
Themes cluster into the following categories
- Permaculture
- Food and Farm Products
- Agriculture and Ecology
- Socio/Interactive/Economical
- Technology and Energy
- Water
Here are the themes that were brainstormed
Permaculture
- permaculture 3, 4, 5
- space and organization 3
- structure and organization 3
- berming 9, 9
- hedgerows
- soil 10, 21
category total: 67 most hits: permaculture runners up: berming, soil
Food and Farm Products
- farm stand 6
- food production/market garden 3, 10, 10
- preserving (and food processing) 2, 9
- eating local only 8, 8
- lavender processing
category total: 56 most hits: food production runners up: preserving/processing, eating local
Agriculture and Ecology
- conservation and farming (agroecology) 2
- organic certification
- seed starting 4, 4
- tree planting
- lawn alternatives; sheet mulching 11
- companion planting; for lavender
- wild or traditional indigenous plants
- plant guilds 2, 4, 12
- plants that are most likely to succeed 1
- perennial gardening 8, 12
- inventory of species 5
- beneficial insects and Salt Spring farms 4, 8, 9
- bats and birds 5, 6, 8, 13
- livestock 2
- raising chickens 3, 7, 14
- deer management 8
category total: 147 most hits: bats and birds runners up: beneficial insects, raising chickens, plant guilds, seeds, perennials, agroecology
Socio/Interactive/Economical
- labyrinth 10
- games 8
- yoga and meditation 3, 16
- childeren's education
- music 7, 9, 17
- attitude
- member recruiting (public relations, promoting EcoReality) 1, 1, 2, 5, 5, 6
- discovering local treasures and places
- programs 4, 7
- conflict resolution 6, 15
- strategic planning 9
- social action 6, 7
- integrated gulf island lifestyles
- taking on a new skill
- learning a new language
- pathways
category total:144 most hits: member recruiting runners up: music, conflict resolution, social action, programs
Most hits overall: member recruiting Technology and Energy
- natural building 7, 10, 10
- humanure 5
- natural/alternative energy 3
- hand tools only
- zero garbage 5, 6
- alternative transportation (biodiesel etc) 19
- energy use reduction
Water
- water management 1, 1, 2
- water harvesting 1, 2, 7
- water catchment 4
- new pond
- "Respectfully submitted Shan 14:23, 4 March 2007 (PST)"
