Dossier:

Twitter: @gaslandmovie

Web: gaslandthemovie.com

Youtube: gaslandmovie (note: HBO © content blocked in Canada)

Set-up

I saw Josh Fox on Jon Stewart’s Daily Show so am a little aware of Gasland – a film about natural gas companies who contract property owners around the US to put pumps on their land. For impoverished folks, this can be a windfall but there are huge consequences with polluted ground water, ill health and all sorts of problems.

He was just nominated for an Academy Award, let’s see what Josh Fox has to say.

Here he comes… with a banjo! {overdub: “I’m not a pessimist”… says the film.} This is gonna be good! “It’s gonna be a bit of an adventure today.” says Mr. Fox. Noted.

This story is personal

He comes from the inter-connected watershed of Delaware River basin… {talks while banjo riffs}… Back in the 1970s, Nixon administration produced EPA and major environmental laws to protect America from pollution, {riffs}, in 2008 April, {riffs}… my family received a letter from a natural gas company saying, “Your land is atop of a shale with natural gas uses a technique called “hydraulic fracturing (fracing)”” The gas industry assured them “no big deal” just like a fire hydrant {riffs} and came with a “signing bonus.” It turns out 65% of Penn, 50% of NY, 35 states … received these letters. So i went out to ask questions.

{go banjo!}

“My neighbours told me about the process … They inject massive water amount and chemical mix into the ground.” {banjo riffs} … Josh continues (paraphrased): “I went to a nearby town where they’d been drilling for only 4 months and water wells had exploded!” {banjo} “The people said, “My water is bubbling and fizzing, my kids are getting sick, cats are loosing hair.”

{audience captivated – Fox rolls on, bespectacled and comfortable… }

“I began hearing about these stories of exploding wells and fizzing water, so I loaded up the car – with a banjo – to go to Colorado to see someone light their water on fire.

{cue film clip – comment: boom – whoa dude!}

“Next, I went to Wyoming to see the air problems.” {banjo riffs, film plays} A rancher says, “They cut the land to pieces – they do it different on every hole, nobodies watching, it’s a free for all.” Rancher goes on, “The venting tanks are everywhere, surrounding the house with brown air.”

Josh goes on, “I went to 24 states and heard the same story: cancer, brain damage, air, water, strange illnesses…”

{bring it down}

Around this point, Josh realized he was making a film and this was the best way to help. He rushed the project into production as time is of the essence. Assembled team of  4 people (editor, 2 producers, director(him)).

Then, accolades at Sundance and pick-up on HBO (note: and a LennonOno Grant for Peace). Film just opened in Australia (authour question: Did you jam with banjo and didjeridoo?) where the practice is rampant as well. (another note: just seeing via Twitter that this frac-ing on leased private land is common in NE BC).

{bring finish}

Josh took the movie on tour to the affected towns expecting dozens but seeing thousands – huge crowds needing release and recourse. Many brought water samples to confirm their fears. The gas industry came out with counter messaging… But despite the pushback and challenges,… He’s got faith! {riff that banjo!} “because in every town, there is a grassroots organization which has sprung to life…” {oh yeah!} “Indeed in the midst of David vs Goliath battles which are arduous and hard, it’s easy to forget that David won.”

Thanks {riffs} Standing O

##

Nick Molnar Dossier

* Blog: the Future is Now
* Twitter @nickmolnar
* Project: Adopt a Band
* Job: Thirdi
* Pic: Nick at UW40 by /bmann

Topic: (paraphrased) How do Web “things” Affect our Lives

Note: He somewhat looks like a 1972-era Cat Stevens (AKA Yusef Islam)

Experimental Questions:

What if your fave social network started ranking you by how different you are from your friends?
What if your website was suddenly mostly Icelandic?
What if your music site thought you should listen to country music?

How do decisions get made:

Measurement – change things, if works, do more
What are web dev bizes measuring? Engagement (any action, click, Tweet, interaction)

What important? Gossip or health advisory?
When is “driving engagement” bad for us?

3 Problems:

1) They know you too well (holy grail of personalization)

Example: Netflix recommendation engine … Problem: “But nobody asked which bucket you really belong in” – personalization gets “polluted” with your guilty pleasures and biases

2) They’re really fun (addict-able) but “sticky” does not mean meaningful

Explain: “game designers take fun seriously” people feel pleasure when completing a series of steps – add variables like timing and amount of rewards to spur behaviour

3) All your friends are there

Explain: desire for connections and “a place to hang out” … (in these games) “who you know is more important than what you know” & “status is everything” (which requires significant time investment) … each new player validates existence of this place

Tools Can Get Better (Used for Good)

Examples:

* Nike running program (motivates to run more)
* ReMission (Cancer fighting game)
* Chore Wars (looks like WoW)
* Save my Life (lower the risk of cancer)

Outro:

Gist: We’re building things which have people’s attention, what can we make to make them better?

Dossier:

* Interview on Vancouver is Awesome
* MGB Architecture Firm
* Observations: drives vintage Land Rover; 2 kids; casually mentioned riding bike across Japan

Caption: Michael Green is the founding principal of McFarlane Green Biggar
Architecture + Design in Vancouver. (Image: via Vancouver is Awesome)

Set-up: What 3 things do all humans need? Food, water, shelter. As an architect, i don’t talk about “shelter” because most in developed world don’t have to worry about “shelter” have luxury of choice.

Thought: (paraphrased) When working on design process, am responsible to client, environment, and community – but there are 2 “unclimbed mountains”

1) world housing
2) climate change

World Housing

Reality: 3 billion will need new affordable housing in next 20 years – 100,000,000 effectively homeless worldwide. Means 100,000 new houses per day.

Note: Modular, containers, rammed earth, are great ideas but… these are rural or suburban solutions, but need solution for 50% which live in urban (mostly in developing world) 70% of 2050.

Climate Change

Reality: Building causes lots of waste, water, energy, carbon, …and energy solutions are diverse around the globe

Note: Need regional solutions, however cities are the same/simliar around the world.

Note: Concrete – heavy and dirty (5-8% of carbon footprint) and world make 3 tonnes per person per year – and Steel (one of most enery intensive materials to produce) are two main materials for urban construction

Alternatives:

Needs: 1) Reduce carbon emission & 2) Remove carbon from system

Idea: Wood does both… {author note: hmmm i’m listening} one cubic meter stores 1 tonne of carbon… But… deforestation is a problem… So wood must come from sustainably-produced forests and we need to change the way we work with wood (read: innovate). So, Innovation and Ambition FTW – “It’s in our nature to build things tall and big, we (architects) need to build them better.”

Example: In Vancouver, wood building limit was only 4 stories tall – now can build to 6 storeys. In London, up to 9 stories. In Japan, visited a 19 storey tall wood building built 1400 years ago.

Anecdotes: What if Egypt only allowed stone building a certain height or Paris only allowed short wrought iron buildings? In Russia, a guy build a giant ramshackle wood building (world’s tallest-ish). Norway and Austria are building big in wood ushering in a new era of “building race” – a competition to problem-solve. And Canada should be part of this. We know these things. But we’re not doing fast enough and not investing in these things.

Big Problems = Big Opportunities

“The nation who chases these problems are the ones who’ll experience the economic reward.”

The way the kids answer, “Food, Water and Love” Or, “Love, laughter, sushi”

Gen Why Media Project is up next… and they are funny and charming already.

First, gauging audience age with applause

1. Boomers: Golf clap
2. Gen X: little more (me included)
3. Gen Y: most by far

Gen Why isn’t the work one of person, this narrative can only be delivered collectively

Gen Y is born 1977 and 2001 – shared beliefs and values based on history they’ve lived through

Five key factors on how Gen Why can change the narrative:

1) Historical context: Every so often comes a “hero” generation – Examples: GI generation, Thomas Jefferson’s generation. Most recently is: Silent gen, Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y (the new heroes?) Name checked: Gen Y writer/researchers: Willam Struass, Neil Howe

2) Size: Largest generation ever (thanks for Boomers and their LSD, Rolling Stones, plastic surgery etc….) who influenced society with women’s movement, civil rights, and anti-war plus introducing environment as a topic

Geny X isn’t big enough to fill power vacuum from boomers, but Gen Y is, and this filling will happen fast and permeates all facets of culture

“We don’t have to accept the rules of the past, we can start a new game.”

The world is young  and globalization means Gen Y Is everywhere

3) Diversity: Asia, Africa, India, South America, Middle East has most Gen Ys. As such, can use diversity to solve complex problems. Environment is common cause. And these groups have ability to communicate.

This generation will be judged on what we share instead of what we own. Ex: Open Source movement – a clear shift from individual to collective. This idea permeates into mainstream culture, Ex: Freecycle movement. Imagine is this was an “official” public system like garbage collection. An interccoencted network to reduce waste and provide for needy.

4) Connectivity: Most connected generation but the digital revolution hasn’t really happened yet. When previously  silent voices into the conversion, that is the real digital revolution.

Next, bring social networks into institutions – change democracy and media with tools like Twitter and SNS to organize rallies and document police abuse Ex: Iran Election. Backlash cause government to take evasive action to shut down attempt to quell noise.

“Imagine if we structured the UN like Wikipedia?”

5) Crisis: They’ve come age during a time of crisis – catalyzes needs for action and change of system. Like previous “hero” generations, crisis is backdrop, indeed Gen Y is coming of age in a time of convergent catastrophe – living in a media scape dominated by fear. But changes are possible …

Cynicism vs Optimism is a key dichotomy – knowledge is rebellion.

“Optimism is a potitically revolutionary act.”

Recap

1. Destined for greatness
2. Unprecented power
3. Diverse culture
4. Inherently connected
5. … and Future of humanity depends on their Gen Y’s choice

Twitter: @genwhymedia

Blurb:

we are the change we’ve been waiting for.

Gen Why is you. We are the spawn of globalization, technology, connectivity, environmental crisis, and have more questions than the authorities can answer. We believe in independent thinking, cultural alternatives, progressive politics, racial integration, art, music, creativity, peace, compassion, intelligence and respect for all living things.

Right now over half of the world’s population is under 35. We are the largest, most connected, most educated, most diverse generation in history. We have the collective power to create whatever we want.

What do you want to create?