Living Forward
Group members: Tolulope Ale, Jenny Baeseman, Christine Mallinson, Muhtadi Munawar Zahin, Josephine Namayanja, Courtney Starrett, Lynn Vartan
Features of Project: Building trust, engagement and knowledge of past, present and future scenarios in a LOCAL environment – with a sense of hope as well in a manageable action.
Project Description: A school project (could later be taken on by other community groups, local organizations, etc) where students take photos of a local feature or location, and also historical images are also collected. These images are brought into an AI engine to create 3 possible scenarios for future images of the environment (like we saw with the if we do nothing (IPCC Projection), if we do this one thing, etc – also inspired by the glacial past and present images we saw). We would also develop local “do one thing” solutions for the students to try to impart and go home and get their families to impart.
Action/Impact: We would like to encourage community buy-in for doing one small thing to change something in their local home environment. By it being a local thing (a space, a place, an organism) and a small action we hope for higher inpact and success. And then the project impact and success is multiplied for every location that participates – but its personal and personally defined for THEM and THEIR locality.
Next Iteration: All local projects are placed on an online map, and connections and possible additional cause and effect deeper thinking can be made, finding ways that localities are connected in issues and solutions.
Execution Plan: First apply for seed funding for a pilot project to serve as proof of concept to then apply for larger grants to expand the project nationally.
Climate Phenomenon
Our approach is personalized to local communities and a location, zone, or organism that they may care about. We aim for them to develop a knowledge of the past, present and future of that location, zone, or organism that will be changed by climate.
Science Findings
Using IPCC climate scenarios and projections, our team will put together a few forecasts of what their region’s climate will be like under 1.5 degrees, 2.0 degrees and 8.5 degrees. A description of what major impacts can be expected in their area (ie increased wildfires, floods, etc). This will also include changes in biodiversity or to an important species in their area.
Human Impact
Impact will be interconnected as a network that scaled outward for compounding impact. First, the students in the project will be impacted. Second, if they participate in the prescribed intervention, their families and community can be affected. Long term, the whole site of the project will be affected.
Human Contributors
Choices and habit of individuals in a site specific locations committing to a behavior intervention to achieve a desired future environment.
Change Theory
Our framework is change theory. They are active agents in generating the inputs and outputs to align with their beliefs and identities to create a place they want to live – agency to define their future environment.
Communication Theory
Rhetorical Approach
- ETHOS: They are taking images and collecting images – actually images coming from them. Locally driven
- PATHOS: The process of community providing the site and artifacts speaks to PATHOS and ETHOS.
- LOGOS: The interventions are based on scientific findings and are quantifiable. They provide the input we provide the methodology.
Communication Asset or Action
- Visual representation of locations through community collected photos
- AI engine designed to generate speculative futures based on different levels of intervention
- Prescribed interventions determined to change
Evaluation
- Short Term focus on engagement
- Participation/engagement (buy-in)
- Do participants employing the action
- Long Term focus on impacts (baseline + additional targets)
- Impact of the actions translating to change (1 year out, 5 yrs, 10 yrs)