What’s happening to the inner climate?

If you’re like us, you’ve been keeping one eye on COP15, the UN conference on global climate change, taking place in Copenhagen Dec 7 – 18, and wondering what its outcome might mean for the planet. Instead of waiting to hear the news, why not take action to help define the future?

In Copenhagen, Toke Moeller, Monica Nissen and other practitioners of the Art of Hosting Conversations that Matter will be holding a space alongside the official conference proceedings. They have also issued an open call to form “Inner Climate Learning Villages” across the world, in order to further the ripple of awareness spreading out from COP15. What is a Learning Village? “A gathering, large or small, where people come together to engage in meaningful conversation and joyful connection around how our “inner climate” is affecting what we see happening in the outer world.”

In short, whatever else happens in Copenhagen, there is an opportunity to come together in new and supportive ways to explore possibilities for a common future. Can you add your voice and wisdom to this crucial conversation? On Dec 10/17 from 5 to 7pm we’ll be gathering at the Urban Arts Space around these questions:

• What relation do you see between the inner climate and outer climate change?
• What change in the inner climate would help us to imagine a sustainable future?
• What story about sustainability are we learning to tell?

The Urban Arts Space is located in the Lazarus Building in downtown Columbus, 50 W. Town Street.

We hope that you will be able to join us for this conversation. Come beforehand for refreshments and to explore the current exhibits at the UAS; stay afterwards for the Marotta Hour, an evening of music hosted by Larry Marotta.

Please RSVP to livingston(dot)28(at)gmail(dot)com by Tuesday 12/15 so that we can arrange our space appropriately.

Looking forward to talking with you.

Rick Livingston & Andrew Miller

Following up from Monday’s post I want to present another set of videos also recorded by Ravi Tangri at the 2007 Nova Scotia training session. This set of videos is Toke Moller teaching the art of the Chaordic Stepping Stones. This is the root of designing conversations that lead to action.

There is a community conversation that I have wanted to host for several months now, maybe longer. Over the past week it has become a frequent subject between myself and some of my friends in the community and now it is expanding outward, albeit very slowly, beyond this shelter of friendship.

I want to see a conversation where people of different belief systems sit face to face and find ways to open new lines of communication between each other. Right now the only communication appears to be casting verbal stones with a strong sentiment of distrust. If we are going to move forward as a community we must find a way to be more productive and less destructive.

What has made this conversation difficult to pin down is that I too am someone with strong opinions who has, at times, cast stones. So how do we host such an conversation internally without clouding the process with the persona’s involved?

The steps I’m taking right now are to build a coalition from the primary parties of contention so that a fully developed purpose can drive the conversation. I believe that a purpose derived from our communal knowledge will make this community conversation a success.

Behind the conversation I am also working on a website solution that will provide opportunities for cross organization project development. I’m taking suggestions on names for this site as well.

So, are you in an organization or community that faces similar issues and has a similar need for reconnecting factions? Reconnecting people? If so, what steps are you taking?