| What are the challenges - of climate challenges? |
| Written by Osbert Lancaster | |||
| Tuesday, 08 July 2008 00:00 | |||
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We're involved in three 'climate challenges'. They raise some interesting questions about cooperation and competition. Big Green ChallengeThe Big Green Challenge, from NESTA and UnLtd, is a £1m prize fund which challenges competitors to make big reductions in CO2 in their communities. Hundreds of groups across the UK put forward their outline proposals, and 100 were invited to prepare details project plans. We've been working with 6 of the 10 Scottish projects, providing support as they turned initial ideas into firm plans for action - and presented evidence of their ability to deliver them. Over the summer the judges will whittle the 100 projects down to 10 finalists. The finalists will have financial and other support to implement their project over the year - at the end of which the winner(s) will be chosen.
Challenge Europe
Footprint is a partner in the project, having contributed to the development the programme, helped select participants, and worked with the ten 'Climate Advocates' from Scotland. Climate Challenge FundThe Scottish Government's Climate Challenge Fund, offers grants for communities to reduce their carbon footprint. I (Osbert Lancaster) have recently been appointed to the fund's grants panel - in fact so recently that I don't know much detail about the fund yet!
Building CommunityInitially we were struck by the emphasis on challenge and competition in these programmes - but as we discovered more, the place of cooperation within them become clearer. In Challenge Europe, while selection of participants was competitive, the programme is about people from diverse backgrounds and with a range of expertise and experience, working together to develop projects. (Incidentally, at a meeting during the design stage I discovered that 'collaboration' is a dirty word in former eastern bloc countries - 'cooperation' is ok!) In my view, and the programme has only just started so it's early days, the big challenge for Challenge Europe will be to create a strong sense of community and shared endeavour between the participants, so they can work effectively together. That's why we ran a one day workshop for the Scottish Climate Advocates. Their first objective for the day was 'to bond quickly' - and at the end of the day we them asked if it had been met, on a scale from 'not at all' on the left, to 'completely' on the right:
We'll watch with interest how the group gets on... Cooperating to competeThe Big Green Challenge is 'designed to encourage and reward people working together to develop new approaches to saving energy. So, the competition is only open to organisations or groups of people'.
In our experience BGC created a real focus for action, stimulating individuals and groups to work together, and the relatively short timescale created a real push to make rapid advances, within each of the projects. Both Dave and I (each working with three different projects) noticed potential opportunities for projects to share experience and ideas. Other advisers I spoke to had similar views. But because the projects were competing against each other, there was a disincentive to share information that could have strengthened the projects overall. The organisers tried to address the problem, but the tight timescale, which stimulated action within each project, meant is was difficult to explore collaboration between projects seriously. (These are our personal views - the programme will be evaluated by the organisers in due course.)
The Cooperation ChallengeWe've been blown away by the ambition and energy of the participants we've met so far in all the challenges - and the enthusiasm of the organisers. Each programme has a different focus - but the overall direction is much the same. Here's a new challenge - how can the participants and organisers of these and other challenges cooperate for even greater effect? And how can those good projects that don't 'win' be encouraged and supported?
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I think you raise interesting questions & i think we need answers & solutions fairly quickly. Dare I say - albeit quite naturally - that there are alots of egos at work. Having worked in business for quite awhile the Ego is quite an important driver for a business to keep going & move forward. The drive of the ego can be quite stressful for that particular individual but it does keep people moving along.
I think the problem is that to address the new era - we need to start again - new thoughts - new actions - new ways of working. I have worked in fairtrade & within the coop movement and again competition/ego within sectors can really deter collaboration.
I am new to the sustainable/green movement but i keep getting very surprised about lack of big picture thinking that links everything together. It seems like there is a competition to find the right answer. I guess as its been quite grass roots & campaingers/inventors everyone is very focused on what their idea is & what their concern is. We have a big problem & i guess everyone comes from their own view - but i think there is no one person who can find the fix!
I am coop biased & i myself occasionally let me ego go too far! but i do think structural tie-ins do allow for collaboration - I am setting up a multi stakeholder coop which can give real meat to involvement & can actually allow a structure for working with competitors - turning things round so that we are all singing, at some point, from the hymn sheet.
Whatever you think about my views - this lack of collaboration may well be our downfall! & that would be quite embarrasing as we are mean to be top of the animal kingdom
cheers
sam
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