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By Karen Robichaud
Thank you to everyone who joined us last month at the COTE Forum! For those who weren’t able to join us, we hosted a number of rapid-fire roundtable discussions, ranging from social media advocacy to the resilience working group to the 2030 Commitment to a Mini Hackathon. Our two-hour session was filled with lively conversations, none more so than our Mini Hackathon focused on hacking for change in regards to the proposed 2018 Federal Budget.
"I was really enthusiastic about this event because it provided a chance for newcomers to the concept of resilient design to sit with experts who were drawn to the topic. We had energetic, animated conversations with everyone involved. The level of participation was high and the level of knowledge shared even higher. It was an exciting event, fun to be part of. I hope this will be repeated next year!" - Betsy del Monte, FAIA, Founding Principal, Transform Global
"The opportunity to sit at a table with fellow practitioners talking about building was truly a privilege. While we were discussing methods to gain a clearer understanding of material content and environmental impact, there were numerous ideas exchanged about strategies that had worked on different jobs, in various markets, across the entire country. It was a valuable two hours of collaboration." - Anne Hicks Harney, FAIA, and Principal, Long Green Specs
"Advocacy is first and foremost about engagement. So COTE’s first task is to rally the AIA Membership to its advocacy agenda. And the way we do this most effectively these days is...with social media! Our break-out focused on using social media to both spread the word on what AIA COTE is doing and connect interested AIA Members to the COTE Advocacy website. Many attendees left with and tricks on turning your or tablet into a social media engagement machine! Pointers on platforms were shared, and the presenters (skilled with Twitter) learned that Instagram was now gaining serious traction among younger Members. Social media is also a great way for COTE to build a community of activists so that when district-level conversations need to happen, they will know who and where their allies are!" - Mike Davis, FAIA, President, Bergmeyer Associates
"A great opportunity to ‘connect the dots’ with what COTE is doing at a national level and with people all over the country. There was both energy and a kind of seriousness emanating from a large group of people who want to make a difference in our world, which was inspiring." - Angie Brooks, FAIA, Principal, Brooks + Scarpa
We asked participants to spend an hour brainstorming tangible ways in which architects and design professionals can advocate for change on a variety of scales. The current administration has released a proposed budget, which includes cuts to the EPA’s Energy Star program. Budget cuts related this program will likely be left to the states. The President’s 2018 Budget requests $5.7 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency, a savings of $2.6 billion, or 31 percent, from the 2017 annualized CR level. The proposed budget asserts, “the private sector is better positioned to finance disruptive energy research and development and to commercialize innovative technologies.”
Participants explored possible entry points to impact change from the individual, local and national scales.
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Scripts tailored to the local level to empower design professionals to speak to their representatives.
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One group’s discussion centered on educating and empowering kids. We heard about the importance of instilling sustainable values in communities at an early age as well as the importance of kids sharing this message with each other
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Let’s make architects and architecture cool to better engage kids – can we create an architect as superhero character?
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Make the connection between agriculture and the built environment more evident.
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Differentiate rural v. urban challenges in regards to sustainable design.
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Empower planners who often are in a position on the project connect a lot of information.
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Show people what they are already doing well and empower them to build on that foundation.
If you joined us for the Mini Hackathon and want to expand on some these ideas, please email us at cote@aia.org. If you weren’t able to join us, but are excited about building on the knowledge of the COTE community in these tactile ways, let us know!
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