We live in a busy world. Everything is trying to grab just a few seconds of our attention at all times. We’re glued to our smartphones, social media feeds, and the constant stream of information from a wide variety of sources. Information flow never stops. Most of us don’t stop either, until we collapse at the end of the day only to repeat it all again tomorrow.
Does this environment promote connection, or detract from it?
When someone reaches out to catch up or get together, how do you feel? Relief? Someone else suggested connecting, and you want this…but organizing that meetup yourself is just another responsibility you don’t need right now. Anxiety? You have so much going on already, that the thought of yet another thing brings on a wave of dread. Excitement? Yes! It’s been too long since you saw them!
Once you do meet up, what happens? Are you energized? This was just the thing you were lacking, even if you didn’t realize it beforehand. Are you drained? Yet another thing to wrestle for your attention. Was meeting a waste of time? Or more helpful than you thought it would be?
I’m dissecting my busy last month of industry events, webinars, and conversations. What was effective? What did I learn? Anything I should change or do differently next month? Below are some highlights and key takeaways for me.
A month of jam-packed industry events
I had the pleasure of meeting many new folks this past month, at various industry events. Each event was centred around creating a more sustainable future for humanity! And in very different ways.
Foresight’s Cleantech Awards
On March 30th, Foresight held its fifth annual BC Cleantech Awards. As an EIR (executive-in-residence) and member of the local cleantech community, I took the opportunity to attend.
Takeaways:
- Great opportunity to connect in person with founders and leaders in the cleantech space; award winners, nominees, and supporters alike;
- There are many different programs related to technology acceleration, and learning about them is easier while speaking with a representative rather than reading their websites;
- Lots of people are keen on getting help with project management, especially PMs with a technical background, and collaborating on endeavours focused on increasing innovation in communities.
(Also, the inaugural Alberta Cleantech Awards happened last night! List of winners is here)
Indigenous Peoples and Technoscience
Then, on April 13th, SCWIST hosted a webinar where Dr. Kimberly TallBear led a discussion about the intricate connections between science and technology fields, broader dynamics of colonialism, and increasing demands for Indigenous governance of science and technology.
Takeaways:
- In the US and Canada, we are governed by science, and we see scientific “rational” thinking as superior. We don’t appreciate how our biases affect us. Colonial ways of thinking have formed how we think of indigenous peoples;
- Dr. TallBear highlighted some problematic scientific practices and how they uphold colonialism and white privilege. For more depth, there is a talk of hers recorded here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzVKVBgb4S4
- The Summer Internship for Indigenous peoples in Genomics (SING) has been running for over a decade, and now has programs in the US, Canada, Australia , Mexico, Chile, and New Zealand. Applications are currently open for the SING Canada workshop running this July.
Chilliwack Rotary Climate Fair
The following weekend, I joined some of my fellow BCSEA volunteers at the Chilliwack Rotary Climate Fair.
Takeaways:
- There is a lot of passion for solving climate change problems in the Fraser Valley. People are looking for what actions they can take to have a real impact;
- The economics of renewable energy and electrification are making more and more sense. It’s a no-brainer for a lot of folks to switch to heat pumps, and solar heating or solar power solutions;
- The conversations I had and overheard were more about impact on the environment, people’s well-being, and what needs to shift politically or socially. This contrasts recent discussions I’ve had and overheard at climate-related events in downtown Vancouver. The latter has been filled with conversations about carbon accounting, emissions reductions, getting to net-zero, and technology advancement.
Coralus Community Connection
Over the last week, I’ve had wonderful opportunities to connect in person with many entrepreneurs and leaders through Coralus (previously SheEO). I got to hear from ventures including:
- Chloe DuBois of Ocean Legacy
- Elizabeth Fisher of OneSpace
- Sean Myomi Hougan of Aurora Heat
- Bretton Hills – Ondine Oceanfarm
- Vanessa LeBourdais – DreamRider Productions
The founder of Coralus, Vicki Saunders, was in town, and on the Friday, a bunch of us met up in Lynn Valley for a hike/nature walk.
I missed the weekend events traveling to Toronto, including Earth Day festivities and attending Rubaboo. But while I was in the Center of the Universe, I was able to meet up with more Coralus community members. It feels great to continue building on the connection I’ve personally been missing since early 2020.
Takeaways:
- “Alternative” ways to access capital work, but the conventional business models we’re used to are getting in our way. Coralus has a 95% payback rate for its 0% interest loans from the over 100 ventures it’s funded;
- We need to get better at asking our communities for help. It was inspiring to see how much enthusiasm every ‘ask’ was met with at each of the Coralus events I partook in;
- Vicki encourages people to make connections and promote community, but when it’s easy. There’s too much going on all the time, and people shouldn’t feel stressed and pressured to take on more.
Closing thoughts
I often lament going to industry events in the days and hours leading up to them. But I can’t think of a single situation where I regretted attending afterwards. Both virtual and in-person, I always come away learning something. The perspective I gain from talking to like-minded people, passionate about making the world a better place, helps me focus my work.
These events are great for hearing about trends in your industry; what’s getting people excited; and what problems are driving frustration. We are all so busy all of the time, but making the time for these events helps me in a lot of ways. For one, I find events like these great for carving out a focus. Are people interested in the services I provide? Do they burn with necessity, or are they mere nice-to-haves? They provide validation for what I’m working on, or highlight what I need to improve on communicating. These types of events also bring new potential paths to light.
Last month, I talked about shaking off the networking cobwebs and my recent experience getting back to in-person interactions. This month, with that remembering-how-to-network awkwardness mostly shed, I’ve been able to notice more. Our biases and intuitions will always exist, for better or worse. But sometimes it’s useful to be reminded of why those biases or intuitions are there. The nuance between demographics is a real thing. Different people have different priorities. And being closer to and honest about those truths will help us all work better together in this daunting challenge of overcoming climate change.