TEDxJacksonville Salon on Jacksonville's Environment
I had just finished an exhausting two weeks the night before the TEDxJacksonville Salon at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens a couple of weekends ago. Part of me wanted to stay home and snack on lunch meat and cheap American Cheese to recover but the better part of me wanted to attend.
So, I went and when I arrived, Asghar was there to greet me. "You're lucky I'm here," he said, as I had failed to confirm my attendance. The guest list at TEDx is a few degrees under the Book of Life. No one enters just because they know someone on the list or even because they are well-intentioned. You better be on the list or you are not getting in. I'm media, though. Press credentials are a wondrous thing.
Asghar Syed with a backpack
Asghar Syed is the Partnership Director. He and Carrie Holland, Marketing Director, are MetroJacksonville.com's contacts at TEDxJacksonville. They. Are. Awesome. They have foresight and if anything even goes slightly offtrack, these two are quick to adjust. It's a bit of logistical poetry watching the TEDx team in action. I may be more impressed with their level of organization and execution than the actual talks (and the talks are good!). There is a value to seeing them operate on a behind-the-scenes level for two years now.
As Asghar and I were waiting for the tour guide, our initial conversation revolved around faith and whether various faith groups could work together to accomplish a given task. Asghar is spending time just talking to faith leaders in Jacksonville-- not for some ultimate goal, it seems, but just to gauge how people are.
Then a few other people breezed in and the conversation evolved into a discussion about gender and language. One woman was casually annoyed at being called a girl. As in, "Right this way, 'guys' and 'girls,'" to which another replied something like, "The south figured that out a long time ago when they started using 'ya'll.'" There was slight laughter from the growing crowd but for me, a happy sense of vindication for the southern dialect.
As the tour began and throughout the experience, little pockets of conversation became the highlight of our walk around the zoo. It was great to see the tigers and giraffes, but it was pleasing to hear and voice opinions on a variety topics with a group of strangers as we walked. The cool, crisp weather right before the sun set helped to keep everyone happy in conversation. Not a lot of debate.. people were willing to nod their head when they disagreed just to keep tensions low if a hot topic arose (and by "hot topic," I mean tepid).
Side note: the tiger exhibit at the Jacksonville Zoo places a visitor close to the large cats. They are a yard or two away. Plenty of fencing, but still very close! The entire zoo looked alive. The landscaping was incredible. Despite whatever moral stipulations you may have about zoos, the Jacksonville Zoo is beautiful.
Asghar is good at this. He is good at developing conversations. He is excellent at asking the people around him, "What do you think/feel about this?" and then giving that person space to answer, to think through and own their opinion. He never quite chimes in with his own opinion, though, I presume, to give space to the attendees to keep the conversation alive and to not unintentionally sway it in one direction.
After the tour, the actual event of the evening began with with food and a cash bar. Pause here. This is the only bothersome aspect of the evening. I didn't have cash on hand and I don't think the cash bar was taking debit cards. So, no drinks. No coffee. No tea. It is my ongoing and emphatic request/ribbing to TEDxJacksonville. Coffee should be everywhere and "drinks" most everywhere.
After the our initial round of eating (there were two light eating rounds before and after the talks), we watched three talks regarding the environment and sustainability (you can watch them on the last page).
The Ted talks were good, but the more enjoyable part of the the evening was the discussion groups. There were three different groups, each led by an expert but still allowing for an open forum of communication. The groups broke down into three subtle categories of people: the listeners, the questioners, and the experts. Again, I didn't hear a lot of differing opinions, but it's hard to debate the need for clean water or quality parks. There was not much to debate except for maybe how much money should be actually spent on Jacksonville's environment. A few people dominated the conversation, though these people had valid and credible information.
Asghar, assigned an "official" notetaker for each group.
Topic: City of Parks Did you know that within Jacksonville's city limits lies the largest municipal preservation park system in the United States? Over 83,000 acres of natural beauty surrounds our community. It connects our waterways, beaches, natural habitat, recreation, and our history-- and we can access any of these parks with just a 30 minute drive. Can these abundant resources define our city's identity? Should Jacksonville be the “City of Parks”?
Led by: Richard Skinner, Architect and President of Timucuan Trail Parks Foundation. Read his op-ed on the matter here.
Cari Holland provided notes from Skinner's Group:
Topic: Water Myths On a day to day basis as we water our lawns, wash our clothes, or do laps in the pool, it rarely occurs to us that clean water is a precious and rare commodity. We are running out of drinkable water and our community has never faced a greater imperative to protect and conserve our aquifers. What can we do today to address this challenge?
Led by: Dr. Quint White, Executive Director, JU Marine Science Research Institute
Asghar Syed provided notes from White's Group:
Topic: Protecting Nature and Inspiring Innovation Jacksonville is projected to be home to 1,000,000 people by 2030. As our urban core revitalizes and the city continues to expand, how do we build a community that mirrors the complexity and efficiency of the natural world? We must embrace our connection to our native ecosystem and recognize its role in our growing community.
Led by: Melissa Beaudry, Outreach Director
Michael Mutlio provided notes from Beaudry's group:
Discussion Points & Questions
Preserving the natural world is best done by mirroring the natural world; however, man needs to create better systems, sometimes more dynamic (the bar man needs to aim for is higher that nature).
• People need to be aware of what can be learned from the natural world and its systems.
• Older civilizations existed with the environment, balancing lives with the seasons and surroundings.
• Modern society has lost that harmonic balance. When was it lost?
• We have unsuccessfully tried to manipulate nature to suit the way we feel it should be and our immediate needs.
• Point about Feng Shui brought up-- working with nature, understanding that it is a cohesive system.
• Everything in the natural world is perfect? That which isn’t perfect or balanced in nature is corrected, save humans.
Is there a significant difference between Eastern and Western ethics? How or did imperialism play into modern thought processes regarding our use and treatment of the environment? What about modern capitalism?
Building processes have become less effective and inferior, possibly due to the push for less expensive but larger spaces. The effect has been a stripping of resources, excessive materials usage, and increased waste. Older building processes were better (materials were not discussed).
Jacksonville has a great number of natural buffers including parks and preserves. How can we as a community enhance the natural areas? How can we as a community best utilize the green space, educationally and functionally?
• Timiquan Parks Foundation is putting together a report regarding the economic value of natural areas and their importance
• People create ecosystems, good and bad.
• When nature is confined it move vertically –something other communities are embracing.
Effective planning and communities need to embrace natural systems and biomimicry, especially when considering retrofitting spaces.
Spaces and ‘natural’ environments need to be brought closer so people don’t have to drive 45 minutes and burn excessive fuel to enjoy them. Urban planning and engineers need to engage long-term thinking and take into account more than immediate surroundings.
Where does Jacksonville fall in terms of innovation compared to other cities?
• While the city is working toward better regulation and improvements, including use and treatment of the St. Johns River, the city is far behind other communities.
• Jacksonville is a reactionary city, moving only when a problem arises.
• Landmass plays a role in Jacksonville’s lack of innovation and engagement –residents of Mandarin don’t necessarily care what goes on the north side or downtown. Out of sight, out of mind mentality?
• Companies need to take initiative and get behind environmental innovation.
• JEA is looking at doing more – efficiency, conservation, electric vehicles.
• Revenue is a big player for what cities do and wheat happens in the community. Politics hinders real progress?
• Look at older homes and properties, as some have cistern wells.
• What are the incentives or disincentives for coming off the grid or using alternative power or water sources?
Duval County has one of the highest water usage rates per capita (not mentioned if this is in the state or the nation) while Central Florida, Orlando specifically, embraces gray water and water reuse (recycling?) practices.
• Keystone Heights’ lakes have dried up over the last 20(?) years. Jacksonville plays ignorant to the problem because it has not actually hit here (reactionary mentality). As long as the problem is elsewhere people don’t care. Water, here, is essentially free to us or at least cheap, so people are wasteful.
What needs to change?
• Reeducation to change people’s mindsets and the way they treat the environment.
• Engaging children to teach them about the natural world and the environment.
• Grow the voices in the community, especially at the ballot box.
Systems don’t change unless there is a force behind the change. People don’t change, for the most part, unless forced to change.
• “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” --Gandhi
So, I went and when I arrived, Asghar was there to greet me. "You're lucky I'm here," he said, as I had failed to confirm my attendance. The guest list at TEDx is a few degrees under the Book of Life. No one enters just because they know someone on the list or even because they are well-intentioned. You better be on the list or you are not getting in. I'm media, though. Press credentials are a wondrous thing.
Asghar Syed with a backpack
Asghar Syed is the Partnership Director. He and Carrie Holland, Marketing Director, are MetroJacksonville.com's contacts at TEDxJacksonville. They. Are. Awesome. They have foresight and if anything even goes slightly offtrack, these two are quick to adjust. It's a bit of logistical poetry watching the TEDx team in action. I may be more impressed with their level of organization and execution than the actual talks (and the talks are good!). There is a value to seeing them operate on a behind-the-scenes level for two years now.
As Asghar and I were waiting for the tour guide, our initial conversation revolved around faith and whether various faith groups could work together to accomplish a given task. Asghar is spending time just talking to faith leaders in Jacksonville-- not for some ultimate goal, it seems, but just to gauge how people are.
Then a few other people breezed in and the conversation evolved into a discussion about gender and language. One woman was casually annoyed at being called a girl. As in, "Right this way, 'guys' and 'girls,'" to which another replied something like, "The south figured that out a long time ago when they started using 'ya'll.'" There was slight laughter from the growing crowd but for me, a happy sense of vindication for the southern dialect.
As the tour began and throughout the experience, little pockets of conversation became the highlight of our walk around the zoo. It was great to see the tigers and giraffes, but it was pleasing to hear and voice opinions on a variety topics with a group of strangers as we walked. The cool, crisp weather right before the sun set helped to keep everyone happy in conversation. Not a lot of debate.. people were willing to nod their head when they disagreed just to keep tensions low if a hot topic arose (and by "hot topic," I mean tepid).
Side note: the tiger exhibit at the Jacksonville Zoo places a visitor close to the large cats. They are a yard or two away. Plenty of fencing, but still very close! The entire zoo looked alive. The landscaping was incredible. Despite whatever moral stipulations you may have about zoos, the Jacksonville Zoo is beautiful.
Asghar is good at this. He is good at developing conversations. He is excellent at asking the people around him, "What do you think/feel about this?" and then giving that person space to answer, to think through and own their opinion. He never quite chimes in with his own opinion, though, I presume, to give space to the attendees to keep the conversation alive and to not unintentionally sway it in one direction.
After the tour, the actual event of the evening began with with food and a cash bar. Pause here. This is the only bothersome aspect of the evening. I didn't have cash on hand and I don't think the cash bar was taking debit cards. So, no drinks. No coffee. No tea. It is my ongoing and emphatic request/ribbing to TEDxJacksonville. Coffee should be everywhere and "drinks" most everywhere.
After the our initial round of eating (there were two light eating rounds before and after the talks), we watched three talks regarding the environment and sustainability (you can watch them on the last page).
The Ted talks were good, but the more enjoyable part of the the evening was the discussion groups. There were three different groups, each led by an expert but still allowing for an open forum of communication. The groups broke down into three subtle categories of people: the listeners, the questioners, and the experts. Again, I didn't hear a lot of differing opinions, but it's hard to debate the need for clean water or quality parks. There was not much to debate except for maybe how much money should be actually spent on Jacksonville's environment. A few people dominated the conversation, though these people had valid and credible information.
Asghar, assigned an "official" notetaker for each group.
Topic: City of Parks Did you know that within Jacksonville's city limits lies the largest municipal preservation park system in the United States? Over 83,000 acres of natural beauty surrounds our community. It connects our waterways, beaches, natural habitat, recreation, and our history-- and we can access any of these parks with just a 30 minute drive. Can these abundant resources define our city's identity? Should Jacksonville be the “City of Parks”?
Led by: Richard Skinner, Architect and President of Timucuan Trail Parks Foundation. Read his op-ed on the matter here.
Cari Holland provided notes from Skinner's Group:
- The top two most attended parks locally are state and federal Parks, not city parks.
- Richard Skinner invited suggestions on how we, as a city, can make city parks more of a priority so that they become a Jacksonville destination.
- We discussed how sustaining funding needs to be a priority and considered programming at these parks. It was noted that students used to take field trips to some of these parks, but that has since stopped-- perhaps due to cost or insurance concerns. [/li]His group is looking to dub Jacksonville the City of Parks. Some group members felt like there has to be an awareness built up about the asset of our parks (how many, where they are, what you can do there, etc.) before we stake that claim. An alternative was provided as “Discover Jacksonville Parks.” It was discussed that there needs to be an advertising campaign to inform people and raise awareness. [/li]
- Richard’s group is currently adding to their website regularly the location and resource of each of our local parks.
- We talked about Denver and how they’ve done a great job of incorporating the city’s landscape into parks and it has become a vital asset to the community. (Cherry Creek)
- It was asked of Richard if he thought the city should spend money to purchase more land, and he said not at all, unless it is a piece of property that would begin to link the trail. We discussed that this would allow the Timucuan Trail to link together all around the city through public parks.
Topic: Water Myths On a day to day basis as we water our lawns, wash our clothes, or do laps in the pool, it rarely occurs to us that clean water is a precious and rare commodity. We are running out of drinkable water and our community has never faced a greater imperative to protect and conserve our aquifers. What can we do today to address this challenge?
Led by: Dr. Quint White, Executive Director, JU Marine Science Research Institute
Asghar Syed provided notes from White's Group:
- Where are we in Jacksonville? A study conducted suggested that Jacksonville's usage would be unsustainable by 2013. Actually, due to the financial crisis and some increased awareness, Jacksonville's per person usage has declined from 150 gallons per person per day three years ago to 106 gallon per person per day today. This is a step in the right direction and we haven't become unsustainable yet... but it's only a matter of time. The average usage globally is 5 gallons per day.
- About 40% of the water used in Jax is used for irrigation. In other parts of Florida, more than half goes to irrigation. This is all clean drinking (or drinkable) water.
- Lawns, and particularly grass, take up a lot of clean water. Consider drought resistant native plant species. Floridayards.org is a great resource.
- Commercial consumption: we talked a little about the Marine Science facility Quint built at JU. Leed certified gold. www.ju.edu/msri/Pages/default.aspx
- Collecting rain water. We talked a lot about installing rain buckets.
- Gray water came up a few times. Gray water can be collected rain water or treated sewer water.
- Quint suggested that the biggest step forward would be a tiered approach to how JEA charges people for water use. Quint suggested that everyone get the first two to three thousand basically for free, and get charged a substantial and increasing rate beyond that, essentially to make conservation an economic (in addition to moral) decision.
- In discussing sustainable use of our acquirer, Quint also suggested that we take recharge zones into account when planning our land use. Sarah Boren noted that it takes a long time for water to trickle from recharge zones in Keystone heights over to our acquirer. Quint said that we have he technology to collect data on every square mile of north florida to determine where the recharge zone are. We then need to preserve those ares.
- Quint told one sobering story about the clean water wasted in Nocatee. When the developers built out the area and began selling houses, there wasn't enough use in the region to support the system. Stagnant water in the pipes serving just a handful of houses could damage the system and no-doubt would be a problem for the few users, so the developers drained clean water of the system for months to keep it flowing.
Topic: Protecting Nature and Inspiring Innovation Jacksonville is projected to be home to 1,000,000 people by 2030. As our urban core revitalizes and the city continues to expand, how do we build a community that mirrors the complexity and efficiency of the natural world? We must embrace our connection to our native ecosystem and recognize its role in our growing community.
Led by: Melissa Beaudry, Outreach Director
Michael Mutlio provided notes from Beaudry's group:
Discussion Points & Questions
Preserving the natural world is best done by mirroring the natural world; however, man needs to create better systems, sometimes more dynamic (the bar man needs to aim for is higher that nature).
• People need to be aware of what can be learned from the natural world and its systems.
• Older civilizations existed with the environment, balancing lives with the seasons and surroundings.
• Modern society has lost that harmonic balance. When was it lost?
• We have unsuccessfully tried to manipulate nature to suit the way we feel it should be and our immediate needs.
• Point about Feng Shui brought up-- working with nature, understanding that it is a cohesive system.
• Everything in the natural world is perfect? That which isn’t perfect or balanced in nature is corrected, save humans.
Is there a significant difference between Eastern and Western ethics? How or did imperialism play into modern thought processes regarding our use and treatment of the environment? What about modern capitalism?
Building processes have become less effective and inferior, possibly due to the push for less expensive but larger spaces. The effect has been a stripping of resources, excessive materials usage, and increased waste. Older building processes were better (materials were not discussed).
Jacksonville has a great number of natural buffers including parks and preserves. How can we as a community enhance the natural areas? How can we as a community best utilize the green space, educationally and functionally?
• Timiquan Parks Foundation is putting together a report regarding the economic value of natural areas and their importance
• People create ecosystems, good and bad.
• When nature is confined it move vertically –something other communities are embracing.
Effective planning and communities need to embrace natural systems and biomimicry, especially when considering retrofitting spaces.
Spaces and ‘natural’ environments need to be brought closer so people don’t have to drive 45 minutes and burn excessive fuel to enjoy them. Urban planning and engineers need to engage long-term thinking and take into account more than immediate surroundings.
Where does Jacksonville fall in terms of innovation compared to other cities?
• While the city is working toward better regulation and improvements, including use and treatment of the St. Johns River, the city is far behind other communities.
• Jacksonville is a reactionary city, moving only when a problem arises.
• Landmass plays a role in Jacksonville’s lack of innovation and engagement –residents of Mandarin don’t necessarily care what goes on the north side or downtown. Out of sight, out of mind mentality?
• Companies need to take initiative and get behind environmental innovation.
• JEA is looking at doing more – efficiency, conservation, electric vehicles.
• Revenue is a big player for what cities do and wheat happens in the community. Politics hinders real progress?
• Look at older homes and properties, as some have cistern wells.
• What are the incentives or disincentives for coming off the grid or using alternative power or water sources?
Duval County has one of the highest water usage rates per capita (not mentioned if this is in the state or the nation) while Central Florida, Orlando specifically, embraces gray water and water reuse (recycling?) practices.
• Keystone Heights’ lakes have dried up over the last 20(?) years. Jacksonville plays ignorant to the problem because it has not actually hit here (reactionary mentality). As long as the problem is elsewhere people don’t care. Water, here, is essentially free to us or at least cheap, so people are wasteful.
What needs to change?
• Reeducation to change people’s mindsets and the way they treat the environment.
• Engaging children to teach them about the natural world and the environment.
• Grow the voices in the community, especially at the ballot box.
Systems don’t change unless there is a force behind the change. People don’t change, for the most part, unless forced to change.
• “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” --Gandhi