“Ah” Moments and “Ah-ha” Moments

Teepees, “message meadows” and “artifacts”. These are the things of last week’s Waterlution “unconference”. With an aim of inspiring future water leaders to change our collective relationship with water, the unconference brought people together in a less-than-conventional way. While grumbling on my way to a 7 am breakfast one day, though, it occurred to me that the process may be as important as the message itself. Below are some of the components that have been identified as necessary for creating a sustainable water future, and how they were (purposefully and unpurposefully?) incorporated into the structure of the “un-conference.”

***People Inspired by Nature**
The unconference was set in the majestic Alberta Rockies. For me, they rivaled my beloved east slopes of the Cascades; for the participants from the flat parts of Canada, they must have been even more awe-inspiring. Our venue was the Camp Chief Hector YMCA camp, at the base of the mountains forming Banff National Park. Miles of forest, field, wetland and lakes in all directions: we didn’t see sign of civilization for four days. Our lodging was about 2 km from the commons/main facility, so many times a day we walked through road or woods, looking up at mountains and moon. On breaks, groups of participants would run down to the near-by lakes. In our first session we were asked to talk about what shaped some of our motivations to work on environmental issues- and many a story involved early experiences with nature such as this.

**Working Across Sectors**
In my classes at UBC and other conversations with folks about how to improve water management in British Columbia, the need to break down “institutional barriers” has been brought up. “Everyone is in their own silo!” people have said. “There are people in separate ministries and even departments working on the same thing who don’t even talk to each other!” While land use affects water quality, and industrial water use affects fish habitat, people work on each issue separately without regards for the other. Well, at the unconference we broke down walls between individuals in institutions, at least. Participants included students, consultants, hydrologists, biologists, policy analysts, watershed managers, lawyers, first nation’s natural resource specialists, a few cowboys and even some young folks in the oil industry!

**Collaboration**
Primary to collaboration and the above-mentioned inter-sectoral interaction is getting people to connect with each other on a personal level. This “unconference” did not have people sitting in front of power-points listening to panels of experts. Instead, the organizers encouraged us to see each other as the experts. On the first night there was no keynote speaker. Instead, we were asked to turn to our neighbors and tell our stories. We exchanged “artifacts” representing where we come from or our connection to water. Throughout the four days, every effort possible was made to get people to talk to each other and to listen to each other. Even dinners were “family-style” where no one eats until everyone is present, and everyone serves themselves from the same bowl.

**Humor and Fun**
When facing such overwhelming challenges as how protect water quantity, quality, the environment and human health from threats on seemingly infinite fronts, it is easy to get overwhelmed, frustrated and ready to give up the fight. So we’ve got to remember to have fun, too! At the unconference we had plenty of fun. The first night we saw our thoughts and feelings from the field trips (aka “Learning Journeys”) reflected in the movements of an interpretive dance troupe. The next day during some down time, some movement artists led a few of us in our own interpretive dance! Later that evening we were surprised as the dining hall was transformed into a “lounge,” complete with white couches, swirly blue lights, and a live Funk band! I was quite happy to see that so many of the participants love dancing as much as I do! The next day as I met folks in workshops or at dinner and some faces stood out as friendly and familiar I wondered- where do I know you from? Oh yes! We boogied together last night!!