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Archive for May, 2009

Are Forbes 10 Best Places the Most Eco-Sustainable?

Posted in A. Contexting Intelligences, climate, Ecosphere, tagged , , on May 21, 2009 |


Forbes has just published an interesting list of the 10 Best Places to Live. Below is how they describe their criteria and selection process.  It is interesting to contemplate whether “Best Places” can measure up to “most sustainable places”.  It strikes me that these are beautiful and inspiring places, and I wonder if they are economically self-sustainable and what their relationship with their eco-region is? (ie. how much of their livability are they importing beyond their eco-region footprint? and how much of their unsustainability they are exporting to their own and/or other eco regions; eg. solid waste, air pollution?).  How will they fare under the pressures of climate change, peak oil (and the current financial crisis)? I wonder what the criteria for the 10 Most Sustainable Cities would be and how many of these cities would make that list. In short I don’t think you can assess the “Best” of any city without using an Integral Vital Signs Monitor — that would measure the bio/psycho/cultural/structural capacities of triple bottom line – People, Profit, Planet.

Forbes Report

“European cities dominate Mercer’s list, which rates 420 global cities on the basis of the political and social environment (including stability, crime and law enforcement); the strength of the economy; restrictions, such as censorship and limitations on personal freedom; the quality of health care as well as exposure to infectious diseases; and school quality. In addition, it looked at recreation, theaters, sports activities, access to grocery markets, the availability and cost of housing, as well as the climate and susceptibility to natural disasters.

It’s a mouthful of criteria, to be sure. Cities were ranked on an index where New York City was 100. Vienna, for example, scored a 108.6, Zürich, Switzerland, came in second at 108, Geneva was next at 107.9 and Vancouver notched a win for North America by finishing fourth at 107.4. At the bottom, by contrast, were Baghdad, at 14.4; Bangui, the politically corrupt capital of the Central African Republic at 29.3, and N’Djamena, Chad, notable for it’s difficult pronunciation and constant rebel attacks, at 31.3.

For the first time, Mercer also evaluated cities on the basis of their infrastructure, including electricity supply, water availability, telephone and mail services, public transportation, traffic congestion and the range of international flights from local airports.”

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10 Summer Learning Opportunities

Posted in Classroom course, Dialogue, F. Training, Telecourse, tagged , , , , on May 20, 2009 | 1 Comment »


May Greetings, Integral City-zens and Friends of Integral City     Today’s Integral City Sparkie for the City Mind:
A city which can merely feed, clothe and shelter its citizens lacks the intelligence to sustain itself, because the intelligence for sustainability comes from a commitment to learning about self, others and our shared life conditions.  Hamilton, M., 2008, Integral City: Evolutionary Intelligences for the Human Hive, p.175  

The summer of the New Renaissance is upon us. We offer you a sumptuous festival of 9 capacity building opportunities to entice, inspire, mesh and lead you into expanded Integral City capacities of all kinds.  Even as the world contracts, this summer is exactly the right time to reflect, realign, renew and reach outward. Also check out our FALL Preview of the World Forum below. Learning locations range from Teleconference to France, Washington DC to Vancouver, Dallas to Whidbey Island and points in between.  

 Listen to an interview on Integral City & The Agenda for Changing the World in the next 10 years, with Jim Garrison Co-Founder of The World Forum: Integral Life http://integrallife.com/node/43328 (also available at Integral Naked http://in.integralinstitute.org/).   Mark these events on your Agenda (join me at all the ones marked *, where Integral City will be presenting or attending)   *1.   Spiral Dynamics integral Confab May 28-May 31, 2008 join Dr. Don Beck  Spiral  Dynamics integral Level Two  ”Cultural Dynamics and Nation-Building and SDi Train-the-Trainer Training”.  Details are available here   http://www.sdiregister.com/SDi-Level2-Confab.php   Dr. Beck will be joined by Elza Maalouf LLD,  Dr. Marilyn Hamilton, Dr. Bruce Gibb and the their team of colleagues from Canada plus livewire sessions. You will learn how Dr. Beck is using large-scale psychology to build nations and how to present the Spiral Dynamics body of knowledge in a user-friendly and sophisticated manner. May 25-27, 2009, Dallas, Texas  Join Dr. Don Beck for SDi Level One. Details are available here http://www.sdiregister.com/   

*2. How Communities Learn to Thrive in Challenging Times

Moving from Concern to Action: Communicating for Change

Date: June 11, 2009 Time: 9:00 am – 4:30 pm (registration opens at 8:45 am)

Location: Surrey Museum, 17710-56A Avenue Surrey BC

Details & Registration: http://www.bchealthycommunities.ca/Content/Our%20Vision/Learning%20Events.asp

This workshop will support you to develop your knowledge, skills, and abilities to effectively influence change through your communications with diverse audiences. Using the framework of Spiral Dynamics integral it helps you understand how you can translate your message/communication so that people can hear it and align your message so that people can act to support it.
This workshop helps to uncover a common, unifying, and integrating approach that can guide us in times of turbulence and promote physical, intellectual, moral, spiritual, and social values and community capacity building that considers the whole person in the whole community.

 

*3. New Tools for New Times – Spiral Dynamics integral Introduction

June 17, 2009, Canadian Memorial United Church, 1825 West 16th, nr Burrard, Vancouver BC

Donations at the door

Limited Seating: pre-register sdi@integralcity.com

Why do people make such different decisions, given the same information and opportunities?  How do values develop and spread among people?  How can we bring our diverse ways of thinking to create a community that feels good to all of us? 

Spiral Dynamics integral is a model for people who think about complex systems – like neighbourhoods, communities, and organizations.  It is a way of understanding the different values or “world views” that people use to make their decisions.  Using Spiral Dynamics integral, leaders can reduce the tensions in those differences, and create positive change in social and business systems.  

The Spiral Dynamics integral model helps us understand our next steps towards creating a constructive community atmosphere in a changing situation―wherever we are in our work at this moment. It shows us what’s working, what’s blocking progress, and how we can dream for our future.

Learn how communities, associations and professionals from Halifax, First Nations, Winnipeg, Abbotsford, Creative City, New Westminster, the Netherlands, UK and South Africa have used Spiral Dynamics integral for practical solutions.

Presenter: Michael Keller MT, MA, Introduced by Marilyn Hamilton PhD CGA

*4. Renaissance2 Great Shift Partner Gathering

June 22-23, 2009,

Integral City, Master Class, June 24, 2009

Le Chateau Apollinaire, Perpignan, France

Details & Registration: http://www.renaissance2.eu/home/index.html

 

Join leaders who have had deep experience in creating the next wave of social, business and technological innovation. We invite you to become a part of this exclusive group of social innovators to share your insights and celebrate each other’s success. Between being inspired by the keynote speaker panels, you’ll gain even more taking part in one or more of the working groups centred around four innovation crucibles vital to our future. Your contributions will help catalyze their success and develop your own practical insights and valuable connections.

 

We now have all the tools and technologies we need to co-catalyze a new Renaissance. At this event we use them to take the next step in accelerating open source innovation

between business people, social entrepreneurs, innovators, cultural and spiritual

leaders, civil society and governments, to address the most challenging issues facing

human civilization today. Work together with the partner organizations and leading

members of Renaissance2, a not-for profit foundation whose mission is to catalyze socially innovative world-centric businesses, on the four innovation crucibles we need to make this dream a reality:

 

* Renewable Energy         *Resilient Environments

* Enlightened Enterprise  *Integral Governance

http://www.summerleadershipinstitute.com/invitation

 

5. Summer Leadership Institute

 

Sunday, July 5 3:00 p.m until Friday, July 10 2:00 p.m., 2009
Shawnigan Lake is an hour’s drive from Victoria, BC

 

Details and Registration: http://www.summerleadershipinstitute.com/invitation

 

Week- long leadership inquiry that will provide:

  • Increased resilience and capacity to move into the future
  • A sense of purpose in the chaos
  • Insight that triggers initiative and action
  • Practical strategies for leading in your life
  • An ongoing community of practice
  • Access to resources and leading edge approaches
  • Learning about yourself, others and leading

Faculty: Diana Smith, Michael Keller, Mary Martin, Sandy MacIver

*6. The Map, The Mesh and the Human Hive: 3 Module Telecourse

Location: Telephone Bridge Line to be Advised After Registration

Time:   Noon to 12 noon to 2pm Pacific Daylight Time (GMT+8) for all dates

July 8, 2009   The Map (Integral Capacity)

Aug. 5, 2009   The Mesh (Complex Relationships)

Aug.26, 2009    The Human Hive (Resilient Adaptiveness)

 

Each session is recorded and three chapters of the Talking Book Integral City: Evolutionary Intelligences for the Human Hive will be downloadable and included in the fee.

 

Each session includes: Introductions, a Mini-lecture from me, Facilitated Discussion, Q&A, Summary.

 

Register for the course by emailing marilyn@integralcity.com with Telecourse in the subject line.

 

 

7. Integral Education Seminar FROM CRADLE TO KOSMOS

Whidbey Island August 2-7, 2009. Get the details at www.i-edu.org .

 

 

*8. SPIRAL DYNAMICS integral CERTIFICATION SEMINAR :

 

 

Spiral Dynamics integral Level 1 Certification Training

Vancouver, BC, August 14-16, 2009 

Details & Registration: http://www.integralcity.com/reg-forms/Current%20Trainings/current%20trainings.html#sdi trainings

 

*9. The 16 Ways Level One: Energy Fundamentals

With Dylan Newcomb, August 12-13, 2009 Vancouver, BC

Participants qualify for Student Registration Spiral Dynamics integral, Level 1, Vancouver, BC, August 14-16, 2009

Details & Registration: http://www.dylannewcomb.com/Dylan_Newcomb/16_Ways-Level_1.html

 

By engaging our whole self – on the levels of body, mind, emotions, and breath –  and moving them from one dynamic into it’s opposite, back and forth,  the natural abundance of energy contained within each polarity opens up and becomes much more available to us.  We start to naturally respond with more ease and joy to the constant changes in our life. The 16 Ways offers a simple and powerful way to access a greater range of experience and expression.

 

In this two-day level one training, you will:

 

Learn to access the fundamental energies of The 16 Ways in your body, mind, and emotions

 

gain an intuitive, practical understanding of your own subtle energy patterns and learn how to work with them

 

complete the ‘16 Ways Polarity Questionnaire’ which tracks your daily feelings and behaviors and traces them to energies of the The 16 Ways.

 

practice using the polarities of The 16 Ways to explore and enhance relationship

 

 

 

 

 

*10. FALL PREVIEW

2009 STATE OF THE WORLD FORUM: Mobilizing to Save Civilization – A Ten Year Plan to Address Climate Change
November 12-14, 2009 in Washington D.C.

Registration and Details: http://www.worldforum.org/2009conference-overview.htm

 

This Forum will bring attention to the critical issue of climate change and to catalyze a ten year plan to green our economies that the State of the World Forum is convening a three day conference November 12-14, 2009 in Washington D.C. The 2009 Forum will launch a ten year campaign that will meet in a different world city each year.
Our intention is to catalyze a demand for new standards of moral leadership. Our goal is to empower people everywhere, personally and collectively, to create greener and more resilient lifestyles and communities.  In order to realize this plan we are bringing international thought leaders, specialists and activists together to begin work on what a ten year plan to green our economies would actually look like, even as we appeal to our governments to take immediate and decisive action.
We are in a time of enormous transition, when the present is crumbling right from under our feet, but the future is not quite clear enough for us to grasp. What is needed is imagination and a sense of possibility to bridge the gap between present and future.

The State of the World Forum is committed to working with partners worldwide to catalyzing the imagination needed and the collaboration required to both envision and implement the world we must fashion as humanity moves beyond the War on Terror into the next phase of human development. Joining together to make this commitment can generate a veritable renaissance of international solidarity and good will.

Please join us in this global initiative to change the course of history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Master Rule as Three Faces of God

Posted in Master Intelligence, Spiritual intelligence, tagged , on May 14, 2009 | 1 Comment »


Listening to Ken Wilber and Andrew Cohen on their webcasted dialogue last week prompted ponderings on the three faces of God in the city.

The Third Face of God — represented as the face of the third person — the God we see in the other as we walk the streets of the city. This is the same God we see in the artifacts that have become the built city itself.

The Second Face of God — represented as the face of the second person — the thou/We God whom we serve as we live, work, re-create together. This is the same God with whom we relate in our families, clans (ethnic and corporate). But it is also the God to whom we bow the knee (Andrew’s expression) as being greater than our individual egoic selves. A God who is greater than we can be as an individual.

The First Face of God — represented as the face of the first person — the I /me /mine God whom we see in the mirror, experience every minute. The awesome face of God embodied in our selves.

It was especially interesting to hear the dialogue acknowledge how well we know the third and first faces of God. But us modern and post-modern citizens balk at embracing the second face of God, because of the fear of releasing our self-control to a greater expression of Good/God.

But in considering the three faces of God, I was brought back to the Master Rule  I propose for the Integral City( in my book). I was struck by a blinding flash of the obvious!! The Master Rule embraces the three faces of God.

Look after yourself (first face of God)

Look after each other (second face of God)

Look after this place (third face of God)

So the struggle to “bend the knee” to the second face of God is the struggle to look after each other. As the City’s challenging life conditions multiply, it strikes me that our efforts to look after each other must complexify in order for us to look after both ourselves and this place. Ultimately this is a basic survival rule for our species. It shows up in our bio-psycho-cultural-social realities — and it is a basic spiritual precept.

It turns out the Master Rule for the Integral City is a Spiritual Rule.

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Investing in Kids – Another School – New Orleans

Posted in Inner, Level 4 Blue, Level 7 Yellow, Master Intelligence, Storytelling - Cultures, tagged , , , , on May 9, 2009 |


Thanks to Amy Hartman and Don Beck for passing along a very clear message from a New Orleans Catholic School who has a whole system meshwork for educating kids.

Check it out here at Principal Moran’s of Archbisop Rummel HighSchool.

The fervour of the Principal’s message affirms the values of healthy Blue, while designing the school’s structures and culture from Yellow. He also talks about the Master Intelligence of how life conditions are created to : Take care of Self; Take care of Each Other; Take Care of This Place.

This is the kind of intelligence which enables an Integral City

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Investing in Kids

Posted in Inner, Lifecycle, Storytelling - Cultures, tagged , , , , on May 8, 2009 | 2 Comments »


I just finished a final edit on the last Imagine Abbotsford Dialogue — to be reported in The Abbotsford News May 14, 2009.

This dialogue was on the Health and Community of Abbotsford. One Policy Maker from the Fraser Valley Health Authority remarked that the community gains greater health benefits by investing in kids than in any other demographic of the community. The payback is enormous — for every dollar invested in kids, the community saves four dollars in the future. That is an huge return on investment.

Where do the dollars invested in childhood development largely get spent? In the education system (not the health care system) — but the paybacks are in the whole community system.

David Brooks talks about the Harlem Miracle today, outlining the story of Geoffrey Canada in Harlem and his Promise Academy in the Harlem Children’s Zone. The results of Canada’s school performance have so impressed researchers using rigorous evaluation templates, that they have changed their minds about the intractability of Harlem’s school and social problems.

Brooks points out the fierce standards that Canada demands of his students and his teachers. And he makes no bones about the value of teaching his students middle class values that include mutual respect, impulse control, self-discipline and hard work. His black students have closed the black-white performance gap that exists in most of the other New York schools — proving that the gap is not impervious to change.

The comments following Brooks article reveal that Promise Academy admits students by lottery (not selection) so they are accepting all comers. Further, the charter school provides support for the kids before and after school AND addresses the competencies of their parents, by offering them parenting classes.

Sounds like two streams of research — one in healthcare and one in education — are proving that one of the most intelligent investments city’s can make is in their children. Not surprising!! The bees figures that out millions of generations ago.

btw, seems like Promise Academy has created a very integral solution that integrates structural, cultural, intentional and behavioral aspects to create life conditions for educating kids. Don Beck points out that it is an elegant meshwork approach!!

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Stand By Me = Musical Meshworking?

Posted in C. Collective Intelligences, Level 2 Purple, Level 8 Turquoise, Master Intelligence, Meshworking, Storytelling - Cultures, tagged , on May 6, 2009 | 1 Comment »


I just followed a link to a beautiful musical creation. This is a very purple song to the core — or maybe this way, produced by a mobile recording studio that spanned the globe — maybe it’s Turquoise???

The producer has recorded very talented buskers and a host of back-up musicians from around the world, meshing their sounds together – aligning the voices, intruments, hearts, minds, souls. Check out Stand by Me – and tell me if you don’t think this is an elegant example of musical meshworking??

In his own way, this producer is demonstrating the Master Intelligence – take care of yourself, take care of each other, take care of this place.

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Integral Bio-Security Resources for Swine, Avian Flu

Posted in Classroom course, Ego, Ethno, Global/Worldcentric, Inquiry, Level 7 Yellow, tagged , , , on May 3, 2009 |


I’ve been watching with considerable interest the unfolding of the Swine Flu episode from Mexico to the rest of the world. It has reminded me of the Avian Flu incident that we lived through here in Abbotsford in 2004.

As a result of that experience I created three resources for addressing zoonotic diseases, like avian flu, swine flu (or a variety of others from ebola to mad cow disease.)

Here are the resources:

1. A Strategy for Mayors to address bio-security issues that appear in their city.

2. An article on Risk Management for Bio-Security called “The Dinosaur, The House of Cards and the Runaway Train” – originally presented at the World Planners Congress in 2006.

3. A Case Study on Bio-Security for teaching the leadership issues needed to effectively address bio-security risks in cities.

Please feel free to contact me about comments or questions on these resources.

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Jane Jacobs & Robert Moses: Meshworkers of New York

Posted in Meshworking, tagged , , , , , , , , on May 3, 2009 |


I’ve been watching the series on New York produced by Ric Burns (released through PBS but available as a DVD). It is an impressive revelation of the city’s 400 years of history.  Last week I watched the episode exploring the massive infrastructure creations of Robert Moses including his hundred of miles of turnpikes that decimated New York neighbourhoods even as they provided transportation corridors extraordinaire.

Justazposed against the politically powerful (and unassailable and unaccountable) Moses was the spunky, self-educated activist Jane Jacobs. Jane stood her ground against Moses and refused to allow him to bifurcate Greenwich Village with a thruway.

Using Integral City lenses, I was struck with how both of these people were contributing to the meshworking of New York. Moses was the quintessential builder of hierarchical structures. Jacobs was the quintessential self-organizing systems enabler.

On their own they each added capacities to the city. Competing with each other they clashed, and it was Jacobs day to win and demonstrate the power of self-organizing systems to defeat ever streamlining structures.

I have been thinking about brain  mylenation and how the work of Moses and Jacobs represents the way the brain builds synaptic highways. To reinforce the brain pathways, the brain sheaths the axons with mylin — this is like Moses creating the highways across the face of New York. Meanwhile the synaptic connections are creating self-organizing connections that allow infinite creativity and generativity to emerge — like Jacobs insisted occurred in the life of neighbourhoods.

If Jacobs and Moses had lived long enough they might have discovered brain meshworking — as I describe in my book in Chapter 10. A meshwork builds on both the capacities of structural hierarchies to “lock in” learning so that energy can be saved — as well as the creative, self-organizing synaptic connections to ensure new options are always available.

Now that we can see that a city is more like a meshwork than either a hierarchy or self-organizing system, we can create the conditions so that the intelligences of individuals, groups, networks and communities combine to emerge a dynamic, responsive, reslient, meshwork.

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