Redesigning Our Future

By Alia Dahlan Effective Communication and Collaboration Using clips from television shows, volunteers from the Rocky Mountain Institute taught us about how communication can be used to solve complex "wicked" problems. We learned a few communication terms: Downloading- not listening to others Debating- arguing one side with a strong view Dialoging- having a bias, but listening to the other side of the argument for new information Presencing- having no personal bias and focusing on the problem Grant Funding Activity We decided where to allocate $100k worth of grants at Catawba College . Dragon Fly Lake   We used a role-playing game to decide how to utilize a fictional lake and the area around it.

Make This a Summer To Remember If you're looking for a great summer experience, and you're a rising high school junior or senior, then Redesigning Our Future 2013 is a way to learn while having a great time. Focus groups range from biology and theatre to economics and new media. You could be kayaking on the preserve lake, taking camp and nature photos, deep frying kudzu, or creating a zen garden. It's a summer you will never forget. For more information and application forms, see Redesigning Our Future at the Center for the Environment home page.

We had a lot of time to work, think, and talk about the environment at Redesigning Our Future: Environmental Summit (for high school students). But . . . To make a difference, we must take what we learned home, and we must get others to join in our crusade to protect the earth for now and forever. Many of our campers made public pledges. You can too. Just add a comment, and tell us what you will do to take care of and save our planet.