So your eleven year old is asking questions again. Ones you last heard when she was six. About something big and complex that you don’t even know all the details about. You spun a great story five years ago. It caught her attention and gave her a direction to grow. But now it doesn’t seem like enough.
Two environmental concepts that are facing a similar challenge were discussed in a Scientific American Earth 3.0 special issue. The stories that served them well in the past are not as useful as they once were.
Biodiversity and Conservation
from the article written by Robert Kunzig
One example is the focus of wildlife conservation hotspots, specific regions that contain large numbers of species that don’t exist elsewhere. This provided way to concentrate effort and an emotional appeal to not let species die out. Money was raised and used to make a difference.
With some successes and greater awareness, now there are critics are pointing out all that the approach ignores. These include practical matters such as there not being paths between protected areas for migratory species to more overarching questions such as – is protecting the greatest number of species the best goal. Apparently there is no consensus as yet on what the next story or stories should be.
Building LEED and Green
from the article written by Daniel Brook
Another example is using the LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) standard to rate sustainable architecture. The checklist was launched in 2000 and grew in popularity for generating environmentally conscious public relations. The guidlines were the story and they set out something achievable that builders, cities, and companies could aim for.
Now that awareness of sustainability has increased, in part due to LEED, criticising voices are being heard more readily. Some architects with a green focus feel that LEED doesn’t take context into account, encourages narrow thinking to the list, and inappropriately gives the same weight to very different improvements – such as installing a bicycle rack or an environmentally sensitive heating system.
In this case the U.S. Green Building Council, the non-profit that oversees LEED, has responded in various ways such as by fitting guidelines to regional concerns, adding points for innovative or overlooked items, and creating a standard for neighborhoods. They are even endorsing the goals of a different and challenging standard set up by their critics.
The LEED story is expanding to take into account the changes brought about by growth.
Where Have You Simplified?
Stories can be a useful form of conceptual shorthand that engage emotions and provide a path to action. Is the one you’re telling still valid? On the flip side – are you acting on your belief in stories that were told to you some time ago but that might not be the best interpretation for you now?
