These are the talks which touched my heart, fuelled my brain and made me think, “I would love to be part of this revolution”. TedxAdelaide took place on Saturday 12 November, and these are the five “ideas at the edge” I want to take away with me.

This list is chronological, from the morning til the evening. So let’s jump to it!

Cath Dwyer from ABC Open: Telling the stories of us

Cath brought us inside her world of digital engagement, collaborative cooperation and creating connections. I was so excited to see a public TV station being fearless and working with the public to create stories from around Australia.

She showed us a couple of examples of her work.  I bet you’ve heard about Aftermath. Cath presented an example from Queensland’s disastrous floods.  She recruited a blogger who covered stories with her heart, sharing with everyone who was willing to listen online. June Perkins was covering stories on what happened to the communities in flooded areas after the main media left.

Another project she presented was Now and Then, where people from around the country shared pictures and stories from the past contrasted with pictures of today.

Getting stories from people who are there and living it, not just consuming it, brings a different perspective and creates a collaborative journalistic project, which puts together the pieces of the story.

Some tips Cath shared with us:

1. Working with the public is exciting and you need to keep it simple, don’t try to reinvent the wheel, make it fun, and be patient.
2. What happens offline is often more important than what happens online.
3. People want to see their stories with people they know, in an area they know, and consume stories offline – e.g. in a community hall or gallery.
4. Communities bring richness and diversity to storytelling in media

If you are on Twitter check out #abcopen and @cathdwyer.

Brenton Caffin, Founder of TACSI: Proposed solutions for public service

Brenton’s answer was simple — Empathy!

He presented his case in three persuasive points:

1. Talk (and listen) like people do.The example he offered was Adelaide’s own Tuxedo Cat, whose founders are working in a “grey area of officialdom” working with public servants to overcome obstacles and creatively use abandoned public space.He also showed us that citizens can be part of the decision-making process. As an example, he referred to citizen juries in the UK deciding on whether genetically modified food should be embraced.
2. Make values count more than rules.Give people the power to constructively break the rules to get value. Make public servants accountable for their reasoning, not just ticking a box. With this, he introduced us to the story of the Kafka Brigade from the Netherlands —an organisation providing first aid for bureaucratic breakdown.
3. Look from the user’s perspective. Do with people, not to people.Give the public the power to innovate (e.g. temporarily waving a piece of legislation which might be a barrier for educational processes for 2 years). Revisit the way we construct rules, break them if necessary. Co-designed and coproduced policies and laws are the way of enhancing empathy, getting outcomes from the user’s perspective, prototyping with people, using the same language, and finally, creating robust solutions for the public good.

Inspirational, don’t you think?

Janine Macintosh: Native species and art

During Janine’s talk I was so amazed by her passion for native fauna and flora, that I couldn’t even write my notes. Her talk was emotional, inspiring and eye-opening.

The easiest solutions are usually the right ones. Janine convinced me that if a plant or an animal is native they don’t need any special supplements to survive, they just do!

Her passion for biodiversity is also reflected in the beautiful pieces of art she showed us.

If you have a chance, go see her art, it’s made out of real stuff (view her website)!

Steffen Lehmann: The city of the future

I was enchanted by this speaker as he talked about green cities and urban solutions for the future. Trust me, Steffen knew what he was talking about. In his intense 18 minutes he covered all the major issues about our cities today.

The main question, which we need to answer within 5-7 years (afterwards it’s going to be too late) is: How do we turn the threat of urbanisation into an opportunity?

Why?

1. The world population grew by one billion people in the 12 years from 2000 to 2011.
2. Cities are the origin of the global warming.
3. Most growth (66%) happens across the Asia-Pacific in developing cities.
4. There has been a demographic shift, with single households and an aging population.
5. The suburban mode of urbanisation is not useful, less resilient when compared to others.
6. We must consider the question of food security.
7. Cities are in a gridlock. We have one billion cars now, and in the next 40 years we can expect three billion cars.

We need to change the way we think. Create polycentric models and networks. Use less and be able to store carbon, such as timber wood. Be more sustainable with the way we use resources. Empower behavioural change, make walking, cycling and use of public transport attractive to reduce car dependency. Reinvent the streets. Connect people back to the public space. Learn how to harvest storm water. Reduce the effect of the urban heat island, create more green roofs and introduce urban farming in unused spaces. Lower the energy cost of food. Food travels 2000 – 2500 miles from field to plate. 40% of food in Australia is wasted!

The scary fact is that China will move from 50% to 80% urbanisation.

Steffen’s proposed solutions are:

1. Co-evolutionary relationships between humans and natural systems.
2. Self-reliant networks for green urbanism.

Grow your own treehouse.

Diane Bell: Murray Mouth

As a foreigner I don’t have a close and passionate relationship with Murray-Darling River issues (view the website hurrysavethemurray.com). I come from a country which lies on the top of huge water reserves and we never faced major issues with water supplies.

Living on the driest continent, shows how water can become a commodity and a pretty hot topic in a debate.

Diane is a passionate activist in the name of this “speechless” river, which can’t advocate for itself. Not in words anyway.

Diane asked us: “How much do we want to or need to grow? For whom are we growing? Why?”

I didn’t know that the situation with the Murray Mouth was so serious. Did you know that it was flowing for millennia, and then closed in 1981. After this year’s floods, the mouth is open again.

Speaking for the river also required writing a manifesto. Here is my excerpt from it:

“You survived the GFC, how will you survive Global Environmental Crisis? I’ve reached my peak, where is my stimulus package?”

Why is Diane doing this? In her own words, she cares deeply about the country and the people. She knows the consequences of silencing, and of not caring.

It’s all connected! This is the basic principle of Ngarrindjeri people. The principle applies to the river, and the whole world as well.

Which TEDxAdelaide talks inspired you most?

By Petra Dzurovcinova @petradz

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