2023 in Evolving Review; 2024 Emerging

Arthur's Note:

This is Slow Food, not Fast Food. People have responded with surprise that the ESP is designed as a 10 year project. And, no wonder in a world that demands fast and simple answers in nearly all aspects of our life. We have become so accustomed to it, it has become almost hubris in thinking that humans and their stories of interacting with other humans and the more than human world can be understood through one experience or solved with one plastic wrapped answer.

The ESP is going to take the time to allow for both questions and answers to emerge. This first year has been about sorting out what a project like this might be, what questions are out there and call for further exploration, how this exploration might be done (there is no simple step by step book or article out there) and then sharing in a variety of ways when the stories are ready to be shared.

And this ain't easy. Why? Because of the pressure to fast food everything. To have perfectly clear answers about outcomes and process. To have certainty in an uncertain environment.

And, it is worth it. This year of exploration, story collecting, engaging with hundreds of entrepreneurs, innovators and changemakers around the world (with over 75 live interviews a dozen or so podcast recordings) have started to emerge the questions and shining light on potential paths toward greater awareness, understanding and forward movement on the who, what, where, when, how, why curiosity questions related to EICs working positively impacting the world while simultaneously living a flourishing way of life they love.

2023 in Evolving Review

What? So What? Now What?

2023 is the official birth year of The ESP, although it has been developing since at least 2019 when the Flourishing Changemaker project was kicked off (and then side-lined when we shifted energy to deal with the pandemic).

What happened? Here is a laundry list of highlights that we will continue to evolve into a more full blown story.

The team expanded, adding three additional people! Gwen Fluhr (MA), Kurtis Johnston (WWU Undergraduate Student) and Heyden Wires (WWU MBA Candidate).
Extensive Field Work. Continuous local engagement in the PNW occurred and three field work story collecting explorations were completed to Tuscon, Arizona in the US, Costa Rica in Central America and Thailand/Malaysia in Southeast Asia.
Over 75 one-hour+ interviews were conducted and recorded with entrepreneurs, innovators and changemakers from Bellingham to the World and back.
Three major case study projects for the EIC classroom were launched (Columinate in the USA, Happy Grocers in Thailand, Mare Blu in Costa Rica).
13 people participated in podcasts interviews.
Two conferences attended where stories were shared.
Multiple guest lectures at WWU were conducted to share stories with students.
The ESP website was launched and evolved.
An enourmous amount of groundwork was laid to set up continuous story collecting in 2024 and beyond
Significant time and energy has been spent learning about and developing the systematic and idiosynchratic approaches to story collecting and scholarship.
Tons of administrative efforts were done to support it all.

So What? (coming soon!)

Now What (see below!)

2024 Emerging

What is planned? Sense of where this is heading in 2024?

2023 involved an enormous amount of networking and groundwork to set up continuous engagement with stories over time. 2024 will continue this effort and begin the process of returning for updates and depth.

Winter Break 2023/24: Aside from taking a break:-), we are starting the onboarding process for Kurtis and Heyden and preparing the paperwork and schedules for the Winter 2023 exploration trip to Costa Rica and the presentation of some preliminary Flourishing Changemaker findings at the UPEACE Conference.

Winter 2024:

Story Sharing: There are a variety of sharing efforts that will take place in Winter Quarter. These include

Submitting a concise proposal for a book chapter proposal call with a focus on the Happy Grocers Case Study
Selecting, setting up, producing the Southeast Asia podcast series.
Crafting two multi-media case studies (Happy Grocers and Mare Blu).
Preliminary drafting of academic articles related to self-perpetuating micro-ecosystems as well as curricular case studies.
Preliminary design of the story collecting of "place" around the Salish Sea (US, Canada) for Spring and Winter 2024.
Setting up connections for Fall 2024 and Winter 2025 exploration tours (sights on New Zealand and Bangalore, India along with returns to specific sites in Thailand and Malaysia)

Winter Exploration Field Work and Conference Presentation in February/March 2024. The ESP will return to Costa Rica to engage with EICs in two new eco-regions (Monteverde and Osa) as well as return to those we started with in 2023 in the Central Valley and in the Tarcoles Watershed in and around Punta Leona. We are excited to do an in depth case study with Mare Blu, the Ocean Clean-up and Expidition company. This will be concluded with a panel moderation and presentation on EICs, burnout and flourishing.

Beyond Winter Quarter, 2024. This is in development and we will continue to evolve the details here!

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