Green Infrastructure and Energy Demand: Solutions for a Sustainable Future
A one-hour session on the electricity we use and the green spaces we give up for it: the AC we can't sleep without, the trees that made way for a metro, the solar quote stuck on the fridge, the village that hosts the power lines. Who pays for a cleaner future, and how much comfort are we really willing to trade? Twelve independent cards; open three or four.
The opening question
If your home had to give up one appliance for an entire summer, which one would you fight hardest to keep?
Everyone in the room answers this in one line before any card is opened. Write the answers down; you will come back to them.
The cards
12 ways into the topic
Each card is independent. Your group votes on which to open, and four or five is plenty for an hour. Behind every card sit three prompts, one at a time, that only appear once it is opened on the board. Unopened cards keep for next time.
- 1
Setting The AC At 24
You like your room really cold, at 18 or 20. Now the government wants new ACs to stop going below 20. It says the whole country will save power.
- 2
Who Controls The AC Remote
One person in your house is always too hot. Another is always wrapped in a blanket. There is only one remote.
- 3
AC In Every Home
Summers are getting hotter every year. More families are buying an AC, some even on a loan.
- 4
Trees Cut For A Metro
There's a patch of trees near your home where you walk every evening. One day, machines arrive. A new metro line, or a road, is coming.
- 5
Buying An Electric Car
Your next car or scooter could be electric. It's cheap to run and clean on the road.
- 6
Solar Panels On Your Roof
A salesman comes to your door with solar panels. The government will pay part of the cost. Your bill could drop to almost nothing, he says.
- 7
Switching Off Lights At Home
Every evening, someone in your house walks from room to room switching off fans and lights. “Who left this on?” they ask, every single time.
- 8
Does Your Small Effort Matter
You carry your own bag. You switch off the fan. Then you drive past a huge factory chimney, or read about a giant new power plant.
- 9
Car Or Public Transport
There's a metro station twenty minutes from your home. The bus is cheaper. But every day, you still take the car or the scooter.
- 10
A Power Plant Near Your Home
Everyone wants clean, steady electricity. But someone has to live next to the solar farm, the windmills or the power lines.
- 11
Living With Power Cuts
It's a hot summer night. The fan slows down and stops. The whole street goes dark, and the inverter starts beeping.
- 12
Why Green Is For The Rich
The eco-friendly bottle costs more. The electric car costs more. The organic shop is in the fancy mall.
The line to leave with
Which of your comforts would you still call a need if you had to meet the person who gave something up so you could have it?
More boards,more ways in.
Every discussion we have run has a board behind it. Browse them by topic.