Authors: Allison Leet and George Besch As more serious events — including the effects of climate change–occur more frequently all over the nation and the world, we must keep in mind the supply of our goods and services as they make their way to and from our region. In our previous articles we offered reasons for choosing synergy–a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts–over zero sum thinking–a belief that whatever is gained by one side is lost to the other. If Buffalo and WNY applies synergy to its planning and prepares for the effects of climate…
Author: George Besch
Authors: Allison Leet and George Besch How do we use knowledge of the effects of climate change we are likely to experience and collaboration to facilitate Buffalo and Western New York (WNY) in preparing for those effects? We need to learn more about them, and find our way to authentic collaboration and the synergy that will result in thriving, not just surviving. As a climate adaptation leader in Buffalo, non-profit organization Designing to Live Sustainably (D2LS) is pursuing the Weathering Change in WNY initiative in partnership with the Buffalo State College Department of Geography & Planning to more-than-sufficiently adapt and…
Authors: George Besch and Allison Leet In September I wrote about what synergy could achieve, and what the alternative, zero sum thinking, leads to. We face those alternatives right now. We have the potential of becoming one of the most livable, sustainable, and socially-just cities in the world, if we choose to develop the synergy, and plan our built environment and social infrastructure accordingly. That doesn’t come automatically just because there are a lot of good people and organizations involved in that planning. We will succeed and prosper with collaboration. Many cities set a course to becoming sustainable. Seattle, for…
Synergy is the creation of a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. In contrast, Zero Sum thinking believes that whatever is gained by one side is lost by the other. The first encourages cooperation and collaboration, while the second encourages competition. While many scientists were warning of global warming much earlier, revelations about it began appearing at least as early as 1953 in publications such as Time Magazine (The Invisible Blanket); the NY Times (How Industry May Change the Climate); and in 1958, in a film by Frank Capra for Bell Labs (Unchained Goddess). However, rather than respond appropriately,…