Update on CV2050

One of the things I love about the Comox Valley: the outdoors Farmers' Market

This "CV2050 thing" started just over a year ago. Thanks to some seed money from hblanarc.ca (the firm doing the Comox Valley Sustainability Strategy), I was able to start generating content on the theme of sustainability in the Comox Valley.

For those of you who've missed the videos... check this playlist: on YouTube and this one on VIMEO.

The work with CV2050 mostly took place Oct-Dec 2009. But the idea that we need a non-partisan place to talk about changes in our community didn't end when the bit of funding ran out. I plug away at, and many others continue the work - particularly on the CV2050 Facebook page. Work I'm currently doing with the Comox Valley Land Trust and the Comox Valley Conservation Strategy is, to my mind, a part of this larger conversation, and I'll be posting about that here in the coming months.

I'm always looking for other partners in keeping this online conversation going. The CVLT and CVSS are part of that. But there are others who I think could be involved. When I approached one potential partner they asked me to provide some analytics – just exactly how many people did take part in this online conversation about on-the-ground change in our community? What follows is a version of that report.

EVALUATING CV2050
Given the short time frame we had to work in (end of October to early December, 2009), CV2050 was a success, by several measures.

First measure: willingness of individuals to participate as interview candidates.
We had 100% positive responses to our requests for video interviews.

Second measure: community / audience response, short term and long term.
In a little more than six weeks of posting (starting in the middle of October 2009),

• over 500 visitors came to the CV2050.com site,
• 137 people became "fans" of the CV2050 Facebook page.

Active posting stopped in late November. I have maintained the Facebook presence, linking to other "sustainability" related conversations and information online, and encouraging others to continue their participation. I have occasionally posted items to the blog. The Twitter feed has a low profile, but it is still active.

Some recent growth statistics (at a time when no active promotion or posting was taking place):

• 65, 80, 68, 47 visits were made to CV2050.com (blog) in June, July, August, Sept 2010 (respectively)  with 475 unique visitors and 927 page views between Dec 2009 - Oct 31, 2010;
• as of Nov 8, 2010 the Facebook page has 251"fans/ likes" (an 80% increase since Dec 2009) and scores high in terms of engagement (most conversation has taken place on Facebook), with 45 active users already in November 2010;
• CV2050 YouTube and VIMEO videos have been viewed over 1500 times.

Short term success
In the short term, the CV2050 conversation was successful, and continues to enjoy some success as a portal into the “conversation about sustainability in the Comox Valley.” The end of the seed funding and the need for me to get on with other projects, however, meant that by mid-December the momentum of growth and engagement that had been generated through various CV2050 channels dropped off.

In the long term,  interest has persisted  despite the paucity of new material (perhaps generated by curiosity about whether someone would be generating more "conversation?"). There is a market for the kind of non-partisan information about sustainability in the Comox Valley that CV2050 provides.


Why was CV2050 a succes?

Because people want to be part of the conversation.

In the course of my career as a land use / community change consultant, several things have become clear:

• Planning exercises, however good or bad they may be, are not how change happens.
• Policy, however good or bad, is rarely the instrument of change.
• Real change in community happens when individuals motivate and/or lead each other, their peers and peer groups to do things differently.
• For individuals to take the risk of motivating and/or leading change, they either need to experience a "crisis" or "aha" moment, or they become engaged in a personal way with “change issues” - for whatever reason, they are interested in learning about the issue, and changing their own behaviour.
• Generally, crises are expensive (financially and psychically) – they are experiences to be avoided; "aha" or "educational" moments, on the other hand, tend to be pleasurable, attractive experiences, and they  happen most effectively by way of interaction, conversation, reflection.
• Conversation and education happen best when information isn’t “pushed” at people, but when people are asked to contribute their understanding – or lack thereof – and opinions, and invited to reflect on their part in the larger issue. We asked people a simple, straightforward set of questions and invited them to express their ideas and opinions on how to advance sustainability in their community.

Inviting partners in sponsoring this conversation

CV2050 isn't about one point of view, or one person's idea of what sustainability in the Comox Valley could or should be. It was started as a place for conversation, because it'll take many of us, acting and thinking in many different areas of our lives and our community, to sustain the good things that brought us here. 

I imagine the Comox Valley in 2050 as a thriving community – economically, socially and culturally, and doing so well because we have learned how to husband the natural resources and ecological systems that support thriving human communities. Conversations are a key part of getting us to this healthy, prosperous future. I don't think I'm alone in wanting this for myself and for my kids and grandkids. I'm therefore inviting partners in sponsoring this online conversation. 

Interested in having your business or organization associated with this kind of positive community activity? Be in touch!