“Green Innovative Ideas Open Jam Workshop” is a key event of Jockey Club CarbonCare Open Innovation Lab (JC COIL). It aims to lead participants into the real experience of creative thinking, and to meet like-minded people in order to “jam” green ideas together.
The Open Jam Workshop of Cycle 2 was held on 23 September, and was again facilitated by the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) Hong Kong Chapter, a professional association for the promotion and coaching of facilitation. A new element was added this time, which was the now popular “Visual Recording”. This workshop was recorded by helpers in drawings and simple wording in real time, showing the entire process and capturing the essence of the Workshop.
Before the Workshop started, participants tried their hands on various creative games at different booths as a mental warm up. At the “Asset Mapping” session that followed, participants noted down environmental issues which they knew best and cared most, along with their own skills, so that they could find like-minded team mates more easily. In the “Jam a Creative Scenario” session, participants divided themselves into groups for discussion. Group members made the best use of the knowledge, passion and skills of one another, and through a ‘think-out-of-the-box’ mindset, created ideas on various green businesses or projects together. Many novel ideas came up despite time pressure, such as “Natural Accessories”, “Veggie-in-a tin”, “Recycled Farm”, “Fast FedEx Food”, “Music on the Big Tree”, etc.
After lunch, Mr Chong Chan Yau, Co-founder and Advisor of CarbonCare InnoLab, gave words of encouragement to the participants. He regarded COP 21 held in Paris, 2015 as a historical moment because climate change finally becomes an important agenda acknowledged by all countries of the world. Peoples’ power is equally important and he urged everyone to grasp this moment to voice out his views. He also hoped that the lifestyle of Hong Kong could undergo significant changes in the modes of consumption, production, transportation and diet choices. Only in this way can we lead a new, happier and more sustainable life.
The Open Space Session began after the moderator explained the concept and process of “Open Space Technology (OST)” to all participants. In an OST session, there is no need for a convener. Anyone with an idea can initiate a discussion with those with an interest in that particular topic. The number of discussion sessions will depend on the number of conveners. Topics under discussion included environmental education, food waste, waste reduction at source, promotion of vegetarian diet, etc. Participants divided themselves into groups to discuss these topics, hoping to find solutions for these issues.
Such an open and free atmosphere encouraged participants to express their ideas and explore different topics. Towards the end of the Workshop, all conveners posted their meeting minutes on the wall for everybody’s reference. Then all participants shared their feeling about the Workshop. By then, the Visual Recording was completed. The rich and colorful visuals became the perfect round up for this event.
