That third ethic, again
One of the things that makes our work as ecological designers so important is the replicability factor. If we share our ideas and designs with others, they will get ideas too. They will get inspired, they will try new things, and maybe, just maybe, they will improve their relationship with nature!
This is why we require you to present your design in order to earn your certificate.
Don’t be nervous! It doesn’t have to be fancy or professional. It just needs to be clear and complete.
And, at this moment, we remind you: don’t rush this. Revel in the creativity of this moment, and take the time to learn how to present your work in a way that is beautiful, engaging, and leaves a mark on the people who see it. You will never regret having made time to acquire this skill set. Good luck!
Graduation Instructions
Here is a play-by-play for preparing your design and presentation for graduation.
Please note that you must follow these instructions carefully. Final projects submitted in the wrong format, or without access permissions, will be rejected.
Step One: Create your Design Project PDF.
Use our Google Slides template to showcase the deliverables you have collected thus far in the design studio in a single, concise document, and then go into presentation mode (top right) to make your video.
Step Two: Make your presentation slideshow video.
This video tutorial will show you a quick and easy way to make your presentation video, using Zoom, (which you probably already use) and our Google Slides Template. If you don’t use Zoom, try this free Chrome screencasting extension for making your video.
Please note that the presentation video is required. This needn’t be stressful nor difficult, and could be as easy as shooting a video on your phone while you present your design to your family.
One you have made your video, upload it to YouTube, then set to “public” or “unlisted” but not “private.” We do allow private submissions, there will be a checkbox in the graduation form, but you still need the links to be publicly accessible during the evaluation process so Heather can get in! If you remove your video later that’s fine. But for now, it needs to be on YouTube, set to “public” or “unlisted”, ok?
How to make your video:
If you get confused about how to share your screen in Zoom, watch their tutorial here.
Also, and important: your video presentation needs to be 20 minutes or less. 5 minutes is even better. Part of your training is about learning to present a problem/solution scenario in a clear, digestible manner. Focus on how this project is solving problems for the specific stakeholders involved.
Now, paste the YouTube link back into the front page of your Google Slides document and now you are ready to download it as a PDF.
Step Three: Use this website to compress your PDF, for free, then have it handy for uploading when you complete the graduation form.
Step Four: If you haven’t already, send everything to your mentor and make sure they have completed their final evaluation form.
Step Five:
Last chance checklist:
- Everything is in one document and all “deliverables” from the Design Studio have been included.
- Video is less than 20 minutes long and has been uploaded to YouTube and set to “public”
- PDF has been downloaded, COMPRESSED, and is ready for upload.
- Mentor has submitted their evaluation form.
Now you are ready to fill out the form!
Celebration!
this section written by Jessica Peterson
Near the end of any process, it’s important to acknowledge what has been done or experienced, and to spend time being present and celebratory with yourself and others.
Celebration is life giving and life renewing. It is a time to rest, connect, and be with yourself and others. Celebration is self-acknowledgment and recognition for successfully completing every small step.
Why you should offer yourself time to celebrate:
- When we are celebrating authentically, we are present with ourselves and with others.
- Taking time to celebrate creates a feeling of self-respect toward ourselves, and when we respect ourselves, it helps us to hold respect for others overall.
- Celebration helps us to feel self-acceptance and self-love, which is integral to sticking with life long goals. Again, when we do this for ourselves, we are likely to hold that space for others too.
- Celebration magnifies our sense of accomplishment and helps to drive away self-doubt and focusing on the negative or the mistakes.
- Celebration builds up a kind of social savings account. When the design, implementation and tweaking road gets tough, you and the people associated with your project will find yourselves dipping into the savings account to pull in strength and positive energy.
- Celebration promotes ourselves and others, encouraging us to do more and connect more for future emergent opportunities, joining forces, trying something new or stretching a concept further.
- Celebration draws people to your project! This is helpful when you need support for work parties, fundraising, and support on your design.
Lastly, don’t forget to connect/organize with others.
Suggestions:
- Organize a potluck.
- Check out local farms.
- See if you can trade skills with someone. Help them and they help you.
- Lead a discussion about sustainability at your local community center, church, or library.
- Consider how ecological design can overlay onto other important policy considerations in your area.
- Volunteer for or start a local community-supported agriculture (CSA) group.
- Join up with parents concerned about food in the public schools.
- Start a small business that engages community to think about regenerative practices in their region. For example, my CSA apothecary creates income for me, while allowing me to grow herbs appropriate for our region. I have gatherings each year where we learn about the importance of herbalism, growing our own herbs, and connecting with our neighbors to talk, share food, and share plants.
What will you do to celebrate, and to reward yourself for this accomplishment? Come and share with us!