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At the California Student Sustainability Coalition’s most recent fall convergence, hosted by California State University at Chico, I was given the opportunity to hold a workshop. I called my workshop “Cross-Pollinating for Clean Energy Campuses,” inspired by and based on what I learned at the Focus the Nation ReCharge! retreat about collaboration and diversity. 

 

The California Student Sustainability Coalition (CSSC) hosts convergences twice a year to bring sustainability-minded students from across the state of California together to share ideas, collaborate, get to know one another, and create a sense of togetherness. All students are encouraged to hold workshops on any topic, because the convergences run on the energy and passion of students themselves. Workshops are chances to share ideas but also gain new ideas, because every attendee has a unique perspective and experience to bring to the table.  

 

My workshop was mainly a discussion; I wanted to use the fifty-minute time slot as a chance to brainstorm new ideas that we could all take back to our campuses in our efforts to implement clean energy. Personally, I was looking for fuel to take back to my FTN Forums-to-Action team. There were about ten of us in the room, and I had each attendee pick which quadrant/quadrants (FTN style) he or she identifies with. All quadrants – Storyteller, Innovator, Politico, and Technician - were represented!

 

Together, we discussed collaboration on multiple levels – with the community, with legislators, with campus organizations, with administration, and even with different college campuses, like we were doing at this very convergence. Participants brought lots of new ideas to the table, from green lunch bag series with scientists, to asking labs to experiment with their technologies on campus, to holding diversity events bringing different kinds of people and clubs together. Some students talked about how their campuses have a “Renewable Energy Initiative” funded by student fees. 

 

At the end of the session, we did some real-time “cross-pollinating.” Each of us got in a pair with someone of a different quadrant, and discussed answers to questions including  “What is the best forum to voice opinions and ‘cross-pollinate’?” and “How can we frame the issues in different ways to get different types of people and organizations on board?” The creative juices were flowing, and the sound of stimulating conversation filled the room. The idea of “cross-pollinating,” of bringing different styles of thinking together to work on common issues and questions, is the only way to truly address the challenges we face on our campuses and beyond. 

 

The CSSC Convergence, in essence, is one big field of cross-pollination. At its core, the convergence brings people of many backgrounds together, in one place, to pollinate one another with new ideas and solutions. The energy, passion, and creativity present at these convergences are amazing, reminding me that while the internet is a powerful tool for collaboration, nothing beats learning from someone face to face – something I learned at the ReCharge! retreat in August.