COLLABORATIVE ACTS
through design Owner Rachel Wagner is co-founder of Green New Deal Housing (GNDH), a nonprofit organization with the mission to develop equitable zero energy housing and a green collar workforce in the Arrowhead Region. Recognizing the immediacy of the issues at the core of their mission, through design participated in the early development activities of Green New Deal Housing beginning in 2020, volunteering time and skills to this effort.
We worked with the UMN Northeast Regional Sustainable Development Partnership and their AmeriCorps VISTA member to shape Green New Deal Housing’s approaches to community engagement and workforce training, build relationships with stakeholders, and develop graphic and written content used on the website and other outreach materials. We also helped create presentation materials, gave presentations, and devised a traveling exhibit to introduce the organization to the community.
Widespread transformation is urgently needed to address the compounding factors of climate change, inadequate housing and environmental injustice in our communities. Green New Deal Housing is working at these intersections, and such efforts will only succeed with additional community partnership and engagement.
BUILDING A STABLE FOUNDATION
In the summer of 2021, Rachel Wagner left the Board of Green New Deal Housing, and through design took on the role of Interim Executive Director to manage the pilot curriculum project and pilot construction project and to guide operations to a stable place. We held this role for nearly two years, providing administration and management of Green New Deal Housing’s activities, participating in strategic planning, and supporting and overseeing the work of other independent contractors engaged by the organization.
We are acutely aware of the responsibility and trust placed with us, and we conducted our work with the respectful understanding that we represent the mission and vision of Green New Deal Housing. We take that responsibility seriously, and focused our efforts in ways that would support growth, stability, and resiliency of this organization. It is not lost on us that growth, stability and resiliency are key features of sustainable community development.
Coordinating efforts and conducting activities at this stage of an organization’s journey required us to utilize the best of our experience and expertise in design thinking, project management, and creative collaboration. We recognize the importance of a robust, resilient, and durable structure. We believe we helped to create a stable foundation for the long-term success of a much-needed endeavor in our community. If you’re reading this, we hope you’ll visit the website of Green New Deal Housing, to learn about their efforts to contribute to robust, resilient and equitable community development
DESIGNING FOR CHANGE
As we guided the implementation of Green New Deal Housing pilot projects in both workforce development and housing development, we created templates that will assist those who take the lead on the next projects and programs. Our goals for these templates include providing instructions as to how we did things to accompany the finished products, and organizing our work so that those who come after us can find what they need and continue the work in an orderly fashion. In addition, we made a concerted effort to build in flexibility to our templates, recognizing that a good template allows for the ongoing development of new permutations and variations.
As we engaged in the tasks at hand, we had the opportunity to interact with a wide variety of stakeholders in this mission. We are grateful for the contributions and support of so many willing community members, and we have been consistently developing relationships with partners, allies and participants. This aspect of our work provides some of the most gratifying experiences for us, and some of the most valuable potential to carry the work forward.
Green New Deal Housing is committed to the development of processes and programs for equitable participation at all levels of operations. Equity is at the core of their work, and it is at the core of ours, too. This work will be most successful if it is shaped and delivered with its stakeholders, especially those most impacted by the conditions and injustices that necessitate its existence. We look forward to the growth of Green New Deal Housing, and are honored to have the opportunity to participate in realizing its vision: to live a sustainable future with our community.
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