A New Step - Revising an Objective

Can conventional business ideals lead to sustainability?  Can a system of sustainable business practices be framed in a way that's attractive in the mainstream?  Can our species make worthwhile progress toward sustainability without upending the core values and principles of "business as usual?"

One of the objectives I had in mind when Sage Garden Ecovillas opened was to compile a set of practices that made more sustainable property management a no-brainer.  But as I've worked toward that objective (among others), a slightly different objective has emerged - one I probably never would have conjured if I'd stayed in my hammock (to abuse Mollison's terminology).

The new objective I'm talking about is to critique the established science of business from a sustainability perspective (how's that for hubris?).  More specifically, to use Sage Garden as a backdrop to ask the question: how would our fundamental understanding of business have to change to produce a regenerative effect on the environment, on our society, and on our material well-being?  (Have you heard?  Regenerative is the new sustainable.  Stay tuned for the next buzzword upgrade.)

So, instead of recording a kind of recipe book of sustainable practices that could be tacked onto any property management business in a minimally invasive way to produce marginal sustainability improvements, I'm broadening my attention to a regenerative business theory that can be used as a prism through which to study conventional business theory in order to understand and apply the established body of knowledge in a regenerative way.  I'll still record what recipes I can (such as participatory management, cycle planning, "this or better" planning, a consensus tool we call "priority poker", efficiency improvement addenda, win-win incentives), but those will be footnotes, and some of them may not align well enough with conventional business ideals to have widespread appeal.  But that doesn't bother me, because in another sense, the scope and applicability of what I'm learning from this experience have grown vastly.

It's like this:

So, what about the questions I opened with?  Personally, I'd still like to answer "yes" to all of them.  There may come a time for radical no-brainer business practices that catalyze a universal leap forward in sustainability; maybe that will happen in my lifetime; in fact, maybe some of the works already done are perfect ingredients for such a catalyst.  Who knows?  I may still get to participate in putting those ingredients together.  Or maybe that will be done by smarter people.  Time will tell.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Are you an entrepreneur working toward sustainability?  If so, I'd like to hear all about what you're doing, and trade notes.  As George Bernard Shaw said, "If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples, then you and I will still each have one apple.  But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas."

Of Bananas and Prickly Pears

This spring, we're turning our attention to an area on the east side of the house which, until recently, was home to two large oleanders.  This is a prime growing spot, with full to filtered morning sun, protection from the west wind, and shade during the hottest hours of the day.  And as easy and inexpensive as oleanders are to maintain, we can reap much more from this location than they were giving us.  Sorry oleanders.

In Sage Garden's first two years, we've kept our water budget pretty low by focusing on native and desert-adapted perennials.  This spring, we're going to splurge a little and start a subtropical plot where the oleanders used to be.  The area is about 6' x 18', and I'm planning to start it with four bananas, taro, and peanuts.  Since those plants all like sandier soil, I decided to pamper them a bit.

OK, I decided to pamper them a lot.  The existing soil is 15% - 20% sand, so we're double-digging down to two feet and mixing 1 part pure sand with 3 parts existing soil to bring that to about 40%.  For this task, I had some fabulous help.

Besides these two little farmers, I was fortunate to get help from a few neighbors from time to time.

So, what does this have to do with prickly pears?  Over the past year, we've been propagating - and eating - nopales (prickly pear), and we now have enough now to start 15 to 20 cacti as a visual barrier (and a low-input, high-yield crop) along our north wall.  All we need is some dirt to form a berm (which will double as a miniature Sonoran biome and part of our rainwater management system).  The extra dirt from the subtropical plot (aka the chunky monkey garden) will give us enough of a start on one out of two Sonoran berms to plant the prickly pears.

Our first step on the Sonoran berm was to clear away some gravel.

Then we marked where the cacti will go and wheeled over some of the extra dirt from the subtropical plot.

I'll try to post more pictures as the chunky monkey garden progresses.

Meet the Motive Map

One of my intentions for Sage Garden Ecovillas is to contribute to the global body of knowledge in the area of regenerative business practices. So while we prepare beds for spring planting, I'm also tending a garden of ideas. And one of the ideas ripening in 2016 is something I'm calling a motive map.

(The name "motive map" is derived from the term "mind map" coined by pop psychology writer Tony Buzan, although motive maps are intentionally NOT restricted to hierarchical form, as mind maps usually are. The format of the outline below is adapted from the format of software design patterns described by Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, and John Vlissides in Design Patterns, which in turn was based on Christopher Alexander's concept of architectural design patterns first described in Notes on the Synthesis of Form.)

Ok, so what is a motive map? Here's a brief overview.

ABSTRACT

A motive map is a picture that shows the relationships among actions and the purposes that motivate them. In the context of an enterprise, the actions may be business programs, and the purposes may be business values and objectives. Why would an enterprise make the effort to create a motive map? The benefits include:

• Define the identity and purpose of the enterprise
• Inspire and motive its members and partners
• Identify disconnects such as efforts that don't serve a compelling purpose, or opportunities to address purposes that are underimplemented
• Provide a principled framework for priority setting
• Preserve the effectiveness of an enterprise by suggesting how to shift focus when circumstances change

EXAMPLE

Here is a motive map of programs and practices at Sage Garden Ecovillas.  Values are shown in brown, Objectives in green, and programs and practices in white.

APPLICABILITY

The motive map can be applied to any set of sustained actions when you want to preserve a "deep" record of 1) the purposes of the actions (the "whys"), and 2) the connections between the purposes and the objectives, goals, plans, tasks, or other implementation details (the "whats") derived from them. The motive map is expected to be most useful when decision makers want the ability to adapt to changing circumstances or new information. Without a deep record like a motive map, the original purposes can be lost when circumstances change, or it may be difficult to see when the implementations become outdated, because the assumptions and limitations that made sense when the "whats" were formulated may become outdated. Conventional statements such as a vision or mission statement or a charter also record the purpose of an enterprise, but a motive map goes further. By explicitly recording the links between "whys" and "whats," the motive map facilitates re-evaluation and adaptation.

HOW TO IMPLEMENT

Here's a basic outline of the steps to create and use a motive map:

• Create the first draft motive map
• Define the scope of the motive map (e.g. business programs for XYZ Company)
• Brainstorm: list as many items (e.g. programs) as you can think of, and for each new item ask what are the purposes of that item, and add each purpose as another item
• If the purposes (e.g. values, objectives, long-term goals) are given, write them down, too. If not, brainstorm purposes as well.
• Compile a list of all the items and links among them
• Draw a diagram: include a node for each item, and for each link, draw an arrow from the "why" to the "what," i.e. from the purpose to the implementation
• Revise
• Examine any items that are disconnected. Should they be removed from the map? Or are more items needed to connect them into the map?
• Examine each of the links. Is the "why" (the tail of the arrow) a sound motive for the "what" (the head of the arrow)? Is the "what" an effective implementation of the "why"? If not, adjust the items and links as needed.
• Periodically revisit
• Schedule time to revisit the motive map. Are all the items still relevant? Are any items missing? Is each link still effective (in other words, does the "what" implement the "why")? If not, how should the implementation(s) be adjusted to be more effective?

LIMITATIONS

• The intended reader of the motive map might not understand it, and might require a more conventional statement of purpose, like a traditional vision statement or mission statement or charter. For instance, if the group writing the motive map is a small team within a larger company, the company's management may require the team's purpose to be expressed in a standard format. Or if you're writing a business plan with the intent of soliciting investors or applying for a loan, your readers may expect your business purposes to be expressed in a more conventional format.
• For readability, each node of the motive map should be condensed to two words, or three at most. Therefore, the map may need to be accompanied by a legend defining each node in more detail.
• To be most useful, the motive map should never be finished. It should always be open to revision. This may be uncomfortable for some members or partners who are used to the rigidity of a more traditional purpose statement.
• A motive map is not a complete business plan. To be most effective, it should be accompanied by other planning artifacts, such as measurable, time-phased goals, schedules, and budgets. The motive map is not a substitute for these other artifacts.
• To be effective, the motives captured in the motive map have to be honest.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Do you have any critical comments or suggestions about what you see here? Is this similar to an approach you have read about or used in your business or personal life? Do you have any related experiences you want to share? Any questions or requests? If so, join the conversation by commenting below.

New Toys

I have to admit the consumer in me is gratified to get some new toys.  I recently picked up some cheap flow meters and a moisture sensor.  (I know, I'm easily amused.)  I especially like the design concept of the moisture sensor, which is powered by the galvanic reaction of the zinc and copper sections of the probe with the dissolved minerals in the soil.  The point is to use just enough water to irrigate (trees and gardens), and to measure that irrigation water use in order to calculate a baseline for "other" household water use, which will feed into a new water conservation incentive program.  Like most multifamily properties in this area, Sage Garden has a single city water meter and a single water bill for the whole property, which the owner pays.  It's an arrangement that works well enough for most places, but the drawback is that the people making the decisions about household water use have absolutely no feedback about how much they are using, and no incentive to use water prudently.  My intent (in the rough concept stage) is to introduce a simple, cooperative, rebate-based incentive program that encourages conservation, shares utility savings with residents, and has no downside for the owner.

As a related footnote, we recently started test driving a consensus-based efficiency improvement program in which the property owner invests in an efficiency improvement (e.g. programmable thermostats), and that investment is recuperated through a voluntary, temporary rent adjustment that is calculated to benefit both parties.

Wall repair

This post was made possible by the help and expertise of my neighbor Steve.  I have a lot of posting to catch up on, including the Fall olive harvest and new trees and gardens, but today's post is about repairing a wall.  Since the day I moved into Sage Garden, this wall has been leaning.

Today, we did something about it.  What do you do with a wall in such a condition?  Well, for starters, I got quotes from contractors, none of whom wanted to consider any approach other than tearing down the wall, dumping the old material in a landfill, and starting over.

Steve caught me scratching my head over this, and stopped by to help me formulate a better alternative.  We brainstormed a little, and finally settled on pulling it straight.  First we had to make room for the footing to move, so I dug a trench like so ...

... and soaked the ground and dug around the existing footing.  We drilled two holes through the wall and fastened eye bolts to a brace on the back side of the wall.

Next, we drove T-posts deep into the ground and connected two Come-A-Long winches between the posts and the eye bolts.

At this point, we really didn't know whether this scheme was even going to work, but worst case, if we broke the wall, I could always go back to one of those contractors and tell them I'd started the demolition for them.  After several attempts, and digging out more mud from under the footing, the wall finally moved!  And all in one piece!  We pulled it up plumb and made forms for new footings to "clamp" around the old one ...

... and poured the first of three today.

We'll see how this develops.

Meanwhile, in Suburbia ...

Our gardens continue to grow at Sage Garden.  Here is the "lasagna garden" I posted about earlier in "First Garden"

So far, we have corn, pole beans, acorn and butternut squash, cantaloupe, watermelon, sunflowers, and cucumbers growing in this plot.  The sunflower you see above was grown from seeds shared by a neighbor.

We're gradually adding more to the herb garden around the olive tree.

By stacking multiple uses in the same footprint (olives + herbs), we not only use space more efficiently, but we also get double benefit from feeding and watering this area.  We've chosen herbs which serve as good "companions" for olive trees, and they're enjoying the shade the olive tree provides.  So far, we have lavender, green onions, rosemary, thyme, and several varieties of basil and sage.  After we get a simple trellis built, we're planning to add grapes.

Today, we turned some junk mail into paper mache, which we will use as mulch.  The easy way to mix it is with a mortar mixing drill bit.  But what fun is that, when you can squish it with your hands?

One thing we have to deal with in some areas where we want to plant is a plastic landscaping barrier, such as this area where a pomegranate tree will go.

But as long as it's there, it serves as a perfect substrate for drying our paper mache.  You can also see our new window shades in this picture.  Some of the gravel we remove from areas like this goes into our French drain which collects rainwater from over the clothesline and directs it to the fig trees.  When we've finished filling that with gravel, our neighbor across the street (not the one with the sunflowers - different neighbor, who by the way is quite the urban farmer) says he could use gravel too.

Trees

Trees take time to mature - there's no getting around it.  Part of our strategy for the first half of 2014 ("Stop the bleeding; start the growing") is to start those things growing that simply take a long time, like trees.  For instance, here are some fruit trees ready to be planted.

Some people say they can see a fairy in this picture.  I say if you want to see a fairy, you'll see one, whether it's there or not.

The fig tree above (foreground) is sitting about where it will be planted.  This area, which is just south of the house, used to be home to an oleander, which was suboptimal for several reasons, including 1) it blocked the sun during the winter, 2) it doesn't produce any food, 3) it requires trimming, but because it's toxic, the trimmings can't be used for mulch or composting or burning.  The fig will grow fast, with big leaves to provide shade in the summer, but since it's deciduous, it'll let the warming sun shine through in (late) winter.  It will get all-day sun here, and its water needs will be easily met by available greywater.  It will yield a delicious, high-demand crop, and the trimmings can be used for burning, mulching and composting.

The pomegranates will go to somewhat drier locations.

We're also taking care of the trees that are here already.  This olive tree was surrounded by dead, sunbaked clay soil.  We'd like to maximize our olive harvest this year, so we amended the soil, irrigated, mulched, and planted some companions.

Is it just me, or does that look like a fairy standing next to the tree?  Must be the evening light playing tricks.  So far we have sage, basil, oregano, and lavender, with thyme, rosemary and green onions waiting to be planted.  We're also considering grapes for this area.


Finally, here's another fig tree, which will get plenty of sun and greywater.

Umm ... do you see ... never mind.