UXA2023 Nova Franklin, James Elks & Katie Eyles - Collaboration!! Reducing embodied carbon together.

Interested in how government + design + sustainability experts came together to co-design a "world-first" tool to tackle global warming? If so come along to this talk for an up-close look at how we managed to achieve the impossible —> getting agreement on a way forward when all of the experts told us this was NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.

Transcript

1. Collaboration! Reducing embodied carbon together James Elks, Katie Eyles and Nova Franklin
5. Vote
6. Greenhouse gas emissions from buildings Everything else 62% Buildings 38%
7. What is embodied carbon? Building materials Transport and construction Maintenance End of life
8. So what’s the problem? No globally agreed, standard method for measurement No way to fairly compare buildings to know what is good and bad Huge range of stakeholders with interests to protect We need to act right now
9. Today How we engaged with 200+ individuals 150+ organisations to create sector-wide buy-in to reduce embodied emissions in Australian buildings.
10. https://xkcd.com/927/
11. What’s notable about what we did
12. NABERS
13. Timeline Interviews with innovators Workshops with industry Design the right thing (discovery) Set NABERS objectives Design NABERS tool with industry Public consultation Design the thing right (test & iterate) Brief technical team on needs & challenges 9 proposals + A roadmap
14. Now… Engage industry for technical specs Understand rating workflow details Build it! Build the digital platform
15. We started by talking to innovators
16. Then we engaged broadly
17. We helped to fill knowledge gaps
18. We engaged, group by group
21. We listened, and then tested We co-created 10 proposals describing the tool
22. Just the build The build and use (e.g. keeping the lights on) Build + use + end of life ✓ Simple and impactful ? Future use is an estimated prediction X Not urgent, incentivises things that’ll happen in 50+ years How far into the future should we go?
23. We listened, and then tested
25. “Having a consistent, transparent, robust approach is integral to starting that momentum.”
26. North star objectives Solve biggest problems now Support behaviour change to urgently reduce emissions
27. How to get people to agree A complex layering of techniques
28. Start with rules of engagement How do you get people to agree? Always be kind Disagree but respectfully Make space for others Respect silent time
29. Give everyone affected a voice How do you get people to agree?
30. Make ideas easy to digest - Stripped back language - Stripped back ideas - Context - Rationale How do you get people to agree?
31. Identify common needs/aspirations Impactful Consistent Collaborative Streamlined Trusted Meaningful How do you get people to agree?
32. Evaluate options against common needs/aspirations Needs/Principles Just the build The build and use (e.g. keeping the lights on) Build + use + end of life Impactful Consistent Collaborative Streamlined Trusted Meaningful Decision - e.g. Which emissions should we measure? How do you get people to agree?
33. Listen & evolve - Ask people what they think - Adjust - Repeat “Thank you for adjusting this based on our concerns. It’s not perfect but I can live with it.”
34. Make a start, build from there Proposal 10 Roadmap Proposals 1 - 9 Minimum viable product + How do you get people to agree? “A review of the proposals in this consultation paper will be carried out at approximately 18-24 months following launch”
35. Q&A
36. Your questions…
37. How do you scope a piece of work like this? Question 2
38. Consider How to scope work like this? What’s in, adjacent and out of scope Time, budget and team capability/ capacity SCALE
39. Consider How to scope work like this? Existing knowledge (inc SMEs) Who + how for discovery & testing Time for sensemaking and artefact production Playbacks APPROACH
40. Scoping projects is a tricky dance How to scope work like this? Don’t dance alone! And start small!
41. Thank you! James Elks & Katie Eyles NABERS Nova Franklin Meld Studios