Category Archives: events

free event – best practice procurement and support

Leave a reply

UCLAN will host the free Lancashire Best Practice Clubs event this Thursday 10th July.  Visitors to the event will be able to discuss with their clients and supply chain what elements of best practice in todays construction industry are important to them.  There will also be the opportunity to discuss best practice support with leading regional and national support organisations.
Details:

VENUE: University of Central Lancashire, Foster Lounge, Foster Building, Preston PR1 2HE (car parking available on Foster Car Park and surrounding car parks)

Register to attend or for updates and further details contact 01772 893558 OR EMAIL

· Find out the best practice requirements of your clients

· Inform your suppliers and potential suppliers of your best practice requirements?

· Talk to organisations who can support your best practice activities and intentions

· Attend mini seminars on improvement topics throughout the day

· Discover the technical solutions and materials to achieve best practice

· Meet with some of the alternative and green solution providers

Details of participating organisations available here

(note this will be continually updated)

virtual world fest for built environment?

Leave a reply

Peak Oil awareness: today and tomorrow, Eco-Friendly sim Etopia is having a two day activity to help raise awareness of our global overdependence on oil.

Etopia will host a concert, panel discussions, freebie hunt, videos, exhibits and displays in the hope of touching more people in SL and all over the globe and inspiring changes in our world.  Etopia Bamboo Bikes will be given away with bike hikes scheduled as peaceful demonstrations of our support of alternative methods of transportation. We hope that riders will then take their bikes and ride all across SL.

Read more for the schedule and see how SL can be a tool for positive change.

Thursday, June 26th

Opening Events (Main Entrance)                               12:45p – 1p SLT
Live Concert – Pillowfish (Community Center)          1-2p SLT
Pedal-thon (Main Entrance)                                        2-3p SLT
Panel Discussion (Community Center)                       3-4p SLT
Sailing Tour (Etopia Prime – Beach)                            4-5p SLT

Peak Oil Video (Main Clocktower)                               5-6p SLT

Pedal-thon (Main Entrance)                                         6-7p SLT

Friday, June 27th

Class: Cooking Without Oil (Main Entrance)              1-2p SLT
Pedal-thon (Main Entrance)                                          2-3p SLT
Peak Oil Video (Main Clocktower)                                3-4p SLT
Freebie Hunt (Main Entrance)                                       4-5p SLT
Pedal Thon (Main Entrance)                                          5-6p SLT
Discussion (Tsidel’s Cafe – Prime)                                6-7p SLT
Live Concert – Sassy Nitely (Prime Bandshell)   7-8p SL

thanks to HodgePodge and Faythe Zauber at the Going Green Store  (on Etopia )

And ….

And then hot on the heels of the Public Works Group orientation and Open Day, this Saturday (28th June) a Second Life birthday event that runs along side the Sustainability Now, Building’s online conference on July 1st, is “Urbanism, Architecture, Planning: How Second Life Can Help Build the Urban Landscape of the First Life–and Vice Versa“ See you there?!?!

from the Arch Blog:
Date/Time: July 1, 12:00 p.m. PT (thats 8pm in the UK?)

Location: http://slurl.com/secondlife/SL5B%20Linked/185/187/25/

Moderator: Rissa Maidstone (RL Kim Smith)

Participants:
Tab Scott (RL Terry Beaubois), Creative Research Lab, Montana State University
Diva Canto (RL Cristina Lopes), Dept. of Informatics, UC Irvine
Boston Borst (RL Eric Gordon), Department of Visual and Media Arts, Emerson College, Hub2
Keystone Bouchard (RL Jon Brouchoud), Crescendo Design, Studio Wikitectur

built environment events … coming soon

Leave a reply

News of up and coming events which in some way isite / fairsnape are involved or participating in. Information and contact links are included below but please feel free to leave comments or contact here for more information, or indeed for help on accessing the online events

(V indicates the event has virtual or online access elements, saving your travel and environmental footprint.)

Saturday 28th June. V

Open and Orientation day on the Public Works Island in Second Life. Your chance to pop into second life and see what all the fuss is about, get a guided tour around interesting construction activities, view environmental and education projects, talk to second life users and see how second life can help with your collaboration projects and meetings.

Details: Open Day register through the Public Works Group Web site,

July 1/2 V

Sustainability Now, Building‘s online conference organised by ZeroChampion blogger Phil Clark, is to take place from 8am to 8pm on the 1 and 2 July. From your home or office computer, visit this unique FREE online event and have the opportunity to Network with like-minded professionals; Hear from industry thought leaders; Visit the exhibition, and take part in Q&A sessions.

A series of live online seminar topics are planned  including “EPCs – Surviving Them Now and Assessing their Impact” and “The Cost of the Code for Sustainable Homes”.

Details: Sustainability Now virtual conference

July 10th

Best Practice Procurement and Support. A Lancashire Best Practice drop-in event hosted by UCLAN, (University of Central Lancashire)  in Preston. Find out the ‘best practice’ issues your customers are looking for in procurement and seek assistance from the ‘best practice’ support organisations. There will also be a series of mini presentations throughout the day and a chance to network and chat.

Details: Latest event news here

July 16th

Route to Zero improvement module as part of the Elevate Constructing the Future programme.  An early evening event to learn about starting out on a route towards low or zero carbon future for your organisation

Details: Route to Zero . Register through Constructing the Future here

October (date to be fixed but between 10-17) V

be2camp. A planned event to discuss and explore the use of web 2.0 technologies and applications for built environment activities.  The event is being organised on non-conference and bar-camp ideas, which means you can get involved in designing the event, speaking at the event, or providing support and sponsorship. This event is already attracting much interest in the UK, the USA and Australia.

Details:  be2camp wiki, blogs

October 29th / 30th V

Elevate’s Constructing The Future national sustainability conference.  Details to follow but get the date into your diary now.

Note that it is planned to host a Best Practice Club Question Time Event on the evening of October 29th

Details: background competition contact for more info

Watch this space for more events and updates

Web 2.0 meets Built Environment – possible event

3 Replies

Some Web 2.0 enthusiasts, including myself, have started talking, Tweeting, wikifying and now blogging about a possible UK event where built environment people interested in Web 2.0 (and, equally, Web 2.0 people interested in the built environment) might get together and share ideas about synergies between the two worlds.

Provisionally named BE2camp, the event would be run on unconference, BarCamp principles (similar to PodCampIreland), possibly in mid-October, but as the BE2camp wiki-site currently says: “At the moment this is just a seed, an idea that has bounced around….”

It needs people’s involvement to make if fly (can a seed fly? – bit of a mixed metaphor there!). If you are interested in getting involved, whether as a speaker, attendee, a sponsor, a host (we need a venue – London would be good, but don’t let that put you off suggesting an alternative), or an online participant, please register your interest on the site. In addition  this would be a great event to find out just what is Web2.0, blogging, wiki, twitter and second life all about – and how it can help you and your organisation.

Thanks to Paul over at EvolutionExtranet for writing this item – feel free to syndicate to your blogs 🙂

eco tour in second life

Leave a reply

In advance of the Public Works orientation day take a look at the video, Eco Tour on Second Life. produced earlier this year by UC/Berkeley graduate student Stephanie Gerson (Sequioa Hax in Second Life) and Charles Lawrence (Geuis Teses in Second Life),  part of a larger project with the Environmental Protection Agency to explore how computer and video game technologies can be applied to environmental issues.

The tour will take you to places like:

  • Eolus One, where a virtual world energy management system is reducing energy consumption in real-world buildings; This should be of interest to all facilities managements people and those in the built environment.
  • Etopia Eco-village which showcases sustainable architecture and sustainable living;
  • the Avatar Action Center that seeks to educate Second Life residents about sustainability issues and empower them to take action in their real lives; and
  • Second Chance Trees where residents plant virtual trees that trigger the planting of endangered tree species worldwide.

sustainable stars

1 Reply

Friend and colleague Liz Mutch at Creative Concern has sent over details of the Sustainable Stars programme:

Constructing The Future are looking for the best examples of sustainability from across the Pennine Lancashire area, in a new competition launched this month. The project aims to uncover the unsung green heroes of the region who are doing their bit to promote sustainable practices across wide range of activities.

From house builders, to technology providers, community groups to eco decorators Constructing The Future are searching out projects that can show others how it is done and to increase the awareness of sustainability across Pennine Lancashire towns.

The 13 categories within the Sustainable Stars include sections for the best heritage renovation, most innovative use of renewable technology, a waste management and recycling award and a prize for the best eco home builder. There are also categories for the general public and community groups including the best eco home renovation which includes any improvement made to a home from eco paints to a solar panel.

The competition is free to enter and every project will have the chance to be included in the Sustainable Stars exhibition and book. The culmination of the competition will be an awards ceremony at Elevate’s Constructing The Future national sustainability conference to be held at the end of October in Burnley.

If you are involved in a project or know of one that could be suitable for a Sustainable Star and you live in the Pennine Lancashire area, we want to hear from you!

Please contact catherine hackett Project Administrator, Constructing the Future Elevate East Lancashire for more information or download the application form here

second life orientation day for built environment ppl

2 Replies

Friend and colleague Pam Broviak from the Public Works Group in SL, GridWorks and LaSalle Illinois, has just posted an item on her blog regarding our planned orientation day on June 28th.  Join us for an introduction and guided tour. UK times and a programme are still to be confirmed, but it should be possible to log on from 10am BST.

Pam explains:

With the upcoming Sustainability Now virtual conference, the Public Works Group is offering an Orientation Day on Public Works Island in Second Life on Saturday, June 28, 2008. Seasoned Second Life residents will be on hand to greet you as you enter Second Life.

If you have never been in Second Life, this is a great opportunity to try it out knowing that there will be people there to meet you and help show you the ropes. Because most people have not been exposed to this type of interface, entering Second Life alone with little guidance at the beginning can be challenging. We are hoping to make that transition a little easier by being there to answer questions, give away free stuff you might need for your virtual world, and point you to some interesting places in Second Life that are tasteful and engaging.

By registering through the Public Works Group Web site, you will enter Second Life on Public Works Island instead of through the normal orientation that others go through if registering on Second Life’s site. This way you avoid all the chaos and instead enter Second Life in an area that is more professionally themed.

bike week this week

2 Replies

This week is bike week here in the UK, hence a series of bike related posts throughout the week on cycling its relevance to the built environment and to the climate change agenda.

Questions:

buildings with real cycling facilities?

facilities managers prevent cycles from the building or being locked outside?

construction sites that make it easy to cycle into work?

cities with free cycle facilities?

Other links:

bike week website

17 Reasons Why Bicycles Are the Most Popular Vehicle in the World Today

Live blog on Lourdes cycle ride

on getting out, learning and sharing, unconference style

2 Replies

As I plan another ‘benchmarkwalk’ for tomorrow in the English Lake District, I realise I haven’t described my benchmarkwalks approach here on the blog.

In some ways I now realise this approach is very much like an outdoor unconference – delegates choose the themes for discussion and, rather than standing in a lecture hall, or hotel room to present, people can talk on their topic in a way that engages very differently to the more traditional front of room or around the table discussion.

The following is the original concept from my website, (which has now been long overtaken by using this blog as my main presence).

Benchmark Walks – talk the walk in landscapes to fire inspire

Aimed at improvement individuals and teams, Benchmarkwalks has been compared to doing business on the golf course but more stimulating and rewarding by far. Many leading organisations are beginning to realise the benefits of outdoor or walking-based meetings as a way of encouraging open discussion and getting away from office environments.

From the Benchmarkwalks home base within the Forest Of Bowland, itself an area of outstanding natural beauty, we organize and facilitate your business or improvement team away day. We make use of a local inspiring venue within the Forest of Bowland for events and as a base for a local benchmarkwalks

Benchmarkwalks can be tailored to suite individuals looking to improve business improvement knowledge on a unique one to one arrangementâ

You set the topics – Benchmarkwalks assembles the experts, so you can learn from improvement experts in inspirational landscapes. Find out what works and what hasnt worked from leading UK benchmarking experts.

Choose from easy, low-level valley and woodland walks through to challenging mountain days, whatever; the chance to talk the walk and learn cannot be bettered. Walks can range from an hour stroll as part of a days facilitated event through to whole days on the hill.

Benchmarkwalks have formed partnerships with leading walking and guiding organisations to arrange and lead our mountain walks

Business Improvement has often been compared to a journey where the journey itself is the reward as well as the destination. With Benchmarkwalks you will reap benefits from both the physical journey and discussions on business improvement topics

Benchmarkwalks can cover any business improvement topic, for example: benchmarking, sustainability, quality management, value management, customer relations, excellence and EFQM, collaborative working, supply chain management… Any, all or none just ramble and learn.


more information @ benchmarkwalks

3DCamp slides, invitation and links

1 Reply

Here are my 3Dcamp slides, which, had I not been thwarted by Limerick Munster match traffic would have presented, giving a background to second life activities. I was fortunate to participate in the plenary panel though, which was a great discussion of virtual worlds, of which I will put my notes up here asap.

Well done to organisers James Corbett and Gabriela Avram

The 3DCamp website can be found here

and a series of flickr images here

Invitation to Orientation day …

As mentioned in Limerick, we are holding an orientation day for our second life activities on the 28th June. Watch this space for times. (We hope to cover the UK and US Saturday afternoon time zones). So if you haven’t ventured into second life as yet – here is that opportunity and reason to do so. You will be greeted and shown around our projects and other interesting ‘builds’ within SL. We hope to engage a number of SL friends to show you around their (related) projects too. Maybe even end up with music and Guinness at the Blarney Stone!

Links

3DCamp was live blogged and live tweeted by Krishna De via Cover it Live on her excellent BizGrowth News blog. (thanks Krishna)