Early this year, as Envision was recruiting community leaders to enroll in our Strategic Foresight Workshop, I was surprised and encouraged to see four leaders from Resurrection Catholic Parish registered. Most parishes are steeped in tradition and simply trying to maintain the work they are faced with each day. Resurrection Parish was obviously quite different, as they were seeking to focus on the future of their parish, hoping to create their future.
The Green Bay area’s population is bound to be significantly larger (400,000?) by 2035. This growth will be driven by climate migration from other parts of the U.S. due to: excessive heat, drought, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and fires; the very high cost of living elsewhere; and the recent trend of remote working.
Envision Greater Green Bay has trained nearly 100 local leaders in strategic foresight from more than 50 organizations, and that number will grow by 25-30 people annually. In a few years, Northeast Wisconsin could reach a tipping point in strategic foresight. No longer will futuring be a discipline for just some organizations: It will be a required skill for anyone responsible for securing their organization’s preferred future. And in a few years after that, perhaps our area’s school systems will have incorporated strategic foresight into their curricula.
Click herefor the July 2022 Horizons Newsletter by Envision. Meet Ryan Good, whose life outlook matches his last name(!), explore happiness factors in the world’s populations and the redefintion of poverty by Envision Board members Gratzia Villarroel and Heidi Selberg, respectively, and discover recommended foresight information sources.
Earlier this year, the WBUR program “On Point” discussed poverty in the United States. The guests and their key points are outlined below. It’s remarkable that the points made so compellingly by sociologist Mark Robert Rank were outlined in a book published in 2004 and have received so little public discussion since. A key such point is that the majority of adults in the US will experience poverty as defined by the Federal Poverty Level during their lifetimes. This has important implications for any work designed to address poverty or upward mobility, as poverty is not experienced by a fixed group of people who need to work their way out of the situation. Rather, it is experienced widely.
Recently, the Greater Green Bay Chamber completed the fifth chapter of its Member Book Club. This edition focused on the book, The Golden Age of Brown County Enterprise: Their CEOs, Strategies and Teams, written by Phil Hauck. Phil was gracious enough to lead this three-week read and discussion. Hauck, the author, former reporter at The Wall Street Journal, Vistage CEO Group facilitator, and current leader of Envision Greater Green Bay board, provided great insight and perspective on the content of his book and on the highly successful corporate generation highlighted in his work.
Participants in the book club included CEOs and senior leadership positions within organizations across Greater Green Bay. The feedback received from the participants was strong and the book was very well received. Truly a must read, Hauck’s book is available for purchase here, with all proceeds to charity.
Ryan Good would love to see that headline someday. For now, the president and CEO of Foundations Health and Wholeness is focused on intentionality: “Think intentionally, act intentionally, and be good intentionally.” That’s Ryan’s motto in both his personal and professional life. And, if he has anything to say about it, wholistic mental health services – including openness to personal spirituality – will characterize counseling and mental health support in our area in future years.
What can we do in Brown County to improve the quality of life for everyone and promote greater happiness in our community? What can we learn from them that we might adopt in our community? A brief look at the trajectory of the Southeast Asian country of Bhutan, that of Nordic countries, and the United Nations (UN) sponsored World Happiness Report might give us some clues. As we will see below, the south-central Asian country of Bhutan was instrumental in creating the World Happiness Report in 2012, while Nordic countries have consistently been considered the happiest.
Originally published December 15, 2020 Alex Fegnani
“Often times, when attending introductory talks or workshops on futures studies, foresight, or scenario planning (from now, futures & foresight for short), I’ve noticed that the speaker would attempt to endear the audience to futures & foresight by stating upfront that, in its simplest form, this field of inquiry is something that human beings already do every day, not dissimilar to thinking about possible future career options, or about different times to do grocery shopping the next day. I also noticed that such attempts would often have a counterproductive effect. Unless this issue is deliberately clarified, the audience would leave the room thinking that futures & foresight is nothing special, as it is just what they have already been doing in their minds, perhaps with the addition of an extra dose of mental effort. This is particularly the case for managers who have been considering different “scenarios” when strategizing…..”
Steve McCarthy, Executive Director, Envision Lynn Gerlach, Communication Consultant, Envision
The United States is in the early stages of a great, decades-long transformation. Across the US, nearly half our entire population will likely experience a decline in the environment: prolonged droughts, increasing temperatures, more wildfires, increased flooding due to rising sea levels, more intense hurricanes, pressures on agriculture, and species declines, to name a few. Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration — ProPublica
In the Greater Green Bay Area, however, the scenario might be substantially different. Current models suggest that Wisconsin and the Great Lakes region will experience a more moderate, possibly even positive impact, such as an extension of the growing season. Why? It’s largely about the water! Our proximity to the Great Lakes can moderate climate impact, and sustainable access to water will be key to maintaining population levels and quality of life. As all of humanity adapts to the changing climate – with differing levels of success – we might find that the Greater Green Bay area is physically positioned to adapt well, even thrive in the face of climate change. New Climate Maps Show a Transformed United States | ProPublica
What does this mean for the future of Green Bay? There’s a good chance people currently living in increasingly distressed parts of the country, such as the desert southwest, will migrate to the Upper Midwest for a safer, more temperate climate and a stable life. With its abundant natural resources and committed community leaders, Green Bay’s star is on the rise. Envision Greater Green Bay and many of the growing number of local leaders trained in strategic foresight are watching now for signals about how climate migration will affect our growth plans.
