All files classified under: Process Design

As part of the Borderlands Project’s exploration of how to balance development and conservation in the rural CT-RI border region, the Village Innovation Pilot (VIP) engaged two towns in creating and implementing a vision for their future. Guided by technical experts and local pilot teams, residents participated in visioning and planning exercises to explore how to preserve a meaningful sense of place (the “heart and soul” of the communities) by integrating new development into town villages and centers.

Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food production system in the world, and the trend is projected to continue. Although the industry provides an important opportunity to supplement the oceans’ food supply, it can also cause significant social and environmental impacts if managed improperly.

In 2008, WWF asked CBI to help coordinate a global consensus-based standard setting process that will result in scientific and credible social and environmental performance measures at the farm-site level. Subsequently, CBI has worked with WWF’s coordinators to improve the quality of decision-making among stakeholders worldwide—including scientists, producers, civil society groups, and NGOs. By providing planning and facilitation services for numerous stakeholder meetings around the globe, CBI has supported six global aquaculture dialogues related to shrimp, salmon, pangasius, tilapia, shellfish, and trout.

CBI assists the Hudson River Sustainable Shorelines Project to facilitate a complex research and stakeholder engagement process with the aim of promoting sustainable shoreline management in the face of sea level rise and more. This collaborative project will gather, synthesize, and distribute ecological, engineering, economic, management, and regulatory data on how best to manage the Hudson River shoreline.

 

With contracts providing two-thirds of Vermont’s electric power beginning to expire in the next four years, the future source of Vermont's electricity was open for examination. To help the state engage Vermont’s citizens in discussions about their energy future, the Consensus Building Institute and Jonathan Raab Associates helped lead a statewide public engagement process. Over 700 citizens participated in the workshops which included presentations, facilitated discussions, key pad polling, and public comment.

In 2009, the New Castle County Executive (Delaware) and several private parties engaged the Delaware Public Policy Institute and Consensus Building Institute to convene a policy dialogue on improving the County’s application and permitting process for land use and development.

Facing the possibility of a proposed five-turbine wind farm on Little Equinox Mountain in Manchester, Vermont, the Orton Family Foundation initiated a citizen engagement process to explore citizen’s interests and concerns regarding the proposed wind farm. Over a period of four months, the Consensus Building Institute guided a team through an intense planning, issues exploration, and public outreach process, which included four-topic specific information sharing meetings and culminated in a day-long Wind Summit.