Energy Actions Design

Overview: This workshop introduces people to the idea of ‘energy actions’ - relationally networked activities that support sustainability transitions by sharing and exchanging energy and building a social fabric of personal exchange. This particular approach is based on the concept of ‘relational giving’, developed through fieldwork and design practice to help design new energy futures. Purpose: The workshop aims to open up the conceptual space of energy exchange. Rather than working within the neoclassical transactional framework, these activities help participants to think into a relational space that situates energy within communities and helps designers to engage with local needs and skill sets. Form: The workshop will take approximately 2 hours. It is based on a board game format, which is used both as a way to communicate concepts and as a prompt for discussion, exchange, and roleplay. Participants are invited to ‘step into the shoes’ of various personas to experience and experiment with elements of a local, social, and relational energy ecosystem. Tools from Creative Problem Solving Methodologies are also applied to encourage dialogue and reflection. Target Audience: The workshop is aimed at a very general audience and has been trialled with residents and stakeholders from the original context in Amsterdam Zuidoost and with the public at Dutch Design Week 2023. It would be great to invite a diverse group to participate, to bring new perspectives, and to create space for alternative ways of thinking. Knowledge and Outcomes: Participants who engage in the workshop will: - Gain an understanding of the socio-technical particularities of exchanging energy - Develop a practical ability to engage with relational questions around exchange - Broaden their sense of ways to design for sustainability transitions - Reflect on the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders in designing local and relational energy futures