Finding Inspiration

Hearing others share their experiences about what inspires and motivates them to do what they do, is the secret behind the success of the TED talks.  TED is a small non-profit organisation  devoted to ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’.  It began  in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader.  At the ARRC we regularly take time out to hear a TED talk, and we feel rejuvenated and excited at what we hear and learn from people all over the world.

The conferences, workshops and field days we are all part of is another important way we can generate inspiration and motivation for ourselves and the people we work with.  On this part of the site we will share with you some of the events and people that inspire us.  You are welcome to be part of this and send in your thoughts, experiences and links to those people or ideas that inspire you.

TEDx Canberra 2010

The National Library of Australia was the venue for TEDx Canberra and it was fantastic.  Every speaker talked about what inspired them to do what they do.  For Francis Owusu and his team at Kulture Break, it was the need to do something about building the self-esteem of young people and breaking down stereotypes of disempowerment.  He was passionate about the need for us to be ‘Dream Converters’ not ‘Dream Killers’.  How often do you go into your workplace and hear people tell others all the things that are wrong with their ideas, rather than looking at how those ideas can be achieved.

Sunny Forsyth talked about what inspired him to establish ‘Abundant Water’ – a project that aims to teach people how to make water filters from clay and coffee grounds that are capable of filtering bacteria out of the water and making it safe to drink.

Kevin Bales gave a sobering account about the 27 million people enslaved people in the world, yes that is right, slavery is alive and well in many countries of the world including Australia.  Want to do something about it?  Visit Free the Slaves and see where it takes you.  Marco Ostini wants us out in space os that we can look at life on other planets, particularly the Moon.  His project Lunar Numbat is working with White Label Space in a collaborative effort to find out more about our closest neighbours and what that means for us on warth.

International Riversymposium 2010

For the very first time in its thirteen year history, the International Riversymposium was held out of Brisbane and on the other side of our great country in Perth.  As is the case at every International Riversymposium there was a mix of international case studies and presentations about key developments in river management and science, as well as a number of Australians sharing the work they have been doing.  For me the sessions on community engagement were enlightening, as well as some I attended on urban water and the work that is focusing on engagement with city dwellers to reconnect them to their rivers and waterways.

The highlight of the Riversymposium was the announcement of the winners of the International and National Riverprizes.  This year the worthy winners are the River Thames in London and the Derwent Estuary in Tasmania.  Both rivers have been declared biologically dead in the past, however, as a result of coordinated and visionary actions, otters are now breeding up and down the length of the Thames, and recently a Southern Right Whale gave birth to her calf in the Derwent – the first time in one hundred years!

What inpires you?  Let us know and we can share it with others.

Sharing inspirational stories is important, as they often trigger reactions in you and others that directly impact what level of success you will experience. Read more