Participatory methods

SHOWCASE Motivational video pitch

TITLE: Innovative participative solutions for engaging all stakeholder groups during the development of an energy strategy and a hybrid district heating system for the region Neusiedl am See

1. SHORT DESCRIPTION of the PILOT PROBLEM/CHALLENGE

The motivational pitch was created to give the viewers a compact overview of the climate and energy strategies and to provide some advices that can be immediately applied by themselves. In the video it is pointed out that each individual can contribute to improving the situation. A wide range of so-called step-by-step tips that promote climate protection is demonstrated. It is an appeal to the viewers to be open to changes in their everyday life. The first subject was the household sector where energy-efficient recommendations are listed. Next the focus was on the individual’s mobility and how to reduce the amount of emissions in this sector. The suggestions in this case were to use and join car-sharing systems or to walk or ride the bike over short distances. The next part was concentrated on the consumer behavior. Especially that as a consumer you should focus on regional and seasonal products and avoid unnecessary packaging. Furthermore, you as a consumer should keep on the ruling “less is more” and sensible consumption. Then the viewer was faced with the house/home sector where in particular the building technology sector was discussed. Some everyday life suggestions were made like ventilating intensively and reducing the temperature. Further on it was proposed that the heating system should be checked regularly and to install a thermal insulation. After all the possible proposals the advantages of the implementation of all these measures were visualized. It was shown that these suggestions and the implementation are not only good for the environment but also good for your own pocket. In the end it is pointed out that the goals belonging to climate and energy are only can be reached if particular framework is defined and every citizen contributes his part.


2. STARTING INTERACTION AND ICT TOOLS USED

The first question that comes up in this project “motivational pitch” was the question about stakeholders. Which stakeholders should or could be involved in this task? After a few considerations, it was decided that there was no need to include any stakeholders in the motivational pitch because such a motivational pitch could be applied by oneself, so that no stakeholders are needed for the production of the motivational pitch itself. The first steps in realizing the video were to determine the entire content and preparing a rough overview of the stories. In addition, the time sequence with regard to the story has to be determined. Furthermore, the technical realization of the video was concerned. Therefore, a wide range of different tools and applications were considered. The advantages and disadvantages were weighted prior it was finally decided to use the tool “Powtoon”.

3. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PARTICIPATORY METHOD

At the beginning the outputs of the World Cafe and the Living Lab were prepared for the presentation by a motivational pitch.

After that the next step was to evaluate the outputs carefully and take a detailed look on every useful recommendation. Based on these outputs and recommendations the script was created. In principle, the technical implementation could be done with many different tools but after a selection process, the tool Powtoon (www.powtoon.com) was considered for the realization of this motivational pitch. After the completion of the project, the video was uploaded and published on YouTube. YouTube was chosen because it is the most popular video platform with the broadest range of influence. Additionally, the video was shared on the platforms Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to increase the number of views and to reach as many people as possible.

4. PILOT PROJECT OUTCOMES/RESULTS

The result of this pilot project is a briefly and concisely video which deals with a broad spectrum of topics. The main content of this motivational pitch is about the development of a climate and energy strategy and how people could support the aims of this strategy. Furthermore environmental protection, resource saving and a more sustainable lifestyle are a major part of this video but also the sectors mobility, household, consumer behavior and so on are presented more detailed.

In each field suggestions for improvement were mentioned. It is also explicitly noted that these steps not only have positive impacts for the environment but also for your wallet. The video was produces as an instrument to confront people with the topics sustainability, energy efficiency and environment and should encourage them change their ways of life and to contribute to a more livable world.