Focusing through the difficult times

We started before we knew what we were doing. We knew we had to do something, the pull was too great, but what that was, we thought we'd figure that out after taking our first big steps.


So here we are. Between the dosegroup founders we have so many varied interests and pursuits that we'd love to go after. But we realize that you can't do everything at once. So first we've decided on the area(s) that we want to focus on. These are still a wide focus area and definitely not niche, to allow us the flexibility we crave in pursuing what we love.


Those focus areas are:

1. Creative Problem Solving (Design Think)
2. Sustainability
3. Urbanity 

We are, by nature and by professions, problem solvers. Our interests and experiences run the gamut from strategic mapping through technical implementation of complex systems problems. This is how we work.

At dosegroup, sustainable problem solving is about the efficient use of resources in a socially engaging and culturally beneficial way. We concentrate on solutions to problems that address not only economical but, ecological and social issues. It is our belief that these self-sustaining solutions will provide the innovations needed to address the pressing problems of today.

We believe that many, if not a majority of the pressing problems of today are related to the growth in global urban culture. Migration into cities and urban areas are growing exponentially. The majority of the global population either already lives in cities or will live in cities soon. Supporting this growth will pose numerous problems with infrastructure, healthcare, transportation, food, and housing. The solutions to these problems will not come quickly or easily, but they will come with persistence, dedication, and focus.

The focus of dosegroup will be the pursuit of these problems and their solutions. Our mission will be to improve the quality of the urban experience from the food we eat, the water we drink, to how we live in a dense urban environment. Within this mission, our first focus point will be urban food systems: What's available, whose doing it, how's it beneficial, and how can it be scaled to provide for growing communities.


We will start things off through a series of photographic essays and build from there. 


Being focused on something feels good. On to the next step(s).

The difficulties of being an authentic sustainable enterprise

We are officially launching dose group, llc, our attempt at forging a collaborative company with a mission to inspire and implement resilient improvements to the urban experience through solutions that are restorative to the environment. 

We will grow this venture as a sustainable enterprise and will chronicle our successes, failures, and lessons learned through an ongoing series of blog posts. This is scary and exciting at the same time, but the future is ready to be created and we're up to the challenge.

This is real, this is one of many first steps, now onto the next step(s).

What's this I hear about Urban Food Systems?

Rooftop farms, urban beehives, empty lot farming, vertical farms, farmer's markets, what are all of these and who are the people making them happen? Are the majority of these just talk or are they real projects bringing sustainable food to those of us far removed from the average farm? Are these endeavors really making a difference and having an impact on the way food is viewed by the urban multitudes?

I hope not. I sincerely hope that the successful ones, if there are any, are not just an offshoot of the current food trends sweeping through. That would be sad and truly defeat the purpose of realigning the urban mentality with ecological intelligence. And I don't just mean the we've switched to CFLs and recycle type of ecological intelligence. I mean the we understand the systemic impact we are having on our surroundings and how that impact effects our lives type of intelligence.

Cities are not the cleanest places to live. But imagine if there were areas where nutritious food could be produced close to neighborhoods that are essentially food deserts. Neighborhoods, where the closest thing to a grocery store with fresh produce, not laced with the latest pesticides, is, well non-existent. If these urban farms exist, beyond the third person stories passed around, we must support them. Neighborhoods must know if a farm is nearby and what it is producing. Farm's must set incentives to engage their neighborhoods and grow interest. Are they really producing the clean nutritious foods I imagine, in these urban environments? I want to know and I want to share what I learn with those who care and those merely curious. Why isn't knowledge of these farms more widespread? Maybe now is the time for these farms to jump on the pop culture foodie trend bandwagon and market themselves beyond the diehard foodie devotees.

I wonder what an urban farming campaign would look like?

What to do after you've left the Conference?

Not too long ago I had the great opportunity to attend the 11th Structures for Inclusion conference, SFI 10+1 for short. The focus on solutions for social engagement and problem solving is a focus of mine. Overall the conference was great, if a bit overdrawn at times. So much energy and excitement was absolutely contagious. It was more then evident the enthusiasm the more than 400 attendees held for the subject matter. Participant participation during the panels, presentations, and break out sessions were phenomenal.

With so much excitement surrounding this event however, I have to wonder, why doesn't it receive more widespread attention? Could it be that the subject is too niche? Could my enthusiasm for the subject be biasing my perception of it's importance? Probably all of the above. There are probably 100s of conferences a year, just like this one, that most people never hear about.

These are very much grassroots endeavors and it is the responsibility of those of us who attend these events to grow awareness of them within our home circles. It is not enough to go to conferences anymore. We must all be stewards of the ideas proposed within these venues. We must continue to discuss and engage these ideas after we've left the conference. Only through this way will the ideas continue to develop and gain momentum outside of the tight circle of conference devotees.

Transforming small scale group-think into large scale group-action will have a tremendous effect on how we design change. Ideas are good, actions are exceptional. There were plenty of actual projects shown at SFI 10+1, but now it's time to grow that Impact.

Organic Food and the expansion of the Grocery Store

        I love food. It's important to me for the endless variety it offers when I'm hungry or just need a break. I don't simply live to eat or eat to live, I like to think that I can find a balance between the two, a way of making my eating experiences a little bit more exciting, especially on those not so exciting days. I also like to think of myself as an environmentally aware person. So, naturally when grocery shopping, I find myself confronted with the question of to buy organic, all-natural, or just stick with what I usually get. I'm budget conscious and anything labeled organic isn't necessarily budget priced, at least not on the surface. I don't think I'm the only one with this concern. I wonder if there is a way for me to rationalize buying higher priced, supposedly more environmentally conscious, organic food?

A book is a great way to make a train commute go by faster. Not to mention it helps me, a very un-morning person, to wake up in the morning. My current read and source to help me rationalize buying organic, is Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma. I'm not going to get into the debate between industrial organic and pastural organic farming. I like bananas, which I don't believe are a USA North East locally sourced food item. What appears to be clear though are the vast nutritional benefits of eating organic. Beef, chicken, eggs, veggies, all high in the vitamins and minerals and flavors that make food so good. Yes, supposedly the flavors are much more vibrant because of the slower, more intense, growing process with less emphasis on man-made chemicals. This reminds me of the wine industry where older grapes, whose roots go deep to get nutrients, from a lack of artificial fertilizers, are considered to make better wines. If it works for grapes, then why wouldn't it work for other food types? I think it can. Growing food with less artificial ingredients would also mean less bad side effects. What's with the boom in cancers, diabetes, and who knows what else and the drugs to cure those...which also cause their own less than desired side effects?

If eating organic gives me more energy to keep up with the world, without having to pop a bunch of pills, then I'm for it. Multi-vitamins aren't the tastiest to me. And if organic farming helps to build soil quality, allowing MORE food to be produced, creating more jobs and local economic growth (because more people will be needed to help grow and sustain the organic farms) then I'm for it. It's no secret that oil based fertilizers ruin the ground and our health when it leaks into water systems. Just look at the Gulf of Mexico. But, what about everyone else? How can someone who still views the $1 value meal as the best thing going see the benefits of eating organic. Especially when it's been demonized as being elitist?

Does it all go back to grocery stores? Yes, farmer's markets, community supported agriculture (CSA), and co-op grocery stores are becoming more popular, but they are still a very small portion of the grocery shopping landscape. Grocery stores are still the big boys on the block and most people still get their groceries from here. A good question is how can grocery stores make organic as easy as the $1 value meal? Fresh, prepackaged foods, where all of the hard choices have already been made for you. What to eat, how to cook it. Because isn't that the real secret to the $1 value meal, convience and low stress? Would it be interesting to have a grocery store that doubled as a chef's prep and cook kitchen? The smells of breakfast, lunch, and dinner being freshly prepared throughout the store with pre-made packets to make the meals at home.  The meals could be placed in reusable dishes, ready to go, in various serving sizes. Maybe throw in some recipe cards for the more adventurous? 

Is it possible for this scene to become a permanent
fixture in grocery stores?

I think it's time for grocery stores to step up to the challenge of providing better food service for our families. Yes, there are the Whole Foods and Trader Joe's of the world, but are they doing enough? What can they do better?

A Journey Begins

Social enterprises have, at their core, the mission to continuously improve social and environmental conditions. DOSE is a social enterprise. One part media outlet, one part design outlet, always dedicated to the advancement of social innovation. DOSE will search out social enterprise practitioners for the stories connecting them to the many social issues of our time. These heroic stories, successes and failures, will be brought into focus and shared through photographic narratives. Water, education, famine, energy, and the countless other social issues affecting our world today deserve our attention and our voice.

My journey into social innovation begins with this blog and will lay the ground work for the pictorial narratives featured in DOSE.

Out of sight, Out of mind no more. Join the social entrepreneurs around you in making the world a better place. 

Enough debate, Now do something.