#Demain and the Fresco Of the Ecological Renaissance – Building Future Worlds

I have been working with Nathaniel Richand and Julien Rayneau to propose occasional community meetups for people who want to use their professional skills towards a social and/or ecological impact. We call these meetups #demain nights (French word for “tomorrow”… it is based in Paris afterall). But we found we do not have to wait for tomorrow as today we can already use our skills for “good”. Whether at work, in outside structures – pro bono, or in the private or political sphere… there are a myriad of ways! And no way too small! But this post is not about that (entirely).

This post is about our last meetup where we explored a new workshop format to help this future dreaming and next step planning: La Fresque de la Rénaissance Écologique – The Fresco of the Ecological Renaissance by Julien Dossier. I will share my reflections and perhaps this can inspire you in your actions.

How does the Fresco Work?

The fresco (which is a large wall black-and-white poster) is quite a strong visual tool that can be used from a light theme to a deep dive. It was inspired by the fresco called “The Allegory of the Effects of Good Government” painted in 1338 in Sienna, Italy by Lorenzetti. The Fresco of the Ecological Renaissance, much like it’s predecessor, materializes a desired world, in this case, one that is sustainable and carbon-neutral. The fresco is used to unite citizens and actors with a cause by creating a common vision… and best yet, one that is exciting and fun! Which, I strongly believe, fun while we work is necessary more than ever.

A session with the fresco gives participants the mission: To explore the new world presented and reflect on how that makes us feel and how we can act right now to get there. Even when participants go off into their own projects and ideas they can always come back to the fresco, as a common reference. It creates a common language without words. And as a physical object can also be manipulated… colored, written on, notes added to, moved from one common space to another, built upon, etc. Also due to no words, the fresco can even be used with children!

What a lovely group! Our facilitators Olivier Menicot and Eric La Blanche discussing the fresco all covered in our group reflections/post-its.

Workshops using the Fresco can vary in time and objective but a good example for a taster session is as follows. The participants split into groups and each group has a separate mission to explore, such as, transport options that are carbon-neutral or food re-distribution. The groups spend time in individual and group contemplation. They discuss what they see and their reactions. They note on, color or what they like, on the fresco. They decide on a project that could be done and then share this back with the global group. We then discuss what this evokes and our next steps forward in the “actual” world.

The result? Ask Pandora…

Here are the words that were evoked in the participants:

The word at the center? Hope.

Did we feel doom and gloom and scarcity? No, it was… Serenity, Peace, Frugality/Sufficiency, Inclusion, Free Time, Respect, Know-How, Sense, Freshness, Proximity and Doable!

On a personal note: It struck me how reachable this new world could be! No crazy technology to save us, just a shift in mindset (I know easier said than done) and everyone doing their part, much like an ant hill. Complex yet doable when each of us does what inspires us (*cough* Agile *cough*). No one is “perfect” but we are “together” with a common goal even if our methods differ. And in fact stronger thanks to our diversity of interest! It can feel overwhelming and scary but as we share the news and hope and each person acts… 🤝A big and good change is coming. Fear not, just act.

Enough, of my prose… Bref, (as they say in French), it was really cool! And I know it already inspired me to get more local and involved in my neighborhood townhall’s sustainability projects.

Want More info?

  • Parisian and wanting to use your pro-skills for impact? Normally we host our #demain nights at the agilist cooperative AgileTribu. Big thanks to them! Stay tuned for news by signing up for their meetup group.
  • Want to do a Fresco or get involved with this type of tool? To signup to be part of the association or use the Fresco of the Ecological Renaissance you can contact Emmanuelle Mouls or learn more at the website https://www.renaissanceecologique.fr/ or read the book (see website).
  • Questions of how you can bring eco and social responsibility to your business? – I am a transformation coach. I work with companies to create system and culture change. I would love to help you realize your social and ecological vision: via new ways of organisation, measurement, business models, product offers and engagement of employees and your eco-system. But first I start with your unique… Why. Send me an email. Let’s have fun!

An American Agilist in Paris perspective: French vs USA agile motivations, what is the future of Agile and how can I get started?

Part II is out of my sit down with my friend and research design extraordinaire, Nikki Lavoie (and overall inspirational BOSS). She is founder and CEO of MindSpark International and the UX(r) Factor vlog.

Part I in case you missed it is here, though it is ok to jump to this part. Part II focuses on: Agile motivations in France vs USA, a little bit of the history of Agile, what is future and what is a small step forward if you are interested in implementing Agile.

Pst: the full article on first babystep towards Agile and the Agilist I reference around 10:00 is Nicolas Kalmanovitz.

Shortly the final video in this series will be released, which will focus on implementing Agile and it’s mindset in small companies.

Would love to know your thoughts and questions. What is your experience in Agile in other countries? What do you think the future is (Agile or other)? What did you do first in your Agile journey? Discuss.

On the run? This series is now available as one full episode in podcast form here.

Final vlog is out! Check it out.

The New Worker

NOTE: I wrote this for a writing competition hosted by USI. It was originally posted June 2017 on this blog. I have left the content the same except removing one dead link.

I wanted to reshare this as more and more I see this article coming true. Are you a New Worker? Please share in the comments your experience with this “new breed.”


It is clear that a new type of developer has emerged, as described in Github’s Paul Saint John’s 2016 USI talk, but what truly inspired me is his hint that this new breed is also sprouting up in other domains. And that this rebirth was made possible thanks to the very platforms and applications created by the New Developer.

What is this New Developer… err…. Worker?

My view of the anatomy of the New Worker.

The New Worker thrives in a self-feeding cycle starting with a drive to innovate and differentiate, but no longer is this conception done in a vacuum. As Paul Saint John describes for the New Developer:

Learn > Code > Work Together (wash, rinse, and repeat)

Replace “code” with “create content” and you have the New Worker. Continuous learning and social collaboration is key to their success, often harnessing the power of the internet community. 

But where to find these creatures?

Here are just a few of the many examples of these New Workers outside of the development domain:

Science and Engineering

  1. Collective Intelligence initiatives are emerging in the sciences, such as Climate Colab which hosts contests in everything from land use to energy supply with the goal to “open up the elite conference rooms and meeting halls where climate strategies are developed today and allow anyone with a good idea to contribute.”
  2. An online forum of industry experts created to share trade secrets in order to innovate in renewable energy has enabled the founder Doug Coulter to advance towards creating a nuclear fusion reactor.

Medical Field

  1. While opening up clinical data so that the global community can work on it is still very taboo, there have been some initiatives which have already improved patient treatment. Such as a contest from the New England Journal of Medicine concerning blood pressure that was won by a team at Clalit Research Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel.
  2. Communities of medical professionals are forming for those who want to share their expertise, find fellow trailblazers and create partnerships to navigate a world bogged down by bureaucracy. One of these communities is Health Innovators, which has gained 1,600 members since its founding three years ago.

Arts, Animation and Video gaming

  1. Twitch, a platform for gamers to showoff their skills live (45 million visitors per month as of 2013), has now branched off into live streams for artists. Not only did this platform further legitimize the ‘professional’ gamer and gaming coaches and boost indie video game designers, but now it is allowing for artists to real time create, transparently demonstrate their skills, and garner new clients. 
  2. Two student animators got the attention and job offers from Disney and Pixar despite no professional experience due to their animated short The Present shared at festivals and on Vimeo.
  3. DOTA which started as an open free mod created by a fan for WarCraft III now has over 10 million players as of 2015. This first mod was improved by several community members before becoming a sponsored game.

As for a personal example, as an Agile and organizational coach, I am starting to see more and more Agilists open up their tools for free use and feedback, such as Ajiro and Funretrospectives.com. John Saint Paul’s USI talk inspired me to continue to push forward and give my knowledge openly, even enable others to do “my job,” (much like the new developer who creates applications for others to create applications) as I am certain it will only open new opportunities and promote innovations in my field.

One final correction

Photoshopped ;p Strike out code and enlarge it to content

So, I would suggest one minor change to John Saint Paul’s last slide, to expand it to fit the New Worker: 

Those who enable the creation of content, whether by contributing or creating the space to do so, have the power. Numbered are the days of silos and CVs because the worker of the future needs to be part of a community to ensure their success.

Much like the communities initially pioneered or literally constructed by the New Developer.