The ethics
Care for the earth. Care for people. Share the surplus.
THE METHOD · TWENTY YEARS OF TESTING
The Symbol Cards.
One box of cards. A group tells the story of its place.
Lay the cards on a table or on the ground. Talk about what is here, what is missing, what matters and what to do first. Discuss, illustrate, share and plan. There is no scoring and no right answer.
The cards offer a broad set of things to consider and leave choices and priorities with the people who know the place.
Ask about using the cards ↗
The land is in the room.
Transport means bird migration and deer runs as well as roads. Shelter means nests and rabbit holes as well as houses. Energy includes sunlight on a wall and the fall of a burn as well as the grid.
The cards have travelled from Scottish village halls to courtyards in Beijing. A digital edition, where links between cards can be drawn and layered, is in development.
What is here
Water, soil, food, energy, shelter, transport, waste, wellbeing and spirit: the living inventory of a place.
What if
Prompts that open a question the group had not thought to ask.
What next
Small, reversible actions. Something you can start on Monday.
What changed
Return to the layout a season later. Move the cards. Notice what moved them.