http://www.ronmilam.com/blog/rss description http://www.ronmilam.com/blog/post/29 While I’m hoping the country goes through a renaissance with Barack Obama as our next President, I’ve been thrilled to consult with a local organization working to transform and restore a one of our local watersheds: Ballona Creek Renaissance (BCR). Working with BCR is especially meaningful to me because I’ve bicycled along Ballona Creek countless times. I can’t help imagine what a revitalized creek would look like – trees, native plans, birds, fish, people walking, bicycling, running along it, families playing alongside of it, and maybe even kayakers paddling down it and people swimming in it. That’s my vision.  BCR has its own compelling vision and a strong history of working to create murals and pocket parks along the creek. They have also done a tremendous amount of work to educate both the local community and broader watershed about the creek.  I’m working with BCR to help them grow and develop their volunteer Board of Directors. I’m also working with them to help raise funds so that they have the resources necessary to do their important work. For both of these items, I’m working closely with their Board, facilitating brainstorming sessions to decide what their priorities are and helping them develop a strategy for them to move forward.   It’s a process I’ve enjoyed leading.   As I continue to ride up and down Ballona Creek, I look forward to witnessing the ongoing transformation of the creek into a healthy, vibrant eco-system that serves the larger community. http://www.ronmilam.com/blog/post/28 One of the things I appreciate about being a Consulant is having a flexible schedule.  I'm excited to spend the four days before the national election in Nevada working to get out the vote for the Obama campaign.  I encourage you to vote for Barack Obama.  If you're planning on voting for Obama, then I encourage you to contribute to his campaign or volunteer some hours and make some phone calls to swing states.  Or, if you'd like to join me and the campaign in Nevada, please let me know.  The more we can all pitch in to help elect him president, the higher chances he has of winning the election.  Thanks. http://www.ronmilam.com/blog/post/27 I’m pleased to announce that Cultivating Sustainable Communities, one of my clients that I helped recruit a new Executive Director for, as well as helping them with a strategic planning process, has just launched Gardenswap, an innovative project that could fundamentally reshape how food is produced in Los Angeles.  The following is from CSC’s Executive Director, Gabriella Worrel, “Cultivating Sustainable Communities (CSC) is launching its newest project.  GardenSwap is an opportunity to pair up urban gardeners with their neighbors who have yard space in order to grow and share in the profits of urban food gardens. Urban gardens are not only fun; they support low-carbon food production, create economic development, inspire healthful eating, build community, create opportunities for education, address watershed health concerns, create productive green open space, and beautify communities. CSC is currently taking requests for participation in this program. If you'd like to participate either as a gardener or a land owner who is willing to share yard space (and some garden profits!) with a neighbor (we'll help you find a neighbor), please contact me at (rather than listing Gabriela’s email online, please email me from the contact page and I will forward it to Gabriella).” More info at www.cscommunities.org. http://www.ronmilam.com/blog/post/26 Last weekend, I had the honor of facilitating a planning retreat for the LA Urban Rangers. It went really well! One thing the Rangers did which is often overlooked in planning these retreats, is that they selected a site outside the City of Los Angeles. We met at the Sedgewick Reserve, which is part of the UC Natural Reserve System, and is about 20 miles north of Santa Barbara. While we worked hard during the day to define mission and new projects, we all had the opportunity to unwind during a sunset hike. We also had time to chat by the campfire and enjoy the beautiful landscape that surrounded us. By balancing the busy workload with being in a faraway place, we managed to get a lot of work done.  For any organization planning a board or staff retreat, I recommend picking a site that feels far away from the day to day stresses of Los Angeles. While it means more work logistically, it usually leads to stronger results in accomplishing whatever your agenda is, as well as providing the space for participants to build stronger relationships with each other. http://www.ronmilam.com/blog/post/25 Someone once told me, “For a long time, I didn’t bike. The barriers seemed huge. Once I finally started riding, I realized the barriers were a lot smaller than I thought and the benefits were greater than I could ever have imagined.” Lately, I’ve been thinking about what it will take for people to overcome the barriers preventing them from bicycling as a transportation alternative in Los Angeles.  While bicycle ridership has increased recently due to rising gas prices, the reality remains that most people don’t bicycle on a regular basis in Los Angeles.      I regularly speak with people who like the concept of bicycling, but choose not to ride because they are concerned about their safety, uncertain about where to ride or just assume that bicycling is for other people, not them.  I want to change this. My hunch is that some of these people would start bicycling given the proper support, education and encouragement. This is where BikeSage comes in, a new service I'm providing.     BikeSage provides one-on-one support for people who want to use their bicycle to get around town. Whether it’s helping people plan a route, put their bike on a bus or ride safely in traffic, BikeSage’s goal is to transform people’s fear and uncertainty around bicycling into confidence, joy and excitement. Sage has two meanings: a wise person and a native plant to Los Angeles.  BikeSages share their bicycling wisdom with others.  Like sage plants, BikeSages also know how to thrive in the local environment.   Are you or do you know someone who you think might be interested in spending time with a BikeSage?  If so, please contact me and we can arrange a time to ride. More info at www.bikesage.com. http://www.ronmilam.com/blog/post/14 Rising gas prices have motivated many Americans to start bicycling and taking transit in record numbers.  While I've experienced this anecdotally while riding around town, I recently learned first hand about the dramatic shifts going on around the country after researching recent media coverage relating to this issue for one of my clients, Bikestation. Consider some of the following headlines: "Gas Prices Send Surge of Riders to Mass Transit", New York Times; "Bicycling in Region Rolls Up Big Gains", Sacramento Bee; "Interest in Bicycling Soars with Gas Prices", Boston Channel; and even "Save Money, Bike to Work", Christian Broadcasting Network.  For every major media publication that covered this issue, hundreds of smaller media outlets around the country report the same phenomenon.  Check out this Sunday's LA Times Opinion section as well. As more people consider transportation alternatives, the more that can be done to accomodate these trips by making them safe and enjoyable, the better.  Locally, we have several organizations that are doing good work: Bikestation provides secure bike parking, the LA County Bicycle Coalition advocates for better policies, the Bike Kitchen provides a space for repair, CICLE gives people the education necessary to ride our streets with confidence.   As a consultant, I've had the opportunity to work with the leadership of all of these organizations and am thrilled with the work they do. Over the last several years, numerous bicycle related groups and rides have sprung up in Los Angeles, creating the beginnings of a more bicycle-oriented culture.  While much has been gained, there is much work to be done to truly make Los Angeles a bicycle-friendly county. I'm optimistic that this will occur.   http://www.ronmilam.com/blog/post/24 Some weeks are busier than others. Last Thursday, I led a workshop for the Center for Nonprofit Management attended by 20+ representatives from various local nonprofit organizations. Over the weekend, I facilitated a retreat for the all-volunteer Bike Kitchen. Today and tomorrow, I’ve helped organize the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Western Region Housing Summit. Given that my week and weekend have been so busy (with all three events being very positive), my blog this week is just a short update. Working with such diverse clients reminds me of one of the things I really like about consulting: the opportunity to work with different leaders from a wide-variety organizations that focusing a broad ranger of issues.  http://www.ronmilam.com/blog/post/23 Earlier in the week, I facilitated a portion of a strategic planning process with the board and staff of Cultivating Sustainable Communities, an organization working on transforming Los Angeles into a sustainable City. Having already worked with the group to develop a new vision and mission, we then took some time to discuss and decide what the collective values of the organization were.    Everyone comes to an organization with their own set of values, which guide them in their actions and decision making. What’s important is for an organization’s leadership to decide on what their common values are. Why? Because these values will play a key role in guiding the organization as it moves forward. The values will help them decide how to prioritize their work, and help them with the process of making difficult decisions. It will also shape how they interact with whoever they come into contact with.   After a brainstorm, we listed about 30 different values. We then combined like values and boiled them down to six general categories. From this list, we decided the key value for each category and came up with six values. From this list, they whittled it down to five guiding values for Cultivating Sustainable Communities, which everyone was really excited about.  I’m inspired by their choices and am really excited to see how these values shape the future work of the organization. http://www.ronmilam.com/blog/post/22 This week has been another busy week at the office. Right now, my office is outdoors on the lawn of Barnsdall Art Park with a fantastic view of the San Gabriel Mountains in the distance. Earlier in the week, I worked on top of a peak in Griffith Park and spotted two coyotes on my way into work.   As a consultant, my work tools are a phone, laptop and internet connection. When I’m not meeting with clients, I often decide to take my office mobile (with the help of a laptop shade, camping chair and wireless connection).   Oftentimes, I find myself working in the local mountains or by the beach. Sometimes, I decide to work in underutilized public spaces like traffic medians, or along the banks of the LA River or Ballona Creek. The other day, I was working by the tarpits at LACMA, and ran into an old friend who is a professional photographer, Elon Schoenholz, who snapped the picture of me below.   Through my work and where I choose to work, I’ve deepened my connection to Los Angeles. Technology, strangely enough, has enabled me to spend more time outdoors enjoying nature and the city.    (c) Elon Schoenholz Photography       http://www.ronmilam.com/blog/post/21 Rising foreclosure rates – what to do? Affordable housing – how to preserve it? Mixed-income housing – how to make it work? Green building?  All of these questions and more will be answered at an upcoming conference I’m helping organize: HUD’s Western Region Housing Summit on August 25th and 26th in Los Angeles.   I have had the pleasure of speaking with some of the region’s leaders working on cutting edge strategies to build, preserve and protect affordable housing.  These leaders will come together for two days to share best practices with each other. I’m looking forward to it!