CITY Issue 58 - (Page 58) IT'S NOT ABOUT JUST PUTTING STUFF OUT THERE, BUT RATHER THE PROCESS THAT'S INTERESTING. THAT'S HOW YOU FIND REAL SOLUTIONS. ///// / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / Findlay says the “ app oach” that ma ks SFOTE’s effo ts has its oots in his own upb inging in T inidad. “My mothe spent he whole life helping people,” he says. “My fathe ” — an oilman in the Ca ibbean — “spent his helping co po ations th ough a ve y st uctu ed, methodical p ocess.” Late , in Findlay’s own ca ee as an indust ial design consultant, he saw that with the ight pitch ,the di ection of la ge companies could be shi ed th ough small actions — baby steps that led to change with social and envi onmental implications. “ s an individual you know you can change to mo e ene gy-efficient lightbulbs, tu n off lights du ing the daytime, things like that, to add ess one’s ca bon footp int,” he says. “Obviously a hotel o a co po ation has diffe ent needs and a diffe ent set of conce ns, but the powe they have is the powe to do things on a la ge scale.” In his own estimation, Findlay’s unique stewa dship of ideas and elationships comes at a time when a c itical numbe of people ac oss social st ata a e open to thinking and doing diffe ently. “Right now no one can affo d the luxu y of saying, ‘it doesn’t matte ,’” he explains. “Right now you can have the same conve sation with a gangste f om the ghetto who has chosen a life of c ime to sustain himself and his family — someone who at the same time knows he can’t continue with it — and someone at the head of a company. People at co po ations a e getting facts and figu es now; what’s happening to ou envi onment and ou society is not a myth.” et athe than p opagandize in the blogosphe e o agitate fo efo m f om outside the co po ate st uctu e, Findlay b ings dispa ate fo ces togethe to cook up common sense solutions that found ea ly success with the Laventille buses and should defi ne the next SFOTE p oject in wa to n Ivo y Coast. He’s likewise engaged, occupied — busy, even — with planning ene gy systems and sma t buildings in a pa tne ship with fi nancie Robe t J. Shive and const ucting an “a tist live/wo k space” on the island of Gaspa ee off the coast of T inidad with Rome p ize winning a chitect Thomas Tsang. It’s this so t of estless c eative ene gy that links Findlay with like-minded collabo ato s Hansen, Shive , and Tsang, and bands such as TVOTR and Santogold, which have suppo ted his endeavo s in the past, and a e clea ly on boa d to collabo ate with him on his endeavo s in the futu e. “It’s not about just putting stuff out the e, but athe the p ocess that’s inte esting. That’s how you fi nd eal solutions,” he says. “It’s mo e challenging, but eal solutions a e the only way to go. Halfway is no way to me.” 58 CITY TY
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