WHO POWERS THE FUTURE? A Participatory Energy Futures Workshop

Energy shapes more than how we power our lives. Explore and prototype new possibilities through a participatory futures workshop. WHO POWERS THE FUTURE: Energy Futures x Design is a 90-minute participatory futures/design workshop exploring how the choices we make about energy systems shape relationships, ecologies, places, communities, and possibilities. Through a participatory futures process, people will explore energy futures and prototype new ways of sensing how energy might move through and sustain the communities of tomorrow. This is a workshop, not a lecture. The experience is built around curiosity, participation, experimentation, and imagining possible futures together. *** Energy is not only about electricity, infrastructure, or technology. Energy systems also include invisible infrastructure – our social systems, economies, and laws– shaped by our worldviews and values. Our values shape the design of our energy systems; and life-affirming values can reshape our infrastructure. How we design and participate in the energy system influences how we live together, how ecologies sustain,how places develop, and what futures become possible. You do not need to know what “energy futures” means before coming. The workshop is an invitation to explore it. What to expect: Participants should leave having: • encountered a broader way of thinking about energy systems • explored relationships between energy, place, ecologies, and community • considered multiple possible futures rather than a single predicted future • contributed ideas through a participatory futures process • made or prototyped something that helps make those possibilities tangible No prior knowledge of energy systems, futures practice, or design is required. Audience: The workshop is intended for people curious about energy, design, civic life, communities, systems, and possible futures. It is accessible to both practitioners and people encountering these ideas for the first time. Registration Info: Pre-registration required. Sliding scale: $5 / $10 / $15 Free registration: Code FUTURE/S for anyone for whom cost is a barrier Event Connections The workshop takes place during Portland Design Month and the day before 2026 Radical Future(s) Summit: Civic Futures x Design. It is a separate event with separate registration, while connected to the broader Radical Future(s) and Portland Design Month ecosystem.