At the past two Barnraisings, in Morgantown, West Virginia ( #west-virginia ) and in Cocodrie in November 2016, I was able to interview and video folks who came, and ask them what questions they brought with them.

I like asking this question because many people come with a specific need in mind, hoping to find someone from the diverse Public Lab community that may be able to help, and some come with knowledge, skills, and capacity -- and I’d wager that most people come with both of these! But finding ways to exchange knowledge, and support one another, is one of the keys to making an event like this work.

With this in mind, I’ll be sharing these every week or so in batches, here and on Instagram and Twitter with the tag #barnraisingQuestions. And please reach out with your own questions as you draw up your plans for this November 3-5 -- we hope to see you in Cocodrie, Louisiana!

Mirijana Beram

My name is Mirijana Beram and I live in Doddridge County West Virginia, and my question is: how can rural communities fight the Man and win?

Carla Green

One question that I've brought to this year's barnraising is: How can we help the West Virginia community develop more green infrastructure and deal with the contaminants they deal with here, as far as air quality and water quality.

Laura Chipley

Hi, I'm Laura, and I came here today wanting to know more strategies for how to use aerial photography and drone imagery to chronicle infractions in mountaintop removal and to tell stories.