[Dialogue] “How do we assist in accelerating s ustainability in every community around where we live? ”

[jlepps at pc.jaring.my]

Great news, Karen.

This song struck me as a way to celebrate some of 
the new consciousness that is coming into being:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcG1JNpazN4

John

At 02:47 PM 7/8/2012, you wrote:

>What if the question of our time is “How do we 
>assist in accelerating sustainability in every 
>community around where we live?”  Here is a 
>summary of the journey of working with 
>colleagues in Chicago to answer this question – 
>colleagues new and old, colleagues in non-profit 
>organizations, public agenices and for-profit 
>companies, colleagues young and 
>old.  Participating in the journey to date, the following comes to mind.
>
>In this century at the ICA office in Chicago, 
>sustainability has surfaced as important for the 
>future direction of ICA services.  Intriguing 
>stories surfaced about global movements where 
>people have been engaged for five to forty years 
>in rethinking community to include the earth and 
>all its resources, plants, animals and mineral 
>life (e.g., Transition Movement, Global Village 
>Movement, Natural Step).  As we considered 
>creating yet another demonstration of community 
>in Uptown, simultaneously we asked ourselves 
>what would it take to create demonstrations in 
>every community of Chicago, applying to 
>Transition US to be recognized as Transition 
>Chicago (listed as #83 of 119 official 
>Transition US initiatives – see 
><http://transitionus.org>http://transitionus.org).
>
>The story evolved as we began talking with 
>people across the city, asking them to identify 
>sustainable initiatives that they are a part of 
>or know about.  It quickly became clear that a 
>remarkable revolution of change and empowerment 
>is happening, often unrecognized within the 
>community or even the people actually engaged in 
>the initiative and below the media radar.  We 
>found that instead of doing another 
>demonstration, what was needed was to ‘listen 
>and learn’ what is going on, assist in 
>highlighting success that is already present, 
>and then discern roles needed to help in 
>acceleration. It could be said that all Chicago 
>communities are already in transition towards a new future.
>
>The year-long Identifying Phase of ‘listening 
>and learning’ began last summer as student 
>interns from Oklahoma City University documented 
>two communities.  In the fall a professor at 
>DePaul University involved his two classes (55 
>students) in researching sustainable initiatives 
>in fifteen communities.  By January five other 
>Chicago universities had 150 students 
>researching 38 communities.  This summer forty 
>students from six Chicago universities, three 
>community colleges, and eight national 
>universities have spent the last seven weeks 
>collecting information from the remaining 22 Chicago communities.
>
>Tomorrow is the launch of the Connection Phase, 
>an exciting time of inviting community people 
>engaged in sustainable initiatives to 
>participate in acceleration through highlighting 
>their achievements, sharing, networking and 
>participating in the September 15th Sharing 
>Approaches that Work event in Chicago.  After 
>the Share Fair, the Engaging Phase will focus on the question of acceleration.
>
>What have we learned? 500 sustainable 
>initiatives were identified by June 1st with yet 
>another 500 since identified or yet 
>undiscovered.  Community gardens are cropping up 
>everywhere.  New LEED certified buildings 
>(police, fire stations, schools, homes) have 
>been built – or retrofitted.  Businesses are 
>changing their practices to be more energy 
>efficient, more resourceful.  Restaurants are 
>being recognized for being ‘green’ as they 
>provide healthier food choices.  Schools are 
>creating curriculums that teach children – who 
>teach their parents – about sustainability. 
>Youth grow and sell food they raise, create and 
>lead workshops in eating healthy.   Incredible 
>blessings for the future are hidden like gems 
>for those who have the eyes to see, the ears to 
>hear, the questions to ask, and the answers remembered!
>
>The youth through elders engaged in identifying 
>and connecting initiatives  work out of the ICA 
>building where people are dreaming about what it 
>will look for the building to be off the grid by 
>2020.  In the past colleagues added energy 
>efficient windows, a ‘green’ bricked parking 
>lot, and transformed the Lumumba Room into a 
>green space.   In 2012 six wind turbines are 
>being added to the roof, sensor lighting has 
>been added throughout the building, the second 
>story roof has been resurfaced to be ‘green’, a 
>new kitchen creates community spirit, and food 
>is being grown in the kitchen greenhouse and 
>conference room window.  The building serves as 
>one of the Uptown community's sustainable initiatives.
>
>Personally I am joy-filled as I participate in 
>this work.  While on a learning curve, I am in 
>the midst of unlearning much of the past.  As a 
>facilitator, I am learning to use less paper and 
>fewer procedures while being challenged to use 
>more visuals and tell motivating stories.  I am 
>impatient with my personal slow change in habits 
>to make a smaller earth footprint (e.g., when 
>asked at the grocery store, “Do you want paper 
>or plastic?” I again agonize knowing I want 
>neither – but the bags I brought for bagging are 
>in the car!)  The student interns visiting 
>communities when it is 100 degrees are an 
>inspiration in their intelligence and commitment 
>to this work.  There is a sense of being surrounded by Those Who Care.
>
>This is all to say that I perceive that just as 
>important as raising the ‘right’ question(s) for 
>our time is to reveal where the question is 
>already abundantly being answered - as well as 
>tell how we are participating in creative and 
>significant responses to it.  Some researchers 
>say that the best way to change hearts and 
>change behavior is to point to what is possible!
>
>Peace,
>
>Karen
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