[Oe List ...] [Dialogue] "How do we assistin accelerating sustainability in every community around wherewe live?"

Mon Jul 9 08:15:24 PDT 2012

I missed your thread on asking the right question, but I opened this one.
It's great to hear about what ICA is doing in sustainability!

Herman

  _____  

From: oe-bounces at lists.wedgeblade.net
[mailto:oe-bounces at lists.wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of David Walters
Sent: Sunday, July 08, 2012 11:17 PM
To: Order Ecumenical Community
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] [Dialogue] "How do we assistin accelerating
sustainability in every community around wherewe live?"

Since I started this thread about asking the right question let me jump in
here. Another bit of wisdom to go along with asking the right question is
that the the external situation is never the major contradiction.
Sustainability IS the external situation. The right question that needs to
be asked must be related how can we engage people to do the necessary deed
relative to concretely dealing with sustainability in a non-abstract
fashion.

-David Walters

Subject: [Dialogue] "How do we assist in accelerating sustainability in
every community around where we live?"

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). 

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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