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Create Community Tipping Point

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There is a deep longing in everyone to be part of something bigger than themselves. There is no bigger need than changing our ways before we destroy our planet. All previous steps have been designed for small groups and families; the next step is to create opportunities for the wider community to get involved. Sustainability becomes lots more fun when your whole community gets involved. There are so many cool things you can do you when have five committed leaders and a mailing list of a few hundred people in your community who want to build and celebrate sustainability. It’s much easier than you may think. Recipe to Start a Community Tipping Point for Sustainability 2-3 committed, magnetic leaders who can recruit three more 1 Yahoo group (free) An organization name 1 computer and printer $50 for (recycled) paper and ink to print fliers That’s all it takes to get the ball rolling in the first 6-12 months. The leaders commit to meeting once a month to brainstorm community activities and more often once you’ve decided on a community activity. There are some community activities that are natural first projects. If you don’t already have a farmers’ market in your community, that’s often a great starting place. There is something magical about food that brings people together in a happy way. If you already have a farmers’ market, consider starting a Time Bank or Local First Coupon book. All three of these activities attract the “best” people on town. They bring out forward thinking people who care about the health of the whole community. There is also step-by-step kits for starting each of these. more… [Link to Community Projects with Startup kits] Check out the Be the Change forum for activities that other communities are doing to catalyze sustainable connections. Sustainability requires Strong Local Communities Building strong, local communities is an essential ingredient in every prescription for achieving a sustainable world. It is the loss of strong local communities that keeps us in a spiral of increasingly unsustainable consumption. Consumption fills the vacuum created by our lack of connection to our families, neighbors and community members. It’s so much easier to engage in destruction of ecosystems and exploitive labor practices when you are anonymous. Strong communities where people feel seen and appreciated for their unique gifts create a more deeply fulfilled and contented life than the “have it all”, “go for the gusto” lifestyles advertised in the media. Voluntary simplicity doesn’t work without great friends and community get-togethers to build an alternate lifestyle that is both more planet-friendly and more compelling. It’s all about Leadership We can’t wait for national governments to solve the sustainability problem for us. We need to take stewardship over our own piece of the world. Perhaps, in some ideal world, deteriorating ecosystems around the world would mean as much to us as the issues in our own communities but until then, it’s much easier to rally community support around keeping toxins out of the local watershed, maintaining habitat for native species, supporting farmers growing fresh locally grown, pesticide free produce, supporting businesses with a track record of giving back. We can’t wait for leaders in sustainability to show up - we must become them. We don’t mean the old fashion “lonely at the top” leader. We mean the “we’re all in this together” leadership council. Sustainability is too big a topic for any one person or organization to take on. It’s truly a team effort. It will take lots of leaders working synergistically. Don’t try to do everything, but think about how sustainability can become part of the warp and weft of your community, how you can foster the talents of each individual, how your organization can give to your community. The work isn’t done until you’ve got everyone from local business owners to 4th graders thinking about ways to make your community more sustainable. [side bar] There are a few of principles of community organizing that you would be wise to abide: 1. Choose projects that everyone loves 2. Go where the energy is 3. Find the opinion leaders and get them on board first 4. Draw from diverse segments of the community 5. Start with smaller projects and build 6. Spread the load 7. Have fun more… Choose projects that everyone loves Your first projects should have broad appeal. You don’t want to come out of the chutes too controversial, edgy, confrontational, or fluffy. It’s easy to get labeled and marginalized when you are a fledgling organization. After you’ve built credibility for getting things done in the community you can take on more controversial projects. Go where the energy is It’s always east to go with the flow then create one. Which sustainability projects are pregnant in your community? Which one needs just a bit of support to pop into a full-fledged community event? That’s probably a good candidate for your first project. Find the opinion leaders and get them on board first Test out some of your ideas on the people who have a history of getting things done in the community. Every community has a handful of people who are involved with just about every major event in town. Pass some of your ideas by them. Watch their eyes and listen to the tone of their voice. Which ones get them excited? When you decide on your first community project, you’ll want their support. Many others will be asking these key influencers what they think before the commit to working with you. Draw from diverse segments of the community Communities are not homogenous. There are many clusters inside each community. Some people belong to more than one cluster. These are the community weavers. These community weavers are key to successful grassroots events. They can draw volunteers and participants from their clusters into your sustainability events. It is hard to overemphasize the importance of getting board based support from different clusters. It is a principle of sustainability that ecosystem need to be diverse to be resilient. The most diverse ecosystems also make the most efficient uses of resources. Start with smaller projects and build ‘Tis better to start with small events that are overcrowded than overambitious events that are under attended. Spread the load “Many hands make light work.” That’s what my mom always used to say. So many non-profits have started in a blaze of glory with an enthusiastic, tireless band of leaders working long hours and through the weekends. Unfortunately, this is also not sustainable behavior. Eventually folks get burned out. You want your organization to last for many decades – maybe generations. Have fun We have a motto: If it isn’t fun; it isn’t sustainable. This is essential when building community organizations that last. No matter what you are doing – running a fund raiser, farmers’ market, energy awareness campaign, etc. – the first priority is that everyone has fun so they’ll come back to your next event. Community Projects with Startup kits Farmers’ Markets Time Banks Local First Coupon book Farmers’ Markets—The Magic of Food as a Community Attractor Farmers’ Markets bring more than fresh food into a community. They bring a community together around fresh food. People meet, greet and deepen connections while they shop at farmers’ markets. It happens every time. It is a great way to meet the folks who will join with you in many sustainable projects. Farmers’ markets reduce global warming by reducing the number of miles your food travels to get to you. They maintain the rural countryside by keeping farmers in business through higher margin business. As one proponent of farmers’ markets put it, "If you love to look at farmland, you've got to eat the view or lose it." There are several step-by-step guide to creating a farmers market on-line. We like these: http://www.organic-growers.com/farmers_markets.htm http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/ http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/farmman2/manageres.htm#Funding%20Sources and the book The New Farmers' Market : Farm-Fresh Ideas for Producers, Managers & Communities by Vance Corum, Marcie Rosenzweig, Eric Gibson Start by visiting a farmer’s market near you and talking to their leaders. Find out how they found their farmers, get a copy of their market rules, make some fliers and start talking to other organizations in your community. Everyone loves a farmer’s market and you’ll get plenty of help spreading the word. We recommend setting aside a table or two for local non-profits to rotate through a couple of times in the season—even more reason for them to bring their community to the farmer’s market. There are only two criteria for a successful farmers’ market: 1. The vendors sell out so they want to come back next year 2. Everyone has fun so volunteers and community members come back next year. Musicians and an outdoor coffee house (with lemonade and cookies for the kids) really helps to get folks to linger and talk to each other. Have volunteers bring lawn chairs. Creating conversations is the essence of community building. A farmers’ market is a magnet for the very people you need to start more sustainability projects. Make sure to have an email sign up list at the gate. [sidebar] The average grocery store item travels 1300 miles to get on the shelf. That’s a lot of CO2 put in the atmosphere just to get it to you. A gallon of gasoline weighs about seven pounds, and when you burn it you release about five pounds of carbon into the atmosphere. Food is often over-packaged, and that packaging becomes methane when it gets to the landfill and decomposes. Methane is 21 times more powerful than CO2 as a greenhouse gas. The moral of this story is that when you have a choice, you’ll create a healthier planet when you chose to buy things that don’t travel as far and don’t have as much packaging. Time Banks—Weaving Community One hour at a Time Starting a local Time Bank is another wonderful way to bring the communitarians in your area out into the open. A Time Bank is a simple “pay it forward” system. When you take an hour to do something for a neighbor, that hour goes in the Time Bank as a Time Dollar. Then you have a Time Dollar to spend on having a neighbor do something for you. The net result is an economy of caring. Time Banks weave communities of caring services for overworked parents, seniors with a lifetime of talents, and children who can also earn Time Dollars for their family. www.TimeBanks.org [http://www.timebanks.org/types-of-time-banks.htm#Sustainability] has a $49 start-up kit and a website where each community can host community news, wants and offers, and track their Time Dollars. Create a Buy Local Campaign to Strengthen your Local Economy When you have a choice of where to buy, you’ll create a stronger local economy if you buy from a locally owned business. Big box stores concentrate wealth in a few hands; locally owned businesses create a more thriving middle class. Big box stores suck money out of your community while locally owned businesses help it recirculate back into the community. Locally owned businesses put 3x more money back into the local community [http://www.livingeconomies.org/localfirst/whylocalfirst] than big box stores. Locally owned businesses: • Contribute more to local causes— it’s their little league and their community issues • Maintain the uniqueness of a place—big box stores do not create a sense of place • Attract tourist business—who wants to visit Anytown, USA? • Make a town more friendly—the shopkeepers are your neighbors • Provide more stable employment—rooted businesses aren’t as likely to skip town if they get a better offer • Cause less environmental damage—their families drink the same water • Place less of a burden on local tax payers—businesses in town centers require less services. The Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) [http://www.livingeconomies.org/] has $20 start-up kit for local first campaigns and brings business people committed to strong local economies together for an annual conference. [instead of the Margaret Mead quote add this sidebar:] The True Joy of Life This is the true joy of life. The being used for a purpose Recognized by yourself as a mighty one. The being a force of nature Instead of a feverish, selfish Little clod of ailments and grievances Complaining that the world will not Devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life Belongs to the whole community And as long as I live, It is my privilege to do for it Whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly Used up when I die, For the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch Which I've got hold of For the moment And I want to make it burn As brightly as possible before Handling it on to future generations - George Bernard Shaw Community festivals We can’t build a sustainable world one person at a time. It takes a village. More fun in groups Geography trumps issues This is about the long haul Putting down roots Hard work Need community behind you