Let's talk about itSpread the word. The best way to learn something is to teach it. The best way to teach something is to lead by example. You can inspire new behaviors in others showing a telling people what you are learning and doing. Tell people how you learned about sustainability and what things made you take living a more sustainable lifestyle seriously. Many people have seen “An Inconvenient Truth”. Ask them which images they found most memorable. Ask them if they‘d like to see another movie like that and you’ll have another guest for your next InterMission party. Talking about sustainability isn’t just another conversation about an environment or social justice issue. It’s a conversation about lifestyle choices and what kind of world we are leaving for our children. It’s a conversation about the fairness of 5% of the world’s population (America) using up 25% of its resources and leaving a depleted world to the next generation in all countries. Most of all it’s a wake up conversation. Most of us are asleep to the fragility of the systems that sustain us. We don’t know: • how much chemical fertilizers have depleted the soil, • how empty our seas are due to overfishing, • how 2/3 of the corn crop is irrigated from an aquifer that is running dry • how close we are to reaching the peak of oil production and what it will mean for the economy when there is less oil every year • how high the national debt is and what would happen to our government if foreigners stopped buying our Treasury bonds Our economy has doubled since the 50’s but people are not as happy. [reference to McKibben’s book] We are consuming more, but are less happy. What’s wrong with this picture? Basically, for more isn’t always better. It is when one doesn’t have food and safe shelter but it pleasure per dollar earned starts to level off much more quickly than Madison Avenue has told us. Consuming just isn’t the greatest source of happiness. We’ve been chasing the wrong carrot. We need to practice talking about the “pursuit of happiness” in a whole new way. Not that consuming isn’t fun, but does it provide our deepest sense of well-being? The people at New American Dream [http://www.newdream.org] people have been asking themselves these questions and have come up with some very interesting answers. Let’s listen in… Ask your neighbors what really matters and you’ll likely hear “a safe future for my kids,” “treating people respectfully,” or “a strong community.” Ask them what they want more of, and they’ll reply, “more time,” “more security,” or maybe just “more fun.” more from the New American Dream … [http://www.newdream.org] [You might want to lay in their bumper sticker] http://www.newdream.org/cnad/store/index.php?config[r26][action]=Select%20Product&config[r26][instance_uid]=94&soource_code=55 It starts with sharing your passion with someone who doesn’t quite believe - yet.
If this looks like just one more list of to do's—then STOP! How you go about being sustainable is MORE important than you might imagine. We can't create a sustainable world from overextended lives.
Don't proceed until you read
"Guiding Principles for Lasting Change"
and
"Why Be Sustainable?"
The 12 steps are organized so that the things that take the least amount of time and money come first. Most items on the list will actually save you money. Many will also save you time.
In all the steps, we ask you to spend more time connecting with neighbors. Connecting with your neighbors is the only way to avoid getting overwhelmed.
A sustainable world is only possible within a deeply connected community — It's that fundamental.
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