Getting Started

The dialogue continues at Energy Resources Yahoo Group. See: Moving Beyond the Talk


ECO

Tom Robertson writes: The question regarding change is from what to what, and how fast. And the issue is not how we feel about change but the fact that the greatest force for change to affect humanity in its history is coming down the pike, and there is little known and agreed to about how fast it is coming, what its affect will be, and what we can physically, ecologically, and culturally do about it in time. Further, and in the context of the folks you describe above, dialog can only lead to effective change when there is understanding and agreement as to what the problem is. All the dialog in the world will have no affect if it is not anchored in the physical sciences–and I see nothing of that in these posts.

Tom, Thank you. Can’t help but agree with you and perhaps the biggest problem here is a communication gap on my part. I think the change must be from non-sustainable to sustainable. The answer to how fast, depends on how quickly we can organize community groups.

Where the dialogue must begin, I think, is with the question: “How do you make your community secure, that is, ensure the basic necessities of life, while at the same time enact resource conservation and begin viable restoration programs?” Maybe this cannot be accomplished, so then the question arises as to what the community does. Must it move to a different location? Is this feasible? Somewhere along the line the question of population growth will arise and I think it best to let it arise naturally rather than structure the dialogue. (Guidance on this must be available on a website easily accessed – see below for further info.)

Another more personal version of the question that has been used with some success is: “If the survival of the Planet and my well-being and that of my children and all other life forms for generations to come, is dependent upon me and who I am and what I do, who do I want to be and what will I do?

Using ‘journaling’ combined with group dialogue has been demonstrated successfully in one program that I am aware of using the above question. The group facilitator of this program actually took her learners on eco-trips to Africa where they reconnected with nature by helping to rehabilitate an African village, including the small hospital there and then they went on a photo safari to the Serengeti. This is not practical, but I think the question used along with journaling to create personal transformation in this instance is worthwhile considering as a method. And I think reconnecting to nature is an important part of the process as well.

One problem is centered around how to form the initial groups. This is not easy because there are so many acting in denial of the crisis, perhaps because it is so overwhelming and many simply cannot deal with the issues involved, as has been voiced by several on this list as they try to communicate with family and friends. Sticking one’s head in the sand and hoping the problem will go away is easier for most than confronting the issues. This is very scary stuff to most people.

It may be that starting a group from say a ‘community organic gardening project’ initially may be the way to go, and then you ease into the really tough issues gradually. We began a group this way but it fell apart because of political issues related to an NGO we got involved with before we could get into dialogue or grow the group to an appreciable size. We could possibly have reformed this group and gone on, but this was at the time we moved to this wilderness area and could not continue. A solar energy project could also be the ‘starter’.

Another thought is to round up all the people in the community already involved in environmental or related issues. For example, vegetarians, members of the National Audubon Society or other ‘bird-watching’ groups, members of the Surfrider Association, Bay Watch or other such environmental groups who may already be aware of the crisis and who can influence others to attend meetings, and then let peer pressure go to work to draw in others.

I think the trick is how to bring together and form the ‘core’ group in each community—and how to begin the dialogue. And, I think each community will be different because of cultural background, so the process is sort of feel your way along and try to ‘let it happen’ rather than ‘make it happen’ for those trying to set up groups. It seems to me that there should be some sort of ‘group facilitator’ training available on the Internet to help new facilitators get started.

Bullfrog Films also is an excellent source for video presentations that can stimulate dialogue.

These films can be rented for a nominal price and shown at a ‘pot luck’ dinner gathering at someone’s home.

As to your comment: “All the dialog in the world will have no effect if it is not anchored in the physical sciences–and I see nothing of that in these posts.

This is the part that is made visible through a website into which all of the community learning and information centers can tap into for information that will ‘guide’ the dialogue when necessary. In other words, the website becomes the ‘distribution’ center.

I think these groups have to be structured as ‘co-learning’ groups much as the list is structured here where there is no teacher up in the front of the room type education going on. It has to be ‘experiential learning’ where the learner can go out into the community and immediately apply knowledge as it is acquired through dialogue in conjunction with information provided by the website.

There are going to be both failures and successes here and this is an important part of the network due to immediate feedback and data sharing capabilities made possible via Internet linking. As communities learn how to accomplish tasks they can convey the results to other communities where the tasks can be duplicated with modifications for location specifics ASAP.

As new information from whatever source is made available it can be disseminated ASAP through the network so that immediate appropriate action can be taken wherever need be. This creates the shift from “politicing” to effective management.

The positive note on this is that there are 50 million Cultural Creatives here in the United States who want change, are eager to learn, have some vague idea of where it is they want to go, but don’t know how to get there. Once this gets started in the U.S. it can make the leap to other countries around the world.

And the obvious thing is the government is not going to help with this; we-the-people have to organize civic society into a legal viable representative Body to ensure that we have a voice that is heard in tandem around the world.

This movement started with the protests in Seattle; it is now time to take it to another level.


ECO is a pseudonym of Marguerite Hampton, an activist and writer with the Turtle Island Institute.

Read more about the Fossil Fuel Depletion Crisis and Global Warming.