A better world is possible - Global Commons Institute

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Copyright Bruce Nixon 2010. All rights reserved. This electronic copy is provided free for personal, non-commercial use only. www.brucenixon.com Transform the way we feed ourselves - a real green revolution, eco-agriculture, food sovereignty and security Create sustainable communities, towns and cities and regions based on bioregionalism What you can do It is an enormous task: everyone is needed; there is no one way; all initiatives are needed. Friends of the Earth say: Individual actions can only reduce one third of carbon emissions. The rest is up to governments. We need to: Act Local - Change our communities and “Be the change”. Act Global - Be activists and lobby government, global institutions and corporations and insist they change. Act Local Whatever you do a strategic approach is needed: A Strategic Approach Strategy Be clear that a paradigm shift is needed Declare the possibility; then work on how to make it happen Aim to engage everyone – “critical mass” is required - Identify and involve key stakeholders Vision - the power of declaring that something is possible –it needs to involve everyone Be clear about priority objectives Leadership is crucial – successful leaders are leaders of leaders and develop more leaders Organise. Also allow and encourage things to emerge and people to self-organise. Massive education and awareness raising is needed Uniqueness is important – everywhere is different Good models open our minds to possibilities – study what works and why Influencing strategy and processes A paradigm shift requires new paradigm processes and structures for transformative meetings – train people in them Networking brings results. Neighbours, family and friends are important Pressures on most people are enormous, so focus on creating energy Respect and value difference in meetings Thanks to Mick Crews for his valuable contribution to the thinking in this sections. Be clear that a paradigm shift is needed - change of this magnitude requires a 10 to 20 year project. It is a massive challenge - a major change is needed in lifestyles, attitudes and how we define ourselves – our identities. A timescale of 10 or more years is required. Yet it is urgent. Declare the possibility; then work on how to make it happen. Declaring something possible is at the heart of every extraordinary endeavour. US President John Kennedy declared that putting a man on the moon was not only possible but would be done within ten years. Problems and difficulties dissolve when 206
Copyright Bruce Nixon 2010. All rights reserved. This electronic copy is provided free for personal, non-commercial use only. www.brucenixon.com people focus on possibilities and vision. That changes the mindset and turns obstacles into opportunities... Technology is not the issue; it is the way we think. One way of putting it all is: “If we have a clear vision, the universe will conspire to support us!” Synchronicity will kick in. In my experience this almost always works. Aim to engage everyone. The transformation we need cannot be seen as a fringe project of eccentric ecoangels or greens. It has to be a mainstream movement, involving everyone. There is an urgent need to develop awareness and help people see that they can and must get involved. We have to create a “critical mass.” Wikipedia defines this as “a socio-dynamic term to describe the existence of sufficient momentum in a social system such that the momentum becomes self-sustaining and fuels further growth”. For a large-scale community initiative to succeed, it is essential to identify and engage all stakeholders. All the diversity of the community is needed, people of all cultures, political and religious viewpoints. Only in this way, will we meet all needs. It is important not to underestimate opposition, those powerful vested interests, some local and some global, including “deniers”. Respect, listen and learn from people who disagree with you. “Restraining forces” can be a gift - ignore them at your peril (Johnson, B, 1996). People who resist change often become strong supporters. Vision and Mission Exciting possibilities, passion and hope inspire and sustain us. Everyone needs their own vision of the community they want to create, brought together in a shared vision. The process starts with the leadership but the whole community needs to be involved. The mission is the long term task. Here is the mission statement of Transition Town Totnes: The mission of Transition Town Totnes is two-fold. The first is to explore and then follow pathways of practical actions that will reduce our carbon emissions and dependence on fossil fuels (getting to zero carbon is increasingly seen as viable response). The second is to build the town's resilience, that is, its ability to withstand shocks from the outside, to be more self reliant in terms of food, energy, employment and economics. The worldwide Transition Town Network’s website is an invaluable resource. Be clear about priority objectives. The objective is a sustainable community in which we reduce our carbon and eco footprints to 2 tonnes and 1.8 global hectares respectively. We need to create measurable or observable 10 to 20 year objectives, milestones and short term wins that will encourage us. We need to act; pause to reflect, take stock and review; then continue; then repeat these steps. Leadership is crucial It is evident in all successful initiatives. Successful leaders inspire and enable. Often initiatives fail because there are too few leaders; they burn out and become exhausted and discouraged. Instead of defining their role clearly, some get too involved in doing. Paradigm change is too big for a project leader approach. It requires leaders who focus on their strategic role, especially being leaders of leaders, developing new leaders and giving them the freedom and support to lead others. They have high expectations of everyone and build good relationships. They involve people in building a shared vision to which everyone is committed. Roles are clearly defined. Every book about change I have ever read stresses the importance of “Communicate, communicate and communicate!” Organise and allow and encourage things to emerge and people to self-organise. A clear organisational structure is essential that takes care of the key functions, long-term and short-term, campaigning, global and local, doing and thinking, reflecting and learning. The different strengths and skills in a group find their place in such a structure. But it is equally important to enable things to emerge in a selforganising, messy, chaotic ways. 207
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