I find that nearly every topic discussed this semester ties back to the graph portrayed in Limits to Growth. This rings particularly true when you think about how the realities of the human perspective impact the concepts discussed in Roseland’s chapter on “governing sustainable communities” and shared/consensus decision-making (190-206).
Having worked in the government sector for 5 years, I know how difficult it is to get positive public input, or even any public involvement at all. We would advertise, speak on the radio, meet at flexible times and do everything we could possibly do, next to knocking on doors and having personal interviews, and still few people would show up. Of the few that would show up, they appeared because they opposed what was happening. We knew there were tons of people in the community in support of our projects, yet those people never came. How do you get people involved and interested in what is happening in the community?
The good news, based on the graph, is that the focus of individuals is first on family, and then on business, city, and neighborhood. The majority of people may not be willing to march in Washington for a particular issue, but they are pretty likely to care when it impacts the community in which they have a home and raise a family. In order to get people involved, they must be aware about what is happening in the community and that is where education and public awareness campaigns come into play.
Roseland writes about employers giving employees flexibility and incentives to increase the time they and their families devote to community activities (191). What a great idea! We all face a series of pressures and problems that require attention and action. Having your employer give you time to be involved and stay aware allows you to take time to be a part of you community. My husband’s employer, Cummins, Inc., has a program just like this. The EEC program (Every Employee, Every Community) requires him to spend 4 hours a year volunteering in our community. Though 4 hours doesn’t seem like much, when you stretch the 4 hours to the 6,000-7,000 employees in Bartholomew County, that makes a huge difference.
No, we don’t live in a perfect sustainable world like Ecotopia or Annaresas, as described in the articles covered in Wheeler. But, this is the only world we have and we each need to do our part to be involved in our communities and have a positive impact as we each strive to make the world a better place! Why? Because, that is all we can do! So, as we move forward in school, work and life “Remember Earth” and “Remember your Community”, we need them both in order to live happy, healthy and sustainable lives!
Laura this is a great post. I am in my fourth year of working in the public sector and I have had pretty much the same experience when it comes to soliciting public input and/or inviting public participation. I have trouble remembering the finer details of my childhood, especially when I try to consider my parents' perspective, but I don't recall life being so busy and hectic back some twenty-plus years ago. It seems as though the pace of life has forced us to prioritize every single minute spent on each and every one of the endless activities we take part in. Whether or not it is entirely attributable to consumerism, as I think Scott Russell Sanders would claim, I do believe that our insatiable appetite for economic growth and prosperity (which IS ATTRIBUTABLE to influential assaults by the media and politics) does play a significant role. As such, it is no wonder that a mother or father of 2.75 children (or whatever the American average family size is currently) can't make it to the town hall meeting. When the parents have to walk the dog, take the kids to soccer practice, monitor the children's online activity, work a second job to pay the third mortgage, and make dinner - all after a full day of work - what would you do? I don't mean to put you on the spot (as you are expecting) but when you consider all these obligations, what will you do when the time comes? In the end, the door continues to revolve back to the root problem at hand... How can we reverse the hands of time, back to the simple life and back to a cooperatively engaged community?
ReplyDeleteYep, we've definitely constructed a very full plate for the average human in this society. It makes it easy to want to focus on the lower-left-hand corner of that graph, especially when things feel out of hand. The thing is, I've noticed that people do show up when it's easy, convenient, or fun- or preferably some magic combination of all three! Are there ways to make the public process more accessible to folks in this crazy age? I don't know, but I know there are so many things I wish I could participate in that I have to decline just to keep my and my kiddo's sanity intact...So maybe that's part of it: holding on to our sanity so we can participate in the stuff that really matters to us, hoping that each little piece eventually builds toward a healthy whole?
ReplyDeleteI agree Laura, we tend to focus on the here and now, as demonstrated by the graph we discussed during the first (? wow. it's been a long time) week of class. You make a good point, it is so hard to get public input, or participation in the first place. I remember in high school, I would have to attend city council meetings, and besides the city council, I think there were probably three or four people in attendance. I really like Amy's comment above, people do tend to participate when things are easy and convenient, and also when there is some pressure to participate. If someone could find a way to make public participation more easy and shift people's views to believe it's fun, we could probably increase their participation in things that really matter.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of building in volunteering as an aspect of your job. Yes, as everybody else has stated, we are probably the busiest we have ever been as human beings, juggling a million things at once. At some point, something's gotta give, and that something is usually what isn't immediately relevant to you and your family's daily routine. BUT, incorporating even four hours a year of some type of community service into your existing work routine makes it both convenient AND desirable (at the very least, you don't want to piss off your boss by not participating!)... that is such a practical first step to introducing volunteerism into the average person's life, and you have to hope that along the way, they will learn to develop a new set of personal criteria that involves community participation.
ReplyDeleteI am happy to report I attended the city council meeting on Thursday and the room was packed and many citizens stood to speak about the Platinum Bicycle Task Force Report, which was unanimously adopted.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the Cummins method is more effective than the Lilly method of community engagement, where the entire work force descends on a major community project or projects for a day? Seems like the Cummins method might lead to more extended and unique personal connections over time because individuals can choose volunteer work that is important to them. In any case, it probably has a high return on investment for the companies involved in terms of good will and employee satisfaction.
I hope you will continue blogging after this class is over! I have learned a lot from you.