localopinion


SUSTAINABILITY: On the Way to Mainstream?


by Linda Sechrist


Somewhere between child’s play and rocket science lie the solutions for pre- serving the future of our one-of-a-kind planet Earth and its natural resources. Fortunately, thousands of individuals are waking up to discover that, just as R.H. Conwell suggested in Acres of Diamonds, the solutions are virtually in their backyard. For the hundreds of resilient and


innovative individuals that I and my col- league, Sharon Joy Kleitsch, met in 10 cities throughout our month-long Stone Soup Listening Tour, “hope” is now an action word—hope for finding workable solutions for the future of our neighbor- hoods, towns, cities and planet. From San Diego to Spartanburg, South Carolina, we found engaged citi- zens who were gathering together, con- fidently conveying that as a thoughtful, committed and intentioned group of people, they have the means and per- sonal power to make a difference in the important issues impacting the health of their neighborhoods and communities.


As we moved from city to city,


several patterns began to emerge. The first: Sustainability is truly a “from the soil up” grassroots movement. The hot- beds of activity largely revolve around food, and the flurry of present activity is around farmers’ markets, community gardens, backyard gardens, community supported agriculture (CSA), new farm- to-table restaurants and small, healthy corner grocery stores in low-income neighborhoods. The second pattern is that sustain-


service work that holds the potential to meet their community’s present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. No longer expending energy on


“fixing” broken systems, passionate community activists are working togeth- er, using proven principles of grassroots movements such as Transition Towns; Slow Money; Slow Food; Permaculture; and Buy Fresh, Buy Local. Additionally, principles of the Fresh Food Financing Initiative are being utilized to fund in- vestments in corner grocery stores that can provide access to healthy, afford- able foods that can have a measurable impact on well-being.


While connecting the green dots Whether collaborating with sustain-


ability programs funded by American Recovery Reinvestment Act stimulus money or public/private partnerships, these citizens are involved in sustainable


34 San Diego Edition


on our tour, Kleitsch and I found several cities teeming with energetic, enthu- siastic individuals who have created a parallel universe, whose momentum is being fed by their thoughts, words, deeds and initiatives. Rallying their friends, families, neighbors, local busi- nesses, nonprofit organizations and local government officials, these indi- viduals are creating flourishing com- munities of practice to explore a more sustainable future, one that offers not only a good working model for other communities, but also inspiration and hope for all.


www.na-sd.com


able networks of individuals who are making the most advances are organized around Transition Towns programming, designed to collaborate with local gov- ernment. While we largely saw opportu- nities for citizens engaged in sustainable service work to close the gap that exists between their efforts and those of their local governments, we were re-ener- gized by collaborative models in Phoe- nix, Oklahoma City and Chattanooga, where local government representation is being tapped in order to midwife a new, more inclusive paradigm. A welcoming pattern we relished


was the groundswell of younger genera- tions who are adding their energy to the sustainability movement. Whether learning to grow their own food, shop- ping consciously or forming young professional groups to collaborate for change, we met dozens of 20- to 30-somethings who are the architects of vibrant and resilient change. They are operating in a whole new paradigm full of positive and inspirational stories that will be posted on our Stone Soup Listening Tour website, now under con- struction. Overall, our road trip adventure


gave us many remarkable things to pon- der, including the vision that Thomas Jefferson had for civic engagement. His genius foresaw a future where every-


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