Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up. (David Orr)
On October 4, Dave lead two Climate Action Now (CAN) programs in Portland. The first was a presentation for David Vaughn’s marine biology class at the Waynflete School. It was exciting to be back in a classroom connecting with students who care deeply about our environment and who are eager to learn. David has been teaching biology at Waynflete for 30 years, and I had to wonder what it would be like to make that length of commitment to the same school… He is an intelligent, dedicated teacher who cares deeply about his students’ academic and personal lives. Pretty amazing!
And it made me appreciate the teachers/coaches/mentors that I have had: how they believed in me, how they challenged me to see the potential that was in me, how they inspired me with the desire to be of service to the world. It made me appreciate the thousands of teachers and millions of students for whom they develop the academic skills, passion, and character to make our world a better place to live. Have you thanked a teacher/mentor today? Perhaps our sailboat named Tusen Takk (“a thousand thanks”) will inspire the gratitude that will summon the words “thank you” each and every day of this journey…
Our second CAN event of the day was at the University of Southern Maine (USM). In partnership with USM’s Sustainability Office, we co-led a mini-workshop on climate change and ocean warming and acidification with an emphasis on solutions to these problems. Aaron, USM’s sustainability director along with Melissa, a student eco-rep,
presented their campus’ goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to “zero” by 2040. USM’s entire sustainability strategic plan is built around carbon neutrality (see link for explanation). How cool is that? And it’s inspiring to see a public university taking a lead for others to follow.
The main purpose of all CAN workshops is to inspire participants with a real sense of hope. Yes, the problems we face are big and there is a sense of urgency to deal with them. But simply focusing on the problems, is ineffective. Research and collective experience shows that when people hear about the magnitude of the problems we face, they become discouraged, depressed and shut down. So, how do we encourage people to take action? We need to inspire them with good news, with real solutions, with stories of hope, and with tangible opportunities to “roll up their shirt sleeves” and become part of the solution. The quote at the top of this blog: “Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up” – illustrates the importance of empowering hope through action. That’s key!
We also need to call out the insidious, pervasive cultural story that says: “The problems are too big and the individual is too small to make a difference.” That story creates despair and despair creates inaction. The CAN story is: “Yes, the problems are big, BUT the SOLUTIONS are BIGGER. And we have the knowledge, technology and skills to solve every problem we are facing. And YOU are part of the solution. And YOU can make a BIG DIFFERENCE!”
And stories play a key role in inspiring people to make a difference. Below are several real-life, student stories we shared yesterday:
- 12-year-old Alec, who erects Sea Level Awareness posts along coastal California, speaks to Congress, and advocates for putting a price on carbon
- Julia is organizing volunteers to work in community gardens and farms in Brooklyn
- Alicia is developing a vermicomoposting system for her college’s food waste
- 11-year-old Olivia raised $200,000 to clean oiled birds after the BP spill and advocates for renewable energy
- Ben is working with his family to install photovoltaics on his home
- Charlotte is working on having her campus divest from fossil fuels
- Allie is developing a bike share program for her campus
- Galileo is working with his mother to transform their yard into a permaculture garden
- Angelica is working on banning plastic bottles on her college campus
- Santa Monica H.S. students passed a town ban on plastic bags…
What do these stories have in common? They are all young people who care deeply about our world, who author their own stories, who believe it is possible and prove that it is, and who don’t know they can’t do things, so they go ahead and do them…
The spirit of imagination, innovation, creativity and desire is alive and well today. Take Sam, for example, a student who attended a CAN program yesterday. Sam made me smile-wide with his infectious enthusiasm, sense of wonder, can-do attitude, unquenchable curiosity, and desire to learn and be of service. “Wow,” I thought: “this is the greatest source of energy in the world – young people who know it’s possible, who are unafraid to tell their own story and act on it, and who won’t give up until they see their dream realized.
So, the CAN program is dedicated to building a sense of hope in the world. And along this line, we invite you to send us ideas on what gives you hope? What inspires you to take action? Or send us a story of what has inspired you, or a time you felt inspired… Send them to dave@cellonline.org and we may include them in a future blog.
Here’s a link to the Waynflete School’s exciting summer programs: http://www.waynflete.org/summer-programs/sustainable-ocean-studies.
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*CELL is currently accepting applications for college sustainability focused study abroad programs, to Iceland, Central America, Ecuador, and Scotland. Faculty may contact CELL regarding custom programs for your college. Go to cellonline.org for more information and to apply.”