And it's a wrap

And here we are – back to systems thinking. Back to integral theory. Back to complexity. Back to the fact that there is no such thing as one size fits all. Think about how many viewpoints or conflicting points of view exist inside your own mind. Then think about how many different and/or conflicting points of view exist within your family. Then extend that to your circle of friends. And now your workplace or colleagues. Now extend that to people that are definitely NOT in your circle of friends but are perhaps in your community. Now take a huge leap to try to comprehend the differing, conflicting viewpoints of the SEVEN billion people who now live on our planet. Now, think of an issue and try to consider all of those viewpoints in your solution. Success? Okay, well now try to also consider the well-being and survival of all other animals, not only humans. You did that too? Okay, well now consider all of the millions of plant species, but not just that, consider all of the complex interactions between all of the aforementioned items, and consider many non-living things as well, like water, mountains, oxygen. It isn't far-fetched to consider non-living things, because at the very least, we need (not want, but NEED) some of these things for our very own survival. So, in fact, they would have had to have been factored in to the solution at the first level when trying to think about all 7 billion people on the planet. Okay... so is this possible? Can there be a solution that considers all of the above? Maybe, but definitely not all the time. And not even most of the time. The world is COMPLICATED!!! It relies on chaos as a form of development and evolution. It will always be messy. There will always be a dash of India or Italy in with the Sweden. We are never going to be a perfect system functioning like a good quality clock. For as long as we exist we will be striving to make things better. We will be problem-solving. We will be adapting. We will hit tipping points. All of this is unavoidable. 

Just a little taste of that beautiful chaos that is and always will be a part of our hectic but wonderful world...

 But at the same time, we can and should, aim towards a better, healthier, happier world for all. And this will take change from all angles. I like what Jamie wrote in his blog about this. He said that “change needs to come from everywhere, cascading vertically, laterally and diagonally.” I totally agree with that and I think I'll share my response to him here in my blog entry.

I said: “I like what you said about cascading vertically, laterally and diagonally. It has a nice ring to it and creates beautiful imagery. Indeed it is from all directions and arenas that change must come. “Bottoms up to top down” - a confusing statement that can be read with different meanings, but the way I see it is that work needs to be done on a local level. And work needs to be done on the global level. And they need to meet in the middle where VOILA... positive change all around, from all angles. I used to do a lot of work with the International Climate Change Movement, spending time at international conventions and trying to change policy at the highest scale possible. The only thing that allowed me (mentally) to do this work, was that I was also running a charity at home, working directly with kids on how to make local changes in their own lives. This combination of extremely top down, and extremely bottom up, worked well for me as it provided the balance that I needed and represented the way that I think change has to occur. That being said, I am not the right person for the high-level policy stuff, so I have shied away from that towards taking a more grassroots and empowerment approach to my global-scale work.”

I also think it is important to realize that as a changemaker, I am going to make the most change doing a) what I'm good at , and b) what I love.  So, if I am totally overwhelmed and confused by things on a global scale, I'm probably not going to be very effective there.  One example came up in one of our summer classes.  I got into a small debate with our instructor (who I loved dearly though), because she was sort of saying that things like anti-idling campaigns are pointless because they don't look at the root cause of the problem... ie. cars.  And that we need to approach things from the level of paradigm shift.  Which is great.  And I agree with, because I can think and work at that level.  But... I disagreed with the idea that someone shouldn't organize that type of campaign.  My reasoning was that a) we are not going to get rid of cars overnight, so getting people to stop idling them while they are still kicking about is certainly not a bad thing.  And b) the person organizing that sort of campaign might be perfect for that level and scale of work, whereas they might not be able to work or think at a big picture, systems, all-encompassing level.  So, rather, instead of telling them that their work just isn't quite important enough so don't bother, I think we should embrace every scale of positive leadership and change-making, from a kid who starts a two-page petition at their school to save the dolphins all the way to those who are risking their lives to save entire rainforests or countries.  Everything counts and the bottom line is we have to all work together. 

Okay... more to say, but this is me signing out for now...  

Ramblings on international meetings... (and stuff)

I mentioned in an earlier blog that I have a lot to say in regards to “Internationalism”. Not that this is overly relevant, but I'm on a plane from London to Turkey right now. The day before that I was in Nairobi. The day before that I was in Tanzania. A week before that I was in rural South Africa. And in a couple of weeks I'll be back home in Canada. Can't get much more international than that. Also can't get much more of a carbon footprint. Yikes!! Will have to do some serious (and well-researched) off-setting when I get home. Mind you, I have various thoughts about that too. Anyhow – all of this jet-setting definitely highlights the need for some international initiatives and leadership regarding climate change and the effect that us humans are having on the planet.

This flight started over 7 months ago when I flew to the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban to lead a delegation of environmental educators with the goal of using the conference as a platform for climate change education amongst local youth. I suppose I have gotten a lot more mileage out of that original flight than most conference-goers, who were flying back across oceans just a few weeks after arriving in Durban. I, at least, spent more than half a year on the continent. There is always debate about the amount of carbon expended to get people to these conferences, but if you look at the science it is actually a moot point, and one that I don't really engage in anymore. We still need conferences like this. We need the buzz that is created by so many people being together in the same place for similar reasons. I am more jaded than you can get about the UNFCCC process, but I still see positive things coming out of the conferences. And that comes from the people who fly themselves there to participate. What people can accomplish in two weeks is absolutely amazing (and no I'm not referring to the negotiators sitting behind closed doors who are supposed to be saving our species from some unknown pending doom). I am talking about the researchers, the NGO members, the youth, the academics and some of the businesses who flock to these events to work together and to try to create change. They work and work and work. And the passion is overflowing from every room. And people are producing, creating and accomplishing. Connections are made that lead to later productivity. Ideas are shared. Learning happens. Minds open. A LOT of good things come out of these meetings. Just no solid plan for our future. No useful policy. After three of these meetings I swore I would never go back. But then I did. But with a different plan. I went back to utilize this buzz. I went back with the goal of engaging the local community and local youth in the discussions and the process. It was an amazing platform for education, and we used it to the best of our ability.

Our awesome FUN-Del to Durban! In the middle of our first meeting, at midnight, we ran outside to enjoy the epic tropical storm.
Very sadly, while we were having a blast jumping in puddles, others weren't so lucky.  Not to be all doom and gloom about the environment or anything... but on the eve of COP17, the UN Climate Change conference there were flash floods and at least 9 people in the Durban area died.  Many nearby villages were destroyed.  So sad. But too fitting.

Whether or not a truly fair, ambitious and binding deal will ever come from these meetings, I'm not so sure. I have my doubts. But what is the alternative? To just stop talking about these things? I don't have an answer. So in the meantime, I accept that they will continue, I see the positive things that are coming out of them, and if I choose to be involved with them I hope that I can get the most leverage out of them to do good for the community. Rio+20 is on right now, and I'm sure it will be similar in nature. I know that all the people who have flocked there will do amazing things, and movements will be created. Our social fabric will slightly shift. We will move a little bit in the right direction. More people will have their eyes and minds opened. But will the world be saved? Probably not quite yet.

Yes, more on epic resilience now...

So... I just spent a week in the middle of the Serengeti... in the middle of the Great Migration.  This is the largest migration of animals on earth.  Millions of wildebeests and zebras make their way around the Serengeti ecosystem - a vast, never-ending sea of plains and slightly rolling grasslands.

To me these animals (specifically the wildebeests) represent both adaptation and resilience and it was an intense experience to be in the middle of this migration.  The animals run in single file, until they find an area that they want to stop in and then they gather in huge herds - sometimes they stretch as far as your eye can see.  Check it out.

I don't remember all the details that I learned about these animals, so I might get a few numbers wrong, but basically, despite being fairly stupid and seemingly existing in the ecosystem only to feed other animals, they are pretty incredible in some ways.  And they have to be in order to be resilient in an environment where many things are out to eat them.  For example, they rely on running as their main method of escape from predators.  They also have to run long distances in order to chase water and food around the Serengeti during the Great Migration. So unlike other antelope species, the young can't hide for a few days while they get control of their legs.  Within 3 - 7 minutes baby wildebeests are standing on their own feet, and within an hour they can run at full speed.  That is crazy!!!!

That is just one example of the way that they have adapted to their crazy lifestyle, and as a result they thrive despite many odds, and their population continues. Over the years they have truly adapted to have resilience within that specific ecosystem.  If they hadn't, they wouldn't exist.

Perhaps we should learn a thing or two about this concept... we might have to change how we do things in our ecosystem if we want to continue to thrive and survive as a species.  How does that saying go? Change, adapt or die...   I choose positive change as my number one choice.

Epic resilience, but more later...

I'm too tired to write my next set of thoughts about resilience, so I thought I'd give you a sneak preview and fill you in later.  Keep the suspense up a little.... ;-)

Argh, I tried to upload a video, but it looks like the internet is too tired as well... so this pic will have to do...

Resilience by the ignored

I am a week behind, so I am supposed to be sharing my thoughts on Internationalism, but instead I want to jump ahead a week, because while I do have way too many thoughts to share regarding last week's topic, I feel like I need to share my thoughts on Resilience right now and get back to the chaos of Internationalism at a later date.  I might even have to write two posts on Resilience ...  But first of all, I wanted to respond to an article by Nancy Turner (who was one of my favourite, favourite professors at UVic when I was doing my Undergrad), Robin Gregory, Cheryl Brooks, Lee Failing and Terre Satterfield, called From Invisibility to Transparency: Identifying the Implications.  The article spoke directly to the experience that I have just wrapped up in South Africa and that I have desperately been trying to document and reflect on.  The first line of their abstract sums it up nicely - "This paper explores the need for a broader and more inclusive approach to decisions about land and resources, one that recognizes the legitimacy of cultural values and traditional knowledge in environmental decision making and policy."

I just finished writing some reflections on this exact topic and I'll share them here. 

"I am finally crawling out of the bush. It has probably been about two months since I last wrote. I can't summarize those months and I'm not even going to try, but I do want to give you a taste of what my life was like while I was living at the lodge at it was truly the climax of my trip. 

As you know, I spent three weeks here at Mtentu River Lodge in February and March and then decided to come back to work at the lodge and do youth empowerment projects in the community for the rest of my time in South Africa. I came back for over two months and it was the kind of experience that leaves your head spinning and your heart a bit raw.

I want to start with a bit of context as Mtentu is a unique community and the people are constantly having their way of life threatened. I explained a bit about this in a previous travelpod, but for one of my courses I actually wrote a paper about these issues, and the introduction gives a good summary of the area and the issue. This context is significant and was a major factor of living in this area.

“There is a piece of paradise in South Africa where people are living a rural but sustainable lifestyle. They have homes that would be the envy of any aspiring green builder in the “western world”, gardens that would be the envy of any city-dweller and views that people would pay millions of dollars for. This area is called Pondoland (also known as the Transkei or the Wild Coast). The people who live here are the amaMpondo and have lived here for generations. To be cautious of idealizing these people or their lifestyle, I will add here that their life is hard and very basic. Some would say that they are impoverished, others would argue that they have everything they need. No matter how they see it, it would not be an easy lifestyle for most westerners to adopt. They work hard, food isn't overly abundant and water doesn't run from any tap. Some kids have to walk two hours to get to school, and some don't get the opportunity to attend at all because they need to be in the fields tending the cows. Despite these challenges, they have a beautiful and sustainable way of life, and most importantly it is one that they want to preserve. They appreciate the land and the lifestyle that they have and understand that the wrong type of development in the area could easily destroy it. They also have a strong connection with their ancestors and although they have adopted a form of Christianity, they hold on to that aspect of their culture and practice Zionism, which allows them to worship their ancestors as well as a God.

This area on the East coast of South Africa is also home to more than 2200 species, of which 196 are endemic. To put this in context, the entirety of the United Kingdom is home to 1400 species. In addition, stone age artifacts have been found in the Pondoland region, making it potentially an important site of archeological and cultural heritage (Payne, 2011).


So far, this coastline has somehow been spared the westernized-style development of sprawling resort towns that its neighbour to the north has been subjected to. However, it is under great threat and for the past ten years the community has been rife with concern and conflict as a result. There are two major external threats to this area that could destroy the ecosystem and their way of life.


Firstly, this land is rich in titanium and home to very few people, making it the perfect candidate for titanium strip mining (one of the most destructive types of mining in the world). Secondly, the South African government wants to build a multi-lane toll highway right through the area to replace the already existing national road that runs 30 to 50 kilometers from the coast. This toll road will be built right through communities, over top of schools that have been built with no help of the government and of course through grazing land, natural areas and ancestral graves. Mining rights were granted to an Australian mining company, but fortunately were taken away after a huge uprising and protests from the community. However, mining is not considered to be completely off the table until this area becomes protected as a nature reserve and most people believe that the threat is still looming. The two threats are not working in isolation either. The community worries that the toll road will bring back the threat of mining as it will make this area so much more accessible and less pristine.


At this stage it seems likely that the toll-road will go through. This is going to have a huge impact on these communities, most of which is very negative. They worry that the toll road will bring crime, pollution, mining, development, traffic and fragmentation to their villages and communities.

One of the unfortunate side-effects of these threats is that they have divided the community into those who want to preserve their health, their way of life and their land and those who are lured by the money promised by the mining companies. Houses have been burned down, people have been poisoned, eco-tourism has been sabotaged and activists live in fear of their former friends. This is the power of money and this is the poison of greed. However, the large majority of people in the communities are opposed to both the toll-road and the mining, and would rather see the enhancement of their lifestyles coming from eco-tourism and small-scale economic projects that are run in part by the community.” 

So that was the blog I shared with my friends and family and the beginning of a paper I wrote for my ethics course, but now for the depressing update... during my last week in the community, mining reared its ugly head again!!! I wrote about this in one of my last blogs, but am putting it in context here. I only wrote the words above a few weeks ago, and already the worst of people's fears are coming true.  The mining company is back and is moving ahead with no concern for the people.  They are not included in the decision-making process at all.  Talk about invisible losses.  There will be so many invisible and visible losses if this project goes through.  It would truly be a tragedy. As is stated in the first line of the article by Turner et al, "Human existence has always depended on our ability to respond and adapt to change. However, rapid change, particularly when enforced from the outside, can have extremely negative consequences. "

Okay... this blog is getting too long, but I think we all get the point.  I shake my head as I go to sleep absolutely baffled by how as a society and a species we can let things like this happen.