Excitement, guilt, atonement: the reluctant consumer.

After finally settling on a new tool for my digital endeavors, I placed the order online, and carefully bookmarked the order status page.

Several weeks I would wait for my Lenovo Thinkpad T420s to be manufactured, tentatively checking the order status daily. It was excruciating. Rarely do I indulge in such purchases, but I had, over about 6 months, rationalized the need for a new laptop and the excitement post-decision was becoming unbearable. I was almost afraid of my own reaction to seeing that single word pop up.

“Shipped.”

I thought to myself on that fine Monday in May, “settle down now Heather, it will be at least a week, maybe two before you get it. It’s coming from China.”

And then, in addition to excitement, surprise. In just 3 short days, my prized package traveled around the world to land in my home town’s UPS shop. And when I say “around the world”, I freaking mean it.

WTF.

Its as if it was hesitant to get to me. Leaving its birthplace, travelling overseas, and returning before wandering into the middle of a new continent… then fighting the jet stream, finally settling on a home with me …

Or, there was a big mess up on the original shipping order. Or UPS is highly inefficient. Or I don’t know anything about shipping and this is how it’s done all the time.

I suppose, at the end of the day, I should just be happy that I got my new toy, quicker than expected, and in one piece. But seeing the paper trail of its travels gave me a strong sense of the resources it took for me to have it. I felt guilty.

I’m typing to you on it right now, you know. It feels really good. Keys like butter.

Anyway, I suppose there was a bit of Karma involved. Today, my bike tire was flat. I found out 2 minutes before I needed to leave the house and figured, “must be a slow leak”. It held on the way to work, but not so much later on.

I had a small window of opportunity to pick up my Thinkpad from UPS after work before heading to another appointment… I pumped the flat again at the office, and raced across town, pumping it up another 2 times within 15 minutes before arriving at the depot, and another time before getting home.

Karma’s not a bitch, she’s a bootcamp instructor.

I know cycling despite the inconvenience doesn’t atone for all my carbon spewing, consumerist sins. If Lenovo had given me the option at time of purchase, I would have paid the extra bit to make the shipment carbon neutral. Then, at least, the CO2 would be managed to zero somewhere it is possible to do so.

So yes, I rode my bike. Next, to type up a consumer satisfaction survey upon these buttery, smooth keys to Lenovo, requesting the carbon neutral option.

HB

No Sunscreen.

One of Jack’s favourite trees to climb

I had an “I’m a bad mother” moment this morning.

I walk with my son to school as often as possible (a couple of times per week). It’s 20 minutes from door to door. About 1km.

We often walk past neighbors loading their kids into cars and hauling them to the school, and we feel pretty good about being “less wimpy or lazy”… as if it were a competition.

But what we really get out of it is the high value time: time we spend chatting about this and that, or singing songs, observing the seasons change, or racing to the next traffic sign. All this while getting exercise, vitamin D and more oxygen to the brain.

So I’m feeling pretty good about teaching my child to appreciate this “high value time” on a beautiful sunny day until I realize I forgot the sunscreen.

How great it is to be outside enjoying nature… until your skin burns.

I turn to Jack and say “Sorry bud, you’ll need to be sure to have your hat on at recess… and you might want to wear your hoody unzipped, just to be sure your neck and arms don’t get too much sun… you don’t want to get burned… or maybe you could find some shade to play in?”

He interrupts, “It’s okay mom… I’ve got it covered. Everyday I play under the trees and bushes. They give me shade.”

“Oh. Right… good call Jack.”

Nature to the rescue.

Hawthorn

Childhood inoculated good faith in me.

Not least to thank: the hawthorn tree.

Thorns and berries abound,

From sky to ground, in it, by imagination,

With the birds myself I found.

Offensive, it stands brazen yet sensitive: a place to live.

My exposure to its likes, by trails through grass trodden by bikes,

Could only be, what mom may call, a lesson taught au natural. And so:

Not unlike the pain of choosing, of gaining, then loosing,

Confidence through ignorance,

Is the damage done today

By the human race.

 

Good faith in nature’s ways brings anguish and dismay,

I sense en masse, and fast paced,

A threshold we soon face.

Yet thorns and berries borne together,

Will choose a fate, for those acquainted with this space

Of limits, learning, and grace.

 

Now I, accountable for what scrapes I bore,

Move to give and progress more.

Those little birds – for berries, songs they wield.

Calling others to chance the thorns…

“Come now, from the fields.”

 -Heather Bauer

 

There are times when so many thoughts cannot be succinctly put together in an effective way – without the use of imagery, metaphor, rhyme and simile…

And we need to laugh too.

It can’t all be doom and gloom. The human spirit cannot be sustained by the dark side of reality alone. It is necessary to create urgency… but from there we must emerge and surge. Hope, joy and laughter can be the fuel.

Here’s the Midway Journey team recharging their spirits (cynically, but with humor nonetheless).

It’s okay to cry. I did.

Midway Albatross chick

A woman entered the conference breakout session about youth engagement. She sat next to me. Like most of us, she was probably there to hear some good, heart warming stories about how youth are stepping up to the sustainability challenge.

Emily Chartrand is one of those youth. She was about to tell her story of traveling to Midway to see first hand the pollution that is wreaking havoc on the ecosystem there. An image of a bird carcass, full off plastic Coca Cola bottle caps flashed on the screen. Immediately, the woman gasped: “Oh no, is this the bird thing? I can’t watch this…”

Yes you can.

I had the luck (or so I thought) to see the Midway film preview before it aired at the conference. It was part of a keynote presentation by Jan Vozenilek to the entire delegation. I thought “geez, good thing I watched this in the privacy of my bedroom, so I could cry without embarrassment.” And then I heard Emily speak.

Emily’s presentation was about how the message from Midway impacted her. She spoke of how she was touched by the images she saw of baby albatross – before and after they had succumbed to ingesting plastic that permeates the water column in the North Pacific.

I was fine… holding it together. Being rational yet contemplative and not crying. Until she expressed how she didn’t really feel the weight of the sadness until the morning she stood on the beach in Midway, surrounded by grown men sobbing over the carcass of a baby albatross…

Our eyes connect us to the world in powerful ways.

Our tears do too.

It’s okay to cry.

And boy did I. Again. In public and right next to the woman who felt the urge to run away from the important message from Midway.

Upon returning home, I shared the Midway Film with my parents. I wondered how they would react. Part of me was nervous about the awkwardness that comes with adults crying in the vicinity of each other, and part of me really wanted them to fully experience the grief.

I handed my father my iPhone, stood back, and let him take it in. He gasped, and made a few subdued “oh no’s”… and carefully held back tears. I only know this because anyone who watches and does not cry is holding back. Or they’re not human.

And then I cried. I cried and gave him and my mother the permission to do the same. And they did.

What followed was a conversation that went much deeper than any we previously had about sustainability or waste or climate change. The pattern had changed from the typical shallow back and forth rant on “yeah, the environment is in trouble, people suck, I recycle, there’s not much more we can do…“

It went to:”wow, this really matters; lets talk about why and explore the grey areas and really dig into the how…“

When we are defending against vulnerability, we often take on an adversarial mindset. Things are more black and white and we draw imaginary lines that protect our worldview. And so often we defend against vulnerability because it is hard and we are trained to respect strength.

But without grief, we cannot grow to face reality. We do not open ourselves to experience positive change and the resilience that comes with it. That leads to real strength.

Tears are an acceptance and expression of vulnerability. It is okay to cry and to give others the permission to do the same. We must feel the grief necessary for change.

Building Sustainable Communities Conference: closing thoughts & thanks

Wow. Where do I even start. I suppose I should just express some gratitude for a full size keyboard after tweeting my finger tips off the last four days from my iPhone! (Find the crowd-sourced micro-blog here.)

This last day kicked off with a keynote by Peter Comrie of Full Spectrum Leadership, who appropriately used our supremely heroic and passionate conference organizer, Joanne de Vries, as an example of someone who is taking full responsibility for her life’s experience and impacts. Joanne is someone who asks “what more can I lovingly contribute?”  We could all stand to be a lot more like Joanne.

My favourite quote Peter provided went something like:

In times of change learners will inherit Earth, while the knowers will find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.

- Eric Hoffer

This plainly strikes me as beautiful. Perhaps because I consider myself a learner, and it feels like a pat on the back… but also because it summarizes the imperative that Dr. William Rees spoke to: that we must re-evaluate our current worldview and associated paradigm. That a reality where we can infinitely grow our economy, and derive ongoing well-being, does not exist.

Hard knocks, for sure. But us learners will get over it.

A very close second was along the lines of:

In the sands of time, one who sits idle will not leave footprints… and who wants to leave butt prints?

I spent the last couple years questioning my commitment to footprints, due to an influence of “knowers”. I let the judgement and expectations of people close to me steer me away from a passion and true sense of self…

I respect everyone’s right to their own world view (which does conflict at times with the urge to give a littering bigot a somewhat violent shake), but I feel compelled now to re-acquaint myself with mine. This conference gave me a fresh outlook on this.

I will not leave butt prints. I will take full responsibility for my life’s experience and impacts.

What makes me feel even better about this, is that I am not alone. The 5th BSC gave me the opportunity to admire a variety of footprints, of all shapes and sizes. I’ll share a few here in brief, and hopefully will find time soon to elaborate more on each in future blogs.

• Midway.  I have a hard time typing that without a throat lump and tear.  Want to be one of the first to see the catalyst for a movement that will change the way we live every day? http://www.midwayfilm.com/
• Wes Kmet. This friendly Kelowna citizen shared with me his passion for holding his local government accountable. How does he do it? He gives away business card sized contact lists for all city council members… and encourages citizens to be responsible for their lives impacts
• Youth need space. Eric Brown from Sustainable Cities International shared some insights for youth engagement. A striking irony for me: youth don’t have the funds to patronize commercial and other public spaces, so are driven out (“no loitering”), and forced into dark basements with video games… then criticized for it. Youth need safe public space!
• Bus me there, Scotty. Public transit and active transport routes really are the future – for significant health, environmental and economic reasons. Lots of smart people working on this.
• Sustainability needs a succession plan. There are variety of gaps in the workforce needed to deliver sustainability solutions.
• Food security. It really is as critically important as I have been going on and on and on about for years. Next: to explore my potential contribution.

Okay, I really could go on… but it’s getting late. I think in closing, I’ll share a tweet stream of some random food security concerned tweeters that stumbled upon in the #5thBSC feed:

@NYFarmerNYFarmer

Looks like a good conference going on in Canada under #5thBSC Discussing food security, agriculture, sustainability, great topics

@shmeedieEdie Irons

.@NYFarmer Thanks for that! I’ve been looking for good Canadian food and farm tweeps to follow, and #5thBSC is a treasure trove.

@NYFarmerNYFarmer

@Schmeedie We hit the motherlode of info with #5thBSC Edie @arzeena @RealEstateFdn

To a new world waiting,

HB

What I learned today at the #5thBSC

I spent today actively listening to ideas and experiences shared by people working on matters related to social well being, with a focus on culture and the arts. It really was a Fresh Outlook for me, as I typically hang with the climate science and carbon emissions crew. Admittedly, as a social scientist at heart, I felt very “at home” with the content shared by presenters and speakers. So much so, I didn’t take away very much new information. But I did gain perspective.

I distinctly noticed differences in the language, tone and orientation of the thoughts shared. This is healthy.

And so thinks my friend Stacy Barter of BC Healthy Communities, whom I shared this observation with. New perspectives, no matter how slight, lend new energy and possibility. It also forces us to step out our our jargon and bias.

I learned more than this today, but I think it is very key: I benefit every time I step out of my comfort or expertise zone.

And this is probably just an extension of the call for “more interdisciplinary efforts”, more “cross-pollination”, more “integration across sectors”… a trend in my work these days, and a key theme I hear emerging from the conference.

Aw, what the heck… I’ll share some of the other stuff I learned too.

As I wandered around and met with other sustainability practitioners I learned:

• Qualicum Beach has a kick ass green team – and they are surprised to find out that they are quite ahead of other local governments in encouraging their staff to work on corporate GHG emissions reductions. Not only that, they are saving money hiring staff that are making their operations more efficient.
• My heels are not as comfortable as I thought they were.
• Climate Smart is working with some great companies to help them reduce emissions, environmental impact and to save money. They’ve got fun videos that tell the story of these businesses as well.
• The BC Sustainable Energy Association delivers climate change workshops across BC to grade 4 and 7 classes. They are achieving measurable GHG reductions helping communities to reach their climate action targets!

 

Building Sustainable Communities: A conference for winners

I’m not really a big Charlie Sheen fan, but there is something to be said about #Winning… especially when you are surrounded by sustainability practitioners and advocates that are doing just that.

After the first day of the 5th Building Sustainable Communities conference, I can say that I’ve already been inspired by the “can do” mindset of some of the delegates.

Of course, this “can do” mindset also is backed up by the “must do” mindset – as was eloquently communicated by Bill Rees who key noted a session I was in.

He communicated the imperative for a transition to a new worldview that does not involve pretending we can continuously achieve economic growth without depleting earths resources to the point of disaster. Sad, but true: we have to change.

The rest of the day was spent hearing about ways and means for making that transition. And I expect to hear more on the coming days.

When I’m recovered from the travel, I’ll put some more time into sharing some key learnings and resources. In the mean time, if you attended BSC, and have something to add, please have at it in the comments box!

HB

Kyoto, the Dodo, you are ruining my Mojo (#COP17)

I’ve been a little grumpy lately. Time to reflect on why.

I’ve just spent the last couple weeks away from my usual work engaging citizens and focusing on solutions to climate change… and immersed myself in the international climate talks at COP 17 in Durban, South Africa. Now, before I go on writing the rest of this blog, let me just get this out of my system:

AAhhhhhhhhhahsdfasldroe FUc#skldfuas SHi*sdytsdfh DAM sdfhnfe hasirhle A$$ hsodiflsdkhhgds !!!!

Somehow, that still doesn’t make me feel better. Well, perhaps I’ll try my usual shtick…

Okay, if you are a newbie to the climate file, here’s all you need to know:

• Climate Change is really happening and it is a human caused phenomenon due mostly to the burning of fossil fuels and land degradation.
• People (governments) thought they could do something about it by signing up to some emission reduction commitments through something called the Kyoto Protocol (1997).
• This commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol is up at the end of 2012.
• Some countries want to renew it as originally planned (China, India, South Africa, Brazil), others want it to die (Canada, Japan, Russia), others never signed on, and never will (USA).
• Basically, it doesn’t matter what the blip a bunch of plump politicians sign, at the end of the day, we are too late to halt climate change.

I realize its not quite the same as spilled milk (Canada didn’t fail by accident), but we certainly need to move on from Kyoto. Even then, I do feel the need to mourn it.

You might be wondering why someone would pay me to pay attention to this nightmare of a situation. Quite simply, while national governments have proven their inability to put the human race ahead of national “interests”, regional governments and some businesses are making progress.

British Columbia is one of them. (If you want to know why, check out our Climate Action Plan, or look at your gasoline bill next time you fill up).

So, the Minister of Environment, the Honourable Terry Lake, decided that we should go and join peers like California and Quebec, and tell the world about the near heroic things BC is doing to fight climate change… with the hopes that others will gain the courage to do the same.

My role in this was to help prepare him: to arrange meetings with smart and influential people, write guidance for what he might say at speaking events, and to understand the general situation and advise on a potential strategic approach BC could take to support climate action around the globe. He arrives on Monday, and you can follow along with his travels on twitter: @TerryLakeMLA

However, for as much as I am proud to say BC really does have reasons to show off and claim “leadership” in the file… I AM TIRED.

I am tired of the politically muted urgency of this issue.

I am tired of the conflicting/competing approaches to making progress.

I am tired of people that claim they don’t believe it should matter to them.

I am tired of seeing the stress and worry of people who know better and really do care.

I am tired of being angry at the Canadian Federal Government, and more, the Canadian public, for not demanding more.

I am tired of trying to imagine how I can prepare my young son for a world I would not wish to an enemy.

…

Time for bed. Good night, Kyoto.

To a new world waiting,

HB

Are your new city councillors keen on community wellness for the long term? Do tell!

My afternoon was invigorated by a teleconference with sustainability leaders from the Okanagan region today. People who care about the well being of their community, including clean and livable cities, effective health care and a healthy environment and climate. And they are keen to do more than talk – they are convening for action.

Joanne de Vries was the convener. She is a well networked, highly respected leader whom I hear about in various circles of climate action around British Columbia. It’s no surprise why, when you get the chance to meet her. She is an attentive listener and she exudes a can-do spirit that could inspire the biggest cynic. (More about Joanne’s organization: Fresh Outlook Foundation).

Joanne is the kind of person you would want to see on your city council. Which leads to my real reason for writing today.

Across BC, new local government council members have been elected. I imagine that in some cases, these new appointments will be good for fostering a holistic approach to sustainability (social, economic and environmental). In other cases, the outlook may not be so great. For the rest, it may be too soon to tell.

I think for a council member to be effective, they must be able to lead others to support or take action. Leadership is earned when people decide to follow you on a path you believe is good for them, guided by a vision they believe in.

So if there is one piece of advice I may offer them, it is this: pay attention to the community sustainability  leaders. 

These are typically people that have a balanced approach to promoting action that leads to community well being. They are seasoned in appreciating the self interest of citizens (you have to be when you are focused on advancing the well being of all). Most of all, they don’t take their responsibility lightly: sustainability leaders are ethically driven to do the right thing for even others not like them (not something we can say for all elected members in various levels of government…).

Now, for those interested in convening for action, there is a simple way to ensure decision makers spend their time advancing down a path that will lead to well being in your community for the long term. Ask them:

1. Are they in support of SMART Growth?
2. Are they committed to the Climate Action Charter?
3. What does citizen engagement look like to them?

If they don’t know what the heck you are talking about… send them to my blog. If they do, leave a comment and tell me who they are and I will be happy to personally send them a thank you note… they are making my job easier

To a new world waiting,

HB