"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
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Adopting Environmental Principles
Targeting Priorities and Identifying Objectives
Taking Stock of Existing Resources
Taking Action at the Community Level
Promoting Education and Awareness Building
Pursue Partnership with Your Government
Being aware of environmental problems is the first step to being able to solve them. The second step involves recognizing which community or communities you are most a part of, in order to work with others toward solving the problems. This chapter takes us to the third step, organizing for action. The fourth step, acquiring or developing the tools with which to work, is discussed in the next chapter.
Organizations do not necessarily have to be formal, but they can be. Regularly scheduled meetings are not necessary, but are a good way to keep track of progress. Some organizations charge membership fees to cover certain basic costs associated with the organization, such as renting the meeting space, or for coffee and tea afterwards. There are as many ways to organize an organization as there are types of organizations. What is important is to find a formula that works for you and the people you will work with.
There are many cases where it will be more useful to work with an existing organization rather than creating a new one, because there may already be many organizations in your community. As you gather information, you may become aware that an organization already exists to address your specific concerns. If not, you might decide to become involved in an existing organization and then work within it to broaden its mission to incorporate some specific environmental concerns.
Some communities have different traditional and modern structures through which they work to solve common problems. These may be tribal or village councils, cooperatives or people's associations of one type or another. Many of these groups have very informal structures but could be involved in development efforts for the community. When these groups are involved in such development efforts there may arise a need for your organization to interact with them and lend some expertise. When approaching these kinds of associations to get them involved in environmental action, be sure to use appropriate channels when introducing new ideas. It is important not only to bring issues relevant to the communities but also to be sensitive to local realities.
One of the first steps in encouraging an existing organization
to become more actively involved in environmental issues is to
persuade its members of the importance of such issues. Then, work
to ensure that the organization itself operates in an environmentally
responsible manner. While an existing organization may already
have a set of operating guidelines, persuading members to adopt
additional environmental principles is often as easy as suggesting
that they do so.
Adopting Environmental Principles
Environmental
commitments are not static; they can be revised and improved at
regular intervals as the organization's knowledge and experience
in these matters expand. There can be as many principles as you
want or as few. There is no limit nor is there a definite structure
you have to follow. It is important, however, to make your principles
relevant to the particular reality of the community. Following
are some suggestions of environmental principles, taken from different
community organizations with stated environmental principles:
Targeting Priorities and Identifying Objectives
Before looking at the possible and necessary actions and responsibilities of your organization, it is important to identify the issues that concern you most and outline a few general approaches to dealing with them. You will find that you are most effective when your efforts are focused and precise. If you try to solve all of the environmental problems at the same time, it is unlikely that you will have much of an effect on any of them.
After you have identified your objectives, your organization's activities in pursuing sustainability for your community will require a series of actions, within each of which will be a series of actions. The degree of success in your efforts will be in direct proportion to the amount of planning you allocate beforehand, and how well developed your timeframe is.
Many organizations use timelines to manage their timeframe. A
timeline is easy to construct, and you will find it very helpful
not only in your organizational activities but in your personal
initiatives as well. There are of course different ways to construct
a timeline, but the general principle is to map out the alphabet,
per se, with Point A being where you are now, and Point Z being
where you want to end up (the successful completion of your objective).
Points B to Y are the steps you must take in order to get to where
you want to go. Allocated to each step is a time estimate with
a project beginning and a project deadline. Each usually must
be finished before the next one begins, though sometimes simultaneous
activities are required as part of the process.
Taking Stock of Existing Resources
While material
resources are often helpful, without the effective and motivated
participation of people, all the material resources in the world
would be useless. There are many well-funded organizations in
the world that are not accomplishing much more than guaranteeing
their own longevity, and there are others that are inadequately
funded, but accomplish a lot because of their motivated and committed
staffs.
There are unlimited opportunities for your community to contribute to sustainability without large sources of material resources or external financial assistance. Sometimes, community organizations make themselves dependent on external funding in order to fulfill their objectives and complete their projects. They come up with good ideas first and then look for the resources to pursue them, rather than evaluating what can realistically be achieved with existing resources.
There is tremendous power in a community that wants to improve
its environment through community action. What is needed is motivation
and the leadership of a community-based organization. Once your
community is doing all that it can with its existing resources,
you may want to explore the possibilities of expanding that activity
through additional means. If you have organized a formal organization,
some of the labour may be voluntary. However, full-time staffs
can be very effective in pursuing causes, and full-time staff
need to be paid. They, too, have expenses to meet. Other activities
may require additional materials and resources. These additional
resources can be obtained through various means, such as fund-raising,
sales and pursuing grants, all of which are discussed in the next
chapter.
Taking Action at the Community Level
By working together, organizations can make a big difference when
it comes to environmental preservation and restoration. Members
of all types of organizations can serve as community leaders in
this important endeavour. In the second part of this book are
chapters that deal with specific environmental problems, with
accompanying suggestions that can be used to inspire and formulate
your own specific approach to dealing with the environmental problems
in your community. While most suggested solutions are problem-specific,
there are two general approaches that community organizations
can use in both the developed and developing countries when addressing
any one of a wide spectrum of environmental issues, from population
and consumption to ozone depletion and desertification. These
two approaches are awareness-raising initiatives and promoting
active partnership with local, regional and national governments.
Promoting education and building awareness
In order for environmental activity to be successful in the long term, it must take root in the hearts and minds of the world's people. When people understand the reasons for making responsible environmental choices, there is a greater chance they will take the reasons to heart and incorporate the actions into their daily lives.
Many people do not know the full consequences of their actions. Through education and awareness-building, community organizations can help to ensure that the members of the community know that through a certain way of life, the environment can be kept healthy for future generations.
One way to raise awareness is to organize an environmental programme on one of the following dates designated by environmental agencies or organizations: 22 April is recognized as "Earth Day" by many organizations around the world; 5 June is World Environment Day, and 17 June is the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, both designated by the UN General Assembly.
Your environmental programme could consist of a sporting event, during which statements could be made by well-known sports figures from your community, in support of environmental ethics. It could be a concert, or a play, or even a dance in which environmental themes are incorporated. The possibilities are limitless. As a member of your community, you will know what it is that your fellow community members like to do, and how best to communicate an environmental message.
When organizing your awareness-raising event, approach celebrities
or sports players about performing for free, or perhaps doing
an interview in your organization's newsletter about their environmental
concerns. The Brazilian football star, Pele, is an example of
a concerned sports celebrity who is active in promoting the environment.
In Egypt, television soap-opera personalities often speak publicly
about social and environmental concerns, as do movie stars in
India. If you put a knowledgeable professor in front of people
to talk about the environment, perhaps not many will attend or
listen. But, take a famous movie star or a musician, and the public
often pays more attention. The key is to mobilize whatever resources
you have available to communicate your message, in a manner in
which people will listen.
Pursue partnership with your government
Governments legislate
policy which governs the affairs of business, society and political
behaviour. In most countries of the world, the process through
which laws are legislated can be monitored and contributed to
by those not involved in full-time politics or working in government.
Everything from the terms of politicians to the curriculum being
taught in your community's schools are usually decided on through
a parliamentary process that can be contributed to by the people
in the community. If you live in a country that is open to such
participation, be sure to influence the process.
Whenever possible, communicate with your government representatives to let them know that you are willing to work with them. Collect information from whatever sources possible and get it to them. If your government is deciding, for example, on building a dam in the interior of the country, and your organization may think that this would be harmful to the region's ecosystem, support your belief with documentation from experts and from similar projects in other countries.
Whenever lobbying a government, it is very important to always
operate from the position of pursuing partnership. Be respectful
and sincere. Remember, you are offering your assistance for the
good of your government's constituency. Antagonism and confrontation
usually bring on worse problems and can create a situation that
will hurt your cause rather than help it.
Getting Started
When developing an action plan to address environmental issues
in your community, there are a few principles to keep in mind.
The following structure offers a few ideas that your community
organization could adapt to its own situation when mobilizing
to take action. Each situation will require a unique approach.
While each situation will also require a unique set of resources,
one resource will always be needed-the human resource. With good
people you can accomplish just about anything. The only limitation
is the imagination and collective energy of the people in your
organization. The reason community organizations achieve significant
environmental results is that they draw upon the creativity and
energy of their own members and of the greater community.
Attempting the Lion's Share of Environmental Action
Lions Clubs International is an international organization that offers a good case study for other groups that want to make a difference through environmental action. In 1972, the organization committed its members to caring for the environment, and members of the board of directors adopted a Policy Statement on the Human Environment.
The Lions' Policy Statement recognizes that environmental goals demand the acceptance of responsibility by citizens andcommunities and by enterprises and institutions at every level, all sharing equitably in common efforts. It emphasizes that individuals in all walks of life, as well as organizations, will shape the world environment of the future by their values and the sum of their actions.
In many ways in many countries around the world, Lions have put their words into action, and demonstrated their commitment to environmental service through land, air, water and animal preservation efforts.
The Lions chapter in Argentina produced an educational video, "Save the AntarcticaEcosystem." In Indonesia, 200 Lions sailed from the village of Condet to Manggarai cleaning the polluted Prokasih River on the way. The Lions in Sri Lanka established an Environmental Council to find an answer to the country's diminishing forest cover.
Disposing of cooking grease into waterways was a problem in Thailand
until the Lions devised a simple method for trapping it. A series
of bins collects the grease before it reaches the waterway. The
hardened grease is then used as tree fertilizer or dried in the
sun and later used as charcoal.
Contact:
Rotary International
The Preserve Planet Earth programme of Rotary International was initiated in July 1990, when Rotary International's president, Paulo V.C. Costa realized there was an environmental crisis and issued an urgent call for Rotarians worldwide to take action on environmental issues.
Rotarian districts around the world responded to this call.
"As individuals," declares the Rotarian's manual for the Preserve Planet Earth programme, "we feel overwhelmed by alarming statistics on air pollution, forest destruction, toxic waste, endangered species, desertification and increasing garbage."
One of numerous examples of "on the ground" environmental action initiated by the Rotarians is the "Save Colombia" National Environmental Awareness Campaign. TheRotary Club of Medellin, Colombia, concerned about their nation's environmental problems, especially the endangered tropical forests, began an environmental education campaign that spread throughout its district and beyond the borders of its country. After raising funds from the local community, the committee created and published a document that describes the world's endangered rainforests. The document encouraged immediate action at the community level, and included a list of thirteen actions that organizations and individuals can take to save the rainforests.
At the Rotary Club of Sao Paulo Oeste, Brazil, members donated
30,000 seedlings for replanting in areas around the community
that had been deforested. At the Rotary Club of Taxco, Mexico,
members saw the need to control flooding, prevent soil erosion
and maintain a clean water supply. After building one small dam,
using sustainable technologies that successfully addressed these
problems, the club went on to build many more. The small dams
are now part of a farreaching development project that has
resulted in an improved environment for many communities.
Contact:
Rotary International
References
50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth, The Earth
Works Group, The Earth Works Press, Berkeley, California, 1989
- 101 Ways to Really Save the World, BBC Wildlife Magazine's
Ultimate Guide to Getting Involved, Baines, Chris, BBC Wildlife
Magazine. March 1993 - A Primer on Environmental Citizenship;
Environment Canada, 1993.
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