(continued)
I'm a big fan of lists, and journaling. People should make
a list, of every "obligation", meeting, activity
that takes time in their lives, for several weeks, and make
a journal entry about how they feel before and after each
activity. Which of these things do they honestly dread doing?
How much time away from the family does each thing take? Which
of these things will matter 50 years from now? Which one is
a personal priority for their families, and which of these
things is “keeping up with the Joneses”, or what
they think they "ought" to do? How much of the activity
in their lives is generated by how it "looks" to
other people? How influential are other people in their lives?
Does it really matter what your neighbor thinks?
So many
times, people rush through their days, following their to-do
lists blindly, and never once stop to think about how they
feel, about why they are doing what they are doing. Will having
a brand new car now, instead of a 5-year old one, really matter
in the long run?
They need
to make a list of the top 3 or 4 priorities in their lives.
Those are the things that come first... Other things are just
'things'. Stuff is just stuff.
Respect
is a strange thing. A person can only get true respect if
they give it away. Respecting others takes humility, and self-esteem.
Respecting others can make our own lives so much richer. Respect
is what it will take to bring this town together as a community,
break down the walls of the invisible 'caste' system.
“Green”
is intimidating to so many people. Green doesn't have to mean
spending thousands on high tech equipment. Green also means
small things like: recycling; reusing; compact fluorescent
bulbs; buying used when you can; low-flow showerheads and
shorter showers; composting food waste for your own garden,
a neighbor's garden, or a community garden; buying and eating
local, and in season; lowering the thermostat in the winter,
raising it in the summer; turning off lights when not needed;
turning off the tap when brushing your teeth; even just using
a clothesline. Every little bit not only saves the environment,
it saves money in the long run.
CH:
A lot of what you wrote is about the "personal green",
like how these ideas get played out in our relationships and
everyday life. Green is so much more than solar panels and
wind turbines, isn't it?
AH:
I think the personal aspect of it is
what a lot of people don't get...
CH:
Let's say your Fairy Godmother has waved her magic wand and
put you in charge of the green initiative. What changes would
you make in the ways things are being done?
AH:
First of all, I would have her wave
that wand to make people "get it": Too many people
think, "Aw, that's just a bunch of liberal mumbo jumbo!"
or "I can't afford all those fancy building techniques
solar panels, and geothermal what-cha-ma-call-its!"
I would
like to see more "regular" people from the outside
coming in, maybe giving talks about how they initiated "green"
into their lives... Maybe there is a city or town that has
begun a community garden, or a community farmer's market.
With a little research on line, I have now found sources for
vegetables, meat, eggs, and some dairy products within 100
miles of Greensburg . If more people did that, it would save
on transportation costs and pollution!
Everyday
people, sharing information and experience with other everyday
people. It used to happen in communities with no organization
needed... Now, we need to work to get that back.
The problem
of communication has been brought up before. I think that
most people don't know what's going on with the Green Movement,
or GreenTown in particular. More information needs to get
out to the people. Unfortunately, not everyone reads the paper,
and there needs to be more in there anyway! There are a lot
of exciting things happening that a lot of people don't know
about, or don't know enough about to know how exciting it
really is!
I would
like to see something that would bring more of our community
together, people talking together, and keeping in touch. Even
though most of us live in "FEMAville", it seems
that there isn't much communication between the people. Everyone
is still just tracing their own steps everyday, work, home,
school... Not paying enough attention to their neighbors!
Even waving more as we go down the street, or saying hello
more often... Connection. We need that if Greensburg is going
to survive.
AH:
What exactly is the main goal of GreenTown, if you had to
pick just one? Attracting money and attention to Greensburg,
or helping residents? How do you want the general public to
interact with GreenTown? What do you offer them?
CH:
Great questions. Lots of food for thought - thank you for
that. I appreciate your perspective on things, and hope we
can call upon you to get your feedback on programming and
services as we develop new options for residents. |
