Sustainability cards are seeds that carry the
essence of the new goal. When a card is presented with eye contact and possibly
a few words, the seed is watered with the sincerity of personal outreach.
Bringing this goal to a person's attention is often all it takes for new
values to take root and begin growing in that person's worldview.
The cards are printed on recycled paper and come in two generic varieties,
shown below. (They can be customized, with
anything you want on the one side.)
All such cards have this reference for sustainability on the back.
Well-being can be sustained when activities:
1 - use materials in continuous cycles.
2 - use continuously reliable sources of energy.
3 - come mainly from the qualities of being human
(i.e. creativity, communication, movement, appreciation,
and spiritual and intellectual development).
Long-term well-being is diminished when activities:
4 - require continual inputs of non-renewable resources.
5 - use renewable resources faster than their rate of renewal.
6 - cause cumulative degradation of the environment.
7 - require resources in quantities that undermine other people's well-being.
8 - lead to the extinction of other life forms.
On the front, one generic card encourages picking the outline apart.
These cards are intended for situations where the meaning of the word
"sustainability" is not clear. This applies to schools, where
students are becoming familiar with significant issues, and to municipal
councils and other organizations, where members are thinking about how they
might serve the public good.
If you are able to provide cards for any such situation, please do not hesitate
to ask us to send you enough for everyone involved.
It is preferable for each participant to have their own copy for future
consideration.
The other generic version takes the issue a step further by asking:
Give these to family, friends and others. Anything that is of interest
to you, is of potential interest to them. Don't worry if they have yet to
catch on to the sustainability issue. Introduce the topic without asking
for, or expecting, any sort of response. The process works in people's minds
and it takes time. For those completely new to the issues, the first card
type may be preferable. You can raise the prospect of a fundamental change
of direction later.
Distributing such cards enables us to raise the Question of Direction in
a society where powerful media regularly asserts that there is no choice
but to grow forever. Realizing that we don't have to "grow until we
drop," requires finding out that an alternative exists.
Advertising presses into personal space all the time to encourage ever more
consumption. When faced with the challenge of informing people that the
goal of expansion is due for review, many of us shy away from encountering
those outside of our normal circle of relations.
It is essential that we reach beyond familiar contacts. The media will not
do this job for us. While community based media is still, sometimes, a viable
way to reach out (and should be enlisted), nothing will replace person to
person contact.
If we do not make the effort, who will? If you are considering passing out
some cards and feel internal resistance, imagine your children or grandchildren,
if you have any, or imagine yourself, several decades from now, having to
deal with the consequence of our cultural denial about the fundamental change
in direction that is necessary. At that future time, there will be a deep
wish that someone in our time had made an effort to turn the situation around.
Be that person.
Where Change Comes From
The new direction will not be encouraged by government, business and media
leaders of the present order. They are leading because they advance the
established goal of expansion. Communication about the necessary change
will have to come from citizens' groups and individuals
- from you and from me.
There are many ways to get cards
into the hands of others
* Carry cards with you in a way that enables easy retrieval p; in a
shirt pocket, or purse. Frequently, in line-ups at check-out counters, theatres
and many other public places, one hears someone talking about climate change,
the price of gas, resource conflicts, garbage, or any of the
other issues related to sustainability. When you hear such a comment, hand
over a card. You could say, "You might find this interesting,"
offer a spontaneous comment, or simply smile or nod. What you are offering
is a frame of reference that can help sort out what helps solve the problems
they are concerned about, and what makes those problems worse. With concern
for such issues increasingly entering people's thoughts, most people are
grateful to receive a message expressing that there is a direction in which
solutions can be found.
Introduce the Question of Direction at Public Events
The opportunity to distribute sustainability cards at meetings has presented
itself to me a number of times.
One such gathering was a government sponsored conference with the word "Sustainability"
in the event's name. There were close to 400 people present. At an early
plenary, I stood up and mentioned that the word sustainability was being
used frequently and questioned whether the meaning outlined on the cards
was the same meaning understood by the organizers or, if their understanding
differed, in what way was it different? I had put a copy of the first card
with the reference facing up at every place setting in the auditorium. While
my question was evaded by those at the head table, I'm sure that most of
the 400 people present were considering their own position and listening
for answers that were conspicuous by their absence. Most of the cards left
the room with participants. I collected the rest for future use.
* At rallies and events
I gave away over 1200 cards in one day at a rally on Parliament Hill. All
I did was mill around catching people by the eye, saying; "Your card."
Whole lines of participants started holding out their hands to receive the
offering.
Because the cards are small, they easily fit into a pocket, a quality not
shared by booklets and flyers. Most likely the recipient will take a longer
look at the card once they get home and some of them will file their card
for later retrieval.
* Distribution Boxes
These simple boxes make it possible to offer cards on an ongoing basis at
a store or with an organization that is sympathetic to the issues. Note
that the box can either be pinned up or, with the wooden base attached,
placed on a counter.
There is a space provided on the box, in behind the cards, where one
can put their contact information so that one can be notified when the box
needs refilling. When a box is emptied, it is seldom kept around long if
it is not refilled. Best is to keep an eye on it and refill it whenever
it gets low.
* Strategic placement
Cards can be placed on waiting room seats, counters, pockets of clothing
going to thrift stores, related library books, or any other place where
they will be discovered.
Background details
Since we began distributing these cards in 1972, we have found them affixed
to refrigerator doors and bathroom mirrors, and we've seen them retrieved
from wallets and purses during conversations. Often the revelation of such
cards comes with stories of places where they had been used to help others
understand the issue of sustainability.
The Question of Direction program is fully explained in Chapter 15 of Life,
Money & Illusion, within the context of how social change takes place.
Chapter 15 is posted on line at:
www.SustainWellBeing.net/LMI/C15.html
Feel free to ask for cards and distribution boxes if you can put them to
work. While we never turn down donations to help pay for materials, we recognize
that the people who can contribute and those who can pass materials along
are not always the same. We would regret missing any opportunity to put
the basic idea into someone's hands.
Customized Cards
You can order either of the two generic types of card with your contact
information on them, or have us put whatever you want on the front. This
service is available at cost. In all cases, the outline of sustainability
is on the back, to identify the alternative goal. Contact us directly, or
find ordering details at:
Life, Money & Illusion;
Living on Earth as if we want to stay
This 448 page book by Mike Nickerson provides a detailed foundation for
the Question of Direction program. Ask for it at your favorite bookstore
or send $19.95 plus $10 postage and handling to the Sustainability
Project or phone to order by credit card.
A summary and other details are available at:
Donations are always welcome
There is much that can be done to press the Question of Direction onto the
public agenda once we have the resources to proceed. Donations can be made
directly to the Sustainability Project, or, for a Canadian charitable receipt,
make your donation out to WFF- Sustainability Project. Donations can be
mailed, or made by credit card at: (613) 259-9988.
Your help is greatly appreciated. Mike Nickerson & Donna Dillman
Is it proper,
now that our biggest problems
result from our size,
to hold growth as a goal ?
