I work at the hub of a constellation of bio regional communities. Most members of the communities don’t know that they are sitting in a bio region. Most do know that they are trying to do something apart from the current extractive system. The only sense making we have is what we don’t want to be part of. We don’t feel empowered to create or transition into what’s next, we think we should work within the current system to make a modified better system.
You’re well written essays are pulling me in different directions: my intellect keeps reading and striving to understand. My body knows what you’re stating is accurate but aches. My will pauses and waits, just as you stated happens in #3.
I have struggled to succeed in the extractive economy.
I hear you Scott, this is a felt reality I hear over and over again.
It felt important to me to lay out all the theory first. From this week Sunday everything will shift to hands in the soil. I hope that the stories we tell from our lived experience here will inspire you to keep going. This is the most challenging (and most needed) work on the planet, so I honor you for the work you're doing. 🙇♂️
Thank you Michael, as you know I have really enjoyed this series. You say it has been tough intellectually but I have not found it to be so, I have thoroughly enjoyed it! And you have worked so hard, I really appreciate it.
I'm really looking forward to reading about the Valley of Grace and the work you are doing there.
Michael, you close the essay with three requests. The first two I know how to respond to.
Ask 1: I understand the concept of the alpha window, and I'm watching for the coming 'cascade of consequences.'
Ask 2: I'm not exactly being patient with the germination process, but I'm not panicking. I have some experience staying calm in scary situations, and focusing on doing first things first.
But I don't know how to respond to your third request: to stop waiting and wondering. I'm not waiting to learn more about the main topics these essays have discussed. That work has been keeping me busy. But I haven't yet answered the question: How can someone who lives in a comfortable suburban neighborhood in a populous metropolitan area get connected in any effective way with existing bioregional efforts?
I suspect that would take a lot of searching, which I've barely begun. It would involve asking a lot of people a lot of questions, and getting a lot of blank looks in response, in order to discover just a few people who want to take the conversation a step further. So the way I understand it, your third request is a big one. I need to break it down into much smaller tasks or I'll simply be overwhelmed.
I don't have an easy, quick answer, except to say, Don't underestimate how much you've already done. The mere fact you're asking this question is hugely encouraging!
To provide some brief pointers until future essays map this out, start with an overarching theme: community engagement. I'd begin by simply mapping out the initiatives you can find that are already doing something (anything prosocial) in your comfortable suburban neighborhood. Reach out to them just to find out what their challenges are. Map these into a simple spreadsheet and you'll start seeing pretty interesting patterns. The patterns will give you clues as to what comes next. Start small, even though the destination may not be clear. As you take a step, the next possible step becomes clearer.
To start mapping your community, you might want to look into https://greenmap.org/. I used them many years ago and I know they were going through quite a reorg. I'm not sure what they're up to now.
I work at the hub of a constellation of bio regional communities. Most members of the communities don’t know that they are sitting in a bio region. Most do know that they are trying to do something apart from the current extractive system. The only sense making we have is what we don’t want to be part of. We don’t feel empowered to create or transition into what’s next, we think we should work within the current system to make a modified better system.
You’re well written essays are pulling me in different directions: my intellect keeps reading and striving to understand. My body knows what you’re stating is accurate but aches. My will pauses and waits, just as you stated happens in #3.
I have struggled to succeed in the extractive economy.
I hear you Scott, this is a felt reality I hear over and over again.
It felt important to me to lay out all the theory first. From this week Sunday everything will shift to hands in the soil. I hope that the stories we tell from our lived experience here will inspire you to keep going. This is the most challenging (and most needed) work on the planet, so I honor you for the work you're doing. 🙇♂️
Thank you Michael, as you know I have really enjoyed this series. You say it has been tough intellectually but I have not found it to be so, I have thoroughly enjoyed it! And you have worked so hard, I really appreciate it.
I'm really looking forward to reading about the Valley of Grace and the work you are doing there.
And I can't wait to start telling the story, Karola!
Thank you for being here and for your huge support. 💚
Michael, you close the essay with three requests. The first two I know how to respond to.
Ask 1: I understand the concept of the alpha window, and I'm watching for the coming 'cascade of consequences.'
Ask 2: I'm not exactly being patient with the germination process, but I'm not panicking. I have some experience staying calm in scary situations, and focusing on doing first things first.
But I don't know how to respond to your third request: to stop waiting and wondering. I'm not waiting to learn more about the main topics these essays have discussed. That work has been keeping me busy. But I haven't yet answered the question: How can someone who lives in a comfortable suburban neighborhood in a populous metropolitan area get connected in any effective way with existing bioregional efforts?
I suspect that would take a lot of searching, which I've barely begun. It would involve asking a lot of people a lot of questions, and getting a lot of blank looks in response, in order to discover just a few people who want to take the conversation a step further. So the way I understand it, your third request is a big one. I need to break it down into much smaller tasks or I'll simply be overwhelmed.
I hear you, Guinnen, I really do.
I don't have an easy, quick answer, except to say, Don't underestimate how much you've already done. The mere fact you're asking this question is hugely encouraging!
To provide some brief pointers until future essays map this out, start with an overarching theme: community engagement. I'd begin by simply mapping out the initiatives you can find that are already doing something (anything prosocial) in your comfortable suburban neighborhood. Reach out to them just to find out what their challenges are. Map these into a simple spreadsheet and you'll start seeing pretty interesting patterns. The patterns will give you clues as to what comes next. Start small, even though the destination may not be clear. As you take a step, the next possible step becomes clearer.
If it helps, I've collated a ton of resources here: https://bit.ly/BioSovTools
To start mapping your community, you might want to look into https://greenmap.org/. I used them many years ago and I know they were going through quite a reorg. I'm not sure what they're up to now.