Hello World Wide Web: This is a relatively brief note to share a few things that have been buzzing around social media and electronic mail regarding my interesting in finding someone to work with myself and a new co-host for The Spicer Show on Blogtalkradio's fall re-launch. 

The 2nd installment of perspectives on peace and non-violence for a ChangeMakers project funded by the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. This project is also supported by Skyridge Church of the Brethren. 

By Scott Spicer, founder and Senior Partner of Spicer's Consulting and its private social venture Reaching Inward and Seeking Empowerment.

 

When trying to make social change, we are often faced with the ongoing challenge of organizing people around a particular issue that everyone has a different interpretation of. Often times it may be very clear and logical to you regarding what exactly you are intending to change, how you'd like to accomplish it and what steps need to be taken in order to obtain a measurable success. Yet, as we all learn outside of the bubble of theory that the actual practice of this effort is much more complicated; creating an opportunity for beauty and chaos all within the course of one initiative. 

I reflect in particular on this related to a new project I've started that is our current and first funded campaign for RISE. Having the opportunity to bring youth and adults together to talk about promoting peace and non violence is an amazing one and it is so, for many reasons. The most significant one is the learning experience that this will bring and for myself, the organizer as well in a unique way. What makes this different and applicable to the topic of this entry is that the focus for this initiative on social change takes the traditional learning model one step further. This is exactly what community organizing in today's era coupled with social change, entrepreneurship, social media and evidence based social marketing strategies can and will do. 

 

source: google images via socialchangequotes.wordpress.com

 

So, while working on a way to effectively accomplish our goals on the topics of peace, non violence and cross generational dialog, we must remind ourself that although we need to acheive outcomes it is about the process. Sometimes this can feel like herding cats, but unless we intend to make everyone do things the way we want by functioning as a wolf in sheep's clothing, the negative side of these analogies will never change. 

Instead, we can focus on the excellent group of individuals, agencies and community leaders who are helping to make this project a success. We can capitalize on the opportunities to host a 2 hour workshop where we will generate ideas and strategies based on RISE's model which are created by the people who live and understand the issue and not the machine that drives the social change engine. Stay tuned for more updates as our workshop is happening soon and we hope to share all the great ideas that came about right here on this site and through our social media networks. The culminating activity will be a billboard ad, running in August. Happy early Independence Day.

Many of us have attended conferences where we found ourselves excited by the energy in the room and the passion of our colleagues. We get home or back to work, set down our notes, handouts and free stuff, go back to the normal routine and not much changes. It's human nature to keep doing what you're familiar with, but how do we take all these new ideas that conferences bring and put them into action? How do we bring this back to our organization as young professionals when we may not be in a position of influence and aren't sure if our ideas are well received?

Perhaps reminding ourselves of the unique opportunity that the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network National Leaders Conference provides, will help. From my perspective this conference is unlike any other. My first experience was this year in Grand Rapids and it proved to be just that. What makes it unique? As Rosetta Thurman said in her post a gathering where young professionals are the majority and are leading thought provoking conversations within our industry, this is a prime source for innovation. It was amazing to see such great speakers among my own peer network who are doing big things to change, grow and sustain our communities. It doesn't come as a shock, but it's so refreshing to see, especially at a conference.

While at the event, taking part ignites a fire and inspires you to do something with it. What do you do once you leave and get back to the normal routine. Here are 5 tips, especially for your YNPN chapter:

1. Share- make time for  a post conference discussion amongst your chapter leaders, or even host a chapter event where those who attended can share their experience. At your job, ask if you can make a presentation to staff or discuss what you shared with your supervisor and team members.

2. Strategize- keep the dialogue going amongst those who attended from your community, by having a conversation about what aspects of the conference provided tools for bringing new ideas to the chapter. One example is a great workshop I attended on YNPN Twin Cities' blog.

3. Plan- come up with at least one new thing that you think you can implement this year, even if it's as simple as sending out a resource to your chapter that you got from the conference. Organizing a new event can be a one time thing to test the ground and see how well received it ends up being. You can always go big and do something that may take a lot of effort, but will pay off in the long run.

4. Implement- follow through with your new idea, program or resource and make sure to let people know that you got it from attending the conference. This helps others to see that it was a worthwhile investment for the Chapter and they might consider going next time.

5. Reach out- an opportunity to connect with Young Nonprofit leaders from around the country in person (and not just on a conference call or webinar) only comes a few times a year. Connect with your peers and let them know that you're taking their ideas and putting them to work. It's easier to do now more than ever, evidenced by the twitter dialogue that began day 1 and still continues today. Don't be afraid to ask for help either, they most likely have some perspective from implementing the very idea they shared with you.

This might seem simple, yet it can be a good reminder to do what you had been thinking about while adjusting to the normal rhythm of post conference activities. Take the time to reflect on what this experience did for you and come up with your own guide to keep the momentum going. Share what you've already done!

An account by Robert Weir of how this international holiday actually came about. Mr. Weir along with Kevin Szawala will be featured guests on The Spicer Show this Saturday, March 19th

The original Earth Day is not on April 22 as is popularly believed but on the vernal equinox, March 20-22, depending on the year. The equinox is Nature's springtime global holiday when the northern and southern hemisphere's share sunlight equally. Earth Day was not established by Senator Gaylord Nelson as most people believe but by peace and environmental visionary John McConnell. In 1970, Senator Nelson created an "Environmental Teach-In" to raise awareness of the environment, particularly pollution. Also in 1970, John McConnell created Earth Day as a means to espouse his three-part philosophy of "peace, justice, care of Earth," stating that all three are necessary. John McConnell's philosophy establishes peace as a prerequisite for Earth care. John preached:

"Peace is not the absence of war. The absence of war is known as a truce or armistice or cease-fire, and is often a time when nations prepare for the next war. Rather, true peace comes from listening to and understanding the other person's point of view. "Justice is not an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth. That is legalized revenge based on the Code of Hammurabi and is the basis for many nations’ judicial system. Rather, true justice is an equitable sharing of the world's resources by all of the world's people. Both peace through understanding and equitable social justice are necessary before people will really begin to take care of the planet. Without peace and justice, the environmental movement is like a one-legged stool."

Both John McConnell's Earth Day and Senator Nelson's Environmental Teach-In originated in 1970, with plans for both announced in 1969. Nelson promoted his Teach-In through the media and the political system. His audience was the United States, primarily college students. McConnell worked through the United Nations and his personal international network to make Earth Day a global celebration. Nelson's message was primarily gloom -- we've polluted the planet, we better clean it up. McConnell's message was that of celebration for the "world's wonderful web of life," which he later related to the "WWW" like the internet.

There has been an Earth Day celebration at the United Nations every year since 1971 at which the UN Peace Bell has been rung by world dignitaries, including former Secretaries-General. When John McConnell announced Earth Day at a large United Nations conference in San Francisco in 1969, some of Nelson's political colleagues and staff were there. Three months later, some of Nelson's promotional material began to bear the "Earth Day" name; these included full-page ads in The New York Times and the Washington Post in January 1970. Nelson's full usurpation of the "Earth Day" name over the next five years created great confusion. Various U.S. Presidents, Congress, governors, and state legislatures passed declarations honoring both the equinox and April 22 as "Earth Day." Today, John McConnell, 95, lives a modest life in Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Anna. Senator Nelson is deceased. And the vast majority of people believe that April 22 is Earth Day.

I know otherwise. I've written John McConnell's biography, titled Peace, Justice, Care of Earth. I've researched his extensive documents, which are stored at the Peace Archives on the campus of Quaker-based Swarthmore College near Philadelphia. These papers include fascinating correspondence between Nelson and McConnell and their staffs in the late 1960s and 1970s. And that correspondence shows, as John McConnell still affirms, "April 22 is not Earth Day." Now, all of that said about the history of Earth Day, John McConnell's primary message, which I have also adopted, is that integral relationship between "peace through understanding, equitable social justice, and Earth care."

Robert Weir’s website can be found at: www.robertmweir.com. John McConnell has his own website: http://www.earthsite.org and he founded the Earth Society Foundation, a United Nations NGO: http://www.earthsocietyfoundation.org

The 2011 annual celebration of Earth Day on the March Equinox and the ringing of the UN Peace Bell is Sunday, March 20th. This year's event will be from 7-8pm, with the Peace Bell ringing at 7:21pm local New York time. The theme is: 2011 International Year of the Forests. Please feel free to share this invitation with others who might be interested in attending. The event takes place on the grounds of the United Nations, with the Peace Bell now located in the Rose Garden overlooking the East River. The UN Visitor's Entrance is at 46th Street at First Avenue.

This Week's Featured Episode: Think Globally, Act Locally

During this show we'll talk about how the concept of making a difference in the world can be applied to what we do in our every day lives. This will include discussion on civic engagement amongst young people, active voters and the broader community. Joining me will be Kevin Lignell who's an Americorps VISTA at the Poverty Reduction Iniative with expertise on the broader picture of poverty issues in Kalamazoo County Michigan and for our local spotlight: Chris Praedel, candidate for the 60th District State Representative seat in Michigan

-Written by Associate Matthew Kern

During my time in Alaska, many of my fellow AmeriCorps and I would take advantage of our free weekend to enjoy some civilization. Living in a tent didn’t afford many luxuries, so I would regularly spend my afternoons surfing the internet and browsing through the periodicals section of our local library. Studying environmental science for my undergraduate at Western Michigan University had given me a taste for understanding and keeping up-to-date on pressing environmental issues. So naturally, the cover of October’s Newsweek magazine entitled, “The New Oil” displaying a drop of water caught my eye.

I was startled to discover the story’s focus was the small town of Sitka, Alaska, from which I had returned from weeks earlier. The town of Sitka is home to an incredible mountain lake containing trillions of gallons of fresh water fed from rainfall, snowmelt and numerous surrounding glaciers. With a population of less than 10,000 within 5,000 square miles, this vast resource goes mostly unused. In fact, almost 6.2 billion gallons of fresh water flows from Blue Lake into the Pacific Ocean every year. With millions around the world suffering from the lack of clean drinking water, the waste of this resource seems criminal.

To the rescue, two American companies, True Alaska Bottling and S2C Global are in the process of finalizing the contracts to transport 3 billion gallons of freshwater from Blue Lake giving the town a 90 million dollar industry. The water would go from Sitka, Alaska to a water-processing facility in India. Here, the water would be divided then reshipped to water stressed regions of the Middle East and North Africa. This would mark the first trans-global deal for fresh water. It is not the miles traveled that have caught the attention of economist and resource experts alike. The transfer of billions of gallons of public water into the hands of private corporations is troubling. Private companies are motivated by shareholder profit rather than ethical implications of people in need. Why would these private companies choose to sell to water stressed regions when a corporation like Aquafina will pay more? The idea that a free market will balance consumption to meet resources works for basic commodities, but this principal fails to account that there is no alternative to water.

It startled me that something elemental to our survival could be sold to the highest bidder. Water has historically been treated as a public good, but more and more of our freshwater is being held by private corporations. My experience in Alaska echoed a lecture I had heard at the University of Central Michigan. The event was sponsored by Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation (MCWC) featuring a presentation of their work and a viewing of the movie Flow. The film featured the plight of the MCWC. Afterwards, Founder Terry Swier spoke of the recent legal victory against Nestlé’s Ice Mountain bottled water plant in Mecosta County. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment had given Nestlé permission to pump 400 gallons per minute. But after a lengthy million dollar lawsuit by MCWC, the plant was reduced to 200 gallons per minute. Nestlé is looking to retry the case in hopes of being able to pump more water. MCWC was created to protect the community’s water supply. After Nestlé began pumping, the water levels of the surrounding marshlands began to drop and a number of individual wells had to be deepened to accommodate for a depleting ground-water table. Corporations like Nestlé have deep pockets affording them the luxury of spending years waiting out community organizations in court.

As stated earlier, the main purpose of a corporation is to make money for its shareholders, which does not necessarily align with what is best for the communities they operate with-in. Privatization will have dramatic impacts and create disturbances around the world before a balance is found. An ever mounting problem such as global water shortages seems like a monstrous issue to take on, but there are simple steps that all of us can take in our everyday lives to make a difference.

Drink tap water, this alone is voting for your public water source. Tap water is tested for over 280 contaminants; bottled water is exempt from these stringent health requirements. If you don’t like the taste, get a water-filter system and it will still be less expensive than consistently buying bottled water. Time your showers or get a low flow showerhead. The average shower uses 2 gallons per minute. You can drastically reduce your water consumption by limiting the amount of time spent showering, or better yet sharing a shower. Waterfootprint.org is a fun tool for tracking your own water usage. Lastly, educate yourself about the state of water in the world and your own community. I recommend Foodandwaterwatch.org as a good starting place. Think globally and support your local public water system.

Newsweek Article, October 8th, 2010
The New Oil
http://www.Newsweek.com/2010/10/08/the-race-to-buy-up-the-world-s-water.html

Nestlé: Draining American Bottle by Bottle: Rural Communities Take a Stand
http://www.storiesthatmatter.org/20090715177/NRNS-Stories/nestle-draining-america-bottle-by-bottle-rural-communities-take-a-stand.html

Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation
http://www.savemiwater.org/

Documentary, Flow: For the love of Water
Flow is a documentary featuring water and community activist discussing their battle against public water privatization and its impact on communities.
http://www.flowthefilm.com/

A Guest Writer Entry from Jessica Spenner

Throughout the month of January, I had the honor of documenting Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes, an organization that provides emergency food to people in Kalamazoo County. They do this in several different ways including stocking twenty-six different food pantries, handing out free food, providing food for elders and mothers that do not receive WIC benefits and providing food packs to local children to help them get through the weekend.

Often times, people make the assumption that organizations like KLF are enabling homelessness, and not solving the problem. However, through the month I realized that KLF is simply helping them take the first step. If you do not have food, your body begins to shut down. How can we expect a homeless person to get on their feet, find a job and provide for their family if they are literally starving and their mind cannot function properly?  

This is where Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes comes in. Not only do they provide food in so many different ways, but every program they create to provide food meets the USDA guidelines for nutrition. By providing healthy food for those in need, KLF is helping people get back on their feet. If you’d like to learn more, visit the KLF website at www.kzoolf.org or read about them on my blog at www.bethechangemakethedifference.blogspot.com

 

About the writer - Jessica Spenner is the author of the Blog Be the Change. Make the Difference. The blog is her journey into volunteering with a number of non-profits in Southwest Michigan. She hopes that the blog will give people the information to help these causes by giving time or resources. Many similar non-profits can be found in every community across the US giving us all an aveanue to help those in need. 

Help me become a finalist by voting this week for my video entry supporting the American Red Cross and United Way. Click on "love it" here: Take a Risk to Help Others 

I'm a risk taker and I work hard to give back. Volunteering and raising money for charity has helped to make me a better person and I want to keep finding new and innovative ways to do it. For my project I plan to give in 2 ways: I'm going to use the $10,000 to purchase 1,000 First Aid Kits that will be donated to the American Red Cross. The $5,000 that will be provided by Right Response through their Give a Kit Program will be donated to United Way. Help me help others and be the first to drive the new 2012 Ford Focus.

Take a Risk to Help Others