Photo: Stock Exchange/oil spill

The tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico could be the tipping point when we finally “get” how fragile our planet is and muster the collective effort to turn it around. We have a long way to go but here is a smattering of some leading indicators of change:

• Social networking organizations, such as Transitions US, Wiser Earth, World Café, and others promoting environmental consciousness and activism are gathering steam.
• Nicholas Kristoff’s article, New Alarm Bells About Chemicals and Cancer, reports that the President’s Panel on Cancer, staffed by mainstream doctors appointed by the George W. Bush, are about to publish a report linking the rising incidence of cancer to our unprecedented exposure to chemicals. The report says that a stunning 41 percent of Americans will get some form of cancer and it recommends switching to organic foods.

• The urban gardening movement is gaining momentum and the USDA reports that fifteen percent of the world’s food is grown in urban areas.  The organic label continues to gain market share.
• The US Social Forum in Detroit from June 22 to 26th is an excellent example of a grass roots movement to create the future that serves our needs.
• Local activists, such as the Tutor/Mentor Connection and Mess Hall, in Chicago and The Ted Fund in Evanston are local examples of the activism that is alive in many communities.

Certainly we have a long way to go but I think we are so close to the issues that we can’t see how far we’ve come. Many people are thinking differently about our waste stream so the next obvious step is to compost as a common practice. No matter what, do keep joining, writing, donating time, talent and treasure. Don’t lose heart. The shift is underway.

For more info: New Community Vision is working to spawn a movement to think about our social and housing paradigms in a new context. Community gatherings to address our universal challenges are the fertile soil in which durable solutions take root. Please subscribe to this blog and contact us for more information.

Tags: environment, oil spill