On August 5, 2009, a group of twenty some bicyclist headed out for a permaculture tour of southeast Portland, OR. From natives to strangers, we had one very important thing in common, a desire to make personal changes in our life style, for the benefit of our own health and/or the health of this planet.
As a recent transplant to to Portland from Chicago, it was amazing to see the fast tract to sustainability that Portland is on and ready for more. And because I am new to this community, I can't help but compare it to from whence I came. Chicago is really trying to be green and has a reputation of being so, but the difference between Chicago and Portland is that in Chicago it has been a very top-down type of transition with Mayor Daley declaring that Chicago would become "the greenest city in America" and has made this goal a central part of how the city is being planned, developed and run. Most Chicagoans stand on the sideline, cheering on the new "green" skyscraper and brag about all the bike lanes, feeling that their job is done because they are tax payers. But what Chicago has wrong is that sustainability is a lifestyle choice, not a city plan. As demonstrated by the everyday people who welcomed a large group of strangers into their homes and brains in order to green the city themselves with their neighbors and friends, through education and community. What I walked away with is a sense that the concerned citizens of Portland are seriously taking the matter into their own hands, growing sustainable food supplies, harvesting rain water, and building an open community instead of leaving it up to the bureaucrats to decide, or waiting for the city council to vote for it. Leaving it up to our elected officials is not going to cut it if we are truly going to make sustainability work for us as individuals. By making the greening or Portland a small community effort, not only are we moving much faster, but we can also foster that sense of community, meet and share with our neighbors, making our neighborhoods safer and a fun place to live.
I truly recommend anyone who is interested in being green or sustainable to look into the ideals and philosophy behind the freedom and independence of permaculture . There are many ready and willing to share their skills and ideas, whether you are growing a few things in pots for now, life myself, or are already a seasoned gardener. The idea of small communities and neighbors taking control of their own impact on the earth will be so much more effective than the mayor having the parks department plant a few trees. As Randy White, CEO of brightneighbor.com, said so eloquently throughout the tour, "You want to change the world? Change your world."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment