Acquaint Yourself

As our experience here in Iceland is coming to its final stage, we are all having to think about how we will bring what we have learned back home with us and how to apply it.   Where can you possibly start when there is so much to do?  And I bet a lot of you readers are wondering something similar, how can you do something to help or support us in this effort too?  Well here’s a start: become more informed about the world around you.  Find out more about your local environment, economy, community offerings, governance, farms and businesses.

How can you know what needs changing if you don’t know what already exists?  One of the most important changes you can make it to engage and support your local community, especially as an effort to reduce your fuel consumption from driving.  

            Go to community centers and see what kinds of programs are being offered.  Do your best to get to know the people around you and support them.  Humans are social creatures: we like to cooperate—and I’m saying this is from the perspective of an introvert—it is extremely rewarding to work with others.  We need to leave the ideal that each person can live their independent lives without others impacting them.  Begin to pay it forward.  Once you start engaging and helping others, they may do the same for you and this may lift some stress from your life.  As Americans, we have slowed in innovation because we aren’t communing to share ideas.  Try making yourself accessible to others so that we may all learn from each other.

Explore to see if there are farms in the area and get to know your farmer, see how they are treating the land and what practices they use.  Eating chemical-free food if not just important for ecological reason, but for your health.  Food is one of the few things you will buy that directly sustains you, why would you scrimp on not getting the healthiest input possible?  Sign up for a CSA with local farms, even split the CSA with a friend.  You will get fun surprises each week, eat healthy by cutting down on processed foods, save money, and keep your farmer’s livelihood going.  Grow some produce for yourself as well; you can’t get more local than that.    

Avoid shopping or eating at the chain businesses.  Give your neighbors some support by investing your consumer dollar in their business.  The more you can cut out the middle-man, the lower your impact will be on the environment.  Support places where you know the money is going straight to the owners and business, not getting wrapped up in corporate politics or barely going to the workers who kindly helped you. 

Though working with the public can be a major challenge, try going to some town meetings or see how local governance works.  See what kinds of issues they are dealing with and how they make decisions.  If you feel so inclined, think if you could propose some ideas to the committees.  In your local government is where you can make some of the greatest impacts, rather than hoping those on Capital Hill will lead in the proper direction, do so for yourself. 

There are a lot of things you can do around you.  Changing how you act and live your life is the easiest way to improve this world.  You can’t expect others to change if you don’t change yourself.  Utilize everything around you to the maximum of what it offers and if you see a way it could be improved, work with others to make steps to make that change. 

~Emily~