Our children are our future

These past 2 days have been eye opening for me. As I listened to farmers, chefs and educators from all over the country, my beliefs in sustainability have been reaffirmed. I was also finally able to define sustainability. Not in the objective behavioral terms I have been trying to use, but in human terms. All of a sudden, it was all so simple: sustainability is our children.

While I was impacted by all the speakers at Dickinson's Seeding the Future Conference, one person in particular stood out and I think it is fair to say that he has forever changed my life. In his 2 presentations and my personal conversations with him, I felt passion, dedication and commitment that was contagious. His words ignited my ambitions and my emotions to the point where I had to fight back tears.

I have always been an active and involved citizen. I volunteer, advocate for the things I believe in and run a small business that focuses on improving people's lives. Despite these achievements, I often still question my purpose on this planet and the impact my actions can have.

Today Chef Tony Geraci answered those questions. "Everything I do has a connection to kids. If it doesn't, then I don't do it," he said, "It's just not worth it." The emotions I felt, as he spoke those words, consumed me. As an educator, as a behavior analyst and now as an aspiring educational farmer, kids had always been at the center of my actions. Our children ARE our purpose. They are our future and they deserve the very best we can offer. They deserve a good education, good food, good support and most importantly they deserve to be empowered.

As for making an impact, Geraci said he did not believe in experiencing life as a bystander. He expressed that we were only here for a nanosecond of time and that we should make the most of it. "I want to carve my name on the world and let people know I was here and made a difference," Geraci told a small group of people chatting with him after his keynote address. If you want to make an impact, he said, it is as simple as creating a plan and putting it into action. "START! START! START!"

In case you don't know Tony Geraci, also known as Cafeteria Man, he is a successful restaurateur who in recent years has dedicated his life to farm-to-school programs. He believes in providing our children with real and nutritional foods, so that they are better able to learn. "You cannot have the expectation that a teacher can teach if the kid is hungry or jacked up on sugar," Geraci said. Even cooler is Geraci's belief in a system where the farm isn't just a way to give our children access to better food, it is also a way to provide our children with real-life hands-on educational experiences.

What Geraci spoke about during his presentations was not new to me. As an educator and behavior analyst, I feel comfortable saying that I know what the components of a good educational program are. The powerful part of his presentations was to see those principles applied; to see that guidance, support, reinforcement and empowerment are four of the strongest tools you can give a child. And to see that with some vision and dedication you CAN really make a difference.

In Geraci's farm-to-fork approach the children don't just eat fresh food and learn where their food comes from, they also learn how to grow it, how to plan a farm, how to plan and create a meal and what the history of the food being grown is. And because not everyone wants to be a biologist or famer, the program is integrated into all subjects. In his program in New Hampshire for example, some children made beehives during their woodworking class, others created budgets during math, others created marketing materials during art and yet others determined the menu's nutritional content during science. They learned the value of community and teamwork. They learned to appreciate each person for their unique set of skills. Additionally, the programs also empowered the students by allowing them to have a voice and teaching them how to take ownership of their education and food choices.

It's not just about providing our children with the quality of food they deserve. It is also about shaping the future citizens of the world into people who care about the communities they live in and the planet they depend on. So if you ever question your purpose on this planet or the importance of sustainability, remember this: Sustainability is our children and our children are our future.

Contributing to Sustainability

In case I hadn't mentioned it yet, I am a Behavior Analyst by profession.
Without an extra title or some background information, it makes my area of expertise rather vague. Do I work for the police? Am I a psychologist? Do I work with troubled youth? Am I analyzing everyone I meet, all the time? Can I provide some advice about a spouse, sibling or child with problem behaviors?

That's just a few of the questions I get when I tell people my job title and I have to say, I don't blame them for being unsure of what to expect. Behavior is a very broad field and their are behavior analysts involved in just about every area of behavior. The more I think about it however, the more I am surprised that most of us are involved in special education and developmental disabilities, particularly Autism.

Not that our field isn't extremely successful in this area or that we have a lack of work in this field, but why aren't more of us involved in environmental behavior change or sustainability education? Don't we as "behavior experts" have the best solutions on how to change human behavior from this linear lifestyle to a more sustainable lifestyle? Can't we as behavior scientists contribute by providing ways to evoke the behavior change necessary to be more sustainable?

Turns out I wasn't the only one with this question and as of this Summer I am part of a group called Behavior Analysis for Sustainable Societies. We're just getting started, so I'm not quite sure what direction we're going in, but I'm glad to see the Behavior Analysis community get together and fill this gap. I'm actually quite curious to see what we achieve. Do we tackle it globally, locally? Do we start with the individual? Or do we focus on governments and corporations?

How do you change an entire community of individual thinkers?

The task seems daunting, but the second I say that I hear the Maldives Minister of Housing's voice in my head. At a talk he gave today with the Vice President of the Maldives he said, when we decided to go to the moon, I'm pretty sure we didn't know how to do it, but we said we would and we did. He continued by saying that he wasn't exactly sure how the Maldives were going to become carbon neutral, but that they are committed to getting there in the next 10 years.

And in many ways he is right. We may not know how to change the behavior of billions of people, but as behavior analysts, we know behavior, and we are committing ourselves to applying that to sustainability. You don't have to be a environmentalist, conservationist, tree hugger or scientist to care about sustainability. You don't have to be from an island like the Maldives where your survival depends on climate change's path. All you need is the realization that sustainability isn't worse than what you live in now and the determination to apply your skills to building a more sustainable future.

So here's my question to you...what field do you work in and how can you contribute to sustainability?

The Ripple Effect

I’ve been on a bit of a blogging hiatus and it’s not at all because I’ve giving up on sustainability and resorted to my old ways, but I have been struggling with some demons. Mostly I have felt a bit discouraged to continue writing about sustainability because a few incidents made me question my ability to make a change in the world and encourage others to follow my lead.

The first one happened about a month ago when I was picking up a prescription at the pharmacy. I had specifically asked them to not include the plastic blue sleeve with the refill, because I already have many of those at home. Of course when I picked up the prescription it was in a brand-new plastic blue sleeve. I told me pharmacist to make a note in my account to not include this sleeve anymore and she told me that wasn’t possible, because they need it to put the prescription sticker. I promptly responded, “How about I just bring my old one back for you,” to which she responded “Well, we can just give you a new one.”

Had she just missed the entire point of my request?

I calmly stated that I felt I would be causing unnecessary waste to which she nonchalantly replied “I don’t see a problem with that.” I had no response…she could not care less and there wasn’t anything I could do in the brief time we had together to convince her otherwise, so I mumbled “landfills aren’t endless” and left with the daunting realization that the problem is not that people don’t care or don't want to care, the problem is that the majority of people in this country have no idea WHY they should care.

That incident led me to question my ability to cause change. Can my actions really make a difference?

As that question lingered in my mind, my boyfriend and I got into our ongoing discussion about whether or not humans can change their ways before it is too late. The earth has tipping points. Ecosystems have tipping points, species have tipping points and our climate has a tipping point which on our current path we are slated to reach mid-century. While we don’t know exactly what reaching these tipping points will mean, we do know that once a tipping point is reached, there is no way back.

The problem was no longer whether or not my actions could make a difference it was about whether or not my actions could make a difference before it was too late. Could I reach out to the millions of people who didn’t know why they should care and convince them to start caring before it was too late? Was the ripple effect I hoped to start strong enough to go past my circle of friends?

I wasn’t sure and to be quite honest, I was a bit discouraged….until a few days ago when I walked into a client’s house. This family is the definition of electricity overuse. I’m talking all lights on, all the time, two to three TVs on all day and night and the heater set to 78 degrees. But when I walked in a few days ago, I was surprised to see less lights and only one TV on and best of all the heat turned to 73, which she then proceeded to turn off because their house gets a lot of heat from the sun. The ripple had spread and it continued spreading as my co-workers proudly showed me our new paper recycling bin and we discussed the possibility of adding a can/bottle recycling bin. Another co-worker gave me a bunch of binders she was going to throw away, but decided to reuse. And yet another co-worker proudly expressed how, thanks to me, she had started recycling and was trying to convince her husband to recycle too.

This whole month, as I doubted my ability to inspire others to change, the ripple had spread and people were changing. Who knows maybe I had even planted a seed in my pharmacist's head...

I don’t know how many people I can reach, but I do know now that I am not giving up. It just matters too much to me and it’s not because I am an environmentalist or a tree hugger. It’s because I am an educator, a future parent and most importantly a human being. So whatever you believe in, please consider the little things you can do to make a change.

Don’t know where to start? Look no further. I’ve got a million easy tips coming your way one day at a time.

Our "reduced" standard of living

Just a few days ago, I got one of the most rewarding messages. My cousin wrote me “Happy 2010! Thank you for teaching me new things and bringing important things to my attention.” I guess I have to add the disclaimer that I am extremely liberal and that she is quite conservative, but I think the experiences and conversations we shared in 2009 are proof that when it comes to saving our planet and bettering our lives it does not matter if you are conservative or liberal, republican or democrat, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim or an atheist, the only thing that matters is that you educate yourself on what it means to live a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle.

An economist today on NPR said that given the state of the world, we have to get used to a reduced standard of living. I don’t disagree with him, our standards of living have to change and yes, it will be “reduced” compared to the way we live now, but I’m not so sure that that is a bad thing. Will it really be so bad to use more public transportation or our bicycles instead of our cars? Or even drive a small hybrid car instead of a massive SVU? Who said that a car indicates a higher standard of living than a bicycle? Or that the size of your car delineates your wealth? I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t trade my fuel-efficient Honda for a gas-guzzling SUV for anything and I am actually waiting for the day I can “reduce” my standard of living to a smaller hybrid car that is friendlier on the planet AND my wallet! Not to mention that in Amsterdam for example, people never even consider buying a car. On the contrary, they want the ugliest bike they can find, so that no one will try to steal it.

Sure, we have to get used to a “reduced” lifestyle, but you might not miss the stuff you are giving up quite as much as you think you will. Just think back to your childhood…what are your favorite memories? Is it that big TV, big car or expensive game? I don’t know, maybe it is for you, but for me, the things I remember and treasure most from my childhood are the family trips we took, the stories that were told, the home-cooked meals and the game nights. Just last week I was at home and what I craved most was my mom’s New Year’s soup and a night at home playing Chinese Checkers and Rummikub. I don't think any material good could ever replace that...

The Ex-Consumer

I used to love eating a McDonald's value meal, Taco Bell, Chick-Fil-A, Bojangles, and all the other fast food restaurants out there. I was the common Western consumer. Fast food, food courts, chain restaurants, shopping sprees, always owning and wanting the newest gadgets, aspiring to own a nice fancy car, a big house and all the fancy clothes, shoes and accessories my wallet could afford, I wanted it all.

And here I am, ten years later, and I don't recognize that person anymore. My priorities and life aspirations have completely changed and I owe it to nothing other than education. Meeting wonderful people who removed the blindfold and opened my eyes to the pitfalls of the life of an unsustainable consumer. A blindfold that we unwillingly put on and that is kept on by habit, ignorance, advertisement and capitalism. We follow the routine laid out for us and assume it is the lifestyle we "want" forgetting that what we are told we want, may not actually be what we want OR need.

Don't get me wrong, I still want a nice (green) house and a nice (hybrid) car. I own an iPhone, I still love a nice steak and I am still occasionally overcome with an urge to go on a shopping spree, I've just become much more conscious of the effects my actions have on our world. The effects my actions have on everything and everyone around me. And with my blindfold removed, I feel an urgency to rip other people's blindfolds off, to open their eyes to the unsustainable lifestyle many of us live and aspire to live.

A few months ago I made a life-changing journey by joining Climate Ride and riding my bicycle 300-miles from New York to Washington, DC with ~120 other riders. Before February of 2009, I hadn't been on a bicycle for almost 15 years, yet something inspired me to join these amazing people on this amazing journey in the name of climate change action.

I don't know how much change I can make as a single person, but Roz Savage (who rowed the Atlantic solo, is working on the Pacific and is currently walking from Big Ben to Brussels to attend the Cop-15 meeting) thought me that 1 drop of water causes ripples that effect the entire puddle of water, so here goes my drop. I think climate change action is necessary and important, but I'm realizing that what matters most to me is educating people about the unsustainable lifestyle humans are leading and the need to change to a sustainable lifestyle. Not just to stop climate change, but to protect our fellow human beings, to save our species, to save our world and most importantly to resurrect our morals and ideals.

Stop and think about how much you consume and what part of that you can do without, take time to figure out where it all comes from, consider for a second how much you waste, think about how you are contributing to your own health problems, your own financial crisis.
Think about how we are single-handedly destroying our planet and how we can't keep going just because "that's what we've always done." What've we always done, isn't working and it won't work no matter how many fancy words, fun ads, beautiful colors and shiny packaging we put on it.