To wrap up this series, I compiled the rest of the responses from my Earth Day questionnaires. Some were abbreviated, some came in late, but I was touched by all the answers I got and wanted to include as many as possible. I think people were glad to be asked. Sharing resources and visioning the future are basic and powerful tools for worldchanging.
A diverse group participated, some well known, some just doing their thing quietly everyday. The most common theme -- we need to get out of the car and get our hands in the dirt, growing food. Also repeatedly mentioned is the need for localizing the economy and building deeper community connections.
What local Worldchanging organization, project or idea should be better known?
Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy -- It has a new approach to economic development and is one of the most effective organizations in the country because it involves workers directly in its projects and campaigns. (Rev. Dick Gillette, Minister for Social Justice)
TREEPEOPLE! (Marialyce Pedersen, Disney Environmental Relations)
Our school, Pacifica Community Charter School is a great treasure. It is a humanistic, compassionate communication, parent participation, public school in West LA (K through 8). We have a very diverse population. BTW, we are hosting Alfie Kohn on May 15th. (Lakshmi Lambert, acupuncturist)
Lucent Dossier Vaudeville Cirque and the Do Lab -- Fire performers, burlesque dancers, stilt-walkers, clowns, belly dancers, trapeze, djs, roaming performers and more. Part of the upcoming Green Music Festival Lightning in a Bottle. (Orley, circus performer)
The LA Post Carbon group -- they are already working to localize the economy. They have held workshops to help people learn sustainable and ecologically-sound lifestyles. (Ross Plesset, peace activist)
What one Worldchanging practice do you most wish to see flourish in Los Angeles?
I’d like to see auto-free zones throughout the city, with all the money that goes into building and repairing roads and freeways to be used instead for streetcars, busses, minibuses, etc. Every block should have mass transit available. (Kitty Kroger, school librarian)
Zero waste -- everything "disposable" must become recyclable or compostable. Nothing -- no packaging or product --should be sent to the landfill. (Marialyce Pedersen, Disney Environmental Relations)
Parallel communities and parallel economies emulating that of the Zapatistas. I believe our "civilization" is pathologically-flawed and beyond reform. I was inspired by a Zapatista-style encuentro [community dialogue] I participated in a few years ago. That was one of the most inspiring visions I've seen for the future and I think we need inspiring visions. (Ross Plesset, peace activist)
I would like to see a lot more intentional dialogues, public forums and informal meet and greets that somehow catch on as a cultural movement. What I'm getting at is that class and race really divide this city. How do we live in a city where space and ideology allows us to ignore poverty so easily? A flourishing culture of addressing these huge issues on a person-to-person level needs to happen. That, or just addressing it through changing tax codes so that poor folks aren't continually screwed by bad education. (Marc Herbst, artist)
If you were queen or king of Los Angeles for a day, what would you do?
Make compost programs accessible for everyone so nobody has to discard any organics in the landfill anymore. (Marialyce Pedersen, Disney Environmental Relations)
I don't think my being a monarch for a day would be the best solution. I could make radical changes, but they would be undone by our corrupt system (just as GM and Goodyear dismantled the Red Car, and Ralph Horowitz and our "representatives" bulldozed the South Central Farm). Rather than my being monarch, I would rather see everyone who cares about the environment take matters into their own hands: phase out their cars; conserve energy at home; use reusable cloth shopping bags; pick up litter on a regular basis; keep foodscraps for compost; avoid water run-off from your home (it pushes toxins into the ocean via stormdrains); buy food that is grown locally and/or start growing your own food; use rechargeable batteries; try to repair appliances, gadgets, and clothes rather than simply throwing them out and replacing them. If more of us did these things, I think it could make a dramatic difference. Here in L.A., I think the onus is on us, the people, to make change rather than expecting our "leaders" to do it. (Ross Plesset, peace activist)
A citywide scavenger hunt -- 50 teams. Each team is cross/race and class. Each team hides things and strategizes together on how to best hide things. Each team probably has to do some sort of coordinated physical feats to find objects (no ladders and flashlights allowed). OK, this would take about 2 weeks -- learning how to have fun together while thinking and talking should take time. Either that or just improve public healthcare? education? Improve both of those? (Marc Herbst, artist)
If I were Queen of LA, I'd create many little urban villages of Tumbleweed houses, and I'd make sure that puppetry was part of the LAUSD curriculum! (Linda Hoag, poet and school counselor)
Describe the LA you'd like to see in 2027
Sustainable transportation system, NO smog/no polluting vehicles, Local farms supporting city folks, functional local communities, and all the malls closed forever, because nobody wants to waste money and resources on fashion anymore. (Marialyce Pedersen, Disney Environmental Relations)
The modern world depresses me. Sometimes I cope with it by imagining everything I see being reclaimed by nature. For example, imagine Target with vines growing everywhere and the only source of light coming from holes in the ceiling. Ernest Callenbach, author of the Ecotopia books, described his vision of post-technological society in his short story Chocco (published in Kim Stanley Robinson's Future Primitive compilation). (Ross Plesset, peace activist)
A civilization and ecosystem that isn't inhospitable. (Marc Herbst, artist)
[Lucent Dossier photo by Buddahmonkey]
