Turning the Wheel- The Great Turning

The most remarkable feature of this historical moment on Earth is not
that we are on the way to destroying the world-
we've actually been on the way for quite a while.
It is that we are beginning to wake up, as from a millennia-long sleep,
to a whole new relationship to our world, to ourselves and each other.

-Joanna Macy, author World as Lover, World as Self

The Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Initiative held it's second Global Gathering on the campus of Mills College in Oakland, CA on June 26-29.

Nearly 200 committed facilitators (including me) from four continents ,along with guest speakers Lynne Twist, Brian Swimme, and Joanne Macy , among others, gathered to re-affirm, apply, and expand our commitment to an environmentally sustainable, socially just, spiritually fulfilling presence on this planet as the guiding principle for these times.

The Global Gathering re-ignited in me what really is important - and what I am committed to- on a personal, professional, and collective level.

It's easy to forget that real change begins
with changing oneself.

At the conference, all of us felt and agreed that this is a most amazing time to be alive, that we don't have all the answers, and that in fact, we may or may not be successful in creating the personal and collective changes that must take place now.

If we focus our actions on cooperation, not competition, on doing more with less, (and perhaps on DOING less and BEING more), heal our addictions to consumption, and re-claim the role of world citizen founded on interdependence and respect for the dignity of all life,we may be able to "turn the wheel" towards sustainable solutions.

Turning the Wheel. . .

WHAT can I start doing today and the rest of the year to bring more cooperation and collaboration into the company culture, our teams, client relations, and communities?

WHO am I mentoring? WHO are my mentors?

WHO are my"emPower partners?" Is there a team, a social network, forum, panel, or consortium that can be formed with "competitors"?

WHAT is my role and contribution to the "Great Turning"?

What will future generations learn from and do with your contributions?

Table for Six Billion, Please

Changing the World, One Restaurant at a Time

Earlier this summer, I had a meeting with the Director of Organizational Learning at an international software digital printing company. In our conversation, she reminded me that as entrepreneurs and business leaders, we choose our clients.

I wasn't in total agreement with her in that moment, as I have often found clients "choosing" me to work on initiatives that were not in alignment with my passions, values, and stand in life. Yet, I understood that she was referring to focused intention and the laws of attraction.

And then the light went on! As leaders, one of the key evaluative questions we need to continually ask ourselves is what ARE our values? What DO we stand for? What ARE we committed to? How do we translate that into our businesses?

How can we develop our "relational capital" to attract and serve the clients who will benefit most from what we offer (the intangible values and commitment, and the tangible products/services)? What are our clients' values and needs?

To assist this inquiry, I was reading an article in The Sun magazine where I was re-introduced to the business model Judy Wicks employed to develop the White Dog Cafe in Philadelphia.

Not only has Judy consistently managed to motivate, recognize, and retain skilled employees, she has also set the standard for community-building, education, and the resurgence of thriving local "living" communities, both in the USA and abroad. Judy is also the co-founder of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE).

Among her guiding principles and practices, Judy speaks on the need for the business world to move away from a mentality of accumulation and competition and (back?) towards an economy based on sharing and cooperation.

She coins this model "living returns" vs. the stock market. She reminds us that investing in our community is in our self-interest and the "multiple bottom line" approach pioneered by Ben & Jerry's (before the forced buyout to Unilever Corporation), is not only a responsible approach, but an essential and necessary action if we want to experience any form of sustainable return.

The bottom line question is : Do we want to develop and sustain businesses that are beneficial to all life and future generations or not?

We can no longer focus solely on the competitive advantage, but rather need to engage in Cooperative Advantage ™ strategies- competencies, skills, values, communication that is all inclusive, and that encourages sustainability, justice, personal and collective fulfillment.

To find out more about how you can incorporate The Cooperative Advantage ™, in your business, workplace, and community, post a comment or click here .

Celebrate Earth Day

We cannot have peace on the Earth, unless we also have peace with the Earth.
-Julia Butterfly Hill

Earth Day is near and dear to my heart, as I have been involved with sustainability since the early '70's working at one of the first recycling centers in the USA in a small community in the Midwest.

Our recycling center was part of a fund raising project, that enabled nearly 70 youth to travel and perform throughout western Europe as part of an international symphonic music festival. Having passing a very stringent audition, I fortunately, was able to participate as one of the youngest performers in the group. (And thus began my travel lust- another story. . .)

Fast forward to 1995, as an educator and content producer, I became involved with a regional committee here in the Bay Area that was drafting content for the Earth Charter. Since then, the Earth Charter has been translated into over 30 languages, is used in school and university curricula, and has been adopted by hundreds of cities internationally, as their "constitution".

I joined the Pachamama Alliance several years ago, and enrolled in the Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Facilitator Training. The ATD symposium is an absolute must for anyone who is truly committed to creating an environmentally sustainable, socially just, and spiritually uplifting presence on this planet. That same year (2006) I was the Managing Editor for the Sustainable World Sourcebook, now used as one of the many rich resources for personal ecology education and building sustainable communities. You can download a pdf for free.

Paul Hawken has also been a source of inspiration and fuel for my commitment to sustainability education in the workplace. Visit WiserEarth and join this social network.

There are so many actions we can take to honor and heal our Earth. Doing more with less is compassionate, prosperous and intelligent (even competitive). One can make a difference. Respect, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse and Recyle.

The Story of Stuff

Producer Annie Leonard, along with the Tides Foundation and an impressive list of NGO's have done a terrific job at synthesizing a very complex reality in this revealing movie. For all my colleagues who are educators, how can we promote and incorporate this into our middle school and high school curricula? I believe this could also very easily be used as teaching tool in an ESL (English as a Second Language) classroom. Would love to hear your comments.

Click to see movie

Greening Your LIfe

Greening Your Life™
Workshops in Personal Ecology and Workplace Sustainability

* What's your Eco Footprint?
* What are your unexamined assumptions, choices?
* Do your "consumption" habits reflect your values?
* What ARE your guiding principles?

The Live Earth Event broadcast worldwide on July 7, 2007 provided a tremendous education in personal ecology on a global level.

Moving towards personal ecology/sustainable living starts with one individual- YOU! Sustainability starts with your desire to change, and then taking action. Sustainability is living in such a way that future generations have access to shared resources to meet their needs.

It takes vision commitment and courage to take a stand and build life-affirming models in our businesses, media, schools, and first and foremost, in our own hearts.

Greening Your Life™ is a powerful and engaging workshop designed for those seeking support in developing personal ecology and workplace sustainability practices. Based upon research and actions plans that I included in the 2006 Sustainable World Sourcebook, along with other resources, we will:

* Examine The 4 R's: RESPECT, RETHINK, REDUCE and REUSE.
* Look at your Eco Footprint and reflect upon unexamined choices.
* Develop a Personal Green Action Plan.
* Learn how to plan a "zero-waste" event.
* Discuss Green Team Development and Education in the Workplace.

Take a stand in your personal life and workplace towards green living, global cooling, and justice. E-mail coachshera@gmail.com to receive more information on Greening Your Life™ workshops for Personal Ecology and Workplace Sustainability.