In the Sustainable cities class we have learned that the world is a very fragile place. Our eyes need to be opened eyes to see that there are many areas in which change is needed now before it is too late. The climate “ catastrophe” is one of the areas that need to be addressed because it is affecting so many areas. For example, the increased number of wildfires destroying habitats and homes, the above average temperatures in many areas causing droughts, habitat loss including rain forests, the food shortages worldwide and the loss of biodiversity. The problem is man made and man needs to find a way to fix it. We drive our cars, and throw away our garbage and plastic and do not think about the long term consequences.
In the article about Active Hope we learned that extreme weather events are more common and we have a lack of confidence in our futures due to resources dwindling. We don’t want to discuss this because its too depressing and overwhelming to think about all that is going wrong in the world. It feels like our small actions wont make any difference. We need a hope and desire to change. We can find ways to be resilient and creative in problem solving if we have active hope
Falmouth is doing this actively by engaging everyone in the processes of education and resiliency. In the article, we learned about four 4 stages of hope which include honoring the pain about the world, gratitude, going forth, seeing with new eyes .Working together achieves more than working alone. This is what my web case example of Falmouth’s collaborative governance illustrates.
We need leadership that is committed and representative of all races and genders and that will work toward a” fossil fuel free future, local ownership, local control and empowering the community.” ( Diversifying power article).
Falmouth is an example of this new active hope. My web case project focuses on the key themes of climate change resilience, collaborative governance, and doughnut model /just sustainability. An area where I could elaborate or do more research is looking at how climate change is affecting more vulnerable populations such as the Wampanoag tribes on Cape Cod and to find out what they are doing to work toward a sustainable future. I also could research and add more about the community gardens/ farmers markets and the impact they are having on reducing the carbon footprint causing climate change. A possible resource for this is, https://throwe-environmental.com/wtgha , which tells about Wampanoag responses to sea level rise on Martha’s Vineyard which is very close to Falmouth.
Another possible theme could be Active Hope.