Ch. 37 Communicating Hope and Strategy

“'Hope is not a strategy' may be an accepted aphorism,
but so is the adage that 'an 80 percent solution today is better
than a 100 percent solution tomorrow or next week.'
Hope need not be the ending point of strategy, but it is an essential element."

- Col. Jeremy Weber

Many people, particularly young people, are feeling anxious and uncertain when it comes to climate change. 

Those of us who were born before the digital age understand (whether we care to admit it or not) that we will probably not be around for the worst impacts of global warming. While we may feel some uncertainty, perhaps we don't feel the full weight of anxiety that younger digital natives feel. Most of them are acutely aware of the future they are inheriting, and the potential suffering this future has in store for them. 

Although we all want our kids to feel confident, valued, and hopeful... their reality does not match up with our wishes. 

Surveys show...

• 59% of young people say that they are “very” or “extremely” worried about climate change
• 62% feel anxious, and 67% feel sad and afraid
• 82% of young people don’t know how their government is tackling climate change
• 84% of these survey participants say that their government’s efforts to involve them are insufficient

The majority of our young people are feeling anxious and sad, alone and overlooked. They are feeling left out and excluded from conversations and efforts to address the biggest existential threat of their lives. 

These young people can see the worsening effects of global warming, but no one is talking to them about it, or inviting them to take part in organized action.

As much as we want our kids to feel safe and optimistic about the future, these statistics show the opposite is true. 

When you combine this existential dread with the fact that most of them know they may never be able to afford a home or have enough savings for retirement, is it really any mystery that millions of our youth are experiencing major depression? And that suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in 15 - 29 year-olds? (As a side note, bullets are the number one cause of death for kids in the U.S.)

These young people need hope. We all need hope. 

So far we have talked at length about the horror show that awaits our kids if we don't take action now.

But we have also discussed solutions. Specifically Project Drawdown, the comprehensive plan for reversing global warming. It is a big, eclectic list of 100 different large scale solutions to climate change.

But isn't that part of the problem?

There are so many solutions that it's easy to get overwhelmed, and to experience "choice paralysis." The problem is so complex and the opportunities for action are so many, it's hard to know where to begin.

So it's not enough to simply share Project Drawdown with our young folks and expect them to leap into action. Dropping an overwhelming to-do-list of actions on someone's lap is not the way to give them hope. 

It's our job to help them find their own path to action, their own way to contribute. Then support them as they organize and become change makers. 

We all need hope, but real hope comes from a workable strategic plan. 

As the old Chinese proverb says, "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Sure. But what step should, or even can we take? Where do we start?

Consider this:

Strategic action begins with an individual human. You the reader. Or your kid, a friend, a student, or whoever. But it begins with the individual. 

What inspires you? Where do you want to make a difference? How can you pitch in and support the people in your neighborhood who are already making a difference?

Here are some suggestions for finding your own starting point, and helping others to find theirs. I'll walk through them one at a time, using myself and my own "backyard" for examples. 

First, focus on your own "backyard." 

Take some time to learn about the place in which you live. I live in Oregon, so let's use that as our example. 

Some initial internet research shows...

• Oregon is the 28th biggest food producer in the U.S. 
• Over 38% of Oregon is grassland, pasture, and range. (As a side note, Linn County is considered the "grass seed capital of the world.")
• Oregon is the largest softwood producer in the U.S. and 50% of the state is forested.

Based on our Project Drawdown list, this gives us several avenues for action. For the purposes of this conversation, let's focus on the Top 20 list. But feel free to go as far down on the list as you need to, in order to find something that you're inspired by. Any action you take will get us collectively closer to our goal of reversing global warming. 

Look for an action that has a relatively high impact.

Oregon is the 28th biggest food producer in the nation. 

• Reduced Food Waste #3 
• Plant-Rich Diet #4 
• Regenerative Agriculture #11 
• Conservative Agriculture #16

Over 38% of Oregon is grassland, pasture, and range. 

• Silvopasture #9 
• Managed Grazing #19 

Oregon is the largest softwood producer in the US and 50% of the state is forested. 

• Afforestation #15 

Keep in mind that our politicians and media focus almost exclusively on the energy sector and electric cars, so these areas are already receiving the lion's share of attention. Consider other areas of focus that are pertinent to your local industries or geography. 

Look for something that you have an aptitude for, an interest in,

or something that tugs on your heartstrings. 

As a delivery driver, I spend all day driving past acres of Oregon pastureland. 

As an animal lover, one of the things I hate to see is farm animals that are stuck in an empty, unprotected field, surrounded by a wire fence. 

I drive by when the temperature is 100 degrees and these animals are standing out there, baking in the sun, with no shade to protect them from the scorching heat. I pass by when the temperature is 40 degrees, and they have no shelter from the freezing rain. 

These animals have no choice but to stand or lie, at the mercy of the frequently cruel elements. 

For me, this is definitely a "tugs on the heartstrings" situation...

However, there is a solution on the Project Drawdown Top 20 list that addresses exactly my concern, this thing that I care about. This thing that tugs on my heart strings... Silvopasture

Silvopasture is a type of agroforestry that involves intentionally integrating trees, forage, and grazing livestock on the same land. (US Forest Service)

Simply put, Silvopasture is the practice of creating an environment for your pastured animals, where there are trees that provide shelter and shade, and shrubs and bushes that provide forage for the animals.

But there are a lot of cascading benefits that accompany this practice.
 

Look for an action or project that is small enough to succeed,  
but big enough to make a difference.

Silvopasture is #9 on the Project Drawdown list for a reason. 

• Silvopasture can help reverse global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from soil by 35–50%.
• Forage can protect soil from erosion and improve its water holding capacity.
• Grazing can increase the soil's nutrient effectiveness by recycling elements like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which can reduce fertilizer needs.
• Silvopasture can improve animal well-being by reducing heat stress and providing high-quality forage. 
• Silvopasture can increase biological diversity by providing habitats for birds, insects, deer, quail, and turkey.
• Silvopasture can provide diversified income streams by allowing farms to earn annual income from crops and livestock while trees and vines mature. 
• Silvopasture can create an attractive, park-like landscape that can increase property value. (USDA and Forest Service)

This is a big list of benefits, for the individual farm and the environment as well. That makes it "big enough to make a real difference." 

"Small enough to succeed" can look many different ways. It might be a single farm, or it could be a percentage of farms in your county or state. 

Look for an easy entry point, or "low hanging fruit." 

No need to reinvent the wheel. Other people are out there already trying to make a difference. Talk to them and learn from them. 

So, back we go to the internet. 

When we enter "silvopasture oregon" into the search engine, we find out that Oregon State University has not only put out literature about Silvopasture, but they are also doing a Zoom call and a live event next week. 

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/sorec/events/silvopasture-oregon-person-seven-seeds-farm 

Which brings up a very interesting point...

Be committed.

This is where the rubber hits the road. It's really easy to do an internet search, leave comments or even a particularly spicy meme! Getting out of your comfort zone and connecting with new people is not so easy. 

But you know what? It's also not that hard. 

Go meet people. Talk to them. Learn from them. Get in the game. 

Who knows? Maybe you can be a Change Maker too.