The Last Post

So for the last post I thought I would just reflect on the Community Engagement class. I'll admit that at first I figured this class was going to be a joke and have nothing to offer. But as the classes went on I found it more and more interesting. I think my initial thoughts about the course stem from the fact that I am more into the hard science. After the class though now I find myself looking at jobs I'd thought about as a kid. Something like architecture. Yeah I could see myself doing that. It was this class to that got me interested once again. Just the fact that Environmenta Design is really cutting edge and damned interesting to boot. Originally it seemed like environmental design ment living in a yurt with no power or running water. Now though it is all about harnessing natural sources and making it look damned sweet. I think I've rambled enough now, but I just want to say that the future is looking pretty cool.

The Brier

As the blog draws to a close I thought I would talk about something a little different. That's right the Tim Horton's Brier. I think there is somthing distinctly Canadian about the whole event. I mean it's a major(alright major for curling) sports event and it's sponsored by a coffee/donut chain. Oh yeah and the major womens tournament? Sponsored by a paper towel company, Scotties. Now granted curling is not the biggest sport in the Canada but it does see some pretty good airtime up here.

I think the reason I chose the Brier to talk about this time is the fact that it is a smaller sport. It gives you that comforting feeling that you and a few other people enjoy it. Curling also brings that sense of community and friendship to the game. I mean for the majority of the game there is actually very little going on. But there is always talking. Talking to the other team, talking to the teams on the sheet right next to you and talking to your own team. Hell that sounds like a community to me. People getting together, having fun and talking.

Class

Yesterday in Community Engagement I found out about a fund that the federal government has set up to assist municipalities in creating a plan for sustainable growth. The source of the funding is the gasoline tax and it seems sensible to use this as a source of revenue. This stems from  the fact that much of our unsustainable behavior stems from the low cost of gasoline. The tax alone will help to encourage more sustainable behavior and when the money is used to plan for sustainability its impact is increased.

The part that I find odd about this whole program is that the federal government has leapfrogged the provincial governments. This is not overly surprising as the federal and provincial governments have an on-going pissing contest. The reason that the program seems odd is the fact that it encourages sustainability and community engagement and yet the federal government can't even work together with the provincial governments. This isn't to say that I believe the program won't work. In fact I believe quite the contrary, that this program is an exceptional idea and will have a large influence on how municipalities run. I just find it quite entertaining that the government is using the "do what I say, not what I do" approach. Anyway that's it for this post and I hope that this program is as successful as I hope it will be.

Stem Cells

I glanced at the paper a couple days ago and noticed that Obama has ended the ban on stem cell research. I think this is great thing and countless people will benefit from this decision. The potential in the stem cell field for curing alot of diseases, MS and Alzheimers being chief among them.

It could be argued that the decision is a result of the community(US citizens, researchers, etc.) placing pressure on the government. I think this is true but the more obvious engagement will come sometime after. Groups of people will rally against the decision and then groups will rally for stem cells. This can be a very important issue for some people and so they will really fight for or against the decision. In the end I think that re-opening the research is a great choice and the resulting debates should be quite interesting. 

Reverse Garage Sale

Continuing on with the theme from the last post I just read an article about a reverse garage sale happening in Victoria this week. This is another example of people willing to help those in need. These are again people that are unlikely to be know to the person making donations. The idea behind the reverse garage is that people can drop off used goods that are in good working order. These donations can then be sold by Habitat for Humanity and the proceeds will go to the organization. This form of engagement is similar to the blood donations as it requires very little effort by the actual donor. This makes both events great community engagement programs as the number of people that will participate will be greater than programs which require a large commitment from people.

Giving Blood

I went to the Goldstream Gazette website today and the front page had a picture of a man giving blood. It struck me as a great example of community engagement. Giving blood is something that requires an etremely small amount of effort but can often save someones life. In fact if you gave blood on more than one occasion it is quite likely that you have saved someones life. So this is a great community engagement program to pursue. If it's easily available for people to use they will hopefully give blood. 

Giving blood is also a show of a sense of community that extends larger than usual. When giving blood there is little guarantee that the blood will go to someone you know, it will most likely go to a total stranger. The act of giving blood really extends the community to feel for more of the human race rather than people within your social circle.

Earth Hour

I was just reminded of the Earth Hour Campaign by a classmate and though of what an amazing show of community the whole idea is. Typically when we think of a community it's a city of a district in a city. This campaign brought together a great deal of different cultures into one community actio, turning of the lights. While I don't necessarily agree with the action that was taken, the ability to engage that many people is simply astounding.

Think that in 2007 there were 370 major cities involved, including places like New York and Rome. Having New York and other major cities involved demstrates to me that peer pressure does work. We are always told never give in to peer pressure but I think the message gets spoiled. No you shouldn't do something just because everyone else is doing it, but the fact that everyone else is doing it should give you some pause. I think that peer pressure really did assist Earth Hour in becoming successful. After all I have strong doubts that if I went to New York and told the mayor that he should get everyone to turn off the lights for an hour to raise awareness about the environment, I am fairly sure I would get a blank stare at best.