{"id":810,"date":"2017-02-12T18:24:07","date_gmt":"2017-02-12T18:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=810"},"modified":"2017-02-12T18:24:07","modified_gmt":"2017-02-12T18:24:07","slug":"community-why-do-we-need-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=810","title":{"rendered":"Community; Why Do We Need It?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is community to you? What does community have to do with sustainability? Why do we need community to achieve resiliency?<\/p>\n

Community has come up often in my work and life over the last few years. I can tell you what community means to me: it means saying \u201chi\u201d when I pass people on the street while I walk to work. It means bringing soup over to my neighbor when he\u2019s just had his wisdom teeth removed. It means that when I walk into the Subway for sandwiches the servers ask about my son and what games we are playing tonight. It means a safety net, comfort, curiosity and well-being.<\/p>\n

It also means a bit of work. It is not easy to connect with others and for some people it is nearly impossible. But community can still exist. If I were a bit better at fostering community, I think I\u2019d know more about the local school schedules, even though my child never attended the public school down the street. I\u2019d maybe volunteer at the local library or church, or be more up-front in planning my attendance at the Madison Street Fair and other community events. But that\u2019s okay. I do what I can and a truly gain from every interaction.<\/p>\n

Interdependence can make for optimal use of time and resources, and it brings joy into the moment. It is much easier to improve your home, your street, or your school when you\u00a0engage\u00a0in the community tied to that effort. It is safer for you child when you know his friends and their parents, and that\u2019s a community as well. It is healthy when that community is close in geography and you walk to visit, or connect over events that are\u00a0nearby at locally owned cafes and venues. It supports mental health in ways we are only beginning to fathom. The Feb 2017 National Geographic has a quick \u201cQuestions\u201d section in the front with Sebastian Junger, who also was a keynote speaker at Greenbuild last fall. He speaks of his book \u201cTribe\u201d saying \u201cYou know, a lot of us miss the war\u201d. \"Junger\"<\/a>This is a shocking concept but his book goes on to say that the camaraderie of war situations is so supporting and healing and safe that many re-enlist to go back into that circumstance of community. This is the reason for an uptick in gangs, in religious enclaves, in highly defensive groups that refuse to see each other\u2019s values. Our\u00a0daily lives are so inherently unconnected that situations of allowed connectivity become addictive. The answer is not to refrain from wars or gangs or joining religious factions, but to find out how to encourage and integrate\u00a0the community aspects of those things into our everyday lives. In \u201creal life\u201d, we are not encouraged to rely on others, and our very souls miss that inter-connectivity. In war and in fraternities and in spiritually cogent groups we rely on each other for strength, compassion, assistance.<\/p>\n

Community is also the first step in resiliency. We have seen this in every natural disaster we have encountered, and in un-natural disasters as well. It is the neighbor that has your phone number that can help you though a blizzard and the light on or off next door that make you check on someone when a storm hits, or when there is a gas leak, or a drug raid down the street (it does happen). I\u00a0took\u00a0part in a panel discussion last Friday on Living by the Numbers in the 21st Century: Building a Resilient and Sustainable Future in NYS<\/a>\u00a0and the panel discussion illustrated time and again that all of our routes to resiliency begin with collaboration and community: from looking out for a neighbor to building cohesive and effective state and federal policies.<\/p>\n

What can you do to build community? Swap numbers with a neighbor. Share that \u201ccup of sugar\u201d when needed. Seek communication without judgement. Recognize the people who serve you and say \u201chi\u201d. Swap a story or two to show that you are human. Say \u201cthank you\u201d more often. Value yourself and value others.<\/p>\n

Work with your colleagues to broaden every discussion so that you are not solving a problem that is so highly focused you\u2019ve created burdens elsewhere. Because, above all else, communities interconnect.<\/p>\n

Simple, really. Not very easy, but not so very hard, and certainly transformational.<\/p>\n

Be Greener,<\/p>\n

Jodi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is community to you? What does community have to do with sustainability? Why do we need community to achieve resiliency? 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The benefits include a reduction in waste, a successful project for a longer life span, respect for health, better user support, and quite probably\u00a0an increase in connections within the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "community"","block_context":{"text":"community","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/natgeo-e1460308884983.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/natgeo-e1460308884983.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/natgeo-e1460308884983.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/natgeo-e1460308884983.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/natgeo-e1460308884983.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/natgeo-e1460308884983.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2916,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=2916","url_meta":{"origin":810,"position":2},"title":"Art, Communication, Community, and Equity – Jade Warrick (S2C E17)","author":"greenerjsa","date":"April 30, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Art heals. Art challenges. Art communicates. Art grows in the streets of Albany NY through the talents of many mural artists including Jade Warrick. Join us to learn about her art and about the work of several other people who are revitalizing and uplifting our community in the Capital District\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "community"","block_context":{"text":"community","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":816,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=816","url_meta":{"origin":810,"position":3},"title":"Sea Level Rise in Upstate NY","author":"greenerjsa","date":"February 12, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Did I get your attention? Good. Below is a chart recently adopted by NYS as the projected Sea Level Rise levels for NYS. Through a law called the Climate Risk and Resiliency Act, many agencies managing important funding mechanisms for state investment in buildings, roads and infrastructure must incorporate flood\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Critical commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Critical commentary","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"Part 490, Sea Level Rise Projections for NYC and Hudson Valley areas.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/SLR-300x217.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3109,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=3109","url_meta":{"origin":810,"position":4},"title":"Women are our Trim Tabs (S2C E43)","author":"greenerjsa","date":"January 21, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Lauren and I spent about an hour with Kelly and Steffani discussing the power of the AAWCC (American Association of Women in Community Colleges) and the role of women supporting women. 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