Paying it forward and reconnecting with your community.

It is not necessary that we become as inter-dependent as many countries have with their large scale economies (‘USA catches a cold – the rest of the economic world sneezes’ as with the 2007 Credit Crunch and 2008 Global Recession!) yet by supporting each other in a manner that one does not outstretch their own frugal resources; yet are able to give token support to others then we can pay things forward. Executing this on a small scale of the local community will help support a greater quality of life. This does not mean we all get rich – it means we improve our health, our wellbeing, our local links with neighbours and businesses.

Networking has obviously grown as a significant phenomenon, this has grown in gargantuan leaps (and most of the time for free!) with social media/social networking in the forms of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Vimeo etc. Adding a ‘like’ or comments will make others aware of your concerns/thoughts/indulgences (yes – there is an entire chapter on privacy & ethics in there that others have produced over recent years) yet it is an ironic ‘detached way to attach/connect up with like-minded others’.

This recession may invited more selfishness, greater opportunism, greater thefts of precious resources - yet if we really are going to reinvent ourselves into a better, permanent stable economy without Boom and Bust (which every successive Political Party said they’d stop from reoccurring, for the last 30 years or so) then we must strategically work together, not keep consistently ‘economically injuring each other’.

Supporting each other does not necessitate great sacrifice, often it is being primed with knowledge or a connection that you can freely pay forward and encourage others to participate in. As we have become continually disassociated from our friends, families, neighbours, our local businesses through being overworked, or convinced it is more convenient to go to ‘big stores’ in our cars – we skip over many local assets, until they are vastly ignored and dwindle away into oblivion.

Supporting organisations such as Friends of the Earth or The Cardiff Transition (part of the nationwide Transition network)with their ‘Show and Tell’ initiatives to bring about a video of local positiveorganisations with their sensible proposals  to connect up the local people to platforms they were not previously aware of. Enviro Cymru have produced a very in-depth blog on this and should be highly commended for their excellent work.

In every pocket all around the UK these respective groups exist, no matter what angle or local problems (social, economic or environmental) you tackle – you are embracing one of the three main cornerstones of the triad of sustainability. Whether you begin on your own, or team up with one of two like-minded individuals – your project will grow in this challenging decade and it will attract positive attention. By producing blogs, videos, local newspaper entries, an academic paper, a local college lecture, put a notice up in your local religious establishment things will move forward.

What can you do?