Kevin Danaher - Sustainability is a Right
Ecology teaches us that all living things are connected. So our ideas and laws should reflect that, and change as the natural world changes. Because the natural resources of the planet are getting used up and poisoned, our laws must adjust to this significant fact.
Creating a sustainable city requires laws that support that grand idea, and we need courage to implement the changes needed to make sustainability real. In my most recent visit to Spokane as the keynote speaker for Sustainable September, I had a chance to see just how alive and vibrant that sentiment of “making it real” is in Spokane, and to meet many of the hard-working residents and neighbors, from every walk of life, working together to put the Community Bill of Rights on the ballot for November.
In my talks around the country, including at the multi-city Green Festivals, I’m often asked about the bright spots for positive social and environmental change happening: the Big Ideas. The expected answer usually looks to national or even international levels. But most significant movements for change (and establishing rights) begin at the grassroots, starting with people who are directly affected by changes in law and policy.
When we seek to implement true sustainability in the places where we live — whether it is local food preferencing, restricting Big Box stores, or protecting our rivers and drinking water — we often find that what stands in our way is our own laws. Our own laws stop citizens from saying “no” to dangerous and polluting activities by large corporations, or even from saying “yes” to things like workers’ rights in the workplace. But laws are meant for We the People, not the corporations.
Spokane is known for many things — historic bridges, a powerful river, distinctive neighborhoods, a lively downtown — and residents want to keep it that way. Envision Spokane, as it is known around the country, is taking a stand to write new laws that reflect community values and citizens’ rights. The pioneers of this local, sustainable economy aren’t pie-in-the sky dreamers, but practical people who believe they have the right to determine their quality of life in Spokane.
Howard Zinn used to say, “Democracy doesn’t come from the top. It comes from the bottom. Democracy is not what governments do. It’s what people do.”
In putting the Community Bill of Rights on the ballot, the people of Spokane are stepping forward with the courage and the vision to create the kind of democratic, healthy and just community they want to live in. In passing the Bill of Rights on Election Day, Spokane will be showing the rest of our communities how to do the same.
Dr. Danaher is Co-Founder of the international human rights organization, Global Exchange and Executive Co-Producer of the Green Festivals, the world’s largest sustainability events. He is also the editor or author of over a dozen books, including co-author of Building the Green Economy: Success Stories from the Grassroots.