It’s a common movie plot: a
community of strangers with
seemingly nothing in common find
themselves thrown together. As
they face challenges, they show
up for one another, bringing their
unique perspectives and talents.
Trust, appreciation, and friendship
grow. They find belonging and
shared purpose where once was
anonymity and isolation. The
credits roll and viewers sigh,
wishing they could find such
connection and meaning.
Many Americans feel socially
isolated, but nature lovers might
feel especially alone while
wondering how to make their
communities more pleasant,
healthy, and life-afrming. There
are so many barriers. We might
want to walk or bike to work, but
there are no sidewalks or bike
lanes. We want less development
As you start to reliably and respectfully show up and ofer help, you’ll meet new
people and come to be known as someone who cares and can be trusted.
People, even those in public
ofce, are more likely to be
influenced by those they know
and trust. As you discover the
complexity of local issues and the
various perspectives needed to
address them, you may start to
question the common narrative
of polarization and mistrust. Most
folks are doing the best they can—
often with diferent priorities and
life experiences.
While helping make your
community an economically and
environmentally healthy place to
live, play, and work, you might
also feel a sense of belonging,
connection, and purpose that
some people only find in movies.
Nature and people will thrive. And
as you help local decision makers
become less polarized and more
concerned about the environment,
the impact may ripple out to
state and eventually national
decision makers. All because
YOU SHOWED UP!
and more greenspace but have
no right to tell others what to
do with their land. We want
downward-facing lights to protect
dark skies, native plants along
roadsides, or an aggregated price
for green-sourced electricity. What
can we do? One way forward is
through civic engagement. The
trustees, commissioners, mayors,
administrators, planners, and
other decision makers in your
community are real people doing
their best and giving their time for
the common good, or at least we
hope they are. It’s hard to trust
them if we don’t know them. It
would be helpful to know who
they are, what matters to them,
and which issues keep them up
at night.
In the past, people lived in small
towns where public ofcials
and decision makers were
SHOWI NG U P
BY CO N N I E O ’ CO N N O R , D I R EC TO R O F A P P LI E D LE A R N I N G
neighbors, relatives, friends or
business owners. But nowadays
it takes special efort, with our
suburban commuting lifestyle, to
understand what happens behind
the scenes in our communities.
One administrator worries
about funding road repairs;
one mayor seeks compromise
as citizens argue over diferent
uses for a piece of land. In many
cases, constituents only appear
at meetings when they want
something. Can regular citizens
and their public decision makers
find better ways to connect?
It's been said that
DECISIONS ARE
MADE BY THOSE
WHO SHOW UP.
8 Newsleaf | Fall/Winter 2024