Fall/Winter Digital Newsleaf 2024

In this issue, we'll discover the true science behind nature's medicine, tips to create change through civic engagement, and read "ground-breaking" details about the future of Long Branch Farm & Trails. There are also lots of engaging and exciting seasonal programs you won't want to miss this season!

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

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