Editor’s note: This op-ed is by Josh Schlossberg of East Montpelier, Ben Graham of Plainfield, and Jennifer Steckler of Brookfield, who are co-organizers of the Village-building Convergence, a working group of Transition Town Montpelier (vbc-vt.org).
We all want a better world. No revelation there, huh? Whether your concern is jobs and the economy, clean air and water, health care, or climate change, most Vermonters (and Americans) will probably admit there’s room for improvement out there. So how do we make sure we’re doing all we can to create the kind of world we’d like to live in?
Many of us working for change — whether we consider ourselves volunteers, activists, professionals, or just concerned citizens — tend to choose one of two general approaches: either we’re for something or we’re against something. Pro vs. Anti. Yes vs. No.
The Pros, or Yeses, are individuals trying to model the changes they want to see in the world by living them in their own lives, doing their best to set an example for others. They are willing to go out on a limb and experiment with their own ways of life, even if it means doing without certain conveniences and luxuries. Some Yeses might include those doing permaculture or many in the Transition movement.
Unjustly called “naïve” or “unrealistic” by some, the Yeses instead are made up of many of societies’ visionaries and trailblazers. While the Yeses incubate the positive solutions for the future, it can sometimes be the case that these folks will not directly challenge the current systems they want to replace — some of which may be actively preventing their own new models from taking root.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Antis, or Nos, are exceptional at pointing out the problems with our current failed systems, skillful at dissecting the specific aspects that are unworkable and simply must go. These folks possess the rare courage to speak truth to power and to take sometimes unpopular stands to honestly confront often overlooked issues. The Nos tend to make up the majority, though not all, of the protest movements.
While Nos are sometimes unfairly labeled “complainers” or “naysayers,” in reality they are often patriots and heroes, with the guts to engage in the conflicts that are often unavoidable when confronting those wielding power and influence. However, it can often be the case that the Antis tend not to focus as much on the on-the-ground solutions that might take the place of the systems they wish to dismantle.
So which side is better? Pro or Anti? Yes or No? In our opinion, both of these approaches are essential catalysts for a shift in our culture and society. Yet, each alone is incomplete. And unless they operate in unison, they can be self-defeating.
Kicking off this year’s Village-building Convergence (VbC) is keynote speaker James Howard Kunstler, nationally renowned author of the peak oil classic, “The Long Emergency,” novelist and social commentator.
So how do we unite the Yeses and the Nos into a powerful and productive movement for positive change? In other words, how do we get to yes through no? Well that’s exactly what Transition Town Montpelier’s fourth annual Village-building Convergence — June 20-24 in Montpelier and Brookfield — is all about. Let’s join together to say “no” to economic collapse, runaway climate change, natural resource depletion, and fossil fuel dependence and “yes” to local economies, community-scale clean energy, conservation and efficiency, and a new way of life. Please go to vbc-vt.org http://vbc-vt.org/ for schedule and info.
Kicking off this year’s Village-building Convergence (VbC) is keynote speaker James Howard Kunstler, nationally renowned author of the peak oil classic, “The Long Emergency,” novelist and social commentator. Kunstler’s talk on June 20 at 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Church in Montpelier will cover “the convergence of resource scarcity with financial disorder and how these conditions will compel us to reorganize life differently.”
After Kunstler critiques our current unsustainable system — dependent on cheap oil and infinite growth — we will take time to build community with a Summer Celebration at All Together Now in East Montpelier, including a potluck and bonfire on June 21.
From June 22-24 Transition Town will join with Occupy Vermont organizers to hold the Village Gathering, a weekend of workshops, skill-shares, discussions, networking and celebration at Twin Pond Retreat in Brookfield. Workshops will have a sustainability focus, including creating edible forest gardens, beekeeping, root cellaring, and natural building. Sunday workshops will be interspersed with workshops relevant to the Occupy movement, such as teach-ins on economic injustice and grassroots organizing, including a discussion on finding the overlap between the Occupy and Transition movements.
It’s not enough to plant a garden in your backyard. It’s also not enough to march in the streets waving signs. Genuine and lasting change requires pointing out what’s wrong and then creating a model of the changes we’d like to see in the world. We hope you will join us at this year’s Village-building Convergence and join us on the path to Yes through No.
