UN Decade on Education for Sustainable Development

Could be a useful link

Confusedly sustainable (or sustainably confused)

Yesterday I was at a meeting of the British Federation of Women Graduates (BFWG) where we tried to decide our priorities for action on the sustainability agenda set by our international organisation, the International Federation of University Women (IFUW) http://www.ifuw.org/programme/index.htm. On Wednesday I was at a meeting to discuss an action plan for my village. Two weeks ago I was at meeting to discuss priorities for the sustainability strategy for Bedfordshire. http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/aio/4607400 Before that, in Lefkara; two years ago, in Brussels…

I have thought so much about this and confused myself so much that I have reached the point where I don’t know what to do or think any more. I sat dumb at yesterday’s meeting thinking that I should have something useful to say, but not being able to form the words. Everybody seems to be talking, but when it comes to thinking of ideas of what to do, all I can see are the reasons why these things won’t work.

It seems that if we take it from the highest level we come up with fine words, like our Citizens’ Declaration, or the IFUW statement. But if we look at the level for action, we come up against so many constraints and contradictions; things that are dependent on things outside of our control, conflicting priorities, processes that are already so far down their inevitable trajectory that it seems impossible to turn them back.

It seems there are two levers we need to push on to change the world. One is the lever of governance, policies, politics and power structures, to change the way things get organised and done. The other is the lever of individual attitudes and behaviour, persuading people to change the way they live and think and the things they do. Neither of these is an easy thing to change, they are both full of contradictions and conflicting priorities, and the outcomes are never predictable. And they both require powers of persuasion, something I’m not good at and shy away from. I mean, I hate telling people what they should do, I always try to respect the other person’s point of view, and not impose my own. And there is always an ‘aah, but…’ lurking at the back of my mind. I don’t think I am very good at explaining myself. That’s why I don’t say very much in meetings – I am a thinker (and a very confused one), not a speaker or a persuader, and I don’t like to say anything unless I’m 100% sure about it. So I get frustrated, and if I do say anything and people don’t agree or don’t want to hear I get angry, then I get angry with myself most of all and wish I hadn’t spoken in the first place.

Yes, I’m ranting again, sorry about that. I’m hoping something a bit clearer will come out of Brussels and I will be able to see a way forward. In the meantime, I am planning to add lots of links to this blog!

"summer time and the living is easy..."

Today I had my third surf lesson. I can stand on the board for 5 seconds...
The sun was shinning, there were actually people in bathing suits sun-bathing. Portugal is a sunny place, but this is too much.

I need some RAISE magic!

There is supposed to be a public meeting in my village on Wednesday to discuss the draft action plan for the village which we have made following the survey we did. But the guy who should be organising it has done NOTHING towards preparing for it (I booked the hall, wrote an article for the village magazine and made posters to put on the noticeboards). And it looks like it will be a complete disaster if I don’t step in and do lots of extra work in the next 4 days. Yes there is supposed to be a committee organising it, but everybody is busy with other things (I have 5 jobs at the moment!), and as the Chairman he was the one who should have been making sure we were working together and everything was being done.
I set up a website for the project 6 months ago, then after that he asked one of his drinking buddies to do it because ‘he is a professional’. The thing finally got done on Thursday, and I could have done it SOOO much better, all he has done is make a pdf from the sections of the report done by the subgroups and shoved it up there with no formatting and a front page which has been taken from the posters I made last week (but laid out really badly).
http://www.ipsoweb.com/thurleigh/
I would say we should do a repeat of Lefkara here, but I’d be ashamed to let my lovely RAISE friends meet the boring, infuriating a***h***s I live and work among :-(

Al Gore

Lesson about development to 3rd year students in Business Degree. I was talking about Al Gore and the new training and dissemination program he has announced for Spain. Suddenly, I realized that something was not very clear for them. Innocently, I asked, "do you know who is Al Gore, don't you?". Most of the heads denied. A quick survey demonstrated that 16 of 23 (69.6%) had never heard before his name (at least, they didn't remember it). But it was even worst that just one (4.3%) knew that he had won the Nobel Prize. Other one (4.3%) knew him because he saw the character... in the Simpsons!
I have repeated the survey in another group of students in the evening. The results have improved a little (54% know him, 46% not).
But the worst happened at home. When I have told my wife about the experience, she answered, "Al Gore..., he is French, isn't he?"

Winter

It was 0 degrees last night...
I had to bring my pot plants in from the patio into the house.
But at least it's sunny today.

6 hours

The new Constitution of Venezuela establishes the working day of 6 hours. These are the advantages of being sit down over an enormous barrel of oil. The problem is that it will not last forever.
Anyway, this man is wasting his talent for the comedy...

Moments

Today we all have received the Lefkara moments. It has been funny to discover than my PhD is focused in military policy in the Basque country. It would be an interesting topic, no doubt about it. However, I'll follow focusing in the agri-environmental policy. I hope that I will ever finish this task.

How was your day?

I spent yesterday (Saturday) morning on a Community Clean Up, picking up rubbish round the village...
... and the afternoon at a classical piano concert/tea and cakes at a friend's house.
Quite a bizarre combination!

People

We have shared an intense experience in Lefkara. We have done again the little miracle of gathering together very different people, discuss respectfully and being able to reach agreements...in a record time!!
But we also had fun and met wonderful people. As Petra, the young Slovenian architect, working temporary in Nicosia. Daniela, the German worker for the Commision, who is trying to make possible that Greek and Turkish children go together to school. Pani, from Lefkara, who is helping the youth of her town to keep away from drugs . Maria, the older Lefkarian "citizen", who astonished us with her energy and commitment. Lee, the English hotel manager, whose kindness made our stay there even more pleasant. And the new Raise people, as Evgueni, Nastia or Hana. And the "not-so-new" Irina, Matthias and Tanguy.
And of course, all the Lefkarian people. Thanks for all. We were at home.
Cheers!

Good (?) morning

Hi guys,
I think I got infected with Matthias' Brussels weather and brought it home with me..
'All the leaves are brown, and the sky is grey,
I've been for a walk on a winter's day.
I'd be safe and warm if I was in LK,
Raise-Plus-Cyprus dreaming, on such a winter's day.'

And the first thing I had to do today was clean up mouse entrails from the kitchen floor... I love my cats!

work now, talk later
Love and hugs,

Linda

The First Step

It is not very impressing, but we shall improve it in the future. Just a little place to talk, to discuss or to share everything that concerns and those people who met for the first time more than two years ago in Vienna. And, of course, also for those that have joined us afterwards in Cyprus. For you all, this space of freedom. Enjoy yourselves. I love you all.