| In
our minds, sustainable development is achieved when people
in
communities live harmoniously with each other and with the
natural world and make decisions simultaneously addressing
healthy ecosystems, social equality, and economic well-being
today and for future generations. This approach to community
development is no where better illustrated than our recent
publication of "Seeking
Resiliency in the Development of Sustainable Communities." Five
E's Unlimited decodes
and de-mystifies information needed by communities, corporations,
and governments
to move forward with projects and programs intended to achieve
economic prosperity and improved social well-being that are
compatible with natural systems.
What
We Do in our project work
is extensive and diverse. Our national and international
leadership in designing community
development
programs, facilitating strategic
planning activities, implementing adaptive management tactics,
developing research in sustainability science, and promoting
education, and policy recommendations toward achieving
sound economic development and natural resource conservation
goals has assisted governments, corporations, academic
institutions, communities, and non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) for more than 10 years.
Everything in an
interactive system is defined by its ever-changing
relationship to everything
else, which not
only defies the possible existence of an independent variable
but also that of a constant value (economist
J.C. Hundeshagen – from
C. Maser’s essay, “Trouble in Forestry”).
Therefore we find it absolutely necessary to take a system's
approach in our work on sustainable development.
Why do we take a system’s approach?
- To recognize
and understand disciplinary connections within a
community
context.
- Because communities
are not immune to impacts from and effects on airsheds,
watersheds, or coastal
environments
not necessarily in their geo-political boundaries.
- It
is the scientifically logical thing to do.
Our work with communities
has proven successful not only because of our system’s
approach to problem-solving, but because we focus on
the need for a change in human consciousness. Leveraging
this change starts with an understanding that the emotion
of fear drives much decision making in the world and
is something we all possess. We purposely confront
the feeling
of fear in the communities we work with
because it is a barrier to the discovery of interrelatedness,
interconnectedness
and
interdependencies between all life forms and therefore
a barrier to sustainability. Our approach in community
planning is to start with finding out what people really
care about, how they define “genuine wealth” and,
in so doing, assist them in finding common values in
the community, which enhances the sense of connection
to
one another and therefore reduces fear. It is at this
point that people are ready to create a vision of the
future.
Check out our Project
Work and get an idea of where we
can successfully help you.
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