In this issue:
-That Nagging Feeling
-What Systems Thinking Has Done For Me

::THAT NAGGING FEELING::

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had the nagging feeling that I want to do something for what we refer to as "nature," combined with the notion that I’m no where close to doing it. I tried almost everything I could think of. Recycling. Vegetarianism. Saving whales (or porpoises, at least). Volunteering for non-profits. Wildlife rehabilitation. A breast cancer walk. Majoring in ecology. But none of them worked. I still had the feeling that there was something else I could be doing, something far more effective and satisfying.

Back in the day, I used to think that there was something "wrong" with the environment, and that it needed to be "fixed." And I, for some reason, wanted to help. It wasn’t until high school when I realized that what was "wrong" with the environment (the pollution, the extinction, the ozone layer, and so on) was being caused by people.

So then I thought people needed to be "fixed." They needed to stop doing the bad things they were doing to the environment. But who was I to stop them? And how? Especially when I was one of them? After all, I couldn’t recycle everything that came into my life. And hell, I liked throwing things away once in a while. I liked not having to carpool. How could I convince other people to stop wanting things that I wanted myself? And what were the chances that they were all going to collectively deny themselves these desires?

It was around this time that I got into what's called "systems thinking," although I didn't know it at the time. It began with the book Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, and continued through the creation of this website. A few months ago, someone told me I was a "systems thinker" like himself. I thought, systems thinking? What's that? And so Howard, of www.FriendsOfIshmael.org, recommended I read The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge, for which an upcoming review is in the works. I only made it through a few chapters of my library copy before resolving to buy one for myself, based on the merit of what I'd read so far. It turns out that I AM a systems thinker....or at least trying to be!

::WHAT SYSTEMS THINKING HAS DONE FOR ME::

Systems thinking is a wonderfully sensible way to approach anything and everything, ESPECIALLY sustainability. To sum it up, the systems approach reminds us that EVERYTHING is interrelated somehow, and that we are all part of a greater system. Now if you want to change the system in any way, certain actions are more effective than others. This effectiveness is called leverage.

Take paper, for example. Paper is made of trees, which are a vital component of many ecosystems. We use lots of paper. Therefore we throw away lots of paper. If you want to save trees, what do you do? Most of us think: recycle. But recycling only reduces the number of trees that get cut down. And the only way recycling can make a significant difference is if everyone recycles, and we know that's not going to happen. What else can you do? Here's an idea based on systems thinking: why not create an alternative to paper, one that is not made from trees? This can be done by one person, in one lifetime, and make a lasting change in the system. Now THAT'S leverage.

Ever since I read The Fifth Discipline, I've been fascinated by the concept of leverage. What if there's one thing I could do in my lifetime that would revolutionize our system and help launch it in a truly sustainable direction? I believe therein lies the solution to the nagging feeling that resonates with so many people who read Ishmael and visit my site. If I can apply my unique talents and position in life to at least one thing that really makes a difference, I'll be much happier than if I'd spent my whole life chipping away at the problems only to watch them grow back as soon as I stop.

Daniel Quinn stated on www.Ishmael.org that "You must ultimately find the place where you can be most effective, and this will inevitably be in doing what you're best at. In other words, no one is 'good at' saving the world; one is good at music or painting or writing or politics or science--and any of these can put one in a position to make a contribution toward saving the world."

At this point in my life, I'm dedicated to finding out what I'm best at, and applying it towards sustainability. The closer I get, the less I experience that vague, nagging feeling that something's very wrong with the world around me--and my place within it--and the more I feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing for the environment.

Till next month,

Krystle C.

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