All Posts Tagged With: "interconnectedness"

On a recent trip, I read a fascinating article in the October 2009, “Environmental Building News,” called “Building for People: Integrating Social Justice Into Green Design.” Being the mindset-tool junkie that I am, I was particularly drawn to the discussion of a tool called LENSES (Living Environments in Natural, Social, and Economic Systems), being developed by Dr. Josie Plaut at the Institute for the Built Environment at Colorado State University.

LENSES looks to be an excellent tool for cultivating awareness of the interconnectedness of elements, from big-picture foundational principles, to human needs and impacts, to environmental flows. As I read, I kept seeing the applicability not only to building projects, but to any human enterprise, including your business.

Plaut sees the potential for the tool to change the way we think. We tend to look at enterprises, whether buildings or businesses, as static and self-contained. Yet, they are actually hubs for flows of natural resources, people, and ideas. Plaut’s words: “What makes a place living is not the notion that it has a net-zero impact but rather its relationship to others and the flows through the system.”

It gets even better. Can you imagine your business as not only symbiotic with natural systems but as a filter for all that flows through it? “What if things are better coming out that they are going in?” Plaut asks. This simple question can dramatically change the way you think about your business, the opportunities you see, and the decisions you make.

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Wildness reminds us what it what it means to be human, what we are connected to rather than what we are separate from.  Terry Tempest Williams

World Day of Interconnectedness is September 9.

I’m going to get personal here. Many of you who know my work and teaching will probably not be surprised by this: I am obsessed with connection. My business, fundamentally, is all about discovering, cultivating, and restoring connections at many levels: to the living world, to other people, to communities, to meaning, to the arts, to craft, to great ideas, to myself.

Reflecting on this recently, I saw that one of my ah-ha moments about sustainable design came in 1989, at a lecture by the great Australian architect Glenn Murcutt . His work demonstrates the profound beauty and sense of connection that is possible when you ask the right questions. It is rooted in a deep reverence for and experience of the natural world. People who live in his houses routinely talk about the unique, profound connection they feel to the outdoors, quite unlike other buildings in our modern world.

Aren’t we all, consciously or unconsciously, longing for that deep, peaceful sense of connection? I know I am. It has driven me for the last 20 years, often to unexpected places. That sustainable design and green business is my lens and medium is no mere coincidence. It fits me because it marries meaning with cultural expression, vision with practical action, spirit and matter. It is grounded in the laws of the physical world, its harsh realities AND its sublime truths. A life spent trying to understand and model how nature does it is the most exciting thing I can imagine.

That’s why when announcements like this one come to my inbox, I jump at the chance to spread the word. A World Day of Interconnectedness? Why not!? From the website : "A deep sense of interconnectedness, or oneness, is at the core of decisions and actions that are life affirming and good for the whole. In other words, it will bring forth an environmentally sustainable, fulfilling and socially just human presence."

This is a global 24-hour event with a focus on celebrating interconnectedness. The intent is to manifest and attract more of what we want on a global scale: a greater sense of interconnectedness as a foundation for a world that works for all life.

It’s simple: On 090909 in every country at 9 AM in every time zone (starting in New Zealand), all people who are aware of interconnectedness and who are committed to translate that awareness into action are invited to practice interconnectedness as much as possible throughout that day. There are a bunch of wonderful suggestions of practices you can do in the areas of ecological sustainability, social justice, and spiritual fulfillment. Many of us strive to practice our awareness every day, and usually fall short (speaking for myself). This is a chance to be fully conscious and to tap into the world-wide juice of so many with the same intention.

Please post a comment here about your experience with this. It would be wonderful to hear how it went.