"I love that you've brought this to attention. An extensive database of uncommon but resistant and hardy plants/foods could be developed and organized by climate. Ease of growth and processing should also be taken in to account. I will try to…"
A crash course in changing the world.
LEARN 1 : Working with what you've got
It's easier to sit on the sideline complaining about a bad situation than to find a way to fix it. There are a million excuses - not enough money, not the right people, no resources, departmental red tape - if you want to use them.
"What you have matters more than what you lack (If you’ve got a bicycle, consider what you can build based on that, rather than worrying about not having a car, a truck, a metal shop.)" Ethan Zuckerman.
But, that attitude will never change anything. Working with what you do have, and looking for solutions within your means - no matter how measly that may appear - is the first step in the right direction.
Use what you do have in the smartest way possible, and it may in fact come to a better result than if you'd had more to work with - because you've stretched all your resources to their full use rather than been wasteful.
For example, on first glance a bicycle may seem less useful than a car, however: a bicycle doesn't need petrol; a bike can travel down small laneways and take short cuts; a bike can be easily shipped; a bike can be brought inside for safety in turbulent areas; a bike doesn't develop costly engine problems requiring a mechanic.
Use what you have to the best of your abilities, rather than wasting time and energy bemoaning the things you'd rather have to help you.
So, what are you waiting for? Get to it!
[Edit - I have just read a great article pretty much on this topic in Fast Company that describes how, if you have a difficult situation, rather than looking at all the things that are wrong, find the"bright spots" that are working, work out why those bits are working, and replicate it across the rest.
One example used is how Jerry Sternin helped improve malnutrition issues in Vietnam by realising that while all the village had poverty and sanitation challenges, some children were bigger and healthier than others - the "bright spot" amongst the problem. The ones that were healthier had mothers feeding them shrimp and crabs collected from the rice patties in addition to the rice. Finding a solution within the environment at hand, and getting the community to share this information with other mothers, led to uptake of better eating practices despite the obstacles of poverty.]
Views: 21
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Comment by Josh Judkins on March 7, 2010 at 8:21am
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Great post Luci!
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Comment by Michael Andersen on March 8, 2010 at 12:03am
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The bicycle in particular can also serve as a symbol of hope, according to Project Rwanda.
There are a number of NGOs that use bicycles, pun intended, as "vehicles" for change.
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Comment by Thom on March 10, 2010 at 3:04pm
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What you say reminds me of something I wondered about when I was kid. I would notice people spending so much energy and time complaining, and I wondered why they weren't doing something about it instead. It seemed awfully important to them, but they didn't do anything about it.
So I came up with the thought that I'd rather be spending my time and thoughts doing something about it (whatever "it" is) than complaining.
Whenever I catch myself complaining about something, this comes to mind and I immediately stop, then I start asking myself what I can do about it. Ironically, a lot of times there are ideas within the complaints themselves ("why isn't it being done this way...?"), and so a starting point is to turn the complaint around and rephrase it like a solution. Can work pretty well with some cynical statements, too.
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Comment by Rahul Dewanjee on March 14, 2010 at 10:57pm
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Very insightful and context driven. Great post. Cheers!
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