Reflection on last weeks topics

The Future Search conference process we practiced in class was a discussion on biofuels. Are biofuels the answer to our future energy needs? Our class went through various processes identifying issues, visions and solutions to the concept of biofuels. I found it really interesting hearing all of the different components from various people in the class. There is so much more benefit in hearing other ideas and opinions that normally you would not think about. You also have the opportunity to argue your views of ideas you have or ideas from others.

In our second class this past week, some case studies were discussed about social capital. I found the example about the binner, Ken Lyotier, fascinating. It’s a great example because it shows how a person who may not be in the best of circumstances in life has an ingenious idea that can fill a niche no one has thought of previously. He seemed to have a down to earth, matter of fact way of describing the realities of his business and the social capital involved. He also addressed the importance of how his employees have a very different way of dealing with things, such as the lifestyle of a street person, which makes it a unique situation.

One of the things I have started forming an increasing interest in is sustainable development. I really believe that one of the main ways people are going to change their unsustainable ways is through sustainable development. People will only change when either other people force them to change or provide them with that change. If you ask them (I would think) they would rather live in a multi-use development with lots of green spaces and using sustainable methods, rather than an old apartment surrounded by a field of asphalt.

Green Spaces

Our speaker in class this week was there to discuss the health of communities in BC. Many of the communities in BC have aspects to them that are not healthy and are in need of someone to point them in the right direction. I liked the example that Jodi used about helping groups start community gardens. I have always thought it was a creative way to turn an old parking lot full of asphalt into a green space. To have a space that everyone can enjoy and where people can grow their own veggies when they may live in an apartment and have no access to a backyard. It also provides a place to get green therapy and relief from the ever expanding asphalt land that surrounds us. BC Healthy Communities at first seemed kind of a fluffy concept when I first heard of it, but after the talk in class, I do feel it is necessary for there to be these types of resources available. It is a step in the right direction when sustainable concepts are incorporated into any part of a community.

The use of green spaces not only helps a community build on its community involvement but it has also been proven that they improve mental health as well. I feel this is important because whenever I go camping I always feel a sense of relief and inner peace that I just do not feel living in downtown Victoria in an apartment. I always think that I should be going camping and hiking more often since it seems to calm my inner self down but I am constantly running out of time and fail to get out there. My full-time schedule at school does not help and I know I would be out there more often if I didn’t have such a hectic schedule.

My Social Capital

The focus of our class this week was social capital. Social capital can include the bonding, bridging and vertical aspects of a person’s life network. Bonding between families and close friends can be an integral part of a human’s life. These strong connections between individuals create the sense of purpose and a sense of place. Place being the niche in which a person inhabits and creates for themselves and where they usually feel most comfortable. The concept of bridging allows these connections from family and friends to branch out into the further networks building a sense of community. The vertical aspects of a person’s life incorporate the connection with higher groups of individuals such as decision makers or people of authority higher than their own.

I feel my social capital varies as my life progresses. Since I am currently enrolled in full time school there is less time than ever to keep the connections I have made in my past active. However, I have opened up even more connections at my university to higher people who have access to potential employers. I have also found that I have been calling my friends and family much less than usual and as a result they call me even less. I feel bad that I don’t talk to them as much but I really don’t have time for them and I hope that they don’t take my lack of communication as disinterest. There is also the fact that I am not planning on staying in my current city since I will probably leave to find a job elsewhere. My decision for leaving and my lack of time can contribute to a lower desire to create long-term ties to the community such as joining community groups. I do have close connections with some friends and my boyfriend who I am able to spend time with and these connections are what I use to try and maintain balance in my life.

Am I a part of a sustainable community?

After completing the survey from the Facebook group ‘What community means to me!’ it made me think of my current community. I thought back to my childhood where I grew up on a rural road and everyone knew each other well. I could wander around my neighbourhood play with the other neighbourhood kids and would help out my neighbours for my hard earned cash to spend at the store. I really felt like I was part of a community and my family and parents were instrumental in forming that community. But now I live in an apartment where most people don’t know my name and my landlord is not necessarily someone I trust or would like to get to know. I feel like for me to feel like I was a part of a community I would need to know my neighbours. Even though I may be a part of other communities like the Royal Roads BSc. Environmental Science community, I spend a lot of my time at home and it would be nice to have that same connection here. Talking about this brings to mind the notion that sustainable development must include high density housing where more people should be living in apartments and condos. But if most people who have apartments have similar situations as mine then we are solving one problem by reducing our footprint but creating another by distancing ourselves from the community and the environment. It seems odd to me that I live closer than ever to several people yet I know them much less than I did in my rural childhood home where I lived farther away.