The job of The Commons is to focus attention and resources on the challenges of sustainable development. The most critical of these resources is not money, or buildings, or books, or machines, or even nicely named and lavishly supported institutions. It's people. To this end we are undertaking to create, maintain and extend an informal forum or register of Sustainability Advocates -- a highly selective, easily accessible, multi-lingual listing of a number of remarkable people with whom we have worked or collaborated on sustainability issues and projects (or simply observed with interest and respect) over the years, whose capabilities, energy and the consistency of dedication have marked them as outstanding "agents of change" for a more sustainable world and way of life.

Objectives and Organization

The idea of an independent international register of sustainability advocates was first broached in the aftermath of the 1996 OECD Vancouver Conference, Towards Sustainable Transportation, subsequent to which a list of speakers was set up and maintained by the Commons and the Access program for a short while and shared with all visitors to the site. If you go to the historic section Sustainable Transport Resources - People, you will see the original listing of more than one hundred international experts and personalities working at the leading edge of the sustainable transportation movement at the time. This list was consulted more than a thousand time in the first year after the conference, but was then not maintained or updated as enquiries fell off ("use it or lose it").

In August 1999 we set out to create a new dedicated database, this time with a rather broader focus (sustainable development as a whole) and a more structured program. The first note outlining this work plan appears below. Several points need to be made about this project however, just to be sure that our intentions are well understood:

1. The Unusual Target Group:
   We wish to emphasize the radical nature of both what we believe is the challenge and the sort of people whom we believe will both belong and be comfortable in this setting. This is not intended to be one more dumb (meaning in this case non-interactive) list of comfortable academics accustomed to feeding contentedly at the sustainability trough, public servants who happen to have been handed a "sustainable development" dossier as one more bothersome career stepping stone, or others who are bovinely content with the direction and the degree of energy of the sustainability movement in these closing months of this profligate century. We are trying rather to create a handy means for identifying and bringign together a certain number of outstanding individuals who are, let's try the phrase, grossly discontent with the present state of things, and who as a result of this heartfelt dissatisfaction with the status quo are hard on the lookout for ways out. Including ways with time horizons that require preparation, decisions and actions beginning, say, tomorrow morning. (See Target Group just below.)

2. Beyond English:
   We have tried to tackle the challenge of breaking the strangle-hold of English as the sole language of international communications on the Web, by integrating, highlighting and facilitating the handy Systrans translation utility into all parts of the database. It is not perfect, but to get an idea of how it works, go to the top of this page, use your mouse to copy the indicated URL, click translate, and see what you get for any of the five languages of your choice, We are hopeful that this facility will be extensively used and serve as an example for others. (For further background on this, which you will do well to consult before actually using it the first time, go to Translation Help here.)

3. Self-managing:
   We intend to set this roster up so that it is both efficient and largely self-managing. For this reason, we are taking time and care to ensure that the basic information routines, posting procedures, and communications links are going to be largely maintenance free. An important part of this aspect of the project has to do with care in initial database management, the organization and posting of materials, and the Search engines that are being deployed for these purposes.

4. Off the economy:
   Like all aspects of The Commons, this activity is entirely "off the economy". There is no fee or payment involved. The one thing that we would ask of each of the group who gets an assignment through this mechanism is to let us know, and if possible to share with the group as a whole a copy of the paper, transcript, and/or, if possible, an audio or video file that results. In this way we can begin to cumulate our knowledge and get more and better use out of each such bit of work (and in this way be sustainable intellectually as well as in the other necessary ways).

5. Fair compensation:
   And last, we intend to make sure that any conference organizers or others who use this listing are made aware of our strongly held view that those identified here should be fairly compensated for their time, work and inputs. Increasingly, as the old world of work gives way to new institutional and financial arraignments, there are many bright people out there who non longer are on the payroll of an university or public agency, but who must also find ways to pay their bills while working to advance the sustainability agenda. All too often, organizers tend to forget that fair payment is part of sustainability too. We intend to be there to make sure that this is not a simple oversight.

Back to top

Target Group

We know exactly what we are looking for here. Individuals, who by their understanding, accomplishments, personal example, and ability to communicate, are capable of changing the way that others perceive, think about, and eventually act in the matters which concern us here. This is a high energy, high intelligence, high responsibility profile, and since the problems we face are so intractable it requires great concentration and exceptional staying power.

These people are not necessarily sustainability saints (whatever that might mean), but they are, each in their own way, hard at work on things that do indeed happen to advance the sustainability agenda. It is a very diverse group, with quite a range of attitutudes toward what sustainability means and how we might best make our collective way in that direction. Some are highly and continually conscious of the sustainabilty focus of their work, while others are mainly preoccupied with more specific or focused problems at hand. But at the end of the day, all on this list are working, in their own way, to advance the agenda.

This considerable diversity of backgrounds, work focus and personal attitudes is important from at least two perspectives. First, because we know that the path to sustainability is a complex one that must leave open enormous scope for individual and group differences. (Indeed, a world in some kind of straight-jacket, no matter how splendid, moral and pure, is not a sustainable world.) And second, because we hope that this listing will serve to encourage its members to be a bit more aware of the work and the life styles of the others -- and thus give them an opportunity to learn from each other.

Back to top

Why Bother?

• There are people, groups and institutions out there in the world who desperately need to hear the message of sustainability expressed with the degree of urgency and panache that are absolutely vital if real progress is to be made.
• There are others who want to take actions, but who may be faced with many obstacles and implementation problems on the ground, who can benefit from your counsel and from the sort of international peer group support that a network such as this can on occasion provide to help break down local resistance to change.
• Because young people need encouraging examples and role models, you owe it to throw aside your natural reluctance for the spotlight and be there for them to see and consider as they make their own important choices.
• The structure of The Commons, its links and its mechanisms might prove to be useful as a support for you and your colleagues in your own work, including as a means for identifying international partners for joint projects, new sources of support, etc..
• Our little list can also serve as a constant reminder and a bit of a moral compass - which, simply because it is there, can remind each of us that the sustainability theme is one that must never be lost from view, that we are not alone in concerns and work on this, and that by keeping track of the best of the work that is going on, we each may be able to better position our own work and contributions.
• If you are independent, it may open up some additional sources of useful income.
• You will find yourself in excellent company, and when this shapes up it may well be the best possible club that you could ever belong to.
• Because you may well end up wanting to use the database yourself when it comes to organizing your own projects, conferences, workshops, second opinion panels, or skull sessions. After all, this is going to house some of the best and most creative minds in the world, all of whom are working on the sustainability agenda, each in their own way. (Note: The initial mailing to a small first group of candidates was sent out on 24 August, and by 30 August we had already been approached three times for recommendations based on this work in progress.)

Back to top

Other Expert/Speaker Lists and Databases

If anyone is looking for listings that identify people and groups who wish to be known for their capabilities in many fields, including areas that may relate to our interests here, there are a fast growing number of places to go on the Web to find them. Many of these are maintained by public agencies, either national or international, or specific interests groups, associations or even lobbies. They are more or less selective and of varying degrees of quality and ease of use. Of late there are also a fast increasing number of Web-based commercial information, placement and negotiation services, and while these have yet to find there way, one can be sure that they have a thriving future head of them. And while this is by no means our idea here, if this happens to be your interest, we suggest you turn to the Links/Media section of this site, where you will find a number of these identified and directly accessible. And if you have any suggestions for yet other such lists or databases that can be usefully added to this section, we will be pleased to hear from you and share them with whoever might be able to put them to good use. http://www.egroups.com/group/sustainabilityhammer/info.html

But that of course is not our main goal here.

Back to top

Internal Communications

Back to top

---

The Commons Home

@Forum

Post Office