by Jason Smart and John Gallo
If only sustainability were a mouse click away…
Well, it soon might be. An effort is underway to create a centralized Web site where the many pieces of the effort toward local sustainability can meet and reinforce each other. A prototype site (http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/~gallo/vision/) has already been created and is ready for the champions of sustainability in the area to adopt it and add to it, making a complete, combined resource. What is needed now is for interested individuals to come forward and give the project critical mass.
Our region is fortunate to have thousands of people working directly for sustainability. However, these efforts are often disjointed. It would be useful if everyone knew of a fraction of the resources and work already happening in their communities. Furthermore, "sustainability" is so hard to define that it would be helpful, if not imperative, for groups to present their own visions of what sustainability is and what it will take to reach it. Such visioning projects have taken and are taking place successfully in other regions. In short, there needs to be a way for the people of our area to meet, learn the latest news and information about sustainable consumption and lifestyle opportunities, and work toward a common vision of a sustainable future.
The Internet has provided us with the perfect format for such a project. A Web of Sustainable Progress (WoSuP) was created in the first half of 2003. Students and faculty of the University of California, Santa Barbara, created sample visions of a sustainable future for the region and gave it a temporary online home. These visions touch on the many problems our community faces in the effort toward sustainability: housing, resource preservation, etc. The hope is that the many players in the local sustainability community can eventually add their visions and then, after comparing them and interacting in person and on-line, create a unified vision that will provide guidance, inspiration and momentum.
This prototype of WoSuP is also a home for community interaction. It presents local organizations working toward sustainability. Also, it links to a forum for discussion of these issues. There are many additional opportunities for this section of the website.
WoSuP has been quietly released for comments and feedback from part of the community, including members of the South Coast Livable Communities Project (http://www.southcoastlivablecommunities.org). The response has been encouraging, and people have been excited about the possibilities. It might be useful, for example, to include an interactive calendar from which people could learn of and discuss the latest public meetings and organizations’ events, perhaps even divided by category (such as transportation). A similar interactive database could be made for consumer decisions, a yellow pages on the web for "green" businesses and products. There are dozens of other good ideas out there. The general call is to expand WoSuP, in thought and purpose, from an effort toward a unified vision to a sustainability clearinghouse. The next step is for volunteers to poll community leaders and synthesize the responses in order to help the site best serve the local sustainability community. In fact, there are many potential roles for volunteers.
What is needed now to fulfill WoSuP’s potential is for everyone with an interest in sustainability to help it mature. Anyone who hopes to keep our beautiful region just as nice for future generations can make a difference by helping WoSuP in their own way. If interested in helping WoSuP, or curious for more information, please e-mail Jason at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Let’s put it all together! Again, the prototype Web of Sustainable Progress is currently located at
http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/~gallo/vision
