Environmental Awareness Module - Planet / Sustainability

1. Welcome page.

Welcome to your seventh and last session of the Sustainability module!

 

It will take you 1 hour and a half to complete it, so be sure to be comfortable in your current space, to have a nice cup of tea with you (and maybe a snack if you need it!).

 

For this session you will need:

• A device with Internet access and sound output

• A notebook and a pen

• xxx for final creative activity

 

Index of contents

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After this session you will be able to:

• Learn about the main demands of advocate moms around the world 

• Recognize your potential as an advocate mom

• Get inspiration from already existing initiatives

• Identify your strengths as a potential advocate mom

• Share what you have learnt with other people

 

Ready? Let’s go!

 

2. Introduction to the session

3. What comes to your mind when you think about environmental advocacy as a mom?

 

Perhaps you have never considered being an advocate for the planet from your experience as a mother or perhaps you have participated in social movements.

 

Whatever your experience, what comes to your mind when you think about the possibility of being an advocate for the planet from your current reality? Does it seem unattainable or far away for you? Does the thought of such a possibility excite you? Do you think you would have the skills to be one?

 

Take 5 minutes and write down what this possibility suggests to you.

4. Learning content

 

When you think of defenders of the planet, you may think of great historical figures or young people without the responsibilities that come with raising a family. 

 

Today's invitation is not to burden ourselves with more demands and chores, but to explore the possibility of being defenders of the planet in our daily lives and to recognize our circle of influence.

 

Now you can recall the exercise from the first session where you reflected on what you love to do, where you love to be, who you especially love and how this love for life can be a driver to take action.

 

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Circles of concern and influence (excerpt from the book ‘Mothers as natural leaders’)

 

We all recognise things in the world that are disturbing and that we would like to be different. Perhaps it is social injustices in far away countries, habitat destruction, even things closer to home. A lot of energy could be spent worrying, wanting things to be different without actually achieving any change. Our abilities to transform these situations can be small, however we can create conditions for change.

 

In Seven Habits Of Higly Effective People, Stephen Covey introduced the concept of circles of concern and influence as a thinking tool for where to focus our energies. Within our circle of concern are issues such as social or ecological problems, as well as those involving other people. Within our circle of influence are things that we have a much greater ability to manoeuvre and direct.

 

For the vast majority of us, our circle of influence lies inside our circle of concern, and we cannot influence all the things we are concerned about.

 

When we spend our time acting in the wider circle of concern; worrying, generating fear, and playing out disaster scenarios of what could happen, we use up available energy that could be spent in our circle of influence. Our circle of influence shrinks as a result of lack of attention and energy, and also because the energy spent worrying disempowers us.

 

In contrast, when our energy is spent in our circle of influence, it expands and we become able to tackle some of the issues that were previously out of reach.

The primary action is to focus our attention and energy on the things we can change.

 

Our own self is the place of minimum effort for maximum effect. Any activity that we can do to centre ourselves, align with our aspirations, increase our well being, improve our communication skills, and expand our knowledge, is within our circle of influence. When we have more presence and focus and keep the commitments we make, others are more likely to listen. When we are awake to our own leadership, we are able to move forwards more easily. Within our families we may worry about our children’s future, their behaviour, the dynamic between siblings... these are all in our circle of concern. What is within our capacity to change is our own behaviour, the time we put into family activities or our home environment. Shifting these things can have ripple effects into the other concerns.

 

In our communities we may desire change in our health and education systems or more integration between the generations. It is in our circle of influence to maintain our own health and research different tools for education. We can act to develop a sense of community by talking to our neighbours, offering support, smiling at strangers, and using our local shops.

Developing our observation and design skills increases our capacity for finding points of intervention and ways to transform systems. There may be something that was previously outside of our influence that now orbits close by as our circle expands. There may also be times when something we have been working on moves out of our reach, and we could waste our time and energy by continuing to work on it. Sometimes our teenagers come within our circle of influence and then minutes later they are oblivious to anything we say.

 

The edge of our circle of influence is dynamic and fuzzy; there are many factors affecting it at any given time. We have all noticed that we are able to convince some people and not others. This can vary with many factors, perhaps just the time of day can determine whether our words are heard or not. It can decrease as well as increase with a change of job or other circumstances.

 

We can look to create pathways that take us to a specific concern. We could become a school governor or the trustee of a charity. We could undertake research or initiate contacts. We will find our own preferences of where we want to act and what we would like to focus on.

 

Creating our own designs for our leadership paths is a proactive way to work within our circles of influence and expand them to have a positive impact in the world.

 

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✍️Take a moment to identify and write down what is in your personal circle of concern. Looking at these concerns, now try to think about what possibilities exist in your circle of influence, which people and spaces (school, park, municipal centers, etc.) are in it. Write them down as well. 

How does it feel to see these two lists? Do you find points in common? Is there any place of convergence where you would like to act?

 

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Did you know that there are initiatives in different places of mothers' associations united for the climate/planet? Here are some of them so that you can be filled with hope and inspiration.

• Madres por el clima (Spain) They describe themselves as “a group of mothers concerned about the planet we will leave to our sons and daughters. And our concern has led us to action. Faced with the inattention or inaction of those who represent us in everything that has to do with the conservation of the planet, we want drastic measures to be implemented urgently to achieve a sustainable society”. They also have the figure of “godmother” to act as a liaison in the schools. They are organized by cities through Telegram/Whatsapp groups and are present in social networks. In climate demonstrations, they usually form a baby block with a safe space delimited for families and children, in addition to organizing a playful activity prior to the demonstration.

• Mothers rebellion for climate justice (Global community). The movement is tied to Extinction Rebellion. They describe themselves as “a movement of mothers, caregivers and allies in a growing global community on six continents. We will not give up the fight for a sustainable present and future for the current and coming generations. We want to be able to look our children into the eyes and say that we truly do all that we can. We turn our grief and frustration over the lack of a powerful, transformative response from our politicians and leaders into action”.

• Mother’s Climate Action network (UK). Mothers CAN brings local groups of mothers together, facilitates discussion of the climate crisis, and supports the groups to identify where they can best direct their energy to cause positive change in their communities. They seek to engage as many mothers as possible, especially those who have never previously been involved in climate action. 

 

5. Final reflection.

We hope this last session has been useful for you to identify possible fields of action in your daily life. We encourage you to connect what you shared during the personal growth module with what you learned in this session. 

Looking at your list of accomplishments, how do you feel now about stepping up for the planet in your community? 

Do you feel called to this mission? If not, where else do you think you could make a difference?

 

6. Personal exercise related to creativity 

Draw a picture of how you would like the spaces you live in every day to look like (your street, your children's school, your neighborhood, the way you move around, etc.).  No matter the result, you don't have to know how to draw, just take your time, play with colors and express what's inside you.

 

7. To close: 

 

If you are a parent who feels you have little nature lore at your disposal there is still much you can do for your child. .. wherever you are and whatever your resources, you can still look up at the sky – its dawn and twilight beauties, its moving clouds, its stars by night – even if you are a city dweller, you can find some place... where you can observe the mysterious migrations of the birds and the changing seasons. Exploring nature with your child is largely a matter of becoming receptive to what lies all around you. It is learning again to use

your eyes, ears, nostrils and finger tips, opening up the disused channels of sensory impression.” - RACHEL CARSON THE SENSE OF WONDER