Transcribed by Brian Magee
Brian Weller (lead in): We're facilitating others to adopt and move towards economic localization, which means lifestyles which reflect the values of being economically localized, which means becoming more dependent upon where we live, that we consume what we create locally, that we're less dependent upon centralized sources of energy, which are then imported in, or indeed all the things that we consume, which are imported in.
Announcer: This is Peak Moment. We're living at a peak of human innovation, information, wealth, and health. But we're also at a peak of population and consumption, with rising temperatures and declining resources fueled by cheap oil and gas. Peak Moment Television, bringing you examples of positive responses to energy decline and climate change through local community action.
Janaia Donaldson: Hi, welcome to Peak Moment. I'm Janaia Donaldson, and my guests today are doing phenomenal work in enrolling their whole community into localizing. I'm with Jason Bradford and Brian Weller of the Willits Economic Localization Group knows as WELL.
Well, you're ahead of the pack. How do you get everybody lined up and joining the dance?
Jason Bradford: Yeah, well that was quite a mystery for me for a long time. And so a lot of what we've been doing is figuring out what has worked, what hasn't worked, and then trying to sort out some general strategies. So we've been cobbling together our history a little bit and coming up with some guidelines, perhaps, that others can use.
JD: We want to hear what didn't work as well as what does work because that will tell us what paths to not take because we'll hit dead ends.
Brian Weller: Well, this is the thing, too. We're taking this on as an experiment, like in old lab work, you have some variables and you try some different strategies and you see what works. And this is a learning process and we don't understand the notion of failure, only the notion of experiment. This is a useful frame to understand this in.
JD: That's very nice. So everything in trial and error is “not that” means we've learned something, right? And that's been successful.
JB: Right. I've made mistakes but I don't beat myself up about them forever because if you do that you're going to get nowhere.
JD: Downhill. Down the tubes.
BW: It's a little bit like building a fire. Everyone likes to come to a fire because it's warm and it glows and it's lively and it's all of that. So, as we're building this movement here we're starting with very small things—little kindling—and we're igniting that. In other words, we're bringing more people to the fire as the fire gets stronger. And this is really what enrollment and outreach is in the community. It's about building something that is so attractive that it becomes irresistible.
JD: That you're drawing people towards you then.
BW: Correct.
JD: That's a different image than going out. But there's got to be some measure of contact in here, too.
JB: Yeah, definitely.
BW: Of course.
JD: So do we start at the beginnings? Where do we start?
JB: Well, I guess I can explain that when I first arrived I was very blunt, very honest, and just said exactly what I thought and that attracted a certain type of people.
JD: And what was blunt and honest about what; that drew which people?
JB: Well, I would say that I wasn't cautious about the words I used. I just expressed myself as myself about the status of our economy, our dependency on oil, what we're doing to the climate...
JD: Overshoot?
JB: Overshoot—all that stuff. And I was very technical; I was very scientific. And that attracted certain people that are open to new...
JD: Already on that wavelength.
JB: Yeah, okay. So, what happened is you had enough population here that wanted to hear that, because they're like, “Finally somebody is saying this stuff in our town and is willing to take some leadership about that.”
But then when I started going to other parts of town and I'd be giving talks to, like, the Rotary Club, it was just sort of over their head, they didn't quite understand it. So we have to sort of figure out, okay, there are different ways of speaking, maybe, to different parts of society, of a town, to help them understand where you're coming from. And that's what we're trying to be more strategic about now.
BW: This introduces the whole concept—it's known popularly now as “framing.” It's really understanding the mind sets of different layers and different segments of society. How we language, how we frame or create the language, so that people can come to this whole concept.
You see, if we think about what economic localization is, it's really about rediscovering the beauty and the value of where we live—about locality. And it's like an incredible journey but it's a journey of going within, rediscovering where we are; we're not going out to somewhere. And this is really what localization is.
JD: Coming home, actually, in a new way.
BW: Coming home and rediscovering that when we depend upon where we live for our livelihood then we'll take care of it. And so much of what's been occurring over probably the last 70-80-90 years or so has been this sort of pioneering spirit out of where we were. To discover new things, new lands. And as powerful and as laudable as that is, the consequences of then having to import more and more material, and more and more things we need in order to be where we are, that is now unsustainable. We have to rediscover locality.
JD: So, in your framing, in the framing to reach the broader audience, give me a sense of how you... it's not the scientific, biological... or how do you shift it?
JB: Yeah, well it's a balancing act. People can readily relate to the biological-scientific if you put it in terms they're familiar with or keep it simple enough that they get the big picture and don't overwhelm them with the details that you find so fascinating.
JD: As a scientist.
JB: Exactly.
JD: Because you're a what? You're a biologist?
JB: Yes, I'm a biologist.
JD: So, yeah. You love all the little...
JB: Exactly. So I've figured out if I'm going to have discussion about something I want to make three or four points and then end there and use terms that people are more familiar with. So when I talk I'll talk about “resources” and I'll talk about “pollution,” maybe, as the problem. Just leave it very simple like that.
JD: Which touches people where they live.
JB: Right.
JD: People can identify with that.
JB: Yeah. We had a lot of industry that is gone because they over-tapped that resource. We have pollution now. We have a toxic site here in town. And people are becoming more familiar with atmospheric pollution and climate change.
And then getting into issues of local security—that we have roads that can flood or wash out or bridges that can go out in storms. We have earthquakes. We have fires. And because we don't have the local sustainable economy we're cut off, and people are very aware of that.
JD: So you are real vulnerable here. A mudslide just south of you on 101 and you guys are own your own.
JB: Yeah.
JD: I mean, you're doing your “Katrina,” your version of Katrina.
BW: It is, in a way, and this is the thing about vulnerability. Vulnerability is a useful concept to understand. Often when groups of people have a shared threat then that often creates a sense of circling the wagons, coming together to meet that threat. And these are the kinds of threats Jason is referring to.
However, there are also internal threats. And the internal threats have to do with community coherence; how together we are. So the whole social dynamics of how we create economic localization is a balance to the important information that we need to share that social dynamics are extremely important. And that's something we've been focusing on. What that means is, it means how do we create Team Willits?
JD: Team Willits? Okay.
BW: Because it is like a team effort, you see. And the choir, actually, is all of us. But not everyone's singing yet.
JD: That's a good point. We are all in this together. We all need to eat together and have water together and shelter together and conviviality as well.
JB: So instead of getting mad at people for not understanding the way I'm presenting it, I say to myself, “Okay, wait a second. How can I talk to them in a way they can understand.” Because you have to appreciate that different segments of society, different interest groups, they all have a role and we need to have them on board. And there are definitely ways, I think, of getting them on board. And it's okay to have somewhat of an “us versus them,” because if you think of a team, a team has... there's a quarterback and there are the wide receivers and a defense...
JD: And we need them all to play the game.
JB: Exactly. So we appreciate these differences and we say that we love that you're different. That's great. That gives you strengths that we don't have. But we have to find a way of working more cohesively. And this is a way of revitalizing; this is a local revitalization of our community and economy. So, when we talk about these threats we're also talking about how we really appreciate our difference but we have to use our differences in a more synergistic, cooperative way.
JD: So you're mutually supporting.
JB: Exactly.
BW: And passing the ball. This is the thing. That's what team is about. We have a saying in Europe which is to do with a sweet little idea known as “n plus one.” If n is the total number of players in your team, when you're working as a team, and you're really singing as a team, it is almost as if you've got an extra player on your team. It's that extra something.
JD: Yes. Yes. As if the team were its own new organism with its own mind, its own will.
BW: Yes. And this is what we mean by community spirit: when you drive through a community and you have a sense, “gosh, this place has a 'juice' to it; it has a specialness to it,” or you go to someone's house or you go to see a group of friends.
You see, this role that we're emerging—and something we're discovering as we do this—we often refer to our role as one of the midwife. You think what the role of the midwife is: the midwife is there to, in a sense, educate—in the gentle sense—the mother to make sure she makes the right choices from the period of conception through gestation. And she's going to facilitate the mother in that process and helping with the birth of the child. She's also a watch dog because the mother is vulnerable. So she's looking out for the mother's interest. And also she's going to be... if you think about what she's doing here, along with facilitating and educating and being the watch dog, she's going to be doing something else.
JB: Incubating. Helping the mother incubate things. Bring out the child; a new birth a new creation.
BW: And this is the acronym of wife: watch dog, incubator, facilitator, educator. And this is really the role that emerging for WELL.
JB: And think about what happens after the birth. Does that midwife own that child?
JD: Of course not. The community, here, is going to be owning that....
BW: Absolutely.
JB: ....all these things that go on.
JD: ...all the enterprises. One organization cannot do that. So if you're facilitating, when you go to approach, or however you're doing this, you need to tell us who you are going to, if you have sort of this strategic plan of who to go to to wait until they get attracted to you and say, “come share with us your ideas.” How are you doing that connection here?
BW: It's a two-way street. It's a relationship, you see. This is the thing that's central. And so many new organizations are attempting to create social change of some sort or another, and that includes most. Often they become their own place, in the sense they become an organization that has to survive and all of that.
JD: Draw resources in and...
BW: Exactly.
JB: And compete with others.
JD: And can we just energize other groups to broaden their view of what they're about so that they're also working about localization, so we don't have to create yet another organization?
BW: We're facilitating others to adopt and move towards economic localization, which means lifestyles which reflect the values of being economically localized, which means more dependent upon where we live, that we consume what we create locally, that we're less dependent upon centralized sources of energy, which are then imported in, or indeed all the things that we consume, which are imported in.
JB: It's a responsible way to be a public servant, a responsible way to be a business person, a responsible way to be a parent. So this really ties in to very basic needs people have. It enhances your security, it enlivens your community, it allows for a diverse economy so that children growing up here have opportunities.
JD: And can stay here.
JB: And can use their ingenuity.
BW: That's it.
JD: Because we are exporting our children out because there's not interesting industries and work to do at home.
BW: And this is a great lesson from nature, you see. When there's difficulties in a local ecology, the new life, whether it's birds or insects or whatever, if there's difficulties in their ecosystem they will migrate. See, we found this is this town: over 90% of our children were leaving because we've been economically challenged. Why? Because we're relying upon external imported resources and products and materials and services. And that includes the large food chains and so on. So by returning to locality, rediscovering where we live, what we're doing is we're re-energizing and making this place more attractive so that our young people will want to stay. And then we have, we re-create civics, we're re-creating a civic society here. And it's the very opposite of the trend which is occurring, I would say, globally now.
JD: Well, certainly here in the west, and in the rural areas I would add, because I'm sure that a lot of the migration, if you will, is to the cities, and has been through the whole industrial revolution.
BW: Correct.
JD: We're still reaping that.
JB: Yep.
JD: Go back to your enrollment—about the numbers. Because I realize there's got to be some... a few groups of a few people, even if you have good connections—and I think you at WELL have done very well at connecting with your civic leaders, your governmental leaders, and your chamber of commerce and business, that at least I now a little bit about—but how did you go about enrolling those folks and how are you expanding this?
JB: Really, what it takes is a few key people in an organization who love to make those connections. I mean we have a few people that are just great glad-handers and they are, “I know so-and-so, I'll go...” and they love running around town and shaking hands with people and letting them know what's going on and inviting them to events.
JD: Are they doing formal presentations?
JB: No, no. This is almost always just personal word of mouth.
JD: It's just inviting them to come to events; so come to WELL events?
JB: Yeah, yeah.
BW: See, this is the secret, Janaia. You see, we've become very seduced—if you look at how business and corporate life and civic life often operates—we've become seduced by this idea that marketing needs quite a lot of technology, a lot of strategy...
JB: Money.
BW: ...money. All of that. You see that in all the lobbying that's going on. You see, what this is, we're creating an epidemic here.
JB: But that makes like, ”I sneezed on you.” It's more like it's coming out of our mouths.
BW: It's word of mouth.
JD: Word of mouth, which is the most effective means of advertising of any kind.
BW: Absolutely.
JB: Exactly.
JD: When I had my little small graphics business, all of my clients came word of mouth. I didn't have to sell them because somebody else had said this person is, “Yeah, worth doing,” and did the job for me.
JB: That's how small businesses do it anyway, right?
JD: Sure, sure, recommendations from one another.
JB: Yes, exactly.
JD: So your folks are not doing... well, you are doing presentations, because you did talk about that. So people are coming to what? What events are they coming to?
JB: Well, what we'll do is we'll often set up an event related to a particular interest we want to enroll.
BW: For example?
JB: We said disaster preparedness. After Katrina hit we said, “Here's an opportunity.” Everyone's thinking about, “could it happen here?” So we decided that we were going to have an event related to emergency preparations. So we basically went out to fire chief, chief of police, sheriff...
BW: Hospital administrator.
JB:...hospital administrator, our city manager, forestry people. We had them on a big panel and they basically got to explain what they do, how they do it. And we just listened to them for a long time.
And then we started talking about the research we had done related to the vulnerabilities we have. Well, electricity is needed for our water supply and we don't have any local renewable electricity. So what if electricity goes out, how does that effect our water? And our emergency services are related; all the vehicles have a oil supply, and we don't have any food in town that's not trucked in, and then they start making the connections also that, “Yeah, we're not really prepared for any long-term problem.”
BW: Therefore, in order to be secure and more responsible as a community we have to take care of our essentials here, you see. So that's one example and we've had other examples. We've had, I think, currently about 17...
JB: Eighteen now.
BW: ...18 major speakers that have come in, usually one a month—and who get a gathering typically maybe of 100, maybe 150 people, that kind of number—will come, and we'll talk with these experts in their field. And it could be to do with farming, it could be to do with redesigning cities. We've had the Ecocity Builders from Oakland, Richard Register, come here. We've had all kinds of experts. In fact, we have a local leader in the field—I would say a world leader—a man called John Jevons, who is one of the real founders of local biointensive farming.
See, this is the whole thing. With what we're really doing here is we're bringing back home the knowledge, the skills, and the information and the motivation and the projects to re-invent our town. See, and this is really exciting because it cuts through—talking about outreach—it cuts through all the normal political nonsense about people on the right and the left of politics. You see, this appeal—and this about framing—the appeal of economic localization literally slips through all of those normal ideologies and distinctions because, you think about Republicans and conservatives, they're interested in conservation, actually.
JD: Yes, yes.
BW: They're usually most local-ite in their perspective. In other words, they really care. They're interested in succession. They're land owners; they want to pass on to their children. Their children are leaving.
JB: They look to the past for inspiration and we're also doing that, in a sense, saying we need a more simple life here, we re-invigorate our agriculture, maintain family ties, maintain friendships, strengthen local institutions. And it's like, “Well, yeah, we want that to.” But, so, what we're doing is we're giving them a strategy they hadn't thought of. So, it's novel in one sense, but it's also tapping in to their needs.
BW: Exactly. And those needs, if you think about what those needs are, the real needs of community are to work together in a cooperative, interdependent, and effective way. And that's why we're sitting in the council chamber of Willits. The important thing to remember, Janaia, is that when we talk about Willits Economic Localization we're talking about Willits' economic localization. This is not a separate organization, this is the community talking to itself in such a way that it can re-invent its future that is sustainable, effective and much more fun.
In fact, we had a big festival called Willitsfest, it was part of our outreach, where we had over 2,000 people come. And this was a major daily event and we talked about these kind of things. And businesses are now getting involved with what we're doing. The community outreach is becoming more and more effective. And all these different sort of constituencies, the business community, the religious community, the churches, local groups and so on, are looking more and more to each other. They're not looking to an organization called WELL. We're looking to each other to re-invent this extraordinary...
JD: So, in that facilitation you're facilitating the inner linking of others that may not be with WELL—the midwife, here—but with one another to just raise that question. But you obviously are doing it by having to raise awareness, bringing in a new notion here, a new concept, new and old concept. But it's a new one for this community at this time. What I'm hearing is that your speaking events and your day-long workshops—were those opportunities for people to dialog? To hear speakers?
JB: Yeah.
WB: Totally.
JD:Those are the kind of models... I mean, your over-arching idea is a different model than most communities have, or organizations think about.
JB: So we have this structure of some small administrative structure and dedicated core group of people that put on these events, and also there is this volunteer base of people who show up and they sometimes help this core group carry on activities when we need volunteers to help us set this up. And those volunteers also will then go out and start projects and those projects then become their own thing that....
JD: They have their own life.
JB:... they have their own life, they have their own administration. And so like Michael Schuman and Merrian Fuller—Michael Schuman is the author of Going Local, and Merrian Fuller works for the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies—they came and did a workshop. And we invited the banker and the Chamber of Commerce people and the city people.
Well, the next thing we know, out of the blue, I'm getting this word that our chamber is going to join BALLE, the first chamber in the nation. And we just started the process by inviting these folks, and the city sponsored it, and then they just take off. And now we'll do follow up, maybe we'll go to the chamber and say, “Hey, lets put on an event together that really solidifies this,” or help that do that sort of thing.
BW: Exactly. See, we didn't have to control this process.
JB: Exactly.
JD: I get that. I mean that's really an exciting part of the notion here. But you're learning the keys—and I'm sure that's part of the trial and error—of what attracts people. And obviously your outreach group... how large is your core group?
JB: Maybe it's 1,000 people, or something like that.
JD: Okay. Are they mostly sort of ambassadors just making connections as distinct from, say, people starting projects?
JB: Some people are really good at being this ambassador role. Other people are very good at doing long-term strategies, and other people are really good at doing research. People are starting to settle out. So what we have, is we have this group that people are finding their place within it.
BW: It's a bit like the old riding trains, going from the east to the west. You've got a wagon master, you've got scouts that go out. You've got people that, in a sense, are circling up. You've got people looking to how they grow their food or share with each other. You've got people that look after the family and so on. You've got your medical, you've got your shamans. So, we're re-inventing what it means to be a tribe here. Because really it's a tribal activity.
We've forgotten what it means to really function in a way which is effective and coherent. What we're pioneering is rediscovering where we live. And that's exciting. And that's an inward journey as much as an outward journey. And when we talk about the values of WELL, the values which we believe are absolutely fundamental, they're core to people's self-interest. But they're also community values. So we believe in being responsible as a community. In other words, making sure that we are looking after this place in a considerate way in terms of our land use and so on.
JB: We have these acronyms we use to try and remember stuff so that we can add to our conversations. So I'll just let people know. I use the acronym risc, R-I-S-C: Responsibility, Ingenuity, so we're trying to create a community where people can be creative and find their place and use their talents and keep the talented enthusiastic people here because they have opportunities. Security, we're trying to create a place that people feel is going to be resilient to threats, short- and long-term.
BW: Very important word.
JB: The community acts, in a sense, as the insurance policy for everybody. If you have a strong vibrant community you don't necessarily have to buy a bunch of insurance. What you have is you have a support network of neighbors and friends.
JD: You can have each other you can lean on when you need to.
BW: Exactly.
JB: Exactly. And that's your sense of security.
JD: Absolutely.
BW: That's true security. The insurance industry had grown up as the result of people feeling isolated.
JB: Yes.
JD: Yes, that's true.
BW: When you have true community you are they insurance for each other.
JD: That's beautiful.
BW: And that's the way this country and every other country will become strong. Because strength is about endurance, and endurance is about resilience, and resilience is about knowing how to be together and with yourself in such a way that you feel secure with each other and you take care of each other. And we have to have that relationship with ourselves, and that relationship with our locality, with our environment, with all the species that we co-inhabit with here.
JB: That's the relationship.
BW: That's the relationship.
JD: What an adventure. Well, you guys are... well, your community is sort of out ahead and we're watching and you're carting a new trail, you're the scouts on the front end and we're watching carefully and excited. We will tune in with you in next half-year and find out what you've learned and what you've changed. Join us for Peak Moment at the next episode. Thanks for watching.
Announcer: Peak Moment Television. Presented by Yuba Gals Independent Media. Produced by Janaia Donaldson. Directed by Robyn Mallgren.
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