Change You Can See

Being the change you want to see in the world — it’s not just a clever slogan, it’s the only direct way someone can change their circumstances. Here are some stories of people doing things differently to make a difference for others.

I plan to work on Victor’s campaign this Fall, as Saskatchewan goes to the polls. Victor Lau is a real environmentalist, and if you have a conversation with him you’ll realize too that he’ll make an excellent elected official for the province.

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What if we pictured politicians as children, instead of just babies and baby kissers? Penelope in Ontario is tomorrow’s leader, but will people vote with their children in mind?

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News is reported by people who are usually good people, but are caught up in a corrupt system like we all experience. Kai stormed out of his news media job, citing the structural inability professional journalists have to meaningfully steer the national discussion away from Royal gibberish and celebrity gossip whilst maintaining economic feasibility for the organization.

I wonder if he’ll end up working with The Real News Network in the future. The Real News Network is an independent video news broadcaster, and makes an effort to report news that matters to our daily lives. The important stories are not buried in entertainment.

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Rick has worked with me on the Regina Car Share Co-operative, and is a local grocer and farmer. If more Saskatchewan farmers were grocers, and made agreements directly with grocery stores, it’d be a much greener world. If your dream service doesn’t exist, go out and create it with other people who feel the same way!

My fridge and freezer can be filled with fair trade, locally grown, organic food by shopping at one store west of downtown Regina. Shopping at Eat Healthy Foods takes the stress out of shopping because I know the food is good for me, and is making a fair wage for everyone involved in the food delivery chain. Every dollar I put into Rick’s store may be one less that I have in my pocket, but it’s also one dollar less that Sobeys, Safeway, or Westfair make to further corrupt our food system. That makes buying organic food worth the extra price it sometimes costs.

Vote with your dollars. Buy from people you want to succeed, and don’t buy from those who you’d rather not have piles of cash to use against you.