This story is about ourselves...

Knowing about ourselves might not be a easy task to achieve, it might not take a couple of hours or even a couple of days, but it is the only way to guide us towards sustainability. This video is about rediscovering, putting things in different perspectives, trying to find a reason of our existence or even making a difference. For more information about Chantelle  Baxter and her project in Sierra Leoa, One girl, please visit http://www.onegirl.org.au/.

It is about creating a connection with each other, a connection with nature. As UNESCO (2012) points out, "The values and attitudes we live by affect how we relate to other people and to all our activities in the environment, and so are a major influence on our prospects for achieving a sustainable future".

One of our activities in class was to put in perceptive our own values and then make a comparison with the values from The Earth Charter (http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/content/). The purpose of the activity was to make a cross over with what we really value and the principles of The Earth Charter. By doing that comparison we are able to create a shared and more holistic view about the problems our world is facing and also provide an ethical foundation for the emerging world community.The principles are:

"1. Respect and care for the community of life"  

This principle resumes our roles within the society and why we have to work "in it not on it". It is all about interconnection and preservation.

"2. Ecological integrity"

This principle resumes how we see and act upon our natural resources. Conservation and shift of old productions models are key topics.

"3. Social and economic justice"

This principle resumes the individual and organization participation in problems such as poverty and human development. It also gives a good framework for organizations where sustainable development is going to be implemented.

"4. Democracy, non-violence and peace"

The fourth principle resumes the relation between individuals and the government. It proposes that every government has to be accountable and provide transparency in decision making. Highlights the importance of education, it looks at the respect and consideration amongst each other.

I strongly agree that the Earth charter can definitely set a bar to help organizations and individuals make a commitment to the world and to themselves. It can be used as a guide of good practices as well. Taking the Chantelle Baxter as an example. we can see her whole process of values changing or discovering. From a suburban girl from Melbourne into alcohol drugs and clubbing to a person who cares about others, a new spirit of human solidarity. The Earth charter says that "the emergence of a global civil society is creating new opportunities to build a democratic and human world", and that was exactly what she did. Chantelle went to Sierra Leoa trying to find a meaningful life and found people and experience that she really identified with. She created her own "universal responsibility" by help and understanding a completely different community and out of her comfort zone.

The earth charter activity really make me think on what do I really care about? Do I really make an effort to make a difference on others life? Do I really value nature and what It provides? It also makes me think if the organization that I work for really care about long term sustainability, and how could I show them the importance of it? It is a tipping point for me where I need to embed those concepts into my life or I will never be able to be a effective educator.

Two principles really caught my attention and I may show them here and perhaps I will be able to understand them and give some examples on how some individuals or organizations are already making use o them.
1 - Require multinational corporations and international financial organizations to act transparently in the public good, and hold them accountable for the consequences of their activities.
This principle is the new challenge faced by not only large organizations but any Small or medium business where they are held accountable for the consequences of their activities. It not just improve their long term development but it is extremely important for the success and message that their brand communicates to its costumers and stakeholders. Puma again is the firs organization to create a report where their measure in dollar value their impact in the environment and society, this report is a great step and example for other organizations to adequate themselves to the new necessities of the the World.
2 - Empower every human being with the education and resources to secure a sustainable lively hood, and provide social security and safety nets for those who are unable to support themselves.
This is exactly what EFSD is all about, the role of education is to support and empower individuals in order to make them provide for themselves social security and be able to cooperate with nature preservation.

As all the previous tools or steps, clarifying our own values and beliefs is part of the development towards a more sustainable world. Individuals, private sector and the government are more than ever trying to embed such practices into their everyday tasks. There is no one more important than the other, they are all part of the shift in our old way of thinking, consuming and behaving.

Promoting self reflection and values clarification enable us to understand how our backgrounds and experiences have influenced how we think towards the environment and our society. This can be applied either for an individual or for an entire organization. How can an individual work in a community garden if he/she doesn’t believe in community participation? Or if his/her values about people’s diversity don’t match with the ones promoted by the program? Or how can employees, from an organization who doesn’t care about their impacts in the environment and society, are able to develop their own awareness? So first of all the individual and the organization have to organize and map the values that underpin their efforts upon the environment.

On an organization level, one of the major challenges is to implement their policies at the same rate of growth as the company. On the other hand, individuals major challenge is adequate their values and beliefs towards sustainability to a new level where each one of them understand and take ownership of their impacts in a global scale.

Values clarification helps us to clarify our values in order to understand how they are expressed into our society and also underpins our responsibilities as citizens within our society.