by Jan Roberts

Climate change is not solely an environmental problem.  It has been deeply and profoundly influenced by a complex set of human and societal values and behaviors that affect economic, social and political policies and practices.  The Earth Charter recognizes the interdependence of all these factors and provides a comprehensive framework for addressing climate change and its diverse effects on people’s lives, societies and the planet itself.

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With large brown eyes shining, a wide smile and a conversation infused with enthusiasm, Abe, a butcher at my local supermarket, lit up my day.  I was buying shrimp for the dinner I was preparing the next evening for the incoming Earth Charter Community Summit organizers arriving from around the country.  My question to Abe was, “Where do the shrimp come from?”  I was looking to know more about whether they were farmed or not and did not expect to open a conversation that would confirm my faith in the intelligence and compassion of what the media likes to describe as “the masses.”

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"It's very, very important for us to take action at the local level, because sometimes when we think of global problems, we get disempowered. But when we take action at the local level, we are empowered."

Wangari Maathai, Earth Charter Commissioner & Nobel Peace Laureate

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"What color is he?  Brown, Black or White?"  Not exactly a politically correct question but one asked with the innocence of a 2 1/2 year-old who was simply trying to get a clearer description of the person I was talking about.  Augustine is my White grand-daughter, now six years old,  who spent 9 hours a day from the age of one until four years old in a daycare center surrounded by mostly Black children and staff.  I was struck by the naturalness of the question.   It was a question asked completely for the sake of description like asking what color eyes does he have.  It was refreshing to hear the question without any valuation being placed on what the color might be. 

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