Site search
sponsored by
News
Sports
Our community may have had its share of divisions, but now it is having a resurgence of collaboration.
I have the pleasure of facilitating the North Sierra Biomass Utilization Task Force. On this task force, we have representatives from many stakeholder groups of diverse persuasions. Our members represent the left and right, the liberal and conservative, capitalism and environmentalism. And we all get along. It is a wonderful process to behold.
The credit goes to those who are on the task force and the spirit with which they represent their various constituencies. It is not that disagreement is absent; it is that everyone is choosing to act “by the better angels of our nature,” as Lincoln beseeched us in his first inaugural address.
Everyone is making a conscious choice to lead with the intent of accomplishing something for the community; for the common good.
This collaborative spirit is infectious.
I see it on the task force and within the Economic Resources Council (ERC) where I consult. The ERC apparently has a history that one could possibly qualify as less than fervently embracing the tenets of environmentalism.
But now, people show a pragmatic openness to exploring economic possibilities in sustainability and clean tech economies, in addition to the ERC's portfolio of traditional opportunities.
I can see this collaborative spirit in the openness of Nevada City to consider the financial and community benefits of a compost bank. There are people who have been part of the established leadership of our community for decades at the table, applying their expertise to the challenges of this concept shoulder-to-shoulder with our younger emerging leaders, some of whom would be considered rather “green.”
New magazine
Just days ago, a beautifully crafted quarterly periodical called Alpine made its debut. This new periodical has a mission of integrating the qualities of green living with the refined lifestyle many of our more affluent residents enjoy.
Alpine tries to demonstrate that the benefits and challenges of a more sustainable lifestyle are inclusive of all of us, whether we live on a golf course or “on the ridge”.
Community is derived from the Latin word “communitas,” which means an intense community, spirit, social equality, solidarity and togetherness.
We are now living in a time when far more than our psychological comfort may depend on the strength of our community. Our elderly remember a time when life in the United States was not as easy or secure as we have grown accustomed.
Our degree of togetherness, our willingness to collaborate, our ability to transcend our own desire to be right and put forward our desire for the common good may well determine the quality of life in our region for generations.
As Benjamin Franklin said, “We must hang together, gentlemen ... else, we shall most assuredly hang separately.” Gladly, once again, collaboration is becoming the hallmark of Nevada County.
I have the pleasure of facilitating the North Sierra Biomass Utilization Task Force. On this task force, we have representatives from many stakeholder groups of diverse persuasions. Our members represent the left and right, the liberal and conservative, capitalism and environmentalism. And we all get along. It is a wonderful process to behold.
The credit goes to those who are on the task force and the spirit with which they represent their various constituencies. It is not that disagreement is absent; it is that everyone is choosing to act “by the better angels of our nature,” as Lincoln beseeched us in his first inaugural address.
Everyone is making a conscious choice to lead with the intent of accomplishing something for the community; for the common good.
This collaborative spirit is infectious.
I see it on the task force and within the Economic Resources Council (ERC) where I consult. The ERC apparently has a history that one could possibly qualify as less than fervently embracing the tenets of environmentalism.
But now, people show a pragmatic openness to exploring economic possibilities in sustainability and clean tech economies, in addition to the ERC's portfolio of traditional opportunities.
I can see this collaborative spirit in the openness of Nevada City to consider the financial and community benefits of a compost bank. There are people who have been part of the established leadership of our community for decades at the table, applying their expertise to the challenges of this concept shoulder-to-shoulder with our younger emerging leaders, some of whom would be considered rather “green.”
New magazine
Just days ago, a beautifully crafted quarterly periodical called Alpine made its debut. This new periodical has a mission of integrating the qualities of green living with the refined lifestyle many of our more affluent residents enjoy.
Alpine tries to demonstrate that the benefits and challenges of a more sustainable lifestyle are inclusive of all of us, whether we live on a golf course or “on the ridge”.
Community is derived from the Latin word “communitas,” which means an intense community, spirit, social equality, solidarity and togetherness.
We are now living in a time when far more than our psychological comfort may depend on the strength of our community. Our elderly remember a time when life in the United States was not as easy or secure as we have grown accustomed.
Our degree of togetherness, our willingness to collaborate, our ability to transcend our own desire to be right and put forward our desire for the common good may well determine the quality of life in our region for generations.
As Benjamin Franklin said, “We must hang together, gentlemen ... else, we shall most assuredly hang separately.” Gladly, once again, collaboration is becoming the hallmark of Nevada County.
Keith Logan is the owner of Logan and Associates, a sustainability consulting firm in Nevada County. He can be reached at loganandassociates@gmail.com.
