Briefing No. 19
WHAT WE'RE READING
On the Greenwood Place bedside table
We have drawn so much wisdom from Jacqueline Novogratz’s new book: Manifesto for a Moral Revolution - a huge amount that is relevant for these times.
We hope that you will find time to read it, but in the mean time, here’s a taste:
“Whatever you aim to do, whatever problem you hope to address, remember to accompany those who are struggling, those who are left out, who lack the capabilities needed to solve their own problems. We are each other’s destiny. Beneath the hard skills and firm strategic priorities needed to resolve our greatest challenges lies the soft, fertile ground of our shared humanity. In that place of hard and soft is sustenance enough to nourish the entire human family.”
WARRIORS OR GUARDIANS?
Bryan Stevenson talks in the New Yorker about what it takes to build healthy relationships between the police and the community they serve. About the training that’s needed to de-escalate conflict, to deal with individuals suffering from mental illness, to work in situations of anger and frustration. Of the US police force he says, “We have created a culture where police officers think of themselves as warriors, not guardians.”
We also spoke to our partners at St Giles Trust's SOS Project - a Greenwood Place community member which provides intensive support for young people at risk of involvement in gangs, youth violence & the criminal justice system. They recommend watching Baratunde Thurston’s profound, and often hilarious, 2019 TED talk, which explores the phenomenon of white Americans calling the police on black Americans who have committed the crimes of... eating, walking or generally "living while black."
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN IT ALL STOPPED
As millions around the world shelter at home, the smog melts away, the birds sing, and the waters run clear. What if we used this moment in our lives and in history as an opportunity to jumpstart the rebirth of our planet? Dr Jane Goodall narrates a beautifully animated poem written by Tom Rivett-Carnac.
HUMANKIND - A HOPEFUL HISTORY
Rutger Bregman’s “Humankind“ makes a new argument - that it is realistic as well as revolutionary to assume that all people are good. Bregman argues that 'the instinct to trust rather than distrust, cooperate rather than compete, has an evolutionary basis that goes back to the beginning of our species'.
LISTENING AS A DUE DILIGENCE TOOL
Our community members Evenlode Investment Management have been working with The Forest People’s Programme to put together a report that highlights the importance of listening as a core part of due diligence and risk assessment processes - and how investors can better protect communities and habitats affected by global supply chains.
BUILDING BACK BETTER
For those who didn’t join us for our community screening a couple of weeks ago, its definitely worth watching Damon Gameau’s documentary, 2040, which lays out a compelling and inspiring vision of what could be - exploring solutions to planetary issues that already exist.
A STEP TOWARDS THE END OF PLASTIC?
Globally around 300 million tonnes of plastic is made from fossil fuels every year. Plans are afoot in the Netherlands to make plastic, sturdy enough for bottles, that will decompose in just a year, and that will be be made from plant sugars rather than fossil fuels.
AND FINALLY...
“I’m not a shame person, but I want future generations to look back on us and say, ‘Look how hard they tried,’ not ‘Look at how blind they were.’”
Jacqueline Novogratz, interviewed on the On Being Podcast.
If you would like to talk to us about how to help those working to deal with the social and economic fall-out of this global pandemic, or the opportunities it presents to protect and restore our shared environment, please call us.