Extra Credit: The Next Step

I attended the event "The Next Step" put on by Justin Avery and the UH Hilo staff. It was fantastic. There was community dialogue and fantastic communication. I knew a lot of people that attended the event, some playing in the band "Musama" and some from school in general, not from this class in particular. It was great to connect with a lot a different people in general.

In the beginning, after Justin's powerpoint presentation, I had a fellow peer talk to me about the importance of conserving energy. At that moment I knew she was serious about what she did in her daily life and how she lived to become sustainable. I enjoyed sharing with her how I did so myself. In the beginning, when people were encouraged to speak freely over the microphone about how they were contributing to a more sustainable living I began to think of how my personal business contributed to the same effort. I will speak freely now because I am not in person, but I wanted to let everyone know that my salon is reducing waste by choosing to use organic products in our hair care line. I felt that the communication done in public by fellow students and community members had a positive impact by putting in perspective how each individual was contributing how they were becoming more sustainable peoples.

Having state senator Gary Hoosier speak at this event was inspirational. He promoted self-responsibility as a major culture shift into a sustainable lifestyle because we are responsible for showing up to voting for major issues that effect our way of living. Our civil duties as democratic individuals need to be accounted for in the voting polls so our state governments know what "we the people" believe in and support. Senator Hoosier made it an important point to register to vote and take part in the democratic process, because he supports many grass roots objectives such as cultural sustainability.

At the end of the event, a Muramba band played African music. The majority of participants danced. The communication in dancing Muramba enabled people to feel a connection with one another. We all danced in accordance to what we had felt, but I am sure that we all felt connected by the unique inspiration of others. There is a special connection that occurs when community dancing takes place, it transcends those sharing a space to a platform of unity and understanding. The scene becomes a space of creativity and acceptance, and thats where a place of sustainability can be nourished and practiced.