Doorae Shin, pictured, is a student at the University of Hawaii, and is a recipient of a 2014 Brower Youth Award. Clearly, Doorae is deeply committed to environmental protection. What struck me the most, though, as I read her comments in the most recent edition of Earth Island Journal, was not just Doorae's commitment to the environment, but the priority she placed on social change.
Social change is "magic," she said. "There is a kind of alchemy involved when people go from passing concern to lasting commitment, when they transition from occasionally taking action to living a passionate life dedicated to the community and environment around them. Transforming a passive consumer into an active citizen is like turning lead into gold."
Change doesn't "just happen." We make it happen.
We make the magic.
http://www.broweryouthawards.org/winner/doorae-shin/
Please. Her successful campaign to ban single-use foam packaging on campus was not the result of "magic". She teamed up with Surfrider Foundation [1] to draft a petition and which got 1,000 signatures [2]. The credit goes to the volunteer canvassers and the sound argument made in the petition. Not magic.
ReplyDelete1. http://oahu.surfrider.org/
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GrQGGCoCf4#t=100
Magic starts with casting a spell - a wish from the heart that grows into a reality that some would doubt could become real.
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