ForestBoard

Ruinenlust wrote:

Welcome to The Forest!

Welcome to memes

Being patient and waiting for season 2 of trading cards to come out so I can get a copy of my own card. Unfortunately it looks like I'm going to need to wait for a while longer...

-WCD

Proposing An Environmental Agenda

Okay guys, I've been lying awake thinking about the planet, and my children, and human survival, and frankly it all scares the crap out of me. Suddenly it doesn't seem enough just to be someone who cares about their own behaviour and who is doing their best on a personal level. Suddenly, it seems like there's a moral responsibility to be a force for change.

I'm thinking we need to get some environmentalism going. That's the whole point of this region, right? I'm thinking that we're a great region, and have some really great conversations, but the reason the region exists is to push an environmentalist agenda.

I think if we can use our community as a springboard for environmental awareness, we might convince people to affect change in a small way. And yes, I know, the real solutions to environmental problems need to happen at a governmental and corporate level, not with individual consumers, but hey, can't hurt right?

So what I'm suggesting is that each month we flag an environmental issue, and then spread the word about that topic, and pledge to make personal long-term changes to the way we improve our personal environmental impact. We then get out there, and chat about these things in NS, in other internet communities we're part of, and encourage change on this thing.

For example, we could have a month on palm oil, and the deforestation being caused by our society's insatiable appetite for it. We could spread the word about palm oil, and pledge to reduce our own consumption of it. We could do the same thing for plastic packaging, or for water waste, or for the carbon footprint of the food we consume.

I propose a system. I propose that someone, be it our Forest Keeper -- or an appointed representative -- open a debate as to what the campaign of the next month should be, and then kick up a poll. We then on the first of each month launch that campaign, aiming to make changes in ourselves, to influence others, to lobby as we're able, and so on, and so forth, while at the same time discussing what we're going to target the next month.

I just feel like we're all like-minded people, who give a damn about the environment, and we could be doing something more than giving a damn. We could be agents of change, in a small or big way.

What do you say, guys?

I love this idea, Candlewhisper Archive. I'd be especially interested in supporting such an endeavor through book recommendations; I've got a pretty good background on this subject, both through my own reading and my work as a reference librarian.

Sorry for the long post. And for the double post!

Myordas wrote:

Too sad, my crush is now in hospital from an accident and now she's okay.

P.S. I like her but she didn't like me.

P.P.S She looks like a Mexican, taller than myself and always participating in beauty pageants.

I am sorry that she's in a hospital, hope she gets better.

However, moving aside from the general theme of my nation or the jokes I usually make, I will be 100% serious and tell you this as a guy who, in highschool, chased after a girl who didn't like me. If she doesn't like you, move on.
I know that you've probably heard this argument a lot but it's true. Usually when you hear it however, people don't explain why they make this argument.
The deal is as such: if you continue trying to win over someone who doesn't like you, you will waste your time, fall into despair and be unhappy. While doing this you will also ignore all other signs from all other women/girls (don't know your age) around you as you are too focused on the crush. If you open up to those around you instead, you might see someone trying to flirt with you, something you might not have seen otherwise, or something that you might have ignored as "to not lose chances with your crush". By the time you realize this, a few years will have passed and you can never get those years back.

Overall, don't obsess over this person if she doesn't like you. Yes, if you can help her with recovery, sure, do it, but don't expect anything in return for it.

Phoenikland wrote:

Because the Shiba Inu is native to Phoenikland. And the Phoenix is not a real animal.

In this nation managing game, you can ressurect dinosaurs and force humans to only reproduce by cloning. You can have AI that have full citizen rights. If you want the pheonix to be your animal, it can be. Just like I want my population to be night elves, and they are.

I have a puppet

Candlewhisper Archive wrote:

What do you say, guys?

I think this is fantastic. I feel like a lot of younger people (like myself) don't fully understand how bad some of our habits can be for the environment, or how to make actual changes in our day-to-day lives that are beneficial to the environment, so something like what you're proposing would be a good way to educate and raise awareness. I'm looking forward to it.

I guess primarily I want to hear from Turbeaux. If this is going to be a Forest thing rather than a thing done by a handful of Forest peeps, then it needs official endorsement, access to Polls, and so on.

Candle - yes, this is worth pursuing. Tauride - yes, yes, yes! It’s never just about the environment. It’s all systemic. Discussion is in order, even if we are mostly choir members already, at least we can learn from each other respectfully before facing the non-choir members.
At the risk of being indicted for smartazzery, if this were a NS issue and I accepted one of the options, I might anticipate a result of something like: “Forest members are now encouraged to save resources by using a (biodegradable) white-board and (non-toxic, edible) marker instead of a single-use placard when in need of an issue sign for protests”, and/or “All Forest members are being issued a durable mallet for whacking the next environmental issue that pops up as a result of the current one being solved”

Candlewhisper Archive wrote:

I think what we need to be doing is going down the SMART route for each month - i.e. Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Time-bounded. As in, when we pick an agenda, we pick something measurable we can each commit to, and we push it on as many folk as we can.

A word on that "SMART" thing. We should keep in mind that this approach is permeated by the cost-benefit mentality characteristic of hedge-fund managers. This mindset already informs their views on philanthropy (think of the Gates Foundation, for instance, which seems obsessed with how many vaccinations it has administered each year, because that's easier to picture on a chart than a broader and more permanent commitment to public health issues in the global South). The thing is, this approach not only encourages short-termism (especially if people are expected to move from one topic to another each month), but also clears away social and cultural complexity by inducing people to focus on discrete indicators (i. e. the amount of pounds of garbage recycled/composted each week, or the gallons of oil not consumed by riding a bike to work instead of a car). This sort of approach works well for dishonest companies interested in greenwashing their image (Green Toxic Sludge™ is 8% less toxic than regular Toxic Sludge™!), and might also work well for honest individuals who wish to gradually achieve a more frugal way of life. I do understand that here we're dealing with something closer to the latter. I'm just suggesting that, when joining a public campaign on whatever subject, we should not expect measurable results in the short term (especially if this has to do with creating awareness). And if it's about a more permanent commitment of some sort, maybe we should encourage people to look for environmentalist NGOs working in their local communities, find out about what they do, and join one of them. And then people could regularly come back and tell the rest about their activity there: then we would find out about current campaigns in many different places, which would also increase our understanding of global issues. But this is just a suggestion, I insist; I'll follow with true interest whatever campaign Forest chooses to promote.

Candlewhisper Archive wrote:

But like the man Michael Jackson says, "If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself, and make a change."

Also Lego Batman :p

In support of CandleWhisper’s proposal re environmental discussions I introduce my new pet - inspired by “Mermaids for Change,” an organization I learned of at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade a couple of weeks ago. They had a very interesting point of view: “Manhattan is the new Atlantis.” I don’t know anyone in that group so I’m not speaking for them - just providing an alternative POV.