My generation is coming of age at a unique time in the world in which globalization and the internet give us a connectedness that is completely unprecedented in history. Technologies supporting these new networks of people are evolving at a lightning fast rate and we are increasingly finding ways to connect virtually in ways that were not possible before. Professionals, students, families, activists, politicians, and your dog are creating virtual communities in all facets of culture all over the world. The January 25th Egyptian Revolution in 2011 would not likely have gotten the civilian response of activism that it did if social media had not played a large role in documenting the peaceful protest which went viral on YouTube and other personal media. This is not to say that the response of ordinary people was a direct cause of the resignation of Mubarak, but it was definitely relevant to the ultimate outcome and was important in scaling awareness to the global community.
Never before have we been able to respond and gather support for a cause with such density and rapid-fire outreach as with the technology that has developed in the last twenty years. These new tools can be used for the spread of ideas and the coalescing of groups with common goals, which is taking activism to a new level.
And activism is what has been proposed to my generation. It is not something that we have chosen, but not something that is optional, either. Conflict and war over depleting sources of fresh water and fossil fuels, global warming, overpopulation, these are all things that my generation is faced with and it has become our responsibility to act. I want my grandchildren to enjoy the National Parks, clean air, heirloom tomatoes, fresh water, and corners of the world that are still wild.
I have hope in us to accomplish this. I get confidence from the fact that we are exploring and producing alternate and efficient forms of energy, that we are eating more locally produced food, and that we are becoming less reliant on non-renewable energy sources. Electricity produced from renewable energy sources in Germany has increased from 6.3% in the year 2000 to 25% in 2012. Worldwide, the use of wind power is increasing 20% annually with the global use of photovotalic cells doubling every year since 2004.
I recently watched an especially inspiring documentary called "Solar Mamas" which focuses on the Barefoot College, a college in India that trains women of marginalized communities to engineer photovotalic cells. After six months at the college these women return to their communities all over the world and are able to set up a sustainable and self-sufficient solar energy infrastructure. It struck me that a college in rural India could have such an impact as this, that a small college with dirt floors and just a few professors could empower women of the global south, many of them illiterate, and give them a new found sense of self-worth and knowledge that made a vital impact on their communities.
A link to the Barefoot College is here: http://www.barefootcollege.org/
My generation certainly has a full plate, but programs like the Barefoot College remind me what can be accomplished with a few really good ideas and a motivated group of people.
Outreach is becoming the easy part, we just have to start the dialogue.
