Episode 31 - Think Globally, Act Locally!

Among other things, this episode includes a run across Australia, biking through snow in the Yukon and a grizzly bear attack - wheeww! We've all heard the old adage "Think Globally, Act Locally" and besides those adventure stories, today's episode focuses precisely on that; how can we be world citizens and simultaneously work locally for a better world for everyone? In Episode 31 we speak with Gregory Heming about his life and work in Canada to transform the locales where he has lived into better communities built on the foundations of compassion, equality and respect for the environment. We hope you will enjoy this episode. Drop us a line and suggest future themes. Have a look at www.onenessworld.org for all episodes of Jointly Venturing - Let's Talk World Citizenship. Gregory's bio follows below. Thanks Gregory! *** Gregory Heming is a Municipal Councillor in Annapolis County, NS. He holds a PhD in Ecology with post-graduate studies in religion and philosophy, and has spoken, written and published on economics, environment, and public policy. He is also the Executive Director of the Centre for Local Prosperity. Over the course of the last 30 years Gregory has devoted much of his time to participating in processes and procedures that promote a dialogue on the inter-connectedness of environment, economics, rural community development and politics. He has done so as a journalist, academic, published author, community activist, businessman and elected representative. Gregory has written, lectured and published over 250 essays, papers, presentations, and journalistic columns most of which have dealt directly with the notion that ‘economy and ecology are integral partners in civic life’ and they are best understood and delivered through what he calls place-based education. He has served as President, Environmental Education Association of Yukon, and as Regional Editor, Northern Affairs, Environmental Education and Communication Newsletter. Gregory currently serves as chair of the Annapolis County Economic Development Committee. He is a member of the Club of Rome, serves on Fundy Energy Research Network socio-economic committee, and is on the board of directors of the National Farmers Union-New Brunswick. He has been a strong and consistent voice for a new economic model based on steady-state economics and a more enlightened and restorative approach to business. The Centre for Local Prosperity initiates conversations intended to encourage communities to begin a shift toward an economy that is properly scaled for the place. It is our hope that such a dialogue will result in real action for change by creating a new climate for change. The Centre takes pride in working alongside community groups, businesses and governments to identify opportunities and assess the risks in making the shift to a new economy. We are prepared to hold workshops, conferences, and targeted discussions on topics as far ranging as local currency, climate-change, restorative business modelling, living wage, affordable and efficient housing, local energy production, food & community hubs, entrepreneurial start-ups, transportation, arts & culture and social and economic justice. Over time, the Centre envisions the crafting of a new narrative: a language that invites a balance between a culture of economic development and the preservation and restoration of natural systems. History demonstrates that vision without enlightened action is destined to lie fallow. Our hope is to discover an older grace and intelligence that binds us together in ways we could never have imagined. Once discovered it becomes the new social, economic and political narrative that restores the commons, elevates the notion of fairness, and sets a higher standard by which all progress is to be measured. www.gregoryheming.org