Interra Community Cards shift the act of “consuming” into “saving and giving.” People tell us how good it feels to use the cards. We also offer communities a co-creative cooperative change process to educate residents about choices and how these choices can inspire us to come together. If we are to accomplish things we’ve never done before, we need to do things we’ve never done before.
For example, last month Interra co-founded the Eco April Alignment, an intergenerational and cross-cultural network of individuals, groups and organizations focusing on “Uniting Community and Honoring Life”. The Eco April Alignment was a large-scale expression of community cooperation.
Interra and Puget Sound Community Change hosted a 300+ person Eco April launch event at Seattle’s LEED certified City Hall. We received an Eco April joint proclamation from the Mayor of Seattle and the members of the Seattle City Council.
During the Eco April Alignment His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Seattle for five days and launched the “Seeds of Compassion” a five-year initiative focused on engaging the hearts and minds of our community, empowering us to become compassionate members of society. Interra was invited to participate in organizing the initiative and the launch.
Interra and Puget Sound Community Change partnered with GreenFestival and handed out more than 2,500 special edition GreenFestival Community Cards during Seattle’s first annual GreenFestival.
The Eco April Alignment offered an open web portal with information on over 50 community events and activities. The site was built on WiserEarth, a project we are working on with Paul Hawken and the Natural Capital Institute, our fiscal agent.
All of our achievements are nurtured with the cooperation of many who share a common vision working toward a common goal. We have much to be grateful for:
Thank you to RSF Social Finance for seeding the Interra Project. Thank you to our funders who have provided the resources needed to realize our dream; The Russell Family Foundation, Panta Rhea Foundation, Columbia Foundation, Compton Foundation and many individual donors.
Thanks to Greg Steltenpohl and Dee Hock for your visionary leadership; to our dedicated staff for your persistence and tireless dedication; and thanks to over 200 volunteers who have spread the word, tabled at community events, engaged with business owners and have initiated community alliances.
We have adapted Michael Pollen’s liberating seven word summary from his latest book “In Defense of Food”:
“Shop wisely. Not too much. Mostly local.”
It is our hope that this simple phrase inspires us to consider our daily choices and the positive impact that small shifts in behavior can have on the whole.