WORTHY ACTIONABLE LIST OF PROJECTS (The WALOP)
When our charity had its 25th Anniversary, we patted ourselves on the back for making it this far and achieving the chunk of goals we have already met. Then we thought… what do we want the year 2050 to look like and what should we do for the next 25+ years in order to get there?
We decided that our Research and Executive Teams would devote a weekly meeting to preparing our most audacious program yet: The Worthy, Actionable List of Projects for 2025-2050 (aka The WALOP) correlated with Matter of Trust’s own comprehensive Strategic and Implementation Plan.
At Matter of Trust we lean heavily on a Merlin Exercise. We know that in order to achieve these ambitions by 2050 – we need to work backwards, looking at everything that would need to be in place by 2045, 2040, 2035, 2030, 2027 and 2025.
Instead of decades-long, laborious, penalizing, top down options of scarcity and sacrifice… What if we ask humanity at large to put Planet over Profit for simply one year : the year 2030. On the 366th day, corporations, governments, households, etc. can go back to destructive habits. All we ask is that for one year we pour all of our efforts and money into activities beneficial to all! Humanity helping humanity thrive!
We can all look younger generations in the eye and say, “Yes, we knew what to do. When it had to be done – we did it.” When you work against Nature, systems fall apart – examples of this are made evident everyday – when you work with Nature, you see compounding benefits and everything starts to flourish. At Matter of Trust, we are founded on “ask Nature first.”
What is the WALOP ?
The WALOP is a living document of thought process put into words to turn into action. While having lots of optimism for the power of what we can achieve as driven humans, we are pragmatists looking for reasonable change. We understand that this, firstly, is only an exercise. An exercise in sorting and careful execution of what can be done, as soon as possible.
After compiling as many problems, solutions, methods for categorizing and understanding people as we can find – our goal is to provide an initial, simplified, framework to help teams find strengths and comfort zones working towards change! We want as many people as possible to join this endeavor. Our method is to chisel at this block of marble, chipping away everything that isn’t the horse – as Michaelangelo would say. Plans take shape, becoming clearer and clearer.
We study the works of utopian modelers throughout the ages. We want to bring in the Eeyores, naysayers, haters and whiners – admittedly, the most helpful groups of the process. With all of that engagement and think tank ideation, we make room for the implementers, fixers, realists, and innovators to get to work.
How can you join in ?
At its core, The WALOP is about the golden rule. We wholeheartedly believe that it takes all kinds to make a world. We aim to match work with who will do it best, with the greatest ease and happiness. A favorite of the environmental movement is “don’t put me in a box box.” Changing the world requires independent thinkers who find wonderful connections and communities that “think outside the box.”
An important thing in all of this is to “know thyself”. Our WALOP worksheet to get to know yourself. Coming soon!
We also highly encourage you to look into Ayana Elizabeth Taylor and her Your Climate Action Venn diagram.
The WALOP entails a large number of mobilizations. For example, COVID’s “awareness campaign” took less than 3 months to go global, and humans are good spreaders of information. So, let’s use this to the planet’s advantage!
We’d love your advice, help, suggestions and energy. We seek to make this program available and accessible to all. With components IRL (in real life via fieldwork, office work, factory work and lab work) and URL (online via our Hum Sum Community Forums, classroom partners and global hub sites). Please reach out and give us feedback, ideas etc. We would LOVE to hear from you.
Every backyard could have an urban edible garden, tiny home, and chicken coop.
The front doors of the Eco-Home, with our hobbit doors made of 60% recycled car parts and scrap metal.
The Method
PHASE 1
BRAINSTORMING
First, 2024 is devoted to the process of simply listing every major environmental and social challenge to life on Earth that we can find. A total exercise in doom porn, only recommended for those who are energized by this – usually means you harbor a savior complex. If that isn’t you, please keep reading, there are tasks for everyone. See our list of Modes & Complexes that we have found we (all) have and how we think they are helping us with this project!
We have listed 500+ ecological (study of life in environments) “problems” varying in impact, urgency, remedy… from asteroids to pandemics, nuclear meltdown to solar flare, cluster bombs and landmines to wildfires, broad mental health concerns to self-medicating opioid addiction, digital divide to digital overload, war to ocean plastics, homelessness to food insecurity, big pharma overstep to animal cruelty, siloed education to corporate greed, mining to deforestation, … If you see anything that should be added to our list please discuss on The WALOP – Hum Sum Community Forum or contact us team@matteroftrust.org
Fallin’ for Harvest Time Open House 2019!
PHASE 2
SORTING
Next, we are starting the grouping, researching, compiling, peg-holing, cross-referencing… all that we can… with plenty of room for outliers. We have thousands of articles and papers on eco-solutions to mix and match with the list of challenges. This is our speciality. We love doing this! AND we can use all the help we can get!
What we need to do most is find what nature-based solutions fix a lot problems with one fell swoop. “Gaia has been around for over 4 billion years, we need to ask her first!” (Thanks to our dear friend Janine Benyus of Biomimicry.org for that superb quote!)
Our favorite buckets are the blaringly obvious ones that we call START SMART / STOP SILLY STUFF. For example, who thougth it was a good idea to put plastic stickers on fruit? Or seal lettuce into plastic bags – why not use fruit dye markers and paper bags?
Primary Category(ies):
Fresh Air, Clear Water, Fire (Energy), Earth (Materials), Life & Beyond…
Awareness
Incentives
Perspectives
Convenience Levels
Empowered Masses & Engagement
Greed / Fear of Lack / Greater Good
Empathy / Golden Rule
Art / Sponsors / Ads
Entertainment / Fun / Play / Discovery
Partners & Networks
Hope / Optimism / Trust
Love
The Criteria
– — This is a living document that fits within our Mission: Linking Surplus with Needs. Our ultimate goals are to encourages optimism and trust in Nature’s abundant cycles.
Organization, connection and direction are key for humanity to thrive in harmony with Earth.
Low Hanging Fruit
Start Smart / Do more good stuff you like
Stop Silly / Don’t do bad stuff you hate doing
Multi-Impact Crossovers
– Ask Nature First
– Trust in Natural Abundance, Manmade Surplus
– Cycles
– Integration
– Self Healing & Self Organizing
– Rates, Scale, Shape
– Right Sizing & Adaptation
– Infrastructure
– Systems
– Sorting
– Deconstruction / Disassembly
– Life Cycle Assessment
Quality
The List
Let’s start with the LOW HANGING FRUIT –
START SMART / STOP STUPID SILLY STUFF:
AKA the bad, annoying stuff humans already want to stop and the fun, easy, obvious stuff we are excited to start.
Stop: STICKERS ON FRUIT – They are so annoying to remove. They are most commonly made of petroleum based plastic (thus contributing to our planet’s microplastics problem) and are, somewhat surprisingly, eaten or juiced accidentally by thousands of people daily. They do not decompose or biodegrade. They contain “pressure sensitive adhesives”. These contain surfactants which are toxic for the reproductive system. Fruits and vegetable which are sold in open markets have higher permissibility of migration of chemicals in fruits because of heat and sunlight.
Who: Shoppers please ask your grocers how you can help them so they don’t need to have these stickers (awareness, pilot study, meetings with owners / corporate offices, friendly petition, Hum Sum Polls…). Request they just use natural food based dye marks (made of beet, carrot, blueberry, spinach… e.g., King Arthur,™ Color Garden,™ Watkins™…). While we’re at it, let’s rid ourselves of non-compostable, plastic and metal ties on all of our produce and bread bags.
Stop: PICKING UP DOG POO IN PLASTIC BAGS – Plastic bags can take up to 700 years to decompose. Poo is fertilizer and can easily be composted. Microbes and flies naturally break down the manmade chemicals in flea and heart worm medicines as well as all of the natural waste. The methane quickly off gasses (unlike the harmful plastics). Ideally all neighborhoods should have dog parks.
There should be large dog poo / green waste composting pits all over cities where dogs are allowed to go do their business freely and sniff the deposits to their heart’s content. Dog snouts are clearly doing a lot of data downloading of which humans are not capable. Who are we to stop their flow of information? Dogs are pack animals by nature, yet so many live alone, it’s kindest to let them live and smell a little.
Pet waste compost, like green waste compost, is vital for plants. It plays a vital part in natural cycles in both urban and rural environments. Here is a study that explains more… https://matteroftrust.org/the-fate-of-pharmaceutical-compounds-in-thermophilic-compost/
Who: Dog owners / walkers
Start: EDIBLE CITIES
Plant female trees in cities to counter how governments only plant male trees which produce far too much pollen and inflame allergies. Nature will happily provide food security for people and animals everywhere. Female nut and fruit bearing trees planted all over is a no brainer and helps multiple challenges. Yes these trees may drop ripe yummies onto cars… so nets will be necessary or volunteer pickers. Alternatively, plant them in parks, playgrounds, away from curbs and have dirt below to absorb whatever drops. It’s not rocket science and very doable with a bit of planning and cooperation. Find your inner Johnny Appleseed! Like this Hero – Gene DeSantis https://baltimorebrew.com/2011/10/24/gene-desantis-baltimores-unsung-johnny-appleseed
Many municipalities have old, forgotten laws that allow homeowners and some renters to have chickens, ducks, goats, bees, even horses and, of course, vegetables, nuts and fruits in their gardens.
If neighbors agree, combine gardens ideally with gates or by removing fences so city blocks can have enclosed, interior, safe, private park areas where chickens can run free during the day. Have a designated bee hive area. Ducks are great too, but they need some sort of pond for waterfowl. Goats will naturally mow lawns and control pests. Plant fruit and nut trees. Separately, have gated protected areas for veggie gardens as goats will be a little too interested!
This way a block could have access to eggs, honey, milk, cheese, lots of fruits, nuts and vegetables as well as meat occasionally… Any neighborhoods next to rivers and coast lines have access to fishing – which also needs stewardship of clean waterways (see our Hair Matters Program – Clean Wave Projects and Partners).
Who: Civic planners for urban forestry, home owners, gardeners, renters with green thumbs, fishermen, goatherds, beekeepers…
Stop: MAKING / ACCEPTING PLASTIC SINGLE USE SPOONS / FORKS / KNIVES / SPORKS / STRAWS
You know you have an overflowing drawerfull. And you feel guilty throwing them away. An estimated 40 billion plastic utensils per year are disposed of in USA alone.
Plastic cutlery can take up to 1,000 years to decompose naturally. However, over decades they break down into toxic microplastics that get into the environment. They are made of petroleum based BPA and when you put them into the dishwasher and reuse they break down releasing BPA (Bisphenol A) which is linked to issues such as infertility, diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure.
Be sure to check the box that says No Cutlery when ordering food for delivery to your home.
Use reusable metal cutlery at home. You can buy new or 2nd hand, it can be reused and disinfected easily and forever. Carry your own set with a napkin / bag in your pocket, purse, backpack, car… Offer sets as a gift… e.g.,
https://sustainability.ucdavis.edu/zerowaste
Prosumer Choice – Amazon
Who: Fast food eaters, delivery orderers, party planners, everyone…
Start: SAVING WINE CORKS – SORTING NATURAL CORK FROM SYNTHETIC CORK
Check out our projects that work with restaurants, liquor stores and wineries collecting used wine corks. We use these as natural floatation material in our hair booms for oil spills. The synthetic corks are mixed with laundry lint (which full of microplastics) and encapsulated in our insulation cubes project for tiny homes.
Who: wine drinkers, wineries, restaurants, bars, party planners…
Stop: USED MOTOR OIL DUMPING INTO STORM DRAINS – Every liter of illegally dumped used motor oil can contaminate up to 1 million liters of fresh water. There are many places you can get your motor oil changed inexpensively and cleanly. Also, most hardware stores and mechanics have hazardous material disposal collection systems. Call your local government to locate the best drop off location near you.
Who: Car owners (non-EV), DIY car lovers, Boat Owners…
Stop: LANDMINES & CLUSTER BOMBS Manufacturing & Laying
5 Million new landmines are laid per year. They cost $30 to make and $1000 to remove. The 110M current landmines would already cost $100B to remove. Annually @ 200,000 are removed or intentionally set off with @ 200 / year “De-miner” deaths . The only people who don’t have the incentive to stop landmines are people who make landmines, and they can make something else.
Landmines hurt indiscriminately and destroy the environment causing 5,000 deaths & 20,000 injuries / year. And nooo.. they should not be used to surround protected areas as animals can also set them off. Toxic explosive chemicals, soil erosion, and wildlife destruction for decades after the political conflict is forgotten.
Who: Governments & Manufacturers
General Public: Be aware, engaged, speak up, discuss and point out the obvious. Politics and war are uncomfortable topics, however, if you’re looking for a way forward through diplomacy and common ground start by stopping money flows to this where clearly nobody wins in the long-term (people nor planet).
Start: Connecting
Network like-minded, local entities on a global scale (restaurants / bars, hair salons, pet groomers, mechanics, plumbers, repair shops, community gardens, refill stores, recyclers, composters, volunteer centers, makers fairs, artisans, green builders, green products… find which WALOP topics interest them the most.
Meet–ups Hold community Hum Summits, to review local WALOPs quarterly, at local libraries, fire stations or polling sites (which are already established with funded local government departments at convenient locations and only activated around elections).
Create neighborhood exchange nooks for tools, books, kids items, senior items, crafts materials for teachers etc. using thehumsum.org to save money and reduce waste.
Organize “Peace of Mind Kits” as ecological complements to disposable disaster relief kits and set up in schools and senior centers as a way to build connections, bring down fears and empower the general public.
Who: Seniors, students, concerned citizens, everybody…
Check back soon… more to come…
Why this matters?
You may encounter personal and global challenges in your lifetime. The bigger the opportunity for change, the better it is to have clear ideas of the obstacles and opportunities. The WALOP is simply a roadmap of all the most crucial work we can find and a methodical breakdown into manageable tasks, solutions and networks of supportive teams for this and future generations.
What can I do?
Get Involved
We are always evolving and welcome new ideas, partners, contributions and emails. We have a very optimistic view of the future and love meeting others who are very fond of this lovely planet!
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“When you give, you get back tenfold.”
Now, that’s a great exchange rate!
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