“Don't it always seem to go, That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone, They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” ~ Joni Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi (listen here)
Joni Mitchell was onto something important about a place when she wrote this classic song many years ago. On a visit earlier this year to the small town of Elora, Ontario we saw signs everywhere about protecting their water from corporate extraction, with a few Joni excerpts sprinkled in. Many of the people in that community fear that bottlers could deny them access to their own water and they weren’t having it. They feel that water is a right for all and should not be packaged and sold and they’re standing up for that right. They’re being citizens of their place.
We recently had a municipal election in my town, and as seems to be the custom since I’ve lived here, the incumbent mayor lost. People are passionate and vocal about this town and many disagree on issues. Such is the way of local politics. There was a 48% voter turnout rate, which is considered quite high for a local election. But I still wonder about the other 52% who decided not to cast a vote. Are they uninterested, don’t care, or do they not think their vote will make a difference?
What does it mean to be a citizen of a place?
To me, a citizen is one who actively participates in the mutual flourishing of all of the inhabitants of a place, human and non-human. They are politically engaged with the interest of maintaining or restoring health. Not everyone wants to or can be an activist or join committees or run for town council. But, there are many ways to be a citizen. Here are a few of them.
Get to know your place intimately, which is what we’ve been doing this year. This means decentering the human experience (even your own) and imagining the life and needs of other humans and other species. It’s recognizing that every inhabitant of a community is valuable and deserving of respect.
Minimize any harm you may cause other humans, other species, or the environment. Take only what you need.
Give back what you can. Offer your gifts of time or money or other abundance for the health of your place. Support local organizations and charities that restore health.
Be informed. Engage politically and vote. Participate in public hearings or speak out on public issues.
And finally, be a good ancestor. Recognize and protect what you have for future generations.
What have I missed? This week, I’d like you to consider what citizenship means to you and how it shows up in your place. Use the following questions as a guide.
How do you minimize harm and give back to your community? How do you make and spend your money in a way that causes the least harm and perhaps invests in your place for the future?
How do you care for the land, your neighbours, and other species? How are you cared for?
How are you engaged civically or politically? Do you vote, protest, write op/eds or attend council meetings?
What concrete action can you take for your place this week? Share with us in the comments or post on Instagram and add the hashtag #seeingyourplace2022.
Resources
Ecological Selves as Citizens, Lisa Eckwiler and Bruce Jennings, Center for Humans and Nature
After sending this post, I found a few other resources on citizenship.
Book: Citizens: Why the Key to Fixing Everything is All of Us by Jon Alexander -https://amzn.to/3ijazjD
Podcast Episode: What if we were citizens rather than consumers? https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/from-what-if-to-what-next/id1538281063?i=1000557074960
Podcast: How to Citizen with Baratunde - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/how-to-citizen-with-baratunde/id1523714708