Stacey Corriveau – Becoming Visible 2011 – Community Economic Development and Environmental Solutions

Stacey Corriveau is the Director of the  BC Centre for Social Enterprise and the founder and Executive Director of Resilient Communities Canada.  She has been the driving force behind the research and adaptation of legal structures that would increase the ability of social purpose organizations and social enterprises to attract capital.  Here is her response to the question: What would you like to become more visible in 2011?  You can also Download Becoming Visible  -  the complete collection of 58 essays including Stacey's.

Community Economic Development and Environmental Solutions

A deeper connection between community economic development and environmental solutions.
 
One canʼt ʻunknowʼ what one knows.
 
What I know is that climate change and peak oil are creating a perfect storm for the devastation of ecosystems, countries, and communities.
 
What I also know is that those working in the community economic development CED) sector have deep concern for people.
 
We often complain of silos when observing work external to us, or when trying to break through external blocks in order to attract support or change systems.
 
We have been failing to see our own silo, the separation between ʻourʼ work and that of environmentalists. Many within the social sector view environmental activities as a ʻnice to haveʼ, only after social goals are met.
 
I donʼt hear enough conversations about the fact that once climate change and resource depletion are factored into the equation, we can expect poverty, homelessness, food insecurity, lack of infrastructure, gaps between rich and poor… as we have never known in our lifetimes.
 
In 2011, I would like to see this reality made more visible, and acted upon:
environmentalism is a social movement.

NOTES:

You can download the complete collection of Becoming Visible responses here: Download Becoming Visible.  Or by clicking the Becoming Visible Category on the right hand side of your screen.

Please share and distribute to your friends and through your various networks, websites etc.  I think you will agree – these are too good to keep to ourselves.