Our culture, politics, and media landscape are dominated with polarizing and reactionary perspectives on problems with very little focus on solutions. We all want a better world yet sometimes the problems we face can feel overwhelming. Solutionary activism is an opportunity to come together and put a spotlight on individuals who are making real impact in the world by seeing past the problems. We are seeding inspiration… and it spreads like wildflowers!
“To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” -Buckminster Fuller
There is a cynical, often angry, hopeless and fatalistic attitude held in many activist communities. Meanwhile there is a persistent essence of spiritual bypassing, narcissism, and outright denial in many of the “conscious communities”. Each of these communities have a lot that they can learn from the other yet they are both missing practical solutions that create meaningful impact in the world.
What is Solutionary Activism?
Solutionary activism unifies diverse individuals from different disciplines to cultivate a sense of excitement, synergy, and inspiration to meet the challenges of the day. Solutionaries include scientists, artists, psychologists, farmers, youth, elders, and everyone in between. The common thread is inspired action and impact.
“We are inviting and unifying businesses worldwide to save the reef. The future we see is one where our actions above the surface help protect the ocean and what’s below.” -Coral Gardners, We the Reef Program
Solutionaries are everywhere but they are often so busy with their projects that they are hard to find. This is where you come into the picture…
By using the hashtag #solutionaries on social media we will begin to put a spotlight on these individuals and organizations that deserve recognition. In this way we each play a part in lifting others up, sharing inspiration, and showcasing practical solutions that are creating positive impact in the world.
Solutionary Individuals:
Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza is a Peruvian chemical biologist, storyteller, National Geographic Explorer, and award-winning artist. Rosa is a researcher who focuses on deciphering the chemical and genetic diversity of our planet to facilitate the discovery of new medicines, bioremediation tools, and biotechnological solutions. As a scientist and award-winning artist, she is driven by curiosity and the adventure of guiding others into discovering and learning about the planet through creative thinking. You can follow her creative and informative videos on Instagram for more inspiration.
Paul Stamets is a mycologist (studies fungi/mushrooms), author, inventor, and educator. His presentations cover a range of mushroom species and research showing how mushrooms can help the health of people and planet. His central premise is that habitats have immune systems, just like people, and mushrooms are cellular bridges between the two. He was the inspiration for the acclaimed film Fantastic Fungi (highly recommended), and has excelled at utilizing fungi for bioremediation (restoring earth’s ecosystems naturally). Give Paul a follow on Youtube and learn more about his amazing work.
Peter Fiekowsky: We have all heard a lot about the climate crisis, yet for some reason few have heard about climate restoration. Peter is an MIT-educated physicist and engineer who co-founded the Foundation for Climate Restoration. By changing the discussion around climate from one of doom and gloom to one of regeneration, Peter works with top scientists, innovators, policymakers, citizens, faith leaders, activists, and students to create the understanding needed to further climate restoration. You can read his recent book Climate Restoration here.
Vandana Shiva is an Indian physicist, ecologist, food sovereignty advocate, and acclaimed speaker/author. She founded Navdanya which has led the charge for reclaiming sovereignty, health, and ecosystem restoration through women-led/farmer-led movements. Navdanya is part of a global movement for the recognition of the legal rights of nature including rivers, ecosystems, and communities to be protected from exploitation and degradation. Biodiversity, biotechnology, bioethics, heirloom seeds, regenerative farming, and genetic engineering are among the fields where Shiva has contributed intellectually and through activist campaigns.
Solutionary Organizations are Saving the World:
The list of solutionary individuals is as prolific as the organizations they create and collaborate with. The Coral Gardners are restoring coral reefs which are the rainforests of the ocean sequestering carbon from our atmosphere. Tree Sisters, in support of humanity’s identity shift from a consumer species to a restorer species, has so far planted over 26 million trees while empowering women to step into their feminine nature-based leadership. The Ocean Cleanup removed their first 100,000 kilograms of plastic from the Pacific Garbage Patch this July (read more here).
Highlighting Solutions and Unifying Solutionaries is a massive undertaking that will require participation from individuals, businesses, media platforms, and people everywhere who care about the health of our planet’s ecosystems. This small article barely scratches the surface or begins to illustrate just how large the global movement of solutionaries is. There will be more articles and media on this topic in the coming months.
How to Get Involved:
If you have a business you can consider partnering with solutionary organizations and individuals. You can donate to any of the many solutionary organizations as many of them are nonprofit orgs. Go to the Youtube Channels of your favorite solutionaries, subscribe, comment, and share their work on your channels using the #solutionaries hashtag. By continuing to use the hashtag #solutionaries we can utilize social media to elevate this movement and those who are making it happen. Stay tuned to UNIFY where we will be showcasing solutionaries on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Being personally activated and inspired by solutions is quite a different approach than protesting or being angered by problems. Let inspiration and passion become what fuels you every day. We have abundant tools at our disposal for connecting our networks and communities with a mission to overcome hurdles with solutions that create real impact in the world. As the saying goes, “you are either part of the problem or part of the solution”.
Cover Image: Planting Seeds and Harvesting a Healthy Future for our Planet Photo Courtesy of Navdanya
