LOCAL AGENDA OUTCOMES:
Helping us make more balanced decisions to save the planet...
THE EQUILIBRIUM PROJECT
Stephanie Fleming
Walking down an aisle of the local supermarket we are assaulted by color and variety—Crest, Aquafresh, Tom’s, Kiss My Face? The choices are staggering. If we have fought rush hour traffic with children arguing in the backseat, the most attractive package may do. Do we have the energy to care? Do we need help in this lightning fast world to slow down to consider the impact of our everyday decisions, let alone the major decisions we make as individuals, groups, or organizations? Stephanie has traveled the world and has seen the results of hasty decision-making.
IMAGINE: A world where every decision we make is balanced and sustainable.
From consumer purchases to corporate practices, every decision sets off waves of consequences. Stephanie believes we need help thinking about the potential outcomes of our actions before we act. She’s envisioned an online decision-making tool to help all of us balance decisions with regard to three critical domains: nature/environment, society/culture, and economy/business. Like the Online Carbon Footprint Tool, this tool fosters awareness and helps people and organizations shift toward a more balanced way of thinking and acting.
MISSION IN ACTION: Develop an easy-to-use resource to help people make better decisions for people, their livelihood, and the planet.
The
Equilibrium Project is an online resource that provides information and tools for thinking more carefully about the decisions we make every day. It asks important questions, provides likely outcomes, and documents the questions and answers of each user, thus gathering and sharing the improved outcomes that arise from better decision-making.
Strategies
- Use Web 2.0 to develop an interactive site that saves interactions and grows knowledge.
- Draw from the historical record as well as emerging research about the results of our individual decisons on people, the economy, and the planet.
- Foster a process of questions--a practice of reflecting--that individuals can internalize and incorporate into everyday living, resulting in actionable choices and improved results.
- Ensure the site's resources are useful for individuals as well as organizations and businesses.
Approach
The Equilibrium Project is designed to be a process of thinking, not a set of concrete answers or an algorithm for narrow numerical data. We believe that learning about the results of our decisions coupled with an internalized process of 'stopping to think' leads to increased awareness--the beginning of change.
The Equilibrium Project fills a gap. Many people want to know how to make better decisions, learn where to find answers to hard questions, and be aware of what they should take into consideration.