Connecting Global to Local

As another election fast approaches, we are asked to choose those people who will best represent us in the halls of local and federal government. We’d like to believe the leaders we elect will represent our views on a range of issues. But all too often, after we have cast our vote, we allow our voices to become silent. We step back from the policymaking process and let our elected officials make the difficult decisions for us.

Citizens for Global Solutions’ Connecting Global to Local seeks to reconnect Americans and their elected officials. More specifically, this initiative will bring global issues to the local level and engage citizens from all backgrounds in creating local solutions for global challenges.

As part of this effort, we are bringing together business leaders, faith-based organizations, retired military personnel, educators, health workers, elected officials and many others. Working together they will voice their opinions, concerns and expectations about the foreign policy Americans want and deserve; one that reflects our values and creates a more peaceful and secure world.

We have already launched Connecting Global to Local in five U.S. communities: Des Moines, Indianapolis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Santa Fe-Albuquerque and Pittsburgh. We have conducted numerous communications workshops and are planning future events, ranging from town hall forums to film screenings to community discussions, all of which focus on local participation and action. In the coming months, we will expand the initiative further, beginning with the first ever Connecting Global to Local two-day workshop at the 2006 Citizens for Global Solutions Annual Meeting.

In Global to Local communities, and in others across the country, newspaper headlines are filled with stories pertaining to avian flu, climate change and nuclear proliferation. They are not only national or international issues, but they are also profoundly local. Some examples:

• Indiana draws 98 percent of its energy from coal-powered plants. But as state and federal governments try to come up with cleaner prospects for energy production, Indiana may see nuclear power plants pop up around the state. Yet nuclear power has not demonstrated its capacity to be cleaner or safer for the people who live near the plants or the environment. As state officials begin to look for energy alternatives, they should look towards safe, secure, renewable energy sources in lieu of nuclear power.

• Climate change is beginning to adversely affect the 10,000 lakes, streams and waterways of Minnesota, an important part of Minnesotans’ heritage and economy. As lake temperatures rise and stay warm longer, ice formation decreases in the winter. This affects trout, whitefish and other cold water species. These environmental changes will also have significant consequences for Minnesota’s $10 billion tourism and recreation industry.

• In 1983, an avian flu outbreak occurred in the U.S. that resulted in the loss of 17 million chickens, which cost $65 million and caused egg prices to skyrocket by 30 percent. An outbreak of avian flu in Iowa could damage its $250 million poultry industry. Iowa ranks first in egg production and tenth in turkey production in the United States. Although Iowa has tough rules and regulations to prevent contamination on its farms, consumer fright could have a negative impact on poultry industries. In countries already affected by avian flu the poultry industry is suffering great losses.

To find out more about how global issues such as nuclear power, climate change and avian flu can impact your community, visit www.globaltolocal.org.

Contributing Writer: Rich Stazinski


Updated October 10, 2006