Rural
Action entered into the new millennium in a spirit of thankfulness for
all the volunteers who have helped to shape our programs and a sense
of renewed focus generated by the new and invigorating mission statement
adopted by our Board of Directors.
At
Rural Action we have always been mindful of the importance of all three
pillars of sustainable development: equity, ecology, and economy. It
is important that our mission statement reflect our commitment to equity,
since it is the component most often overlooked by sustainable development
advocates. The new mission statement, "to promote economic, social,
and environmental justice in Appalachian Ohio," means we are becoming
more involved in policy formation and advocacy in each of our initiatives.
Policy cannot be separated from our on-the-ground projects in environmental
restoration, community renewal, and economic development; in fact, it
clarifies and intensifies our intentions, bringing the final result
closer to the goal. We believe our attention to equity and justice will
make us more effective and responsive to the community at large.
Over
the past decade, your participation in shaping our programs has helped
us identity community needs and opportunities. Without your help, Rural
Action would have been unable to achieve what it has. However, it has
become clear that some current public policies create barriers to building
the kind of communities we all want. For instance, in working with local
schools we realized that school performance is linked to school size
and funding and to lengthy bus rides to and from school. We are now
mobilizing community members to work on changing policy around these
issues through community organizing.
Another
policy issue that concerns us is the possibility of losing federal funding
for the clean-up of abandoned mine lands. Watershed restoration requires
decades of work. There are some in Congress who don't understand the
long-term requirements of acid mine reclamation. After five years of
the Monday Creek project, fish have returned to sections of the creek
where they haven't been seen for a half-century. We believe that all
our creeks can once again be healthy waterways. Policy is key, and we
are working with our partners in the region to make sure funding continues
for this important work.
It's
a big leap from on-the-ground project work to collaborating with others
on policy issues. This means more study, more trips to Columbus and
Washington, and more conference calls--all of which take time and money.
However, if we care about the long-term health of our region we must
walk the walk and talk the talk with both community members and policy
shapers in order to bring equity to our sustainable development work.
"Policy work" is required if we are to do "justice work."
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