Green Team Academy

Whatever you do, don’t start out by planning. If you do, you’re likely to set up roadblocks that might not even be real! Instead, use creative visualization to dream big.

[1:00] Don’t start with planning. Start with dreaming.

[1:40] Go big or go home.

[1:50] There’s no harm in dreaming big.

[2:10] Big adventures happen when we dreamed big first, then planned how to make it happen.

[2:50] Decide first, then something magical happens.

[3:10] Have a creative visualization experience. Book: Creative Visualization, by Shakti Gawain.

[3:40] Creative visualization example: parenting and conflict with toddler

[4:10] First thing is to imagine the situation that you want.

[4:20] It was hard to even just imagine harmony.

[5:10] Start with “I wonder if”, “Wouldn’t it be cool if”, “Would those cool people want to work on this?”

[5:50] Include youth in the envisioning process, since they’re so good at that.

Resource:

• Creative Visualization, by Shakti Gawain
• Episode 19: Can You Draw a Giraffe: Let the Kids Show You How

Thank you for listening!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this over in the Podcast Discussion Group. Get access through the Green Team Essentials at www.GreenTeamAcademy.com

If you like what you're hearing, please subscribe, rate and review!

The time for action is now because there is no Planet B!

** Green Team Academy Podcast Review Contest: Enter by Aug 31, 2018 to win eco-prizes! www.GreenTeamAcademy.com/Podcast.html **

Most every five-year-old kid will jump at the chance to dance, sing or draw. Why can’t most adults? When trying to create a better world, acknowledge that the creativity and spontaneity of youth might be just what we need.

Green Team Academy Podcast with Joan Gregerson

Episode 19

Time-stamped notes:

[1:00] If you ask a five-year-old to draw a giraffe, they will do it. What if you ask an adult?

[1:30] Every five-year-old knows how to draw, dance and sing, but somehow adults don’t. What happened?

[1:40] Education has some negative side-effects. Dampens spontaneity. Dampens creativity.

[2:10] Toddler will dance, sing, draw.

[2:20] Adults suffer from a lack of spontaneity, from thinking that things are easy or doable.

[2:30] Include people as young as possible.

[3:00] Example: Four-year-old had a booth to teach about sea animals.

[4:10] The key to creating the new world that we need is all about imagination. That’s what kids are so good at.

[4:45] It might be that the experts that you need are the kids in your community.

Resources:

• Alan Watts
• Youth of the Earth Festival Photos

Thank you for listening!

Discover how to launch and grow a green team in your community. Suggest a topic, get the free Green Team Quick Start Course and download the free Eco Film List at www.GreenTeamAcademy.com.

If you like what you're hearing, please subscribe, rate and review!

The time for action is now because there is no Planet B!

There are things you think people could be doing better: more recycling, better shopping choices, more renewables, different policies. But, you don’t want to bring it up. Sorry, but if you want change, you’re going to make someone uncomfortable.

Green Team Academy Podcast with Joan Gregerson

Episode 18

Time-stamped notes:

[1:00] I was brought up to be a people-pleaser.

[1:30] Being polite has serious consequences.

[1:45] Talking with my dad and hearing Jimmy Carter, I thought working in energy efficiency was enough.

[2:15] There was this feeling that you couldn’t really talk about the big issues.

[3:15] This came up with people I’ve interviewed: not wanting to be pushy, wanting to stay under the radar to avoid vehement opinions about climate action.

[3:45] There is no way to stay under the radar. I’m sorry. There is no way to do this work and not make people feel uncomfortable.

[4:00] Norm engineering

[4:15] There is going to be friction there. You are going to make people uncomfortable.   

In the process of change, you need people to go from not thinking about it all, to starting to think maybe there is something wrong with what I’m doing.

[4:45] With pesticides, we needed to raise awareness about impacts with neighbors, school districts, big Ag, etc.

[5:30] Just because this isn’t an easy conversation, we aren’t going to walk away.

[5:40] There need to be people that will have these conversations. We need to forget about being people pleasers.

[6:00] Example: plastic. Those benefiting from profit, comfort, convenience.

[6:30] See the discomfort as something positive.

[6:40] Good! Now we’re being honest. Let’s talk about what we can do better.

Thank you for listening!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this over in the Podcast Discussion Group. Get access through the Green Team Essentials at www.GreenTeamAcademy.com

If you like what you're hearing, please subscribe, rate and review!

The time for action is now because there is no Planet B!

You don’t need to be an expert to start a green team. Don’t stop yourself by thinking you’re too much of a newbie or that you’d be a hypocrite. Start where you are!

Time-stamped notes:

[1:00] If you feel like a newbie or that you’re not doing enough, don’t worry. Join the club! We all feel that way.

[1:30] For me, I’m still struggling buying more plastic than I’d like to.

[2:05] You might be asking yourself, Who am I to ask people to change, when I’m still struggling?

[2:15] Not knowing enough or not doing enough is no reason to stop yourself from becoming an eco-leader.

[2:25] Beginner’s mind can be an advantage

[2:30] Two types of leaders: expert and someone on a journey

[3:00] How can we do better? Personal, corporate, government

[3:45] Don’t worry if you’re a newbie or novice

[4:00] In green teams, bring people together and cross-pollinate ideas

[4:30] Don’t think that you’re being a hypocrite.

[4:35] You’re fine where you are.

[4:40] All is takes is passion and being eco-curious, curious open mind about what can be done.

Thank you for listening!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this over in the Podcast Discussion Group. Get access through the Green Team Essentials at www.GreenTeamAcademy.com

If you like what you're hearing, please subscribe, rate and review!

The time for action is now because there is no Planet B!

What’s stopping you from becoming an eco-leader? If you’re thinking that you need experience as an eco-leader or even as a leader, at all, think again! Learn from Xiuhtezcatl Martinez’ first public speech at age six.

Time-stamped notes:

[1:00] “Experience required”... a common criteria for jobs

[1:20] It would be natural to think that you’d need to have eco-leader or any leadership experience

[1:30] Guess what? That’s not true.

[1:35] “If you want to make an impact, you don’t already need to be a leader. But you do need to be willing to become a leader.” - Joan Gregerson

[2:00] Passion, commitment, willingness to learn, grow, work together

[2:20] “Xiuhtezcatl - first public speech at 6 yrs old” YouTube Video

“I came to talk to you today about how sacred the earth is. Most kids don’t even know that the world is sacred.”

“Every choice we make is for or against our future.”

[4:10] Xiuhtezcatl is now 18 years old: a global eco-leader, spoke at the UN three times, rapper and hip-hop artist, best-selling author of “We Rise” and youth leader of Earth Guardians.

[4:40] First met when talking about them performing at the Youth of the Earth Festival.

[5:50] Amazing support from Aztec traditions from his father and environmental educator mom

[6:40] What can we learn from Xiuhtezcatl at age 6?

• You don’t need to already be a leader to make an impact.
• You do need to believe strongly that your ideas and your voice matter.
• You have to overcome any self-doubt that would keep you from expressing your opinion
• You have to ask people to do better.
• You have to believe in and be willing to work for a better future.
• We all have to work together.
• Though you may start small, your impact may grow more than you could imagine at the beginning

[7:20] So, do you need previous experience to become an eco-leader? No, but you need to be willing to become one.

Shareable quotes:

Every choice we make is for or against our future.

- Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, at age 6

If you want to make an impact, you don’t already need to be a leader. But you do need to be willing to become a leader.

- Joan Gregerson

Resources:

• Six-year-old Xiuhtezcatl speaking in Boulder (YouTube)
• Our Chil

Don’t get discouraged before you even get started. You don’t need a huge group assembled to start. In fact, every movement starts with just two people. Can you find just one other person to work with?

Time-stamped notes:

[1:00] Think back to any big project. How many people were really on board in the beginning?

[1:40] Once one joins, that’s a turning point. From there, you build momentum.

[2:15] Examples: family reunion

[2:40] Most people are going to say no initially. Don’t let that stop you.

[2:50] Example: company green team

[4:00] Youtube video: First Follower: Leadership Lessons from the Dancing Guy (with Derek Silver)

Tweetable

When you have an idea, most people are going to say no at first. Don’t let that stop you. Just see if you can find one other person to work with.

- Joan Gregerson, Green Team Academy Podcast, Episode 15

Resources:

• Green Team Academy Podcast: Episode 4: Tale of Two Cities
• First Follower: Leadership Lessons from the Dancing Guy (with Derek Silver)

Thank you for listening!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this over in the Podcast Discussion Group. Get access through the Green Team Essentials at www.GreenTeamAcademy.com

If you like what you're hearing, please subscribe, rate and review!

The time for action is now because there is no Planet B!

This episode builds on Episode 5’s topic of having more conversations about climate change. While many in the Trump administration are denying the science around climate change, it’s up to us to know the science and be confident sharing it. Here are a few facts to share about the warmest years on record.

Time-stamped notes:

[1:00] Have more talks about climate change (episode 5) with confidence.

[1:30] We want to have our facts straight, especially in this time of climate denial.

[2:20] What were the four warmest years on record from 1884 to 2017?

According to NASA: #1 2016, #2 2017, #3 2015, #4 2014

[3:05] 2018 is expected to be one of the top five warmest years. We’ll have to wait and see!

[3:30] According to NASA, 17 of the 18 warmest years in the 136-year record all have occurred since 2001, with the exception of 1998.

[3:50] 18 warmest years have occurred in the past two decades.

[4:00] Graphics of these facts at GreenTeamAcademy.com in the show notes

Resources:

• Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet (NASA)
• Green Team Academy Episode 5: The Most Important and Easiest Climate Action You Can Take
• Climate change skeptics run the Trump administration (Politico) March 2017
• Trump administration refuses to consider that 97% of climate scientists could be right Guardian, May 2018

Thank you for listening!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this over in the Podcast Discussion Group. Get access through the Green Team Essentials at www.GreenTeamAcademy.com

If you like what you're hearing, please subscribe, rate and review!

The time for action is now because there is no Planet B!

Time-stamped notes:

[1:00] What happens when you’re struggling and someone comes up and tells you directly what to do?  

[1:30] The point of a green team is to inspire change.

[1:50] Rebellion is an innate response.

[2:20] So, what are we supposed to do?

[2:30] Don’t just tell. Storytell!

[2:40] Listener’s brain lights up in the same way as the storyteller’s does.

[2:55] Human’s brains are wired for storytelling.

[3:05] Stories signal the brain to pay attention.

[3:20] Teach cause and effect, moral of the story

[3:35] Stories make deep, memorable connections.

[4:20] Circumvent tendency to rebel.

[4:30] This is why case studies are more effective than direct recommendations.

[4:40] Example: how to encourage stopping using pesticides

Resources:

• The Science of Storytelling: What Listening to a Story Does to Our Brains (Buffer App)
• Green Team Academy Podcast Episode 9: Introducing yourself with your “Hero’s Journey” story

Thank you for listening!

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this over in the Podcast Discussion Group. Get access through the Green Team Essentials at www.GreenTeamAcademy.com

If you like what you're hearing, please subscribe, rate and review!

The time for action is now because there is no Planet B!

Update: November 2018. This resource is no longer available directly on my website. Please contact me if you'd like to get it.

August 2018:

The revolution will not be televised! If you want to become an eco-leader, download my free Eco Film List. Get suggestions for how to stay calm and able to do this work with yoga and meditation videos. Learn about individual environmental topics: climate action, oceans, fracking, local food, plastic, and garbage.

Time-stamped notes:

[1:00] My mom watched TV all day long but rarely heard about environmental issues.

[2:50] The revolution will not be televised - Gil Heron Scott

[3:00] Why I put together the Eco Film List.

[3:50] Watch on FMTV, Films for Action, Netflix, TED Talks, Youtube, Amazon

[4:15]

[4:30] Movies about meditation, yoga, kids yoga

[3:00] Suggest movies at GreenTeamAcademy.com

[5:20] Movie Examples:

1. Chemerical - alternatives to toxic chemicals in the home
2. Garbage: The Revolution Starts at Home - a look at one family’s garbage for a year
3. Your Environmental Road Trip - exploring sustainability projects across the U.S.
4. An Inconvenient Sequel - climate change with Al Gore
5. From Gangs to Gardens - Denver hip hop artist and vegan chef
6. Fresh - farmers, thinkers, business people reinventing our food system
7. Fed Up - obesity and the food industry’s role in it
8. Chasing Ice - National Geographic photographer James Balog
9. Dolores - Dolores Huerta, co-founder of United Farm Workers
10. Circle of Poison - communities fighting back against toxic pesticides
11. Climate Warriors - youth activists raising awareness of urgent need for climate action
12. How to Have Better Political Conversations - with Robb Willer
13. How I became an Activist - with Ory Okolloh and her reporting on Kenya’s parliament
14. Merchants of Doubt - uncovering the industry of experts-for-pay on toxic chemicals, pharmaceuticals and climate change
15. Edible School Gardens - how to create a school garden
16. Eating Alabama - eating local for one year
17. Joanna Macy and The Great Turning - a framework for embracing the mess we’re in (Ep 3)
18. The Myth of Time - Martin Luther King, Jr

My evolution as an eco-warrior was hindered by the fact that I was so naive, for so long. Today’s episode is a short and sweet message. Instead of being gullible and trusting. be more like an investigative reporter. Don’t be naive.

Time-stamped notes

[1:00] “Naive” would be a great title for my autobiography, first 50 years.

[1:30] Extrapolated the goodness of those who raised me to our government and others.

[2:50] To be more successful, we need to be more like investigative reporters like Erin Brokovich, Jane Mayer, Anderson Cooper

[3:20] Need to move away from being overly trusting

[3:45] When I hear about things, I’m willing to dig in. Example: commercial pig farming

[4:20] I’d love to hear in the comments: when did you give up the innocence of being trusting

Resource: Erin Brokovich Movie

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0195685/

Thank you for listening!

Discover how to launch and grow a thriving Green Team in your community at www.GreenTeamAcademy.com! Get your free Green Team Essentials with access to our private community, a guide to avoidable mistakes, and access to our Podcast Discussion Group.

The time for action is now because there is no Planet B!