Funny Dancing Video & Insightful Commentary

A good friend and Planetsave supporter recently shared this great video above with me (which was apparently a speech at a TED conference). It is really worth a watch, for the interesting dancing alone.

It also gives me an opportunity to thank all the wonderful Planetsave supporters I’ve gotten to know a bit in the last year or so. I’ve gotten to know quite a few of you, including some of our newest writers, due to your much-appreciated support and communication. And it has benefited me and Planetsave greatly.

A big thanks to you all. And to the many more supporters who aren’t as communicative. As the video clearly shows, you are super important and appreciated as well. And feel free to chime in via the comments, email, twitter, facebook, or elsewhere sometime!

Thank you all!

No way to show the appreciation I feel.

An Important Activism Lesson (or 3) from the Video

 

I’m looking to focus a lot more on direct action or very targeted online activism campaigns here on Planetsave (as you might have gleaned from my post earlier today). I think there are a few key points to pull from the video above on this front, some stated by the speaker and some not.

1) Leaders and first followers are greatly needed: Both the creative leaders willing to get out there and do something others aren’t doing, and the first followers who will support them despite the “risk” of being criticized, are greatly needed right now in order to revive an excessively sedentary environmental movement. You can be one of those leaders. You can also be one of those first followers if that role fits you better (and don’t forget, that role is just as important).

If you are engaging in or starting some form of direct action, please let us know, and use our platform as a way to reach out to your highly needed first followers.

2) This action needs to be fun: Not explained in the video above is the fact that people like fun things. I know, very simple statement. But I think for too long the environmental movement has focused on engaging people based on need and moral obligation. If we want to engage the critical mass of people needed to make a huge difference, we need to find creative ways to make environmental action fun for the mainstream.

I have been engaged in a lot of fun environmental efforts, and I know that a lot of people find out that environmental activism is fun after getting involved, but I think this needs to be a bigger focus of environmental leaders and first followers from the beginning; a bigger focus in the actions that are created; and a bigger focus in the messaging and image of these actions.

3) Inspire people: Combined with the above, people don’t want to be guilted, they want to be inspired. The man in the video above inspired people. Actions and messaging that inspire are needed to get people caring more, acting, and creating change. Lesson: love what you do, do what you love, and inspire people in the process.

Hope these are helpful. Anymore thoughts/tips?

h/t to my friend Nathan Brown, the recruiter for Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage’s ecological building careers: http://www.dancingrabbit.org/social_change/Green-Building-Jobs.php

Source: Derek Sivers

7 thoughts on “Funny Dancing Video & Insightful Commentary”

    1. Thanks! Great video & commentary. Essentially, looking to tackle the largest crisis facing humanity — global climate change. With clean energy, clean transportation, and fun simple living 😀

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