Why not? Our Christmas Wish

Last December, I participated in the Global Solutions Summit 2016 in Little Rock (Arkansas, USA). Even though me being not a very religious person, I was inspired by a quote of Bishop Michael Curry from the Episcopal Church of America: Some people see things as they are and ask: „Why?“ Others are dreaming of things that never were and ask: „Why not?“

Since Christmas is the time when dreams are allowed, I would like to motivate everyone to dream about things that never were!

In November this year, 15’364 scientists from 184 countries wrote a „letter to humanity“. They highlighted the existential threat for mankind, if we do not rein in our intense, but geographically and demographically uneven, material consumption. The so-called Alliance of World Scientists was hoping, that their letter would ignite a public discussion about climate change and the connected societal challenges.

Are these scientists just a bunch of dreamers promoting „fake news“? My answer is NO! I give you three examples I have experienced myself:

1. During our work in Madagascar we experienced the effects of climate change directly: The local fishermen fight for survival because they now have to compete for the fish with farmers, who lost their source of income due to lack of rain. Therefore, farmers started to fish along the coast to feed their families, which threatens the existence of everyone.
2. Along the beautiful coasts of Cambodia, the sea and the beaches are full of plastic bottles and flip flops. This is not only scaring away the tourists, but it affects the whole environment in the area.
3. In Nepal, we find deteriorating water qualities in the rivers due to heavy contamination of human waste dumped under almost every bridge. In addition, the air in the country is hazy at most of the days because of the burning of rice fields.

I agree with the scientists: It is time to dream about things that never were. But mind you, a solution is not simple and not cheap. The challenge is complex, so we need to come up with holistic concepts to tackle it.

We have everything we need! There are technical solutions for renewable power supply, there are systems to purify water from almost any contamination, there are clean waste management solutions, even systems to clean up the oceans have been developed recently. There is also enough money around to fund and deploy these technologies to the areas where they generate the biggest impact. Various organisations around the globe have gathered a lot of data on how sustainable development should be managed. So, everything we need to change our course is ready.

And yet? It seems that we do not have enough dreamers putting the pieces together, taking risks and try to do the right things.

At WECONNEX, we see our role in being one of these change makers. We dream about things that never were before and try to find new ways to make them real. We believe that with the right incentive, state-of-the-art technology and proper training, everybody can change towards more sustainability – while even improving his own livelihood! In our case, we focus on people who’s economic development is still ahead of them. We help them to achieve better livelihoods – but without burdening the environment further.

So, let us dream together! What if we can implement projects for environment protection or social enterpreneurship below budget and in less time than scheduled? Imagine finance partners who are willing to take risks to mitigate climate change or to invest in the development of poor communities for fair profit rates. Let us dream of governments and politicians supporting activities for a good cause without a personal benefit. Envision private sector companies considering sustainability as their core competence. Think of NGO’s moving towards financial sustainability to replicate their successful projects organically. And last but not least, let us dream about a global organisation supporting the activities towards the Sustainable Development Goals in an unbureaucratic, pragmatic and efficient way.

We invite everybody to join WECONNEX in our dream. The challenges are too big and too complex to be tackled alone. Only by combining our experiences, networks, funds, ideas and our time we have a chance to seize the last chance for humanity as indicated by the Alliance of World Scientists. So, let us make sure that we ask the right question: “Why not?”

Yours sincerely,
Lars Willi

Interested in supporting our cause? Start now!

1. Share: Recommend this article to your friends!
2. Follow: Sign up for our Newsletter, follow us on LinkedIn and like our FacebookPage! We are also on Twitter and Instagram.
3. Connect: Introduce us to people who should know about us! Let us know about your specific know-how or outstanding technology which could be interesting for us!
4. Support: You have funds but you do not have a project? – Well, sounds like a win-win to me! Otherwise: Tell your rich uncle about us! We offer alternative investment options for a good cause.
5. Engage: You have too much time or it is time for a change? We are always on the lookout for motivated and qualified people supporting our project in one or another way.

Source: nexus ch