What SumOfUs thinks
Venerdì 14 Febbraio 2020 15:59
 
 
 
VIDEO: Snippets from marathon global coffee chat with SumOfUs members


Mario,

15 hours into a marathon global coffee chat with SumOfUs members, I broke down listening to an amazing man named Paul. He lives in Australia, near the edge of the fires. And he woke up to the mournful sound of a black cockatoo outside his window, alone. Black cockatoos are never alone, they are supposed to travel in intimately connected flocks. But the fires had ravaged this majestic bird’s home and likely, his family. For Paul, and all of us in that coffee chat, it was too much. The devastation of Paul’s home country felt too familiar to all of us facing the very real impact of climate change on our communities.

 

But there was so much hope too: Renee, who honors her daughter’s life, cut short from a car accident when she was 21, by showcasing a movie they made together about the amazing solutions to climate change being pioneered by activists and community leaders across the globe. Or Ing, who used her experience and knowledge from a long career as an economist to publish a roadmap for a new kind of economy that regulates corporations and serves human beings. Or Rama who told us about how India had grown so green from community tree-planting efforts that it had changed color on satellite images from space.

Meeting the incredible community that powers SumOfUs, I was inspired by the deep connection, empathy and intelligence of our global membership.

And that’s how I know I landed the best job in the world: serving 15 million members who work together to put people at the center of our global economies and protect against corporate abuses and exploitation.

As the new Executive Director, I am excited to build on this movement, to help people make more impact with the time they give, to ensure the community grows and reaches new kindred spirits and expands to new languages and new countries. We are, in some ways, at the beginning of our story.

SumOfUs is coming of age in a world that desperately needs people-powered solutions to an economic system that, time-and-time again, fails to serve people. As the climate crisis, the disinformation crisis, and the economic crisis grow, SumOfUs members are needed more than ever to insert human and creative possibilities for change. Together, we must stand as a red line against those who seek to use moments of instability for profit, violence and exploitation.

Members play an instrumental part in planning for this critical moment in our collective story. Over the last few weeks, members finished a global survey that helps us chart our course for the coming years, spent countless hours in meetings with me held over an 18 hour period, and shared their campaign ideas and priorities. All the while not slowing their campaigning — winning an end to Credit Suisse’s support for toxic ocean dumping, making huge media waves at Apple’s annual general meeting with a demand for human rights protections, and working to make Uber a champion for the environment.

What SumOfUs should focus on: 85% Defending the planet from the worst polluters, 78% Protecting biodiversity and the natural world, 75% Fighting corporate corruption of our governments, 67% Fighting disinformation and protecting democracyWhat were your favourite campaigns: 78% Protecting bees from deadly chemicals, 62% Taking on corporations behind the fires and logging destroying the Amazon, 55% Pushing major corporations to keep palm oil out of their products

Check out the video to meet other members of SumOfUs (and see the amazing experience I got to have in our global coffee chat). Then scroll down to the graphics on this page to see more results from our global survey.

I can't wait to change the world together.

Thanks for all that you do,

Scritto da Emma Ruby-Sachs and the team at SumOf   
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