Blindness

Team Initiative

BLINDNESS is an awareness campaign, fundraiser & celebration of Tibet's rich culture. By fusing our passions for art, performance, design, culture and travel, we created a heightened evening of the sounds & flavours of Tibet, incorporating Tibetan cuisine and music in the comfort and stillness of darkness, raising $1885 towards Planettera's Eye Camp Project.

What they had to say about sustainability solutions...

The Dalai Lama once said, in reference to the state of humanity, that,"Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility”. In so many ways do these epic words of his encapsulate the notion of “sustainability”. Being universally responsible – nation to nation, human to human and human to earth – is in fact the essence of living sustainably.

When we lead sustainable lives we increase our capacity to endure; to remain healthy, vibrant and productive over time. When we create sustainable systems, infrastructures & communities, we again increase our capacity to live within a healthy society.

Each and every one of us is part of system within a system, starting with our very own bodies, our families, our communities, our cities, our nations and our planet. We all have a responsibility to these systems, small and large. We all, in our very own unique way, have the capacity to make a difference on so many levels.

The Love in Action campaign is a successful one because it embraces our diversity as individuals. We all have unique gifts. We all have our own stories. We all come from different parts of the world. And yet, we are united by our commitment to each other; to better each other's existence.

We are Team BLINDNESS, three young artists trying our very best to live artful and sustainable lives. We have no fundraising experience, nor have we ever travelled to Tibet. Yet what we do have is passion; and the ability to inspire others through the creation of things: (sculptures, installations, dances, stories, events, designs...). Together we harnessed these gifts of ours to create BLINDNESS, an awareness campaign, fundraiser and celebration of Tibet's rich culture.

Tibet has suffered unimaginable political and cultural oppression. In a society where 90% of its people live off the land, each day is a struggle to endure. Land is bought and sold. Religion and culture censored. Each day in Tibet is a struggle to sustain the very fabric of its culture and history.

It was important to us to create a campaign that was about Tibet as a culture. Toronto has the highest concentration of Tibetan expats outside of Asia, the majority residing in Parkdale. This is an amazing statistic. We wanted to connect to Toronto's Tibetan community, to learn about this community, to share our knowledge with our own community, to create something special and sustainable together.

As westerners, promoting sustainable development in countries like Tibet and Peru can take many forms. From training local doctors to administer eye surgeries to locals, to working with and amongst a Peruvian community to create sustainable water systems, to creating awareness campaigns millions of miles away. What is essential, we feel, is the act of communion: two communities working together towards a common cause; rather than one imposing their own system upon the other. Embracing our diversity, sharing our knowledge and adhering to our universal responsibility to one another, this is how we can promote global sustainable development.

Team McLean

Team McLean Presents: Yoga For Sight! from A Story Told Well on Vimeo.

Team Initiative

Yoga for Sight is a 2-part fund-raising event that will take place on Tuesday, March 9th. Your choice of Blindfolded yoga class at West 4th lululemon store OR Blindfolded yoga class at Oakridge lululemon store. Both classes are from 7:30PM to 8:30PM. We are requesting a $15 dollar suggested donation to participate. Participants will be gradually blindfolded throughout the duration of the class to signify people going blind all over the world. Meet at The Cambie for Burger, Brew and Donation Party. Tickets are $15 (for Burger and a Pint - veggie burgers available) OR $10 if you attend one of our blindfolded yoga class that same night. Included with your Cambie Ticket is a chance to win a raffle.

What they had to say about sustainability solutions...

When talking about sustainable development in countries like Tibet and Peru it is important to think about preserving the local environments and resources as well as developing the indigenous communities.

In less developed countries, like Tibet, there is a chance to aid development with a researched, sustainable vision. Much of Tibet’s population is comprised of farmers and nomads, however, they are generally not consulted or involved in policy making decisions. Some of the difficulties that Tibet faces include; widespread poverty, rangeland degradation, unsustainable livestock production practices, poor market development, weak community participation and lack of integration in addressing these problems. "The development challenge is determining how to target funding better to address these issues and to ensure that resources allocated for development actually reaches the Tibetan farmers and nomads" (Miller). Although NGOs are effective at helping local communities, they could benefit from partnering with larger global organizations to be more strategic in what projects they are focusing on and how their money is distributed.

Unlike Tibet, Peru’s population is not so widespread. Many people have migrated from rural areas in hopes of increasing their socioeconomic status. This has created an increase in slums surrounding major cities. The infrastructure is no longer able to meet the needs of the communities and as a result many people go without healthcare, clean water and proper waste disposal. An amazing example of how to address and potentially solve some of these problems can be seen in the Brazilian city of Curitiba. Curitiba has been able to prevent unplanned urban sprawl through well thought out urban planning and transportation systems. The effectiveness of their transit system allows people who live far outside the city center to reach the downtown quickly and inexpensively so that they can get to their jobs and make a living. Resources are put into creating green space within the city, providing education for free or for a small fee, an extensive recycling program and creating jobs for everyone. There are many other examples of sustainable initiatives that have been put in place in Curitiba, which makes it a great place to study when planning the development of larger cities in Peru as well as many other larger cities around the world for that matter.

According to Wikipedia, "Sustainability is the capacity to endure". I believe that left to its own devices, the Earth does endure. Its varied and diverse ecosystems have had millions of years to reach the fine tuned balance in which they function. Old trees fall away leaving room for millions of new shoots to compete for the sunlight that comes through the new hole it has created in the canopy. The old tree is not wasted though, it is broken down and its components are recycled to fuel new growth. Humans, on the other hand, do not live such a waste-free existence. People do not seem to realize that there is a limit to the resources that the Earth can provide, and we are rapidly reaching that limit. In an ideal world, we would all go back to the land and everything we use and consume would be cradle-to-cradle and return from whence it came. In the reality of today’s world and economy, we need to band together as a country and globally to put in to place policies and regulations that are going to reduce our carbon emissions, stop polluting our oceans, protect endangered species and promote global conservation.

The Lima Beans

Team Initiative

Our aim was to use both high profile fundraising events like the Frame Fashion Show at Dolce, Love In Action at Lobby and Online Love In 'Auction', combined with small scale community awareness-raising events like our Walk For Blindness, our Vegan Bake Sale and our Community School project, to reach as many people as possible and generate funds. Surprisingly, the smaller 'events' were the ones with the best opportunities for spreading the word about LIA's goals, and ended up still raising money for the cause. By using our individual strengths and passions, Team Lima Beans has created a combined campaign that truly shows our Love In Action!

What they had to say about sustainability solutions...

Sustainability is defined as the capacity to endure, and to remain diverse and productive over time. The three pillars that create sustainable development – Environmental, Social, and Economic – must remain in balance and support each other in order to promote positive results in both the short and long-term.  This includes every unit from the small scale individual to a larger global scale. As young adults, we need to show our Love In Action by increasing awareness and inspiring change to promote more sustainable development in countries like Tibet and Peru.

 Environmental sustainability needs to become a top priority worldwide, but promoting green initiatives should be mandatory in Tibet, the highest region on Earth, because geographically it is instrumental in affecting weather and atmospheric circulation systems across the entire Northern Hemisphere. Even a small environmental change in Tibet could have a detrimental impact worldwide.

  Government sanctioned nature reserves already make up 34.8% of land in Tibet. By protecting these areas and encouraging further land preservation, Tibet can set an example for other countries in environmental sustainability. Other government sanctions such as limiting the natural resource harvesting (drilling, mining, deforestation, etc.) and promoting greener options such as solar and wind power are monumental in protecting the environment.

  Socially, we have so much to learn from isolated communities in countries like Peru and Tibet: they live a more traditional lifestyle by living off the land, remaining off the grid, and having less need for modern technology. This respect for nature in turn reduces the risk of extinction of plants and animals, as well as reduces the depletion of natural resources. Governments need to recognize the importance of these diverse ethnic populations and promote peaceful relations amongst them. Learning and adopting some of these traditional practises will help in all areas of development.

  The construction of the Qinghai–Tibet railway was instrumental in creating an eco-friendly transportation system for Tibetans and tourists alike, and such initiatives need to be continued in the future. It is imperative that the government recognises and supports green initiatives for eco-tourism, a significant industry in Tibet and Peru. Since both are developing countries, they need to avoid the mistakes that other developed countries have encountered, and instead implement and maintain green initiatives now. This will ensure that future generations are safe environmentally, socially and economically.

  All of these areas of sustainable development are interconnected and rely on one another. Education at the grassroots level is the key in preventing irreversible long-term damage to eco-systems and human health. There needs to be an acceptance of responsibility on a global level by adopting new behaviours and practices to secure the future. A “band-aid solution” is not enough; however, a proactive approach to sustainable development in all areas is the only way to ensure that our world has the capacity to endure, and to remain diverse and productive over time. Putting our Love In Action will ensure that countries like Tibet and Peru will set an example as to how sustainability benefits everyone!

Love at First Sight

Team Initiative

The main focus of our campaign was to get as many people as possible to consider how blessed they are to have their eyesight while showing our love to those in our community and Tibet. We organized and attended 7 events and at every one of them we asked those who attended "What they would miss?" and had them write it on a whiteboard. We made videos with the photos we collected and uploaded them to a website we made and sent a call-out to the world to support the cause and send in photos of what they would miss. We received photos from as far as Hungary, Korea and Japan. In total we collected photos of over 250 people holding signs of what they would miss.

What they had to say about sustainability solutions...

Imagine awaking one morning to the sounds of birds singing, the smell of fresh morning air and the feeling of a spring breeze brushing across your body. You open your eyes expecting to see the glaring sunlight and a perhaps a rainbow, but the darkness refuses to leave. This is a reality for many natives who are a member of the massive blind population in Tibet. With the largest population of treatable cataract blindness in the world, Tibet simply has not been able to sustain reliable and accessible healthcare to provide to their people. Sustainability can be defined as the ability of a nation or region, such as Tibet and Peru, to endure and survive. This includes natural, economic, and social resources. In relation to the cause we are supporting, the Tibetan people are in need of funding to deliver healthcare resources to their ailing population. Sustainability can be improved in these developing countries through the aid of other nations in building a more resourceful land, boosting their economy through monetary means and, most importantly, enabling the citizens of those nations to learn, apply and take charge of the necessary knowledge for them to be a self-sufficient nation. Love In Action, although seeming to be a smaller scale aid operation, it’s organizations like these that really make a difference. Not only does this generate funding for nations like Tibet, but it also allows people to spread the knowledge of what is really going on out there in the third world. It has been said that a butterfly’s wings can start a hurricane, and if this is true, we can bring joy to the world, one loving deed at a time.

RealSightKeepers

Team Initiative

Dine Blind for Tibet • 3 course meal at O.NOIR restaurant • Guests dined in complete darkness • Served by all blind waiters • Included raffle prizes from 10 different sponsors • Experience of what it feels like to be blind • Used empathy through experience to create sustainable awareness • Demonstrated the gift of what we will give the Tibetan community when guests re-enter the light

What they had to say about sustainability solutions...

Sustainability is empowerment, empathy and action. Imagine a young girl, aged 15 working at a department store in small town Canada. She notices a need in her community after seeing countless people using pennies to makes ends meat. Her and a friend decide to do something about it. They decide to start a community soup kitchen at Christmas to ensure that everyone has enough to eat. The event showed the community that youth have something to offer and are capable of creating real change. Two months later, citizens and storeowners came together to feed over 500 people.

After three years the girl and her friend moved off to college and passed the torch to two new leaders. Nine years later, thousands had been fed and the dinner had been passed down through countless young community leaders.

Who is this girl? She is in all of us. What enabled her success and the durability of her project was the context in which she acted. Her social and economic environment allowed her ideas to flourish and remain over time.

Education and independence facilitated initial empowerment. Interpersonal trust spread the action. A community gave the project the capacity to endure over time. The key to sustainability is then enabling the spread of ideas through education and fostering resources and interpersonal trust through community. How can this be done in both the developing and developed world? It can be achieved through inspired and decentralized mobilization. Every country and culture is different but at the core we are all the same. We all need the capacity to connect to others to accomplish great things, whether you are in Tibet, Peru or Canada. We need to foster the freedom to be empowered in the developing world. We need to show individuals that they have an impact and can create their own change in their own cultures regardless of bureaucracy.

International organization is key in the promotion of sustainability and empowerment due to the interconnection of our world. The mobilization of resources must occur across borders but cater to each individual country’s needs and goals. Tactics must be found that can be used in each respective country to achieve the overall strategic goal of a more just and sustainable system. Sustainable development comes from the bottom up; from homes, communities and networks coming together to take hold of the future. Tibet and Peru are majestic communities with so much to offer. Only through empowerment, will the international community come to know these cultures as they see themselves. Only through empowerment, empathy and action will the world move forward with the capacity to sustain ourselves and provide solutions to the many challenges that we have yet to conquer.

Subnodes

Team Initiative

The first question we asked ourselves when brainstorming possible ideas for a Love In Action campaign was: How can we try to relate to the experiences of the vision impaired people of Tibet?  And also: How can we do this while being true to ourselves and to what it is we are most passionate about.”  The answer was simple: we would use our music to spread the word.  But, we still needed to bridge the gap, so we decided to pick up our instruments and busk all around the city with a Love In Action banner on our backs, and blindfolds over our eyes.   The people in Tibet whose eyes suffer most from radiation exposure are nomadic, so we figured that moving around our metropolis ‘blind’ while putting some of our own unique love into the cause would be the most effective; and it was.   As well, put together a short set and performed to a number of our friends and family blindfolded, having them also join the cause and experience by dawning blindfolds. 

What they had to say about sustainability solutions...

The term sustainability verily advocates the long-lasting wellbeing of life on earth, and is just as pervasive in modern culture as the term eco-friendly.  But, like the latter mentioned practice, it is still not considered –or more specifically– still not readily facilitated, in many countries around the world.

              Of course, there are the obvious socio-political and socio-economic factors that contribute to this relative lack of action, but then, is it fair to solely attribute the blame to the often blinkered, administrators of society?  It only seems fair that the promotion of sustainable living –as well as the reasonable use and distribution of earth’s natural resources– should be the responsibility of all humankind, and not just a task left to the short sighted governmental bodies that orchestrate our lives, or the under resourced local and international NGO’s that currently provide the world with the facts.  It is up to us all, not just up them.

              In countries like Peru, where almost 20% of the people live in extreme poverty, the implementation of sustainable development presents a significant challenge.  This unfortunately rings true with many other countries; countries like Tibet, which under Chinese state control has seen much of its people sadly disenfranchised.  So what is it that can be done?

              Everything starts at the bottom and gradually works its way up.  A tree only reaches fruition by first being the seed, which then becomes the sapling.  The same goes for spreading awareness about relevant social and ecological issues.  Making an effort in the smallest way: every day, every week, every month, is what can make all the difference.  Education is also key; much of the time it’s a lack of knowledge –individually, and within the urban and rural community– that stifles involvement in grass roots projects, and sustainability based initiatives which are at the core of making a difference, especially in impoverished countries. 

              All it takes is one step forward.  All it takes is a little compassion, and little less apathy.  All it takes is to put your love in action.

Los Tres Viajeros

Team Initiative

Our team decided to do an event that could create awareness and bring people together, with such limited time we had to work with the only assets around us. People, music, and a street corner would suffice. We did not have time to obtain a permit so we decided to wing it. We called it "Hugapalooza" in hopes to get people to hug a stranger blindfolded. We wanted people to understand the feeling of losing a sense and to be grateful for what they have. Unfortunately we got moved two times and weather conditions were not at their greatest. We had to go with the flow though and the event turned more into a cypher where people just enjoyed good company and good vibes for a good cause. We had a face painting stand but weather conditions did not allow it so we capitalized on our DJ, breaker, dance crew and the good old face to face with people. We gave the people an option of juice or writing on a heart card to Tibet people, that they can see when they get their eye-sight restored for a donation. By the end of the day we felt we moved many people and creating awareness for a community that has had limited media coverage. Most of all we learned a lot and how to make the next event an even greater one!

What they had to say about sustainability solutions...

Sustainability is having a community that can thrive on their own, economically and financially. Although we believe that everyone needs help and even generously aiding them they can still understand the concept of sustainability. when they can figure out the people and skills that are they're greatest assets they can capitalize on these, because adversity breeds ingenuity. Education of course is key to the overall development of a country, but unlike western countries, they have lived the "simple" life for generations. Therefore to go into a community and assume their way of living is wrong because it is not the same or as advanced as ours, will be a hard concept for them to wrap their minds around. Although enlightening them on things like micro-lending where it gives them the chance regardless of education or cultural barriers, they can have a decent life for them and other generations. This will then tie into their cultural pride, some people migrate to the western world and never want to go back and live in their home line because they can see and feel the opportunities around them. Lastly the greatest chance we have as a western civilization to actually promote understanding, is showing them the effects they have on their environment and how it will affect their future generations. With this knowledge, there will be more hope for their civilization to not only thrive in their own community, but to pass it on to future generations where they can use their skills and assets to generate revenue and put this back into not only their families, but their society as a whole.

Fight 4 Sight

Love in Action Fight 4 Sight from Fight4sight on Vimeo.

Team Initiative

Fight 4 Sight held a local art show on March 5th, followed by a blackout party (dark room with everyone dressed in black) to bring awareness and raise funds for Blindness in Tibet.

What they had to say about sustainability solutions...

Imagine awaking one morning to the sounds of birds singing, the smell of fresh morning air and the feeling of a spring breeze brushing across your body. You open your eyes expecting to see the glaring sunlight and a perhaps a rainbow, but the darkness refuses to leave. This is a reality for many natives who are a member of the massive blind population in Tibet. With the largest population of treatable cataract blindness in the world, Tibet simply has not been able to sustain reliable and accessible healthcare to provide to their people. Sustainability can be defined as the ability of a nation or region, such as Tibet and Peru, to endure and survive. This includes natural, economic, and social resources. In relation to the cause we are supporting, the Tibetan people are in need of funding to deliver healthcare resources to their ailing population. Sustainability can be improved in these developing countries through the aid of other nations in building a more resourceful land, boosting their economy through monetary means and, most importantly, enabling the citizens of those nations to learn, apply and take charge of the necessary knowledge for them to be a self-sufficient nation. Love In Action, although seeming to be a smaller scale aid operation, it’s organizations like these that really make a difference. Not only does this generate funding for nations like Tibet, but it also allows people to spread the knowledge of what is really going on out there in the third world. It has been said that a butterfly’s wings can start a hurricane, and if this is true, we can bring joy to the world, one loving deed at a time.Imagine awaking one morning to the sounds of birds singing, the smell of fresh morning air and the feeling of a spring breeze brushing across your body. You open your eyes expecting to see the glaring sunlight and a perhaps a rainbow, but the darkness refuses to leave. This is a reality for many natives who are a member of the massive blind population in Tibet. With the largest population of treatable cataract blindness in the world, Tibet simply has not been able to sustain reliable and accessible healthcare to provide to their people. Sustainability can be defined as the ability of a nation or region, such as Tibet and Peru, to endure and survive. This includes natural, economic, and social resources. In relation to the cause we are supporting, the Tibetan people are in need of funding to deliver healthcare resources to their ailing population. Sustainability can be improved in these developing countries through the aid of other nations in building a more resourceful land, boosting their economy through monetary means and, most importantly, enabling the citizens of those nations to learn, apply and take charge of the necessary knowledge for them to be a self-sufficient nation. Love In Action, although seeming to be a smaller scale aid operation, it’s organizations like these that really make a difference. Not only does this generate funding for nations like Tibet, but it also allows people to spread the knowledge of what is really going on out there in the third world. It has been said that a butterfly’s wings can start a hurricane, and if this is true, we can bring joy to the world, one loving deed at a time.

Vision Mission

1300 Hugs - Team Vision Mission (Love in Action 2010) from EL on Vimeo.

Team Initiative

We wanted to come up with a creative way to show “Love” in “Action”. We decided that a good way to show this would be to actually put love out onto the streets of Toronto. At the same time, to help out the cause and attract people to our event, we wanted to attempt to break a record in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most hugs in one hour. We still have to count up the amount of hugs that we received to see if the record was broken before submitting it to the Guinness Book. We were raising money at the event, through social networking with family, friends and business colleagues and hope that money can continue to be raised for this cause even after the event through media coverage if the record has been broken. We were fortunate to have a reporter from the Toronto Sun come and take video and photos of our event and publish an article the following day in the paper. This helps to further promote awareness of the project through the information in the article.

What they had to say about sustainability solutions...

Promoting sustainability in developing countries is important in the global community. It means to endure. It is everyones responsibility to help ensure that this can happen in less developed countries. We need to leave more than a building, a well, food or money. We need to leave a community with improved human and social capital. In order to improve human capital, we need to teach individuals skills and help to ensure that everyone gets an education. In order to improve social capital we need to help develop relationships within the community. Relationships need to be developed between community members and groups to help the community form governments to deal with common problems and to form organizations to create goods and services to satisfy the needs of that community. This all needs to be brought forward to people of all ages to ensure that future generations will be able to continue and further develop themselves into a sustainable community.