This discussion is based on a July 2006 story that appears in Alberta Views magazine. In the article I posed "10 big questions" for environmentalists, and anybody who cares about Alberta, and Canada, to consider. I don't believe I have all the answers, so I'm making space here for others to contribute, comment, and generally participate.

From the Alberta Views article: We’re losing and we know it. We’re losing what so many love about Alberta – its wild places, wildlife, and the clean air and clear waters that define this province.

Alberta’s environmental community has often been all that stands between ecological ruin and many of the province’s corporate and government decision makers. But despite the heroic efforts of a few handfuls of volunteers and staff, Alberta continues to tumble into ecological decay. And while Alberta’s beleaguered environmental community can count on many Canadians to help protect the province’s air, land, water, and wildlife, our community must first find the means to reinvigorate itself, reorganize, re-prioritize, and then get down to work. Only after we’ve done this will can we call ourselves a true movement.

Before moving to Victoria, BC in 2005 I was part of that community for nearly fourteen years. I’m proud of the work that Alberta’s conservation community has accomplished, but I’m also aware that if we’re going to do more than just hold the fort in our effort to protect the web of life on earth, we’ve got to question our own effectiveness as leaders in civil society. To that end, I offer up these questions in the hopes of spurring a sea change that will turn the tide in Alberta, and across Canada.

You can comment on this general hypothesis, or discuss one or more of the 10 big queistons.

What Kind of Movement do we need? To overcome our opposition and meet the challenges we face today, we need to become not ten times, but 100 times, more effective, and we must sustain that effectiveness for decades. I believe that the way we currently work together is not up to this challenge. What do you think?

How can a revitalized provincial environmental movement build trust and become effective at the local level of our communities?

How do we ensure lasting leadership? While Alberta has many fine environmental leaders, it lacks a leadership succession culture that identifies and trains young people for future leadership roles. What steps do we need to take to ensure that twenty years from now we have the leaders Alberta deserves?

How do we communicate? In Alberta we've doggedly stuck to the same frames of reference for more than thirty years. The message that nature is good and development is bad, is frankly not complex enough for today's problems. How can we communicate so that people actually hear what we are saying, and change their behavoir?

How do we fund this new movement? Funding our renewed efforts will be the single greatest challenge to executing a sea change.

How do we influence decision makers? Simply put, environmental groups and others working outside government to make Alberta better don’t matter to decision makers in Alberta. What do we have to do to matter?

What role can environmental education play? Environmental education is a process. The outcome is someone who is environmentally literate, who understands the connection between society, economy, and nature. Do we have time for that? How can it be used as a strategic tool?

How do we find a collective voice? How do we break through the silo mentality that isolates various sectors of civil society in order to advance our broader common vision?

What is the role of ethical business? Environmental groups can't do this alone. We need to harness the power of commerce to create change. How can business play a role?

How can we be the sea change? Before we can implement a sea change in how we advocate and organize within civil society, we must first become that sea change ourselves. What are you doing to be the sea change?